Strange Trades

by Paul Di Filippo

Revolving around the inescapable process of earning a living, these 11 stories present a welcome and refreshing change of pace from more typical science fiction. Speculating about future lifestyles and how to function as a member of the new global economy, these tales emphasize the moral and spiritual dimensions of employment and examine the practical and ethical quandaries that possible future occupations may provide. Though written primarily about jobs, careers, and professions, these narratives are filled with suspense and adventure, romance, and laughter.

Genres: Science Fiction, Short Stories, Fantasy, Fiction, Collections

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Paul Di Filippo is the author of hundreds of short stories, some of which have been collected in these widely-praised collections: The Steampunk Trilogy, Ribofunk, Fractal Paisleys, Lost Pages, Little Doors, Strange Trades, Babylon Sisters, and his multiple-award-nominated novella, A Year in the Linear City. Another earlier collection, Destroy All Brains, was published by Pirate Writings, but is quite rare because of the extremely short print run (if you see one, buy it!).

The popularity of Di Filippo’s short stories sometimes distracts from the impact of his mindbending, utterly unclassifiable novels: Ciphers, Joe’s Liver, Fuzzy Dice, A Mouthful of Tongues, and Spondulix. Paul’s offbeat sensibility, soulful characterizations, exquisite-yet-compact prose, and laugh-out-loud dialogue give his work a charmingly unique voice that is both compelling and addictive. He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Philip K. Dick, Wired Magazine, and World Fantasy awards.

Despite his dilatory ways, Paul affirms that the sequel to A Year in the Linear City, to be titled A Princess of the Linear Jungle, will get written in 2008. He has two books forthcoming from PS Publications: the collection entitled Harsh Oases and the novel titled Roadside Bodhisattva. His 2008 novel Cosmocopia is graced by Jim Woodring illustrations.

Paul lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paul di Filippo used to be one of my favorite authors, so I'm catching up on some of his older works now. All but one of these stories were first published between 1986 and 1995 (the other is from 2001). My four star rating allows for how dated the stories are. Not so much in content, but culturally. Specifically, the place of women. The stories are not exactly sexist or objectifying, but most of the important characters are male, and they are a piggy, horny lot when it comes to women. Twenty-five or thirty years ago, this wouldn't have bothered me. Now it does.

Still, di Fillipo's imagination, intelligence, and sense of the absurd make the stories fun and sometimes thought-provoking.

[Ratforce]

As a fan of Terry Pratchett, you might enjoy works by Paul di Filippo if you are willing to try short stories. Like Pratchett, di Filippo is a humorist who creates fantastic worlds and off-beat characters. Start with the short story collection Strange Trades. ISBN 1930846053

[Mark]

Have this on my bookshelf, just waiting for the mood to strike.

[Adam Meek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting cyberpunk-ish tales