Help: RSS Feed?
Wednesday reviews roundup for 27th May
Posted by Paul Raven on May 27th, 2009 at 14:09
Greetings, bookworms! I sincerely hope that your Wednesday isn’t as cold, damp and miserable as the one taking place outside my window right now… but hey, we’ve got some reviews to warm our hearts, so let’s get busy!
First up, Dark Fiction Review takes a look at Ramsey Campbell‘s Thieving Fear; it’s the mass-market Virgin Books edition, but that’s the exact same story as can be found in our limited editions, copies of which are still available:
Campbell plays with language beautifully throughout the narrative, creating layers of confusion and displacement around the four cousins. He keeps the character count small, building an insular world for them to play out the story.
It’s impossible, as a reader, not to get caught up in the panic felt by each of the protagonists. For a novel in which there is barely any gore, the scares come from a deeply psychological angle. For me, Campbell has always been a master of the psychological scare and Thieving Fear is no exception. This novel will get under your skin, into your head, and will quite likely take a stroll around the darkest corners of your sleep.
Douglas Smith‘s Showcase collection Impossibilia gets a couple of complimentary mentions, the first from MassMovement:
Rarely have I seen such an apt title to any book! Douglas Smith has given us three amazing stories which are so unusual and beautiful that no other name than Impossibilia could possibly describe this collection. Each tale was rapture and ecstasy, magical and mysterious, perfect and implausible. In short, I loved them all from the first word to the last.
Equally unequivocal is the opinion of the (assumedly pseudonymous) Rainbow Dragon:
While all three stories showcase admirably Doug’s impressive mastery of the short story form, “Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by Van Gogh” stands out as the jewel in the crown. If you, like me, like to save the best till last, “Bouquet… ” is that red Smartie, the fine dessert wine, that last delectable bite of cheesecake with one perfect raspberry balanced on top. Not knowing any better, I started reading the book at the beginning — and had to put it down after “Bouquet… “, pour myself a tiny glass from my last coveted bottle of Maple Leaf Distillers’ “Creme de la Creme Chocolate Raspberry Cream Liquor” and sit out under the stars to savour the experience. (Which I imagine I would have done if I’d read the stories in reverse order too, but if you’re hoping to finish this collection in one day, be forewarned: “Bouquet of Flowers in a Vase, by Van Gogh” is a tough act to follow.)
Say no more! On the other side of the globe, meanwhile, Charles Tan tackles Val / Orson by Marly Youmans:
In many ways, this is a coming-of-age story of sorts, with a traditional beginning and end. Where Youmans innovates is everything else, from the characters to the setting. There’s always a dichotomy present in each scene, whether it’s the clash of nature vs the urban, the protagonist vs his sibling, father vs mother, etc. It’s this rich writing that rewards readers and make this a sophisticated read, going beyond what might be expected of a speculative fiction text.
As far as technical skill is concerned, Youmans is to be lauded as Val/Orson is more complex than most novels in the supermarket reading rack. Every single character, every single event, has a purpose and each is part of this diverse web where each element ricochets off each other.
And finally, the Ostentatious Ogre opines upon two PS titles. Firstly, Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury:
Doug and Tom remember their summer days by bottling them in the form of Dandelion Wine. One bottle for each day of summer. Whenever they yearn to return to summer they simply go down to the cellar and open a bottle of Dandelion Wine. As they savor the taste of the wine it transports them back to the wonderful moments of summer’s past.
Like Doug and Tom whenever I need to remember my own lost summers I’ll turn to Dandelion Wine again and again. This is a book that will touch your heart. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
And moving from the classics to the cutting edge, here’s his take on Zoran Zivkovic‘s The Last Book:
The premise of the novel is a straight forward mystery. People at Papyrus Books are dropping dead for no apparent reason and it’s up to literature loving inspector Dejan Lukić to get to the bottom of it. Along the way Zakovic hits every trope the mystery/thriller genre has to offer. They’re all here from the femme fatale to the mysterious cult. While it is the same formula we’ve seen a million times Zakovic makes it different enough that I don’t feel like I’m reading the same book I’ve read a million times before. That and the metafictional nature of the story that underpins the narrative adds a wonderful what the hell just happened feeling at the end. This is a mystery that leaves you feeling somewhat in the dark even after the denouement.
[...]
If you enjoy a good solid mystery novel then you’re going to like this book. If you enjoy metaphysical “what the hell” just happened stories then you’re going to love this book.
And that’s your lot – at least for this week. As always, click on the cover art to be taken directly to the catalogue page for any of the books above, or just pop over to the PS webstore to have a browse. And keep your eyes peeled for the next newletter around the turn of the month!