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121st out of 398 books
—
710 voters
The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil
In a profoundly strange country called Inner Horner, large enough for only one resident at a time, citizens waiting to enter the country fall under the rule of the power-hungry and tyrannical Phil, setting off a chain of injustice and mass hysteria.
An Animal Farm for the 21st century, this is an incendiary political satire of unprecedented imagination, spiky humor, and cau...more
An Animal Farm for the 21st century, this is an incendiary political satire of unprecedented imagination, spiky humor, and cau...more
Paperback, 130 pages
Published
September 6th 2005
by Riverhead Trade
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Personal Preface:
I will begin with something that is sure to become dated very quickly, but the date on which the review is posted can be seen in the top right corner of the review anyway, like a school paper, so I suppose it can become an electronic time capsule, as everything already is on the internet.
So far, not much, I said to myself after asking what I’ve accomplished this night. I'm having one of my strange vibes, even though vibes are abstract concepts. Vines aren’t, they’re tangible, b...more
I will begin with something that is sure to become dated very quickly, but the date on which the review is posted can be seen in the top right corner of the review anyway, like a school paper, so I suppose it can become an electronic time capsule, as everything already is on the internet.
So far, not much, I said to myself after asking what I’ve accomplished this night. I'm having one of my strange vibes, even though vibes are abstract concepts. Vines aren’t, they’re tangible, b...more
The Brief and Frightening Reign of Scott Walker?
[Image: Screenshot from The Huffington Post. Headline reads "WALKER SURVIVES." Source]
Well, fuck.
I got nothin.
The book wasn't very good either.
Maybe I should just go read The Hunger Games.
(Reviewed June 2012)
[Image: Screenshot from The Huffington Post. Headline reads "WALKER SURVIVES." Source]
Well, fuck.
I got nothin.
The book wasn't very good either.
Maybe I should just go read The Hunger Games.
(Reviewed June 2012)
6 likes · like · see review
Jul 24, 2007
Roddy
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
novella lovers/unique storytelling lovers
Shelves:
literature
This is the story of the residents of Inner and Outer Horner, the former of which consist of seven people, only one of which can fit into Inner Horner at any given time, and the latter who are persuaded by a despot (who has a nasty habit of getting excited and having his brain fall off of its rack) to oppress the Inner Hornerites. It all comes when outer horner is inadvertantly invaded by inner hornerites after their pint sized country inexplicably shrinks and some of them fall across the offici...more
ida know. i love george saunders, but this one was just too lightweight for me. i wish i could just stand behind anything george saunders did, but i must remain objective and trustworthy, because of the importance of goodreads.com reviews.
20 likes · like · see review
To say that this book is strange is true but may miss the point. Saunders is working on a level different from the usual author. He appears to start with a concept which he then fills out with loose association and great imagination. His characters often sink to the lowest level of emotional development, and in so doing, uncover for us instincts that we have (hopefully) covered with layers of socialization. Yet, we recognize these emotions and the actions they stimulate as somehow "human" and "p...more
1 like · like · see review
Has George Saunders been worrying anyone else lately?
First, there was that angry screed against Borat in the New Yorker. And then, the supposed-to-be-funny-but-actually-just-depressing obit for Kurt Vonnegut in the NY Observer. And finally the Critical Mass piece [http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com...]
about book reviewing.
I think he's really worried that the world is falling apart. And it's distressing him out too much to be funny. Which is sad.
First, there was that angry screed against Borat in the New Yorker. And then, the supposed-to-be-funny-but-actually-just-depressing obit for Kurt Vonnegut in the NY Observer. And finally the Critical Mass piece [http://bookcriticscircle.blogspot.com...]
about book reviewing.
I think he's really worried that the world is falling apart. And it's distressing him out too much to be funny. Which is sad.
From http://weeksnotice.blogspot.com/2013/...
George Saunders' The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil is a really strange and very funny political satire. There are two countries, Outer Horner, and Inner Horner, inhabited by creatures so strange you can barely picture them but with very ordinary names like Phil, Larry, Cal and the like. Inner Horner is so small that only of its citizens can be in there at one time, which then prompts a power hungry Outer Hornerite named Phil to create a crisis f...more
George Saunders' The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil is a really strange and very funny political satire. There are two countries, Outer Horner, and Inner Horner, inhabited by creatures so strange you can barely picture them but with very ordinary names like Phil, Larry, Cal and the like. Inner Horner is so small that only of its citizens can be in there at one time, which then prompts a power hungry Outer Hornerite named Phil to create a crisis f...more
Feb 21, 2010
Alex
added it
I was disappointed with this book, but it might have to do with my enthusiasm for Saunders' previous books, Pastoralia and Civilwarland in Bad Decline. Those books depicted the world with opaque symbolism and weird metaphor. The characters work in theme parks, live in trailers, and eat fast food, but everything is tinged with strangeness. It� s a sci-fi surrealism that mingle Vonnegut and Wallmart.[return][return]The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil does away with the playful opacity of those...more
A fun, quick read, a political fable about relations between nations and people, like an Animal Farm for Bush-era America, in which pure evil exists side-by-side with pure hypocrisy and utterly ridiculous stupidity. Territorial sovereignty for the tiny nation of Inner Horner is at the core of the narrative; Inner Horner is so small only one of its citizens can live in it at a time. And so the nation of Outer Horner, which surrounds Inner Horner on all sides, allows the extra residents to live in...more
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
I had the pleasure of getting to talk with legendary author George Saunders for CCLaP's podcast last week, a rare treat given how in demand he is on this latest tour even among the major media; but that meant I had to do some serious cramming in the few weeks leading up to our talk, in that (I guiltily con...more
I had the pleasure of getting to talk with legendary author George Saunders for CCLaP's podcast last week, a rare treat given how in demand he is on this latest tour even among the major media; but that meant I had to do some serious cramming in the few weeks leading up to our talk, in that (I guiltily con...more
2 likes · like · see review
This is my first George Saunders, who is rumored to be one of the current funniest and sharpest. To judge by Phil, I’m not so impressed. It seems to me an obvious Swiftian/Orwellian knockoff that doesn’t belong on the same field with those classic satirists.
Saunders posits a kingdom called Horner—inner and outer. The inhabitants’ physical structure has little relationship to humans. They are constituted of earth, rivers, mechanical parts, and their composition differs from one to the other. When...more
Saunders posits a kingdom called Horner—inner and outer. The inhabitants’ physical structure has little relationship to humans. They are constituted of earth, rivers, mechanical parts, and their composition differs from one to the other. When...more
enjoyed reading this a lot
an examination of human kind/behaviour or something
taken out of context of 'this reality', placed in a new and unfamiliar context
the majority overrules the minority is what i thought when reading this book
how the outer hornerites destroy the inner hornerites
seemed like this tied in with my recent experiences in berlin, the museum we visited where the fallacies of the nazis/hitler built into a full-blown racial violation, and their opinions are validated and taken to be...more
an examination of human kind/behaviour or something
taken out of context of 'this reality', placed in a new and unfamiliar context
the majority overrules the minority is what i thought when reading this book
how the outer hornerites destroy the inner hornerites
seemed like this tied in with my recent experiences in berlin, the museum we visited where the fallacies of the nazis/hitler built into a full-blown racial violation, and their opinions are validated and taken to be...more
I may be late coming to George Saunders writing, but I'm glad to have come across it. I've heard/read a lot of people mentioning him, and felt like I needed to read something by him. The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil is unlike anything I've read before. In some ways it seems like part China Miéville mashed with Aesop's Fables, as we enter a world made of strange little figures that are part machine, part plant, but full of humanity.
The novella begins, "It's one thing to be a small country,...more
The novella begins, "It's one thing to be a small country,...more
Jul 15, 2010
Joshua
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
quote-literature-unquote,
shorts
Like a cross between Orwell's Animal Farm, and the works of Kurt Vonnegut and Samuel Beckett's Godot, this is an absurdest's wet dream. I'm a huge fan of stories that are heavy with allegories and metaphor's, with truths hidden behind lies. Recommended to me by a friend The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil is a fantastic modern day fable, especially in the current political, societal and economic climate. It's the story of how power corrupts completely and how perhaps humanity is just destine...more
I've been wanting to read something by Saunders for a couple of years now, ever since interviewing him when he was planning a local appearance for an annual literary festival. Sadly, I had no idea who he was at the time and expect I made a bit of an ass of myself in the interview. It was during that phase of my life when I was steeped in SF/F literature and pretty much nothing else.
I found this browsing a local indy bookstore the other night and am glad I finally got around to picking up someth...more
I found this browsing a local indy bookstore the other night and am glad I finally got around to picking up someth...more
4 likes · like · see review
I... I don't even know what to think of this book. There are many disparate elements and very very strange characters, all thrown together for a surrealist political satire. In many ways, it's the artistic successor to Flatland, in that it uses many of the same methods but it pushes many of the ideas much further, and not always to good effect.
I have to admire the author's sheer inventiveness, creating strange convoluted partially or mostly mechanical creatures, and trying to use them for politi...more
I have to admire the author's sheer inventiveness, creating strange convoluted partially or mostly mechanical creatures, and trying to use them for politi...more
First impressions consisted of 'man, I wish I'd just read some Vonnegut' and then I felt bad because I really like George Saunders, ardent Vonnegut fan and author of some brilliantly surreal articles poking fun at the excesses of capitalism.
Saunders approach appears to be to meet the frivolity of consumerism head on with a frivolous approach to his stories. To meet the potential dangers of excess in capitalism with an extreme approach to his worlds. They are often very dark, absurd and humorous....more
Saunders approach appears to be to meet the frivolity of consumerism head on with a frivolous approach to his stories. To meet the potential dangers of excess in capitalism with an extreme approach to his worlds. They are often very dark, absurd and humorous....more
More capitalizing...both on Saunder's recent success (we've got a Pynchon quote, we need to put it on some more book jackets) and on words to make sort of Orwellian constructs come alive. Behold the Counter-Clockwise Morning Circumabulation, and the Mid-Morning Reversal with a potential Line Position Change Request. All of these coming on two pages involving both the First Lady and the First Daughter.
The book goes from outlandish to outerlandish, to Inner Horner. A study in partisanship elevatin...more
The book goes from outlandish to outerlandish, to Inner Horner. A study in partisanship elevatin...more
A horribly failed experiment. The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil is thirteen dollars for eighty pages, partnered with abstract photos to try and illucidate what is ultimately a too-abstract text. For someone who adores being challenged I was forced to bite my tongue about "never being challenged enough" - the absolute inaccessibility of this text was mind-blowing.
The plot itself is water thin. A weak attempt at a dogmatic strike once more for a more socialist formation of democracy, arguing...more
The plot itself is water thin. A weak attempt at a dogmatic strike once more for a more socialist formation of democracy, arguing...more
2 likes · like · see review
Probably the most absurd book I’ve ever read, Saunders’ The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil is the story of the countries Inner and Outer Horner, which former is beautiful but so small that only one of its seven citizens can occupy it at any given time, which forces the latter to give up some of its abundant land as a temporary holding ground for the Inner Horner “refugees”, if you will. When a smitten, jealous, arrogant Outer Hornerite named Phil decides to levy immigration taxes upon the s...more
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what went wrong here. Though this novella sports many of the hallmarks of Saunders' work, here they seem empty, facile, or trite. The patent absurdity does not function, as it does in Civilwarland in Bad Decline or In Persuasion Nation, to heighten our awareness of our idiosyncratic social, cultural and political landscape, which, in turn helps define our common ethical landscape. Rather, it seems to be for its own sake, and, as such, weighs down an allegory that s...more
1 like · like · see review
If Kurt Vonnegut rewrote George Orwell's books, you'd probably have the rough draft for this book. George Saunders writes about the plights of bordering nations in this hilarious and tragic novella. Dominance and blindness to humanity are two sides of the coin, leaving disaster in its wake regardless of heads or tails. From a bumbling, forgetful President whose insatiable confidence is molded by advisers to a misanthropic manipulator set to assume unilateral power, the few characters are absurd...more
A few people seem disappointed with this, and I was for a while, but once I'd finished I actually really liked it. Of course it's funny, and of course it's biting, but it's even more allegorical than the other Saunders I've read. The blurb on my edition call it a fable, and I think that's about right. Just when you think you've got it all worked out, and that it's a bit obvious, the story twists around and becomes much more mysterious than it otherwise would be. It looks, to begin with, like a b...more
After listening to an interview with the author on the Charlie Rose show, in which Saunders made many useful points about the art of writing short stories, I decided to try his writing. One of the stories in this book, written in the form of a letter to a disgruntled customer, is very funny in an appropriately bizarre way. It reminded me somewhat of other comic short story writers like Therber and Perleman. Unfortunately, the title novel was much too long and not all that interesting after the f...more
I was introduced to George Saunders by listening to his story 'My Flamboyant grandson' on selected shorts podcast. It took me by storm. I enjoyed the story a lot and listened and read it again.
This book is a combo edition of 2 books , a novella 'The brief and frightening reign of Phil' and story collection 'In persuasion nation'.
All the stories are set in a futuristic age with advanced technology , deeply entrenched capitalistic/corporation culture , lack of human empathy resulting in bizarre s...more
This book is a combo edition of 2 books , a novella 'The brief and frightening reign of Phil' and story collection 'In persuasion nation'.
All the stories are set in a futuristic age with advanced technology , deeply entrenched capitalistic/corporation culture , lack of human empathy resulting in bizarre s...more
A delightful, whimsical, quickly-paced book about what happens when one guy with a terrible idea manages to take over.
I loved the biomechanical people.
I can't recommend this book enough.
It has been compared to Animal Farm, which is fair, I suppose, but this is much shorter and a little more positive. The people are all mostly caricatures but this choice serves the cheerfully dreadful tone of the book. Also, maybe I don't know enough about modern politics, but I don't think you can place any grou...more
I loved the biomechanical people.
I can't recommend this book enough.
It has been compared to Animal Farm, which is fair, I suppose, but this is much shorter and a little more positive. The people are all mostly caricatures but this choice serves the cheerfully dreadful tone of the book. Also, maybe I don't know enough about modern politics, but I don't think you can place any grou...more
Phil is quick and relatively enjoyable, but reads more like an absurdist charicature than satire of modern social ideals. Had the satirical elements been less opaque, or had the story delved further into the issues at hand, I might have found this more challenging. I did, however, like the fact that the characters seemed to be physical manifestations of their inner selves - such as the president who is nothing but chins and mustaches, and one of his advisors who has a mirror for a face. Lastly,...more
Ok yes, Saunders in fable/allegory mode is not as great as Saunders writing stories about flesh-and-blood characters. And the concept here could play like the most obvious, bush-league satire ever. But I really dug this because it's still a book that only George Saunders could have written. His uniquely stylized dialogue, his anger toward societal injustice, his empathy for emotional turmoil, his boundless imagination, his cracked and hilarious sense of humor--it's all here, in concentrated form...more
6 likes · like · see review
I feel like George and I got off on the wrong foot. I'd been seeing his name everywhere lately and thus far hadn't read a thing by him. So I figured I'd dip my toe in the George Saunders water. Was this the wrong story to start on? Is all of his stuff like this?
I'm genuinely curious. Again, like Big Man with a Shovel, I probably would have lapped this stuff up, were I still studying for my English degree... but I'm not. And the only lapping was frantic, trying to get to the end, just to put i do...more
I'm genuinely curious. Again, like Big Man with a Shovel, I probably would have lapped this stuff up, were I still studying for my English degree... but I'm not. And the only lapping was frantic, trying to get to the end, just to put i do...more
Jan 24, 2013
Greg
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Michael Meyer
Recommended to Greg by:
Karen Forbes
This is a quick, bizarre read but one that accomplishes, I believe, what it set out to achieve. The premise itself, a country so small it can only accommodate one of its residents at a time, is enough of an attention-grabber but when you realize that the inhabitants aren't quite (or at all) human, it enters a whole different realm. The allegory and is rather transparent but works well. This definitely evoked Flatland for me and since Mike recommended that one to me I think I'd recommend this one...more
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George Saunders was born December 2, 1958 and raised on the south side of Chicago. In 1981 he received a B.S. in Geophysical Engineering from Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He worked at Radian International, an environmental engineering firm in Rochester, NY as a technical writer and geophysical engineer from 1989 to 1996. He has also worked in Sumatra on an oil exploration geophysi...more
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“Though firm, we are never too firm, though we love fun, we never have fun in a silly way that makes us appear ridiculous, unless that is our intent.”
—
4 people liked it
“Our country is big, let us be big.”
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