Short Book Reviews: John Collier’s Tom’s A-Cold (1933), Kenneth Bulmer’s The Insane City (1971), and Peter Tate’s The Thinking Seat (fix-up 1969)

Note: My read but “waiting to be reviewed pile” is growing. Short rumination/tangents/impressions are a way to get through the stack before my memory and will fades. My website partially serves as a record of what I have read and a memory palace for future projects. Stay tuned for more detailed and analytical reviews. 1. John Collier’s Tom’s A-Cold (1933) Uncredited cover for the 1st edition 4.25/5 (Very Good) If it were not for my general writing slump with a growing, and demoralizing, backlog to cover, I’d give John Collier’s Tom’s A-Cold (variant title: Full Circle) (1933) a full review. It’s the surprise of the year so far. According to SF Encyclopedia, John Collier (1901-1980) is best known for his “rather precious short stories” featuring “acerbic snap” endings common to the “disillusioned, wary kind of slick fantasy.” I can’t say that’s a writing style that appeals to me. In stark (and Boaz approved) contrast, John Clute characterizes Tom’s A-Cold as “radically dissimilar to…