D_Davis's comments (member since Jan 06, 2009)

D_Davis's comments from the Great Novellas group.

I don't know enough of bizzaro fiction to comment.

I'd say it is more surreal than anything, though.

Imagine David Lynch, Mamoru Oshii, and Takashi Miike direction a Vampire Hunter D movie with art by Jean Giraud.

Whenever people have the book and time.

No rush.

This is one of the best things I've ever read. Cisco is, quite simply, a bona fide master of surreal fiction.

I want to reread this soon, and it would be very cool if others joined in, so that we may discuss its bizarre narrative, atmosphere, and world.

If you are interested, I suggest buying this version:

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/19298...

It is the cheapest way to obtain the book, and this collection also includes the sequel.

I love Weaveworld - it is such a fantastic and dark urban-fantasy. The atmosphere is incredible.

I've tried to read Imajica twice, and I just can't get into it.

I'm really looking forward to his newest one though - sounds fascinating.

Read 'em.

Pretty good. My favorite Barker is Weaveworld, but I am not a huge fan of his work.

I can't believe how much I love this Muriel Spark book. I mean, it's about so many things that I have zero interest in: bratty girls, high society, school drama, romance, manners, and so on.

And yet I am finding myself utterly compelled by each page. I can't read it fast enough, I can't absorb enough of Spark's prose, and I can't wait for each opportunity to dive its narrative.

Spark is a master at creating and setting the scene. She writes with her eyes. Each time I pick up the book, it only takes a couple of brief sentences for me to be instantly drawn back into the book's milieu.

In terms of quality narrative, character, and prose, this book stands apart from almost anything else I've ever read.

This morning I read what could be the greatest sentence I've ever read.

Miss Brodie is an unorthodox teacher. one of her students comments on how when other students say 'good morning' to Miss Brodie, they say the word 'morning' to rhyme with the word 'scorning,' thus they are really saying 'I scorn you.' But Miss Brodie is different, her reply is more "anglicized in its accent":

"'Good mawning,' she replied, in the corridors, flattening their scorn beneath the chariot wheels of her superiority, and deviating her head towards them no more than an insulting half-inch."

Now that is writing.

Wow - once again Muriel Spark is blowing my mind.

I am totally in love.

The Variable Man is minor PKD.

Decent, but nothing great. The main character, Thomas Cole, is very cool, and the plot is interesting. However, it feels pretty shallow for PKD - there is not a lot going on thematically, probably due to this being one of his earliest stories.

It's a fun quick read, and I did enjoy it, but I definitely didn't take any lasting impression from it.

Bill - I've only read Shawshank, but I recently ordered the book to read the rest.

I'll check out Lovedeath - thanks!

Started a novella by my favorite author.

So far, so good.

It's a kind of Wizard of Oz meets A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, fish-out-of-water tale, but filtered, of course, through PKD's wicked sense of humor and biting satire.

This is a good novella.

Parts were absolutely brilliant, while other parts were merely okay.

Rulfo's prose, however, is consistently wonderful. The depth of imagery he creates is truly remarkable, and the surreal nature of the narrative is bolstered by this quality.

It reminded me a great deal of the weird fiction written in the early 1900s, and I wonder if any of that ever penetrated into Mexico. Was Magical Realism somewhat informed by the Weird Tales?

Probably not - but the similarities are there, and that is a fact.

I was especially reminded of one of my favorite modern authors - Michael Cisco.

This is a very, very dense little book. There are, perhaps, a few too many minor characters, making it hard to remember all the names and relationships.

However, I do look forward to reading this again, and I think it would be a book best read with a group so as to discuss the nuances of the plot and characters.

"Also you might want to check out some stories by Philip K Dick, he's got some interesting short fiction, mainly sci-fi. Might be something to kill time, but I'm not sure if he would be an author you would be interest in."

http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/726...

:)

I only have a handful of his novels left to read. He's my favorite author, and I am savoring those last few PKD novels. It is going to be a sad day when I no longer have a new PKD book to read.

I'm not as into his short fiction as am his novels, but I am starting a collection of novellas tonight - The Variable Man.

But I guess after I finish his novels, I'll have to read the short stories. They're sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting.

I just ordered a two volume set of science fiction novellas voted on by the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.

Looking forward to getting these collections.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/83099...

I was really just being ultra reductive.

;)

I've had that debate with others before, and honestly I don't know enough about MR to really argue. However, the few MR short stories I've read have reminded me of the fantasy stuff I like to read. Mainly urban fantasy and dark fantasy/horror - not the elf and dragon stuff. I'm done with that.

Some of the old weird stuff by Machen, Blackwood, Dunsany, Smith et al., has also reminded me of MR, at least in terms of tone. I bet you might like these above mentioned authors, you might even dig Thomas Ligotti who has written some amazing short stories and novellas.

And Michael Cisco is superb. Again, The Divinity Student is just about the greatest thing I've ever read, and I so far while reading PP, I would bet that Cisco was at least somewhat influenced by MR. His goal with that book was to make the reader feel like he was dreaming while reading, and he totally pulls it off.

The execution and intent are probable different though. MR us also more surreal.

You should check out the book I mentioned in the Pedro thread I started:

Last Dragon by JM McDermott.

Don't worry, there aren't any dragons in it!

:)

Here is a review I wrote for it:

http://www.playtime-magazine.com/press/2...

And speaking of ultra reductive, like Gene Wolfe said, "All novels are fantasy, some are just more honest about it."

I started reading this this morning, and it is pretty awesome thus far.

In many ways, it reminds me of one of my new favorite books - Last Dragon by JM McDermott, the best fantasy I've read in over a decade. McDermott's book has a narrative told through the fragmented memories of a woman on her death bed.

It's dreamlike qualities were doubtless informed by magical realism - this was apparent to me even though I am not at all versed in that genre. I've read only a few short stories, most written by GGM, but I saw those same qualities in McDermott's book. It is a dark, mature, and haunting work of fiction.

From they very first page of Rulfo's novella, I was reminded of this quality, and I instantly embraced his prose and story.

I definitely want to read more in this genre.

Length only.

I guess a novella is usually around 50-150 pages - although word count would be more accurate because page-count can be kind of arbitrary.

Jerrod wrote: "Just a few on the brain right now anyway. Are you using a strict definition of novella? Sticking between ~50-100 pages? "

I want to expand the length of a novella to 200 pages in a mass market PB - at least in terms of what I am looking for and what I like to read.

I've read that ~150 pages is the cut-off, but by today's gargantuan standards, I think we could add a couple dozen pages to the novella.

:)

So no, I am not being very strict. Novella, or a very, very short novel.

Nice - I'll definitely check out Lebbon's book of novellas.

Great rec!

Nah, that's cool Mel. I'll totally hit you up for some recs later.

I've always found it funny that 'Magical Realism' is really just fantasy for the lit-minded scholar.

:)

It's crazy to think that where a book is shelved in a book store largely determines its fate in the lit/scholarly world and its chances of being taken seriously as a work of powerful fiction.

I, too, tend to hang out in the ghettos of the pulps and genre, and that is where I love to be.

One of my favorite new-found horror authors, Kealan Patrick Burke, has decided to release some of his early novellas as free downloads:

http://www.kealanpatrickburke.com/Free_F...

I haven't read them yet, but I am really looking forward to it. Especially 'The Turtle Boy'.