eric christensen

January 5, 2017

The bold and beautiful SLIPPING captures the essence of what it means to be alive

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized bustle, clara bacou, elizabeth story, eric christensen, fantasy faction, kj mulder, lauren beukes, review, sadie l. trombetta, slipping, slipping: stories essays & other writing, strange alliances, worlds in ink

More reviews for Lauren Beukes’ stunning, diverse SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING.

At FANTASY FACTION, Eric Christensen praises the book.

SLIPPING by Lauren
Beukes is a collection of previously published short stories and
nonfiction. Having read—and loved—two of her novels, THE SHINING
GIRLS and BROKEN MONSTERS, I jumped at the chance to read this
collection. Everything I liked about her novels I found here: dark
and unsettling imagery, relationships forming and exploding, clever
turns of phrase, and striking details amid chaos. Oh, and there’s
also a story of a female mecha pilot battling giant hairballs over
Tokyo with the help of Haruki Murakami.

<snip>

As I read these stories, I repeatedly got pulled in by Beukes’s characters. They are a diverse bunch: athletes, fighters, lovers, stalkers, mobsters, artists, celebrities, soldiers, and students. They are ambitious, aggressive, sad, and scared. With only a couple lines of dialog (international snippets of slang, a threat implied by the typos of a sticky keyboard, or the corporate devil on a character’s shoulder pushing them to sell out, just a little bit more), I instantly understood and identified with them.

But no matter how weird or disturbing or fantastic the story, Beukes’s journalistic eye would point to a detail to ground the story, making it real. Or the details round out the story, giving the stories an added layer of texture, more filled out.

<snip>

At 288 pages, this is a somewhat slim collection, and every reader is bound to find some stories better than others. But I didn’t find any to be outright duds. Whether the story takes place in present day, the near future, or somewhere else entirely, through sharp use of dialogue and description, readers instantly get a handle on her characters as they experience fear, love, hate, joy, confusion, exploitation, and adventure. The stories are funny and freaky, sad and scary. They are bold and beautiful, violent and vibrant. Beukes’s talent is on display chapter after chapter, and I think this is a great introduction to her writing. Pick this up, and when you’re done, grab one of her novels.

KJ Mulder of WORLDS IN INK lauds the volume.

SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING collects just over a decade’s worth of short fiction by Lauren Beukes. The 21 short stories and 5 non-fiction essays collected here showcases both her growing talent as author and her keen ability to transform the mundane trappings of the everyday into something unsettling, extraordinary and thought-provoking. Her fiction manages to deal with real issues in unusual and disconcerting ways; Beukes is not afraid to shine a light into the darkness we wilfully try to ignore in order to expose the hard truths hidden in the nooks and crannies of our daily lives. The themes she tackles covers the gamut of modern life – exploitation, the effect of social media on our lives, identity, relationships, censorship and social injustice.

<snip>

SLIPPING is a stunning, diverse collection of genre-spanning short fiction by one of South Africa’s best speculative fiction authors. The stories are gritty, disconcerting and thought-provoking. These are stories with impact; stories that will make you think and alter your perspectives. Stories that will make you sit up and take notice. While this might be a slim volume it packs one heck of a punch! If you are a fan of Lauren Beukes then this is an absolute must have.

STRANGE ALLIANCES enjoys the collection.

Reading can be a passive pastime. Not so with the immediacy of Lauren Beukes writing which exudes such energy it reaches out of the page, grabs you by the throat and gives you a good shake. Her non-fiction is as effective as her fiction, resulting in a collection that is a highly visceral experience. Certainly the book will leave you moved or deep in thought about what you’ve just read.

These short stories and writing are a showcase in how far you can push words on a page as well as the reader, yet Beukes never loses control of the sometimes weird and quite frankly disturbing, as fantasy and the outlandish can be juxtaposed with the recognizable and ordinary.

<snip>

Forensically the non-fiction section is very interesting because it is excellent prose and demonstrates the experiences that have bled through into Beukes’ powerful stories. Her non-fiction prose is as hypnotic as her fiction and I will now be on the hunt for more of it.

Beukes captures the essence of what it means to be alive in all its many forms, as the life force of the characters tears itself right off the page and meets the reader head on.

Sadie L. Trombetta of BUSTLE includes Lauren Beukes in 9 Modern Women Science Fiction Writers You Need To Be Celebrating.

A truly
genre-bending author, Lauren Beukes has written about everything from
time-traveling serial-kilers (THE SHINING GIRLS) to a cyberpunk
dystopian future (MOXYLAND). An innovative author of sci–fi,
literary fiction, urban fantasy, nonfiction, and even more, Beukes is
one writer you’ll never get bored with. If you’re looking for
something on the edge of the genre, look no further.

For more information about SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Clara Bacou

Design by Elizabeth Story

July 17, 2015

You’re going to love the stories and characters in THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized bibliosanctum, brayan's gold, collection, demon cycle, elizabeth story, eric christensen, fantasy, karsten moran, novella, peter v brett, review, roqoo depot, the great bazaar, the great bazaar & brayan's gold, the green man review

The reviews keep on rolling in for Peter V. Brett’s fascinating and thrilling THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD.

Photo: Karsten Moran

From BIBLIOSANCTUM:

Every fan of Peter V. Brett’s Demon Cycle series should check out this collection. I promise you won’t regret it! Not only does The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold contain two excellent short stories, it also features fun little extras like “outtakes” from earlier versions of The Warded Man and a ward grimoire complete with illustrations of the wards themselves. While longtime readers of the series will likely be the ones to get the most out of this volume, I believe it can also serve as a great introduction and the perfect jumping-on point for newcomers to the Demon Cycle.

Not usually being one to pick up short stories outside of main novels, I was really surprised how much I enjoyed this book. It probably helped that both The Great Bazaar and Brayan’s Gold take place during my favorite period of Arlen Bales’ life; that is, back when he was still a humble messenger traveling the world and going on his adventures, and before he was corrupted by demon’s flesh (and Renna Tanner – hey, I’m only being honest here) to become the Warded Man and the Deliverer.

While this one certainly isn’t required reading, the story Brayan’s Gold alone probably makes this book worth picking up.

<snip>

This edition of The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold is a wonderful contribution to the world of the Demon Cycle, packed with bonus content-like material that enhanced my experience with the setting and characters. Filled with goodies for fans of the series and yet still accessible enough for new readers, this volume both thrilled and fascinated me. Highly recommended.

ROQOO DEPOT:

At the end of the book is a short Krasian dictionary (the one included with The Skull Throneis bigger) and something really cool: a grimoire of wards. This section includes pictures of fourteen wards, detailing their uses against demons, as well as some nice descriptions of each of the different kinds of demons. So not only is it a guide to wards, but it’s also a guide to demons.

Having recently finished reading The Skull Throne, I was left in the aftermath of another great emotional epic of adventure. It also left a void of needing something else to read. How can anything compare to Peter V. Brett book? Well, the answer is simple, another Peter V. Brett book. Thus I dove into The Great Bazaar & Brayan’s Gold and was pleasantly surprised by how well Brett was able to capture the same magic of the series in these short stories. It’s a must read for fans and I give it a five out of five metal bikinis.

THE GREEN MAN REVIEW:

For hardcore fans of the Demon Cycle series — especially those trying to track down earlier versions of the two titular novellas — this one’s a no-brainer. More casual fans will probably get a kick out of the two longer pieces, while newcomers can probably pick a better place to start. Still, Tachyon is doing readers of Brett’s work a service by putting this short collection together, and its intended audience will no doubt receive it warmly.

ERIC CHRISTENSEN:

Writing interstitial short stories between novels is becoming increasingly popular among fantasy authors–a trend I couldn’t enjoy more (I love a little snack between courses). While these were originally (I believe) written after Brett’s first novel, I read them just now (in the gap before Brett’s last novel in the Demon Cycle series). But my enjoyment wasn’t lessened having read them so “late.” It’s nice to revisit Arlen as a young Messenger full of passion and eagerness to take the fight to the demons, Leesha when she’s just getting a handle on her new authority, and Abban when he was just a small-time schemer. More importantly, as someone who’s very interested in process, I really liked the introductions and commentary by Brett.

I had to travel recently for work, and I hate being cramped on planes. Having this to read definitely had me smiling throughout my flight. Anyone who has enjoyed the Demon Cycle so far would enjoy these stories. It’s a perfect little treat while waiting for the next novel. But for those who have never read Brett, I’d suggest picking up THE WARDED MAN/THE PAINTED MAN first. Just jump right in. You’re going to love these stories and these characters.

For more info about THE GREAT BAZAAR & BRAYAN’S GOLD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

August 21, 2014

Not for the faint of heart, WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE is a great read!

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized bibliophilic book blog, daryl gregory, elizabeth story, eric christensen, every free chance, horror, Notes From the Darknet, novella, quoi de neuf sur ma pile?, Reading the end, review, we are all completely fine

A septet of reviews for Daryl Gregory’s wonderfully creepy We Are All Completely Fine.

The Bibliophilic Book Blog:

WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE features a most unusual therapy group, those who have looked into the abyss and been forever altered. It is always an unknown what happens to victims of supernatural or otherworldly entities who happen to be saved or survive. WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE gives us an insight into these survivors who are outcast from society. The writing style leads the reader to feel as if the group is cohesive, when they have differences between them. We learn each poor souls’ story of how they came to be the way they are today and see them grow together as an odd sort of family. The final mystery was intriguing and deliciously disturbing. Not for the faint of heart, WE ARE ALL COMPLETELY FINE is a great read!

Notes From the Darknet:

Jan, as she likes to be known, is the therapist who creates the inciting incident of the story, and Gregory’s light touch in imparting the reasons for the group’s existence is a nice change from the heavy-handed foreshadowing one often comes across in pulp horror. The same goes for the unraveling of the web of history that connects the characters, history they themselves ma be unaware of. You’d think a story that deals so much with the past would drag, but it doesn’t, and the tantalizing hints of back-story definitely left me wanting more about these characters. It felt like I only got a snapshot of the characters’ lives, and that their stories existed long before that snapshot and will keep going long after. And yet the snapshot itself was still very satisfying. That’s something I consider a mark of a superior story–there are loose ends and secrets and histories the reader is unaware of, but it adds to rather than detracts from the story.

Reading the End:

It’s THE BEST. If this were the pilot episode of a show on Syfy, I would set up a Change.org petition for six seasons and a movie.

Eric Christensen:

Gregory is able to convey a lot of depth with quick cuts and small hints that build into a larger, interwoven story that hints at something even larger and more sinister. It’s an impressive feat. I would say it’s a fun read, but that is only how I view it now, days later. After closing the book, I had to start my driving shift, and to be honest, I couldn’t shake the story right away. It’s weird imagery and techniques stuck with me. And in my opinion, that’s the mark of a great read.

Quoi de neuf sur ma pile? (Poorly translated from the French using Google Translate):

It does not read “We are all completely Call fine” mere spectator even interested. We’re intrigued, horrified often, we try to separate truth from falsehood, we take part in one or the other against one or the other, we sympathize with these extreme victims, they have suffered, and what they have left to do because nothing is ever finished. The reader is drawn into the story, driven by the atrocity of the fates to the heart of horror. The author forces him to watch, panting, what lies on the Other Side. The contract is completed, Gregory takes readers far into the dark fantasy that his premises led to believe.

Every Free Chance:

Gregory’s written a wonderfully creepy little book that will make you think twice about going out after dark. If you’ve ever wondered what happens to the people who survive the horror stories, this is the book for you. It’s a fast read – it was a great way to spend a weekend afternoon – but I’d seriously recommend you close the cover before sunset.

For information on We Are All Completely Fine, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

Tachyon Publications

eric christensen

tachyonpub