I first came across a book of short stories with the same title by Ian Watson, in the library of my hometown Sedgley in the West Midlands, when I was a teen. I loved all of the stories, but the title story was especially captivating. I have read it over and over and it is basically imprinted on my brain now. ‘Salvage Rites’ is a wonderful little horror story following that most mundane of activities, a trip to the tip. However this recycling centre is no cosy little setting for a Sunday errand. Instead, the attendants are strange men, who unnerve the inhabitants of the car as it moves through each section, removing more and more items from the car. Unheimlich discomfort leads to outright horror. Lovely!
How to describe the genius of Ian Watson? He becomes more wonderfully eccentric the more you read and the better you get to know him. He has written many fine stories, often witty, sometimes funny, very often outré. They are a delight indeed.
First published in Fantasy & Science Fiction #392, 1987
A Personal Anthology 