Contagion and Other Stories

by Brian Evenson

Fiction. CONTAGION AND OTHER STORIES is one of Brian Evenson's most sought after and lauded collections of fiction. It has been out of print for nearly a decade. With short stories like the O. Henry Award winning "Two Brothers," Evenson takes his readers into a world that is at once apocalyptic, dark, observant, and grotesque without ever dipping into static genre conventions. CONTAGION AND OTHER STORIES shows Brian Evenson at his best—taut sentences, sharp dialogue, and deep psychological subtext. A must have for any fan of contemporary fiction or fans of Brian Evenson. "CONTAGION remains one of the most strange and powerful books of the new millennium"—The Believer.

Genres: Short Stories, Horror, Fiction, American, Zombies, Bizarro Fiction

138 pages, Paperback

First published July 15, 2000

About the author

Brian Evenson is an American academic and writer of both literary fiction and popular fiction, some of the latter being published under B. K. Evenson.

Reviews

[S̶e̶a̶n̶ · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the whole not quite as nuanced as later Evenson, but these stories still throttle one's reading mind. Peopled with renegade Mormon preachers, forsaken children, and all manner of proto-humans pursuing grand designs, it is a bleak wasteland as far as one can see. Evenson's characters are primeval, speaking either in old-time preacher slang or an odd, clipped manner honed to communicate only the bare essentials. Often they are possessed by some higher calling, beyond the apocalyptic settings in which they dwell. The exposition is usually skeletal but sufficient, pierced through with strange but fitting neologisms. The run-down:

'The Polygamy of Language': Mormon perversion transforms a bunker in the name of language.

'Two Brothers': Parents die, siblings attempt to fend for themselves with gruesome results. By far the most horrifying story in the collection, and an O. Henry Award winner. (Note: contains explicit scene of animal abuse.)

'Hanging': A man is hanged. There's some humor, but overall not too memorable.

'Internal': Evenson in his pseudo-scientific mode which is always entertaining. Some good mockery of psychotherapy.

'Prairie': Sort of a zombie story.

'Contagion': Two company men follow a border fenceline, eventually encounter a Kurtz-like figure, after which it gets weird.

'Watson's Boy': Hallways, dust, keys. Repeat.

'By Halves': More rogue Mormons, death-obsessed children, suicides. Stock-in-trade for Evenson, pairs nicely with the first two stories.

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of eight stories by Brian Evenson. Loved these, especially "Two Brothers" and "Contagion".

1. The Polygamy of Language
2. Two Brothers
3. A Hanging
4. Internal
5. Prairie
6. Contagion
7. Watson's Boy
8. By Halves

[G. Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to say which Evenson short story collection is my second favorite. The Wavering Knife is my absolute favorite. But several other collections vie for second place. Contagion is one of those. It contains "Watson's Boy," which I first encountered in the VanderMeers' anthology New Weird. It is my favorite Evenson story and I've read it at least five times, each time taking something different away. "Two Brothers" is another astounding, dark piece that will stick with me until my death bed. If you are the type who throws up in your mouth a little while you read, this one is for you.

The stories collected here are some of the darkest, most bewildering, and blackly humorous in his oeuvre. All the Evensonian elements are here: deranged cults, inexplicable post-apocalyptic worlds, plagues of unknown origin, the blurring of the lines between life and death, elaborate psychiatric mind games, internal realities that fail to manifest, external realities that we can barely fathom.

Both fun and disturbing in equal measure, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to anyone who enjoys weird lit, weird horror, atypical bizarro, or slipstream-type fiction.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contagion contains some of Brian Evenson's early fiction, and while not all of the stories in these pages rank with his best, there are a handful of crucial pieces that establish something of a template for his more mature work.

"Prairie" is short, bleak, and brutal, all modes of expression in which Evenson excels. In reading it, I can't help but think of Werner Herzog's 1972 film "Aguirre, the Wrath of God", which tackles similar themes of exploration and discovery as cover stories for madness and unhinged violence. Kudos to Evenson for packing the mere four pages of his story with such succinct wording that each individual sentence somehow manages to tell the whole story.

"Contagion" is a winding journey through a stark episode from what might be the life of an apostle. Protagonist Haish dutifully records the physical characteristics of a wire fence line stretching over uncountable miles and crossing a border marking an undefined boundary. But the notebook he fills grows into something greater than a technical log, and begins to acquire the outer semblance of a gospel, even if the words themselves deserve no such reverence. As a metaphor for the evolution of a religious cult, "Contagion" is wonderfully disturbing.

And finally, "Watson's Boy", a darkly humorous exploration of the private mythologies of an isolated family group which has become thoroughly separated from the outside world, likely as a result of their own choices. Even if the story operates on a metaphorical level, it is replete with the small details of mental and physical deterioration, a sort of psychic incest leading to the inevitable results. Evenson uses the physical manifestation of a maze to symbolize the mental architecture that this small family have built for themselves, and the obviousness of the device in no way weakens its effectiveness.

[Brent Legault · Rating 4 out of 5]

These stories cannot be properly categorized under the horror genre, horrifying though they be. A horror story is like a roller coaster: no matter how frightening it is you know that it's safe, that the ride will end. Evenson doesn't write like that. Evenson's horror doesn't offer you that "Whew!" after the words stop. After the words stop, Evenson's horror keeps churning somewhere under your skin. And I, for one, worried that it might erupt as black blood through my pores.

By the way, I've met Mr. Evenson a number of times (he is an occasional customer at my book store) and although I am not the perfect judge of character, I'm convinced that if he were ever to invite me to his home for dinner, I would not be on the menu.

[David Agranoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anyone that follows my blog or podcast knows that I am a huge fan of Brian Evenson. This book, however, was released many years before I discovered his writing. I should have noticed when this was re-released by my old friend Duncan Barlow at Astrophil press in 2011. I have been meaning to go back and read some of Evenson's early work and thanks to this book I got a chance.

This collection includes the O.Henry award-winning short story, Two Brothers. It is a great example of Evenson who was already 19 years ago writing powerful and beautifully surreal tales. The opening story has moments of body horror but descends into surreal paranoia. This story is pure prose insanity and in the hands of a less accomplished writer, it would be a mess. This opening story is a statement and a good story to test your compatibility with this author.

I personally think Evenson is a genius and one of those authors that walks a perfect tightrope between high-class literature and badass genre. These days he writes full out horror and Science Fiction. I think this collection is more when he was dipping his toe in the genre pool. He probably wasn't aware he was doing it.

I know that Evenson didn't really consider himself a horror writer at the stage when these stories were written. That is surprising to me. The stories are bleak, the tone is fully horror but many of the stories had a western vibe or feel to them which I think is expressed on the cover. Personally, my favorite story was the one called A Hanging.

Evenson is one of the best short story writers we have. I know that sounds like hyperbole but he has mastered the short form and anyone who likes short stories needs to have and read all his collections.

[Cliff Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first encounter with Evenson was his short story "Prairie," in a horror anthology, and I have been hooked since. He has an economy with language rivalling Cormac McCarthy's at times. This anthology includes "Prairie," a masterpiece about an expedition to find the secret of a land where the dead return to life, as well as the title story, a kafkaesque piece about horsemen patrolling a quarrantine fence. Other stories are about madness and religious obsession, but they all share the same spare style, rendering each impact distilled and strong. My only complaint? It can be read through in an afternoon, and I wanted it to last longer.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I might just be too dumb to understand these stories completely. Every single story introduces a new scenario that I adore in the horror genre and that I do not see often enough in books or movies. But the stories are all very confusing, too, and, more often than not, they do not explain anything. They just end and you are left wondering what the hell you just read. The later stories in the collection were not bad at all. I was just getting tired of not understanding what was going on.

Average rating: 2.6/5 🌟

Individual ratings:

3/5 🌟 The Polygamy of Language
4/5 🌟 Two Brothers
2/5 🌟 A Hanging
2/5 🌟 Internal
3/5 🌟 Prairie
3/5 🌟 Contagion
2/5 🌟 Watson's Boy
2/5 🌟 By Halves

[Stuart Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eclectic mix of short stories, all in a murky otherworldly manner but borrowing tropes from a wide range of genres - westerns, horror and southern gothic tales. A couple highlights and some ideas that will stick with me for a while, but it had a unique style that was not always easy reading and requires patience and discipline. The short story contagion that the book is named after stood out.

[Joe Molenaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good god.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, interesting collection of short fiction. Contains eight sparse, haunting, puzzling, and impactful stories. Three of the eight involve enigmatic relationships between fathers and sons. My favorites were "Two Brothers" and "A Hanging". Enjoy!

[Daniel A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This definitely feels like it is from an early point in his career, but the stories being less refined and a bit more over the top is actually interesting. It is pretty over the top with the grotesqueness, especially in “Two Brothers” and “Prairie”, but seeing Evenson go a little balls to the wall is kinda fun.

It isn’t the most egregious use ever, but if you do have a particular aversion to body horror and/or sexual violence (this is present to a much lesser extent but still notably there) I might give this collection or just the two stories mentioned above a pass. Honestly if you aren’t at least a little bit into body horror this probably won’t be enjoyable. It’s obviously got other shit going on, but you aren’t going to get away from that.

[Carlton Duff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Brian Evenson is Fucked Up...and that is said in the most endearing and flattering way you can say that.

[PMB]

extremely graphic short stories that toys with the roles of language and space in literature. the two brothers was probably the strongest of the bunch and i enjoyed its sort of dreamlike quality and the leveled structure of the story (which is hard to explain), but i did not like the book on the whole. maybe i'm more of a softy than i like to admit, but some of the imagery was truly disturbing. (the bit about the dead dog really bothered me.)

[Stevefk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Starts off with a masterpiece of quirky weird fiction: "The Polygamy of Language." Fantastic writing. Then comes a near-masterpiece: "Two Brothers." The third story, "A Hanging," is good enough, but then it is all down hill. Big time down hill, at that. The final five stories bored me to no end, as dull as could be, nothing or no one I could possibly care about. Despite the first two great stories, I doubt I would read this author again.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

top-tier evenson, this slim volume contains horror, strangeness, and beautiful writing in equal volume. i'd encountered the first two stories ('the polygamy of language', 'the two brothers') previously and marked them, the second in particular, among his strongest. turns out the rest of the book might not be as good as those but very nearly. 'watson's boy' in particular.

[Robert Morgan Fisher · Rating 5 out of 5]

More relevant today than when it came out in 2012. Evenson's fiction is often fueled by anti-cultist rage—specifically Mormonism from where he was excommunicated for writing brilliantly macabre stories and novels. He is a master of ambiguity and atmosphere. One of the most unique fictioneers working today.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story "Two Brothers" made me want to throw up.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. This was different. But I will give it the benefit of the doubt. I liked it.

[Ryan Pidhayny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of Evenson's earlier works, this slim volume mixes the literary style of Altmann's Tongue with the heavier weirdness and confusion that is a trademark of his later work. There's not a bad story among the ones here, but the best were 'Internal', 'A Hanging', and after my second reading of it, 'Two Brothers'. There's something disquieting about Evenson's writing and the absence of reason in so many of his characters. As ever, Evenson is a great recommendation if you like dark fiction.

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

More concise, odder and less polyglot than the earlier "Altman's Tongue", this collection is definitely stronger, even if it doesn't offer the great Whitman's Sampler approach of its forebear.

A note about "Two Brothers", a story that is included here and in "Altman's Tongue"; It really is more fitting to this collection. If you become an Evenson completist, I recommend reading it with this set and skipping it in "Altman's Tongue".

[Tomasz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evenson has a sure hold on weirdness, and on language, and he wields them flawlessly in these stories of creepy power. Sometimes the plot is not quite up to the task of structuring all that goodness, and this is why the verdict is four stars (and a bit).

[Certified Not-Lame · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brutal and bleak. Evenson's economic yet literary prose really works well for delivering sharp blows.


The Polygamy Of Language - 5
Two Brothers - 5
A Hanging - 4
Internal - 5
Prairie - 5
Contagion - 5
Watson's Boy - 5
By Halves - 4

[Ben Brackett · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good stories but finding I prefer his novels.

[Adrian Coombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite simply brilliant. Such weight in these short stories, Evenson is an incredibly talented writer. Contagion and Watson's Boy highlights for me.

[Ellis Hastings · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can really see the writer that Evenson now is begin to take shape in this collection from 2000.

[Adam Rodenberger · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of Evenson’s work, but I simply didn’t care for any of the stories here. The prose was strong, the narratives didn’t do anything for me, which is strange.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something about Evenson stories that get under your skin. And I mean that in a good way.

[Julian White]

Signed limited (78/100 +20) - first hardback edition; black leather binding. Undertow's Contemporary Classics, volume 4

Interesting collection (ie, I have no real idea what these are about!).

[Tobias · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reviewed it at Vol.1:
http://vol1brooklyn.com/2011/11/29/re...