Bunch!

I'll confess something here. Back in the 1960s, when many of these stories were first appearing the the SF magazines, I was one of the many fans who thought David Bunch was writing them to show contempt for his readers. Some time later, I sampled them again out of curiosity, and then went on a binge of Bunch, discovering that the superficiality had been all my own, there here was and original, skilled, and fascinating voice, a writer whose stories required some exertion on the part of the reader, but who rewarded those efforts. Some of the best of these, including my personal favorite, "That High-up Blue Day That Saw the Black Sky-train Come Spinning" are collected here, along with several I've never encountered before. Not for the lazy reader, but definitely for those with the desire to be stimulated and entertained. - Don D'Ammassa, *Science Fiction Chronicle* David R. Bunch's short, idiosyncratic stories have, almost invariably, been met with varying degrees of outrage from readers unwilling to work with his convoluted prose to reach the plot that to most is opaque. In his own way, Bunch is one of the most original and creative writers in the genre, and it is unfortunate that the conservative bent of most readers is such that he is not given the attention he deserves - *20th Century Science Fiction Writers* I'm not in this business primarily to describe or explain or entertain. I'm here to make the reader think, even if I have to bash his teeth out, break his legs, grind him up, beat him down, and totally chastise him for the terrible and tinsel and almost wholly bad world we allow. ... The first level reader, who wants to see events jerk their tawdry ways through some used and USED old plot - I love him with a hate bigger than all the world's pity, but he's not for me. The reader I want is the one that wants the anguish, who will go up there and get on that big black cross. And that reader will have, with me, the saving grace of knowing that some awful payment is due...as all space must look askance at us, all galaxies send star frowns down, a cosmic leer envelop this small ball that has such Great GREAT pretenders. - David R. Bunch 7 • Introduction: Here They Be! Century's End, Fortune's Wheel and the Knight of Doleful Countenance • (1993) • essay by Barry N. Malzberg 11 • The College of Acceptable Death • (1964) • short story by David R. Bunch 16 • In the Time of Disposal of Infants • (1969) • short story by David R. Bunch 20 • They Never Come Back From Whoosh! • (1964) • short story by David R. Bunch 24 • That High-Up Blue Day That Saw the Black Sky-Train Come Spinning • (1968) • short story by David R. Bunch 28 • Any Heads at Home • (1969) • short story by David R. Bunch 32 • Routine Emergency • (1957) • short story by David R. Bunch 35 • A Vision of the King • (1964) • short story by David R. Bunch 39 • Training Talk No. 12 • [Training Talk] • (1972) • short story by David R. Bunch 43 • Moment of Truth in Suburb Junction • (1973) • short story by David R. Bunch 49 • Breakout in Ecol 2 • (1973) • short story by David R. Bunch 54 • Riders of Thunder • (1960) • short story by David R. Bunch 58 • Somebody Up There Hates Us • (1963) • short story by David R. Bunch 63 • In a Saucer Down for B-Day • (1969) • short story by David R. Bunch 68 • Let Me Call Her Sweetcore • (1964) • short story by David R. Bunch 73 • In the Jag-Whiffing Service • (1959) • short story by David R. Bunch 76 • First Day, First Job, Girl • (1983) • short story by David R. Bunch 80 • In the Empire • (1961) • short story by David R. Bunch 84 • Awareness Plan • (1962) • short story by David R. Bunch 88 • A Small Miracle of Fishhooks and Straight Pins • (1961) • short story by David R. Bunch 91 • The Survey Trip • (1962) • short story by David R. Bunch 95 • Up to the Edge of Heaven • (1972) • short story by David R. Bunch 101 • Control • (1993) • short story by David R. Bunch 110 • On the Sunniest Day of Spring • (1962) • short story by David R. Bunch 114 • Please Help! Save Our Bugs and Pile Our Birds • (1981) • short story by David R. Bunch 119 • The Time Saviour • (1961) • short story by David R. Bunch 123 • Unwarranted Departure • (1972) • short story by David R. Bunch 127 • Our House • (1961) • short story by David R. Bunch 131 • Keeping It Simple • (1964) • short story by David R. Bunch 135 • Investigating the Bidwell Endeavors • (1965) • short story by David R. Bunch 140 • From the Fishbowl • (1984) • short story by David R. Bunch 149 • In the Complaints Service • (1960) • short story by David R. Bunch 153 • Training Talk • (1964) • short story by David R. Bunch David R. Bunch's short, idiosyncratic stories have, almost invariably, been met with varying degrees of outrage from readers unwilling to work with his convoluted prose to reach the plot that to most is opaque. In his own way, Bunch is one of the most original and creative writers in the genre, and it is unfortunate that the conservative bent of most readers is such that he is not given the attention he deserves. - 20th Century Science-Fiction Writers Contents: The College of Acceptable Death In the Time of Disposal of Infants They Never Come Back From Whoosh! That High-Up Blue Day That Saw the Black Sky-Train Come Spinning Any Heads at Home Routine Emergency A Vision of the King Training Talk No. 12 Moment of Truth in Suburb Junction Breakout in Ecol 2 Riders of Thunder Somebody Up There Hates Us In a Saucer Down for B-Day Let Me Call Her Sweetcore In the Jag-Whiffing Service First Day, First Job, Girl In the Empire Awareness Plan A Small Miracle of Fishhooks and Straight Pins The Survey Trip Up to the Edge of Heaven Control On the Sunniest Day of Spring Please Help! Save Our Bugs and Pile Our Birds The Time Saviour Unwarranted Departure Our House Keeping It Simple Investigating the Bidwell Endeavors From the Fishbowl In the Complaints Service Training Talk