for the love of words

December 2, 2016

Slick and stylish SLIPPING is exceptional on all counts

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, clara bacou, colleciton, elizabeth story, for the love of words, horror, jl jamieson, lauren beukes, popculturebeast, review, sam reader, science fiction, slipping, slipping: stories essays & other writing

Three fresh reviews for Lauren Beukes’ impressive collection SLIPPING: STORIES, ESSAYS, & OTHER WRITING.

At the B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG, Sam Reader loves the book.

Short story collections often function as a good introduction to an author’s work; SLIPPING, the first collection of stories and essays by Lauren Beukes, is no exception in that regard—but otherwise, exceptional on all counts. While imaginative novels like THE SHINING GIRLSMOXYLAND, ZOO CITY, have already established her as a major talent in the fantasy and science fiction realm, her short fiction delivers yet more potent, concentrated doses of her gift for strange ideas and vivid, unnerving prose. These 20 stories and five nonfiction pieces span multiple styles, from poetry, to prose, and even a section of literary mash-up tweets. No matter what form, though, Slipping is loaded with signature Beukes madness, a worthy introduction to her work whether you’re already a fan, or just waiting to become one.

The word that best describes these stories is “stylized.” Her words and worlds drip with an intense, wholly unique visual style, popping in neon-bright colors, even outside the more surreal stories like “Unathi Battles the Black Hairballs,” a comic-book poke at how the West perceives Japan. Beukes consistently manages to find a way to layer even more familiar worlds with bizarre visual flourishes, be it the way the title character’s shifting appearance and upward-falling tears in “Ghost Girl,” the gigantic sound-producing abomination in “Exhibitionist,” or the collapse of civilization in “Tankwa-Karoo.” These images are dreamlike, in the sense that they are all very concrete and surreal, but somehow make perfect sense in context—for only upon waking do dreams become hazy, disquieting, and liminal.

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Stories aside, I’d be remiss not to mention the five non-fiction pieces also featured, which strike a perfect balance between gonzo journalism and personal essay. Beukes is raw, personal, and vulnerable as she writes of horrifying injustices visited upon women in South Africa or severe inequality and racial disparity. The collection concludes with “On Beauty,” a letter to Beukes’ five-year-old daughter, imploring her to hold on to the qualities that make her special even as the world tries to force her to fit into a twisted power structure; it is heartfelt and utterly horrifying in tandem, as she matter-of-factly captures the unconscious pressure our culture puts on children in an effort to force them to conform. It’s a culmination of the dread, both fictional and non-, that comes before.

No matter your familiarity with Lauren Beukes, Slipping is an essential collection, one of the year’s best.

JL Jamieson at POPCULTUREBEAST praises the collection.

Slick and stylish, Beukes’ visions of the future both entertain and alarm in the way that great science fiction should. I really love most everything I’ve read from her, and Slipping is no exception. A great little collection.

FOR THE LOVE OF
WORDS enjoys SLIPPING.

The wide variety of genres cause the stories to lack a certain cohesion like a typical short story anthology might, but it does this collection a disservice to think this is a negative. Instead, each of these stories act as their own palette cleanser from one story to the next and it keeps the reader in a constant state of bewilderment not knowing what type of outlandishness to expect next. I was pleasantly surprised that my favorite part of this collection were the five Non-Fiction pieces included at the end. In these she discusses personal topics such as how she got into journalism, about the research she conducted for her book ZOO CITY within the inner city of Johannesburg, and some additional insight into why she wrote THE SHINING GIRLS, my personal favorite of Beukes, which made me love it even more. She leaves us on a resolute note, with a letter to her five-year-old daughter about the meaning of true beauty.

I’ve read (and loved) a few of Beukes’ full length novels and her writing prowess manages to be just as impressive in her short fiction. This obscure collection only proves that her talents are truly expansive and that we have much to look forward from her.

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

Cover art by Clara Bacou

Design by Elizabeth Story

September 29, 2016

NIGHTMARES is one hell of a fun ride

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized anthology, brad k horner, british fantasy award, eddie generous, Ellen Datlow, for the love of words, Halloween, horror, nightmares, nightmares: a new decade of modern horror, ominous october, review, the doll collection, unnerving magazine

Ellen Datlow (credit: THIS IS HORROR)

Brad K. Horner on his eponymous site loves Ellen Datlow’s forthcoming anthology NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR.

Since this hasn’t been released yet, I’m going to skip all the spoilerish stuff and the Story by Story gush or other reaction, and instead pick out some of my absolute favorites and otherwise tease some of the best ideas and themes for the rest, because I’m gonna be honest… the whole book of horror tales was rather fantastic.

I mean, it should be. This was a cherry-picking of the last ten year’s best horror stories from some of the biggest non-stratospheric names in the business. Meaning it’s mostly underrated authors or authors that are up-and coming or are well on their way to becoming household names.

That being said, I was thoroughly creeped out, disturbed, amused, and even awed. Most of these did a very good job at keeping me on the edge of my seat, and some even managed to make me really squirm and and want to say, “Enough, enough” and a few made me want to go out and pick up everything that author has ever written and be thankful that this book let me in on the big secret of their existence. 🙂

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Now, just so you know, I loved almost all of these stories, and leaving some of these out actually kind of pains me. 🙂 I’m still anxious after reading this entire book. And that’s all because of the fantastic skills and the creepy dolls and the western zombies and the UF overdrive of hell infestations and good old fashioned roadtrip murder sprees. 🙂

Really, this one one hell of a fun ride. Anyone just looking for a good sampler or just a crazy good time could do FAR worse than this. 🙂

For UNNERVING MAGAZINE, Eddie Generous praises the book.

To describe this anthology collectively solid would be an understatement. Though not all tickled equally, all proved merit in garnering attention for a sampler of the traits befitting best horror fiction written in the last decade. Originality oozes from these tales (as does much blood, tears and cries) like flags risen in newly discovered dirt masses.

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The different shades of horror shared a quality of writing rarely met in a collection of shorts from such a variety of authors. Deep, rich scenery, multi-dimensional heroes and villains, scenes of strong atmosphere and believability, it is here and thick all over. The weirdness and newness of the voiced themes adds to the overall appeal in a way so rare it’s still bleeding.

In her own words, editor Ellen Datlow is an enthusiast of horror and enough so that, though not declaring it a best of, can put together volumes of her favorite short horror fictions spanning a decade and present it as something just like that. Nightmares, horror reprinted for works originally published from 2005-2015 is of the highest quality of anthology available.

FOR THE LOVE OF WORDS included, without comment, NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR among their Ominous October selections of books they plan on reading this Halloween season.

Congratulations to Ellen for her book THE DOLL COLLECTION winning the British Fantasy Award for Best Anthology.

For more info about NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Nihil

Design by Elizabeth Story

July 21, 2016

INVADERS is a great summer read

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized anthoogy, b&n sci-fi & fantasy blog, for the love of words, foreword reviews, invaders, invaders: 22 tales from the outer limits of literature, jacob wesiman, joel cunningham, science fiction

FOREWORD REVIEWS includes Jacob Weisman’s INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE among their 4 Great Indie Sci-Fi Titles for Summer.

Jacob Weisman settles—or perhaps provokes—the debate about what constitutes literature, and what represents “genre fiction”–science fiction, in this case–in the story collection INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE.

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Because of the book’s variety, it demands a sense of open-mindedness toward what constitutes science fiction. But the writing itself is consistently excellent, and occasionally exquisite. There’s never a sense of these authors “slumming” in genre fiction simply because they can, or because they were solicited for an anthology contribution; the stories are what they need to be, and if that involves a doglike alien’s wordless meeting with a shepherd, so be it.

At its best, science fiction surpasses simple, conventional tales of “invaders from space.” With wry wit and sincere affection, this collection shows us that many times, the invaders not only have good intentions but also have much to share.

Jacob Wesiman discussing the new book with his friends (photo: Jill Roberts)

Joel Cunningham at the B&N SCI-FI & FANTASY BLOG mentions the anthology in his listing of this week’s recommended new books.

This week is three for three with anthologies. This one, edited by Jacob Weisman, collects stories from authors you’ll usually find on the shelves in the “literary fiction” section, even when they’re incorporating genre tropes into their work left and right. Check out SFF-nal stories from heavy hitters like Junot Díaz, George Sanders, Katherine Dunn, Jonathan Lethem, Amiri Baraka, W.P. Kinsella, Steven Millhauser, Robert Olen Butler, and Molly Gloss.

FOR THE LOVE OF WORDS listed the title (without comment) in their Something to Look Forward To selection.

For more info about INVADERS: 22 TALES FROM THE OUTER LIMITS OF LITERATURE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Goro Fujita

Design by Elizabeth Story

May 13, 2016

Tachyon tidbits featuring Patricia A. McKillip, Nalo Hopkinson, Ellen Datlow, and Max Beerbohm

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized anthology, bustle, chuma hill, collection, David Sandner, dreams of distant shores, elizabeth story, Ellen Datlow, falling in love with hominids, fantasy, for the love of words, horror, ian white, jacob weisman, kristian wilson, liel leibovitz, max beerbohm, nalo hopkinson, nightmares, nightmares: a new decade of modern horror, patricia a mckillip, review, science fiction, short story, star wars, starburst, tablet, the treasury of the fantastic, Thomas Canty, waiting on wednesday

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles from around the web.

Patricia A. McKillip (Wikimedia Commons), Nalo Hopkinson, Ellen Datlow (Lawrence Person), Max Beerbohm (Wikimedia Commons)

For STARBURST, Ian White reviews Patricia A. McKillip’s forthcoming collection DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES.

Funny, thrilling, revelatory and heartbreaking, there isn’t one weak story in this selection, although if we were forced to choose our favourites they would be The Gorgon in the Cupboard, Which Witch and Something Rich and Strange, which is more a novella than a short story. But hold on, Mer is fantastic and what about Edith and Henry Go Motoring… and you can’t forget Alien!? You see what we mean? And, at the back of the book, McKillip shares some of her thoughts about writing high fantasy, which is a great bonus (although way too brief!) Absolutely spellbinding. It has been a very long time since we read a gathering of short stories as perfect and beguiling as these.

Kristian Wilson at BUSTLE includes Nalo Hopkinson’s FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS on her 20 Books Every Star Wars Fan Will Love.

10. FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS by Nalo Hopkinson

This story collection brims with magical realism, light sci-fi, and fantasy. Zombies, ghosts, and chickens take center stage in Nalo Hopkinson’s eclectic fiction mix.

As part of the WAITING ON WEDNESDAY meme, FOR THE LOVE OF WORDS selected Ellen Datlow NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR as a forthcoming book they’re excited about.

I’m a huge fan of horror and when I go too long without reading any I start getting antsy. (It’s been too long.) I just came across this upcoming horror anthology and it sounds spectacular. There are a total of 24 stories from various authors. A few authors to note: Dan Chaon (Await Your Reply), Margo Lanagan (Tender Morsels), Caitlín R. Kiernan (The Drowning Girl), Garth Nix (Sabriel), and Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim). Here’s a complete list of authors if you’re interested.

At TABLET, Liel Leibovitz discusses Max Beerbohm’s classic short story “Enoch Soames” in the article “The Century-Old Science Fiction Story That Predicted Our Current Cultural Malaise.” Beerbohm’s tale was included in David Sandner and Jacob Weisman’s THE TREASURY OF THE FANTASTIC.

Sometimes, when the particular moment in time into which you happened to have been born seems dumb beyond relief, time travel is the only option. Watching what we understand to be our civilization tumbling into a bottomless pit of despair, we may be forgiven for wondering if this is just a passing phase and if the future, bless it, is likely to be any better.

The answer, of course, is no.

This is the lesson delivered one hundred years ago by Max Beerbohm—caricaturist, humorist, sharp dresser, repressed homosexual, closeted Jew—in a short story called “Enoch Soames.” Its protagonist, the titular Enoch, is a miserable wretch: The only thing more inelegant than his misshapen waterproof black cape is his prose, which, to the modern reader, may evoke the assaults against elegance perpetrated daily at any of our college campuses. Soames, tragically, fancies himself one of the greats, a mind so towering as to gaze down on Shelley and find him wanting. He totters about London, always at the side of whatever smart set happens to be congregating at galleries or cafés or parties, attempting to assert some prominence.

Every human pursuit worth a damn depends on these men, on these forgotten Enochs. Journalism needs them to be diligent enough to tap every source and check every statement. Criticism calls on them to embody ancient aesthetic arguments and relive them anew. Art commands them to inflame their hearts and minds until, feverish, they radiate truth and beauty. Government expects them to toil in perpetuity, forever standing just outside the circles of men and women who matter. These Enochs are forever forgotten, but never insignificant; they’re the servants who make culture possible.

And for the past one hundred years, at the very least, they’ve been disappearing at an alarming rate. Today, no one would take the same trouble as Soames and wrestle with Shelley; instead, we share our own solipsistic thoughts and tastes and passions on Snapchat and Tumblr and Instagram. We are always peering at the present, seldom at the past and almost never at the future. Soames grew invisible as he strove to serve culture at large; we, on the other hand, became permanently visible by obliterating it. Traditions, institutions, and the thankless labor required to uphold them struck us as ludicrous as seeing a visitor from the nineteenth century popping by for a spell in the twenty-first. We’d rather doff our hats and just walk on by to the next engagement, the next distraction, the next fun. But we need the Enochs; without them we’re just the hoard, swaying along to its own desires. Thank God, then, we still have one Soames, even if he’s just an immajnari karrakter.

For more info on DREAMS OF DISTANT SHORES, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty

For more info on FALLING IN LOVE WITH HOMINIDS, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Chuma Hill

Design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about NIGHTMARES: A NEW DECADE OF MODERN HORROR, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Nihil

Design by Elizabeth Story

For info on THE TREASURY OF THE FANTASTIC, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art and design by Thomas Canty

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