Reviews / Quotes from Reviews of To Be to Is to Was

A collection offers satirical short stories set in a fictional land..... Bird (Catastrophically Consequential, 2012) conjures a wildly farcical cosmos that bears just enough resemblance to this one to be evocatively familiar, a place he calls Amourrica Profunda. He chronicles the peculiar but often endearing searches his protagonists conduct for love and purpose ..... Bird's eccentric, impressionistic tales sometimes interlock ..... the twine that ties the eclectic stories together is the backdrop of Amourrica Profunda. The author's writing is reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut's -- he skillfully constructs a counterfeit world designed to deliver a hyperbolic parody of this one, both a caricature and a mirror ..... Highly inventive .....

-- Kirkus Reviews

"..... an anti-establishment collection of stories that goes from real to surreal, from Middle America to space rock operas, with its outrageous characters ..... short stories and vignettes ..... set in a parallel universe, in places that function as a fun house mirror of our own world. The stories' settings and characters are sometimes familiar ..... Some are exaggerated grotesques. Distasteful places ..... are described with relish ..... There are unexpected forms throughout the book, including poems, lyrics ..... speeches ..... Women in the book fit types, though they sometimes change between types -- like a good girl, her bad girl alter ego, and the lovelorn rock star ..... Pop culture references abound .... Ellipses are used to excess ..... caustic wordplay skewers boring American consumerism.

-- Foreword / Clarion Reviews

"..... a stylish, imaginative collection of interrelated short stories deploying postmodern narrative techniques to dissect the landscape of media, identity, and politics in the current age ..... Bird glides fluently between magical realism (a boy calmly contemplating his paradoxically postmortem existence) ..... satire (a Trump-­like character called "Turmerico Inflammatorio") ..... speculative fiction (a planet run entirely by futuristic hippies) ..... bombastic and playful ..... establishes a sort of punk rock aesthetic ..... provocative and frequently hilarious ideas (an intergalactic, LGBTQ-­themed ..... mashup of a UFC fight and Project Runway; a virtual funeral for a newly perished social media site) ..... an interesting collection of stories from an original literary voice .....

-- BlueInk Reviews

"Once again Stephen C. Bird offers us a romp through his linguistically twisted funhouse mirror universe. The themes are the same as in his previous three books: loss of innocence for various caricatures as they explore the wild reaches of sexuality, satire of the bumpkins of the heartland, occupation of the vastness of time and space ..... Our own nation has changed names once again, this time from Amourrica Profunda to Mourrzicka. (Our planet is still the Blue Green Planet.) Our president is a 'flamboyant trillionnaire by the name of Turmerico Inflammatorio.' In perhaps the most concise explanation of our most recent presidential election that I've ever read, the population 'fell under the spell of his anti-charisma.' Sometimes I think I detect a little more tenderness towards Bird's characters in this one, but, well, not for long. And just when you're getting a little tired of the rube-speak, a chapter like 'The Deeper Meaning of Smores' comes along, which caused this reader to bust a gut laughing while on a train: 'in them thar piney woods ... a family was sitting down to dinner, with their elbows on the kitchen table. They sat in silence. Their hands were clutching their forks and knives tightly; their cutlery was pointed upwards. They started to chant loudly as they pounded the bottoms of their clenched fists on the white formica table ... MORE SMORES PIE! SMORES PIE FOR LIFE! SMORES PIE IS LIFE! SMORES PIE IS THE LIFE! SMORES PIE EVERY DAY! SMORES PIE EVERY NIGHT! SMORES PIE SWEET AND NICE! F--- THAT PUMPKIN SPICE! SMORES PIE ALL THE TIME! SMORES PIE AIN'T NO CRIME! SMORES PIE OUTER SPACE! SMORES PIE OUTER SPACE.' Whereupon 12-year-old Bobby starts in on a passionate monologue: 'If only usns could experience the fun times resultin' from the daily consumption of Smores pie!...' ..... Not too hard to once again fall under Bird's spell."

-- Jim, Goodreads

"In past and futuristic stories that parallel today, this book takes you on a wild ride.  I really, really, really enjoyed the first short story.  While reading the rest of this book, my thoughts were all over the place ... 'this is a good satire ... wait this seems pretty realistic ... okay definitely a satire ... is the author on drugs ... am I on drugs?' ... The names were clever and fun ... I think if things were elaborated on, certain parts would make more sense, but I feel like it would ruin the feel of the book overall if the author did that ... there are a lot of tongue twisters ... This book was published in 2018 ... but it is still very relatable in 2020 with the state of the world right now ... definitely an interesting read that makes you think. The book itself is put together very well and is of good quality."

-- Chloe, Goodreads

"A Unique And Entertaining Book ..... a series of interconnected satires that offer socio-political commentary through the lens of characters and worlds closely resembling our own. The use of imaginary names resembling those in our world is certainty Swiftian (‘Fascibook,’ ‘Nueva Jorker,’ ‘Amourrica Profunda’ etc.) ..... the propensity for characters to be eccentric misfits reminded me a bit of Chuck Palahniuk ..... an enjoyable read, well-written ..... a decent sense of structure/pacing ..... highly original ..... the book was better than much of what I’ve read of late ..... I do strongly recommend it and think readers from a wide-variety of backgrounds will enjoy the zaniness and chaotic energy that Stephen creates."

-- Matt, Goodreads

"If you're ready for some feel good happy ending stories, you may want to move on to another book.  If you're not afraid to absorb, think, be shocked, and oftentimes perplexed, you will find this a great choice.  It is obvious that Stephen Bird is a brilliant thinker, perhaps beyond writing material that is to be read for relaxing pleasure.  You may be forced to think [about] more than ... you had expected and may find yourself (as I did) throwing in some of your ideas to finish the story in a way that [gives] closure to some of the characters.  I found it to be one of the most 'different' books I have read and enjoyed.  A bonus is several pages of art by the author."

-- Judy, Goodreads

" 'To Be To Is To Was' ... I found ... to be confusing and chaotic in a way that for some reason left me a bit upset ... Maybe because it gave me anxiety that the world will eventually end up in the state described in this book? ... I suppose ... that is the point of the book after all, to get the reader to think about society, culture, and the evolution, or rather devolution, of the modern world and to get a reaction out of the reader, regardless of [whether] it is positive or negative ... I would love to hear an analysis of it in a higher level English / literature / sociology class for a [deconstruction] of the various themes and what it means in today’s context."

-- Mary, Goodreads

"The stories are ..... strange. Very surreal and trippy. They take place in / tell the story of some kind of future American continent where people have split into two camps: the hyper-sexual and aggressively liberal people who delightfully flaunt all sexual, political, and social mores and the proudly dumbed-down and staunchly conservative majority ..... I really liked the parts where characters spoke in unison, 'as in a Greek Chorus', and when the two men were seducing Sunnie into their lifestyle ..... The physical book is very well put together, clean and crisp."

-- Elna, Goodreads

"If the literary genre of surrealist sci fi inspirational self help didn’t exist, Stephen C. Bird would have had to invent it! Don’t be afraid to walk away and come back to it, as I did when I felt I needed room to concentrate. It’s a strange and hallucinatory trip through several alternate worlds that satirize our own, that will confuse and confound you, and yet leave you feeling strangely uplifted."

-- Brian, Goodreads

"Welcome to the satire of 2018. I’m on the fence with this book ..... parts made me laugh ..... I enjoyed the satire of our current political climate, global warming, and even Facebook ..... The pacing was good ..... the book offered a series of commentary loosely woven together by characters randomly inserted like the tiles a player draws in a matching game."

-- GoodlyWitch, Goodreads

"... I have to say that I did not get 'into' the stories ... The writing is good, just not something that I was used to reading.  But ... I gave the book to my 18 year old granddaughter ... She liked the stories.  She thought they were odd and eclectic and found the characters to be relatable ... My granddaughter is enjoying the book."

-- Pj Jones, Goodreads

"Confusing while interesting ..... Quirky tongue & cheek ..... A play on current reality just far enough off to make anything believable ..... The Fascibook Eulogy literally had me doubled over cackling ..... I’m not sure I love the book, but I definitely love Stephen C. Bird and his creative mind."

-- Chels Marieantoinette, Goodreads

"These short stories are easy, breezy, and fun. The satire is thick, wicked, and not for the faint-hearted ... This is a book that is definitely an either-or book: the reader either really likes it, or really dislikes it ... Don't read this thinking it's like any other book you've encountered."

-- Vickie, Goodreads

"Short-story satire stories of present day politics viewed through the lens of other worlds and times. Points of regular humor include the names of characters and settings spun throughout the book. It was a well-enjoyed and an over-too-soon read that kept me smiling."

-- Barred Owl Books, Goodreads

"Mr. Bird has an interesting writing style. Not very polished, but I usually like that. [His] writing is not for rainbow, puppy people. He takes a realistic and often dark view of life and humanity. His writing tends to be like his characters, raw."

-- Colleen, Goodreads

"A plethora of playful prose worth profusely perusing ..... Complete with profoundly pleasing paragraphs that would make Heinlein and Heifetz hum happily [and] Frank Zappa's family and friends fete and "Freak Out" ..... Get your copy today!"

-- Leo, Goodreads

"Great satire, as good as it gets ..... reminds me of Tom Robbins, you will laugh and be impressed ..... and feel good that there are still good [Satirists] out there!"

-- Jeff, Goodreads

"It's fresh, a melding of visual art and the written word. I enjoyed the eccentricity."

-- M.L., Goodreads

"I was amused by the names ... "Nueva Jork, Fascibook, Voldemordor ..."

-- Alexis, Goodreads

"Recommend if you’re into satire. Very strange book."

-- Chelsea, Goodreads

"This book is a little weird. But it makes you think."

-- Cathy, Goodreads

"Witty and very relatable!"

-- Amy, Goodreads

"Excellent book!!!"

-- Csimplot, Goodreads