Caution! Inflammable by Thomas N. Scortia (book review).
The opening introduction to this anthology, ‘Caution! Inflammable’ by Thomas N. Scortia and by Ted Sturgeon, could apply to any SF author. More so when he addresses science fiction as the genre of what if or might be. This book is an invaluable resource for any budding genre writer.
Here we have twenty short stories by Tom Scortia, written, according to the indicia, in the early 1970s. Back in the day, the bigger publishers didn’t hesitate in collecting the short-form material of their authors published in magazines because they were fairly confident no reader could possibly have picked up all the mags or at least kept them. No doubt it also ensured that they could put a book out while the author was completing a novel, or they were at least as prolific as, say, Asimov.
Scortia (1926-1988) spread his talents. He was originally a chemical engineer in the aerospace industry, writing in his spare time. One of his novels, ‘The Glass Inferno’, co-written with Frank M. Robinson, together with ‘The Tower’ by Richard Martin Stern, was the basis for the 1974 film ‘The Towering Inferno’.
This is his second anthology. I can’t doubt his skill in writing, although I’m far more used to having a sharper punch at the end of the story. There’s certainly a variety of material here, and he obviously explores the detail of each reality. He even touches on minotaurs in ‘Morality’. It did start making sense that he laid down an inference, and you have to work a bit on what is going on beneath the surface. With ‘Adam’s Rib’, the husband of the ageing Dr Ellen Marsden is described as a real hunk and looking after her. He’s so perfect, you have to wonder what he really is. Scortia leaves that wide open for interpretation.
‘The Icebox Blonde’ is an American version of a married British ‘proper’ couple in the USA. The film is marvellously overplayed yet incredibly humorous. The same applies to ‘The Bomb In The Bathtub’ and the concept of putting it to rest. Once you get into a roll with any author’s short stories, they can still work.
‘The Premier’s Wife’ has to be one of the best when she realises her husband isn’t all he seems. The film is a classic in detail, providing insight into her own motives for marrying him in the first place. The start at a gala and her opinions on some people and needing rescuing from others really capture the scene.
With all anthologies, no one is going to like all the stories; hence, they tend to be a bit scattershot. Scortia’s story and character detail, which varies from story to story, will hold your attention. His endings could be stronger, but bear in mind this book came out nearly 50 years ago, so there was a different protocol back then. I do think neo-writers can benefit from looking at his work, if only to appreciate his research and application.
GF Willmetts
March 2025
(pub: Bantam Books, 1973, 1976 – second edition. 270 page paperback. Price; varies. ISBN: 0-553-02580-5).
