A Few Last Words: A Parable and a Prophecy

by James Sallis

In a field that has much of its background in traditional sf & much in common with the work of such contemporary writers as Slavomir Mrozek, Kurt Vonnegut & Boris Vian, A Few Last Words is in turn surreal, comic, moving--or filled with the excitement of pure adventure. Sallis writes about the intimate textures of life on worlds vastly different from our own & on some which are disturbingly similar. Among these psychological landscapes his characters destroy their children, face the problems of art, language & the machinery of history, search for lost friends & families which may or may not be real, struggle at all levels to combat entropy, the nemesis of every closed system & a new Jeremiah walks thru a burning city which has trapped his wife & child, only to find further violence, broken hopes & apocalyptic self destruction.
Jim & Mary G
Letter to a young poet
Faces, hands
Kettle of stars
The floors of his heart
The opening of the Terran ballet
The history makers
And then the dark
Front & centaur
Enclave
Slice of universe
The anxiety in the eyes of the cricket
Jeremiad
Occasions
Kazoo
The creation of Bennie Good
Jane crying
Bubbles
A few last words

226 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

James Sallis (born 21 December 1944 in Helena, Arkansas) is an American crime writer, poet and musician, best known for his series of novels featuring the character Lew Griffin and set in New Orleans, and for his 2005 novel Drive, which was adapted into a 2011 film of the same name.

Reviews

[Erik Graff · Rating 2 out of 5]

Purchased at a used book store, read quickly and noted on its bibliographical card as "mediocre sf shorts".