The idea that aliens live among us masked as human beings is not new and has been fascinating both writers and readers of SF and fantasy for decades, inspired by antique myths of gods and supernatural creatures taking human form to alter and influence the fate of mortals. It was high time to assemble in one volume the most appealing stories devoted to such a captivating subject.

Praise then to PS Publishing and to editors Michael Bishop and Steven Utley for taking on such a burden.

This reprint anthology collects sixteen tales penned by famous authors such as Ray Bradbury,Robert Silverbeg, Barry N Malzberg, Theodore Sturgeon, James Tiptree Jr, Paul Di Filippo, Jeff VanderMeer. Great names or not I’ll focus on the stories which better develop the concept inspiring the book title, Passing for Human.

First of all, I want to mention the archetype and masterpiece of this particular theme, Theodore Sturgeon’s The Other Celia, a superior story that struck me, when I first read it many years ago, as an outstanding piece of fiction . I wholeheartedly agree with the editors of the book that the story still remains unsurpassed , putting to shame a lot of celebrated, more recent genre fiction. Graced by an extraordinary storytelling, the tale painstakingly describes how a nosy neighbour investigates and discovers the true nature of the nondescript female keeping room in his same boarding house. The sense of alienation is overwhelming and the ending leaves behind a deep feeling of disquiet.

My second favourite is Robert Silverberg’s The Reality Trip, a truly delightful story where an alien living on Earth in disguise is courted by a woman and must finally reveal his identity with unexpected results. In the excellent and subtle Judgement Call by John Kessell a baseball player has a close encounter with a gorgeous but upsetting woman who is barely human. The telltale title of Ray Bradbury’s quite enjoyable The Man Upstairs makes the plot rather predictable: a smart kid discloses the real character of the weird tenant living upstairs, while Donald A Wollheim’s Mimic features a man in black coat who actually is neither human nor of the male gender.

The sparkling Neutrino Drag by Paul Di Filippo features a creature from outer space becoming a winning car racer thanks to an extra-terrestrial supercar, while the entertaining Once by Jack Slay Jr portrays an inhuman being trying to abduct a little girl ,defeated by a man endowed with the gift of premonition. Under the Hollywood Sign by Tom Reamy is a bittersweet tale where a cop discovers a bunch of angelic, beautiful creatures hidden among human people. Lisa Tuttle provides A Spaceship Built of Stone, a very effective piece telling how aliens disguised as survivors of an ancient human race silently infiltrate people’s dreams and then the whole planet.

Even for those who, like me, are not SF fans the volume is well worth reading, thanks to the excellent quality of most of the stories included.

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