Douglas Smith | Writer of Fantasy & Science Fiction

"With every new story, the more impressed I am with [Smith's] subtlety and vision. I've yet to read a work of his that wasn't beautifully written, but more than that, his stories resonate with a deep understanding of the human condition as well as a characteristic wry wonder... Stories you can't forget, even years later. Doug's published extensively, though only in short fiction to date, but I believe he's also working on a novel. Thank goodness! When that's published, it will be on my must-read pile for sure."

–Julie Czerneda, author and editor, in an interview on SF Signal

"A creature-hunter tale that kept me guessing until the very last paragraphs. I was on edge throughout the whole story!” –Melissa Minners, Global Pop Culture reviews, September 2007

"A charming tale about a man cursed to die every day and be reborn as someone else.” -Sam Tomaino, SFRevu, July 2006

"A fascinating fabulist premise...” -Lois Tilton, Internet Review of SF, August 2006

“A gripping portrayal of Vaya, a Valkyrie, and the ultimate sacrifices one makes for love.” –Kat Bittner, SFRevu, July 2006

“…would make a great movie…a unique, post-apocalyptic blend of The Road Warrior and X-Men. Mary and her son, Jase, live in a world transformed by plague... Fleeing from some angry locals, they are befriended by a mysterious telekinetic named Bishop. ... It was very well done, and I could see Smith expanding on this world in further stories or maybe even a novel... Bishop's powers are well thought-out and explained, and Mary is a sympathetic and effective narrator. Smith's offering is one of this issue's strongest stories.” –James Palmer, Tangent Online, Apr 2006

“A post-apocalyptic story about survival and the means by which you need to insure it. I liked the style and subtleties of the storytelling that kept me firmly on the edge of my seat. .… The characters were what really impressed me, though--by a few lines into meeting each one you had a clear and definable presence in your mind.” –Donna Jones, SF Crowsnest Reviews, May 2006

"Going Harvey in the Big House" fed into my natural fears, suspicions and all-round disillusionment with authority. Thereafter, I began an inquiry. I read Orwell’s 1984, Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, Zamyatin’s We, Huxley’s Brave New World… "Going Harvey in the Big House" led me to places I thought I’d never be, culminating eventually in sweat-soaked nightmares about a post-apocalyptic world." –Tracey Schoenle, Senior Editor, Cicada, Jan 2005

"’Enlightenment’ reaches far past the muddled mediocrity of swashbuckling tales forgotten before the page is turned to the next story. I enjoyed the alien anthropology and the details are tremendous…in this tale of tremendous sacrifice” –Alan Latimore, Tangent Online, Feb 2005

“My favourite of the selection was 'Enlightenment' by Douglas Smith. A strange story indeed about Earth people engaged in strip-mining planets and relocating indigenous populations. ... The end is horrific in many respects but it's also thought-provoking.” –Rod MacDonald, SF Crowsnest Reviews

“’Enlightenment’ [tells of] a spiritual undertaking by a member of a brutal planetary occupation force who “goes native” in which Douglas Smith provides a riff on Ray Bradbury's famous rationale of space travel: for Man to find God in the cosmos. ...[a] science fictional depiction of the mistreatment of “aliens” to subvertly criticize the atrocities of imperialist colonization.” –David Soyka, SF Site, Nov 2004

“Douglas Smith…succeeds in evoking an alien society with mythic/religious overtones in his moving tale ENLIGHTENMENT.” –Ian Sherred, New Hope International Review Online, Jan 2005

“Another strong story, looking at humanity's treatment of indigenous people.” –Mark Watson, Best SF, Oct 2004

“...oppressed inhabitants of distant worlds making the ultimate sacrifice in order to bring mankind back to the realisation of what right and wrong truly mean.” –Sue Phillips, Whispers of Wickedness reviews, Nov 2004

“Nicely judged depictions of alien customs…” –Martin Lewis, SF Site, Oct 2004

“‘Enlightenment’...provoked some really interesting ideas…”
“...was my favourite of the issue. ‘Enlightenment’ went exactly where I expected it to, but that was where I wanted it to go--I was there for the ride”
“Stories [were] great, particularly ‘Enlightenment.’ [I] was just engrossed in the whole thing...and applaud it thoroughly!”
“…just blew me away…I was taken away by the lovely prose.”
“…mind-blowing…”
–InterZone readers forum

"...reawakened the child in me who loved to watch Star Trek characters solve the problems of mysterious races on faraway worlds. It's a nicely done puzzle-story, with a clever solution..." –Nancy Fulda, February 2008

“A clever story whose protagonist is as reliant on her innate curiosity and fondness for puzzles as her intelligence. It provides added depth that one can miss in short fiction. 'Jigsaw' also examines the reactions of people dependent upon technology utterly alien to them. Some crew members fully embrace it, others are more cautious, even bordering on being xenophobic. It's an interesting interplay with regard to how the characters view their mission.” –Michael Fay, Tangent Online, October 2005

“A darkly amusing look at what can go wrong when humans use alien technology they don't fully understand” –Elizabeth Barrette, infinityplus, July 2004

“Fast-paced...with a clever puzzle.” –Sherwood Smith, Tangent Online, July 2004

“There are two stories in “Symphony”...both converge in a spectacular, explosive finale. Smith's prose is poetic and evocative. He creates an intricate fabric of light, color, and sound with effortless flair. The story’s fluid style and the abundance of complex, wrenching emotions [make this] another recommended story in this issue.” –Eugie Foster and Marsha Sisolak, Tangent Online, March 2004

“...the book’s most skillfully crafted story…a multi-layered tale about a circus that features a pair of angels who have the ability to produce a drug that produces pleasure based on intensity of emotion. Factor in that the owner of the circus is in love with one of the angels as well as addicted to the drug she produces, and the story quickly becomes one that holds the reader’s attention until the very end.” –Jason Brannon, SpecFicWorld, August 2003

“The story has so many layers that I'm still sorting them out. And like an onion, I'm not sure if I'll ever find the final layer.” –Jim Reichert, Tangent Online, September 2003

“[a] perfect gem...”
“I wept for the soldier in ‘Scream Angel’”
“I especially liked the two angel stories, Angel's Kitchen, and the last story, Scream Angel.”
–Amazon.com reviews, September 2003

“Highlights among the stories include Douglas Smith's delightfully creepy ‘By Her Hand, She Draws You Down,’ about a young woman who is driven by a mysterious hunger to sketch people and steal their life force as her horrified lover looks on.” –Kristine Huntley, Booklist (the review journal of the American Library Assoc., 2002)

“...a title that rules. ...psychic vampirism, creepy street performers, the horrors of small coastal towns. And Smith took the story somewhere that surprised me. The twist is sustained.” –Jay Lake, Tangent Online, November 2001

“...examines vampirism from an unusual and genuinely horrifying angle.” Nick Gevers, SF Site Review, 2001

“...a chilling, weird tale of an artist with a great hunger.” –The Haunted Weblog Reviews, Fall 2003

“Familiar subjects...dealt with in an original form and with a final turn that will surprise you.” –Javier Romero, Bibliopolis, 2003 (translated from Spanish)

“A superbly told, involving, and brilliantly paced short story, complete with an ending made more tragic by its inevitability... Worth the price of the issue.” –Erol Engin, Tangent Online, August 2001

"A mini-epic about a young boy named Asai and the phoenix that saves him from death while his village is being raided. Under the guidance of the Warrior, Ikada, he trains to become the next Warrior of the Red Bird, protector of the Hidden Light. Eventually he replaces his master and must face a tough decision involving the love of his life. If you love Japanese and Samurai stories, this one will give you goose bumps. Nominated for the Canadian Aurora award, it was the only story in this collection that deserved such a nomination." –Eric Joel Bresin, Tangent Online, May 2005

“A wonderfully recounted story, with an excellent pace and a perfect ending.” –Javier Romero, Bibliopolis, 2003

One of 50 top stories of 2000 by ISFDB rankings

“With a cast of three (two rival scientists and a woman) and a limited setting (the same dinner party, although at different times), Smith explores the possibilities for revenge and manipulation inherent in time travel. The claustrophobic atmosphere of this tale heightens its devilish suspense and draws favorable comparisons to Poe’s tales of trapped, desperate protagonists.” -Elizabeth Allen, Tangent Online, Nov 2006

“A stunning piece of work.” –Kim Mohan, editor, Amazing Stories

“The story deals with the Y2k bug, and although that might seem dated now, the story is not, since its ideas continue to be relevant today.” –Javier Romero, Bibliopolis, 2003

“...a vivid and wonderfully written tale about Native Canadian spirits, in the vein of Thomas King.” –James Schellenberg (jschelle@becon.org), Challenging Destiny, March 2003

“...does interesting things with a love triangle, were-animals and CSIS. (!)” –Christian Sauvé, 1998