Unlikely Stories, Mostly

Unlikely Stories, Mostly is Alasdair Gray's first collection of short stories, published by Canongate in 1983. The collection spans work written across three decades, from Gray's teenage years through his established career. The stories range from science fiction to social satire, featuring scenarios like a star falling into an urban garden, a man who undergoes fission, and conversations with the sun. The collection includes both traditional narrative forms and experimental formats, including a story written as a television script. The 2010 revised edition added two new stories - "A Unique Case" and "Inches in a Column" - and renamed several others, with a new postscript by Douglas Gifford. The collection was later incorporated into Gray's comprehensive Every Short Story 1951-2012. The book exemplifies Gray's signature blend of fantasy and realism, using supernatural and bizarre elements to explore themes of identity, power, and social transformation in modern Scotland.

Readers note this collection displays Gray's experimental style and dark humor, though some find it more uneven than his other works. Fans appreciate the unique illustrations and typography, the blend of Scottish folklore with contemporary settings, and the metafictional elements. Several reviews highlight the title story "Unlikely Stories, Mostly" as a standout. A Goodreads reviewer called the stories "beautifully bizarre and unsettling." Critics say some stories feel incomplete or overly academic. Multiple readers mention struggling with the dense language and unusual formatting. One Amazon reviewer found it "pretentious and difficult to follow." Ratings: Goodreads: 3.8/5 (179 ratings) Amazon: 4.1/5 (12 ratings) LibraryThing: 3.7/5 (21 ratings) The book has limited reviews online, with most coming from dedicated Gray readers rather than casual audiences. Several reviewers recommend starting with Gray's novel Lanark instead of this collection.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell Weaves together six nested stories across time and space with experimental formats and genre-bending elements that blur fantasy and reality.

The Complete Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino Presents surreal tales about scientific concepts through a mythological lens, mixing cosmic scope with intimate human experiences.

The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz Transforms mundane small-town life into mythic proportions through dreamlike narratives and metamorphic imagery.

Ficciones by Jorge Luis Borges Combines metaphysical concepts with fantastical scenarios in tightly constructed short stories that challenge reality's boundaries.

The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien Creates an absurdist world where scientific theories merge with Irish folklore in a narrative that bends both logic and reality.

🔸 The author not only wrote but also illustrated his own books, including this collection, with distinctive black and white drawings that became a signature part of his work. 🔸 Many stories in this collection were written while Gray worked as a scene painter for various Glasgow theaters, influencing the theatrical and visual elements in his narratives. 🔸 The book's title "Unlikely Stories, Mostly" includes the word "Mostly" because one of the stories was based on a true incident that occurred in Glasgow in the 1950s. 🔸 Gray spent over 30 years working on his first novel "Lanark" (published in 1981) while writing many of these short stories, which helped him develop his unique blend of realism and fantasy. 🔸 The book's publication in 1983 coincided with a revival of Scottish literature, and Gray became a key figure in what became known as the "Glasgow Renaissance" in Scottish arts and literature.