Just Read.: Maps, The Uncollected John Sladek, ed. Dave Langford

[amazon.co.uk]

A bit of a mixture, this. Some of the items here read like (and probably are) things the author scribbled on the back of an envelope in the pub. Other parts display infectious levels of surrealism and a sense of fun, as Sladek plays literary games with the reader.

I found it hard going in places, with succeeding stories following the same formula - always a hazard with collections of shorts that were originally published apart. Novelties like the "programmed story" are, unfortunately, just that - novelties. Luckily, Sladek's humour gets free rein in several places, which rescues things.