- Hardcover: 320 pages
- Publisher: Four Walls Eight Windows (1 Nov 2002)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1568582412
- ISBN-13: 978-1568582412
- Product Dimensions: 22.2 x 15.1 x 2.5 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,219,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
Minds are expanded while a few souls come to unfortunate ends in this grotesquely funny collection from Di Filippo (Fractal Paisleys, 1997, etc.). None of the 17 pieces really outstays its welcome, and a few could possibly have stuck around for a couple dozen more pages. The title story has an idea with potential-college prof writing a book on Victorian children's fantasy literature comes across a strange tome he's never heard of and little drawn doorways start popping up around campus-but not much comes of it; one can only imagine the fecund wonders that a John Crowley could have brought forth. Same with "Sleep is Where You Find It," in which the legendary photographer Weegee scuttles about nocturnal New York dragging wraiths with him, the subjects of his past pictures, and ends up confronting a ridiculous villain of the comic-book-reject variety. The idea could intrigue if given the chance to breathe, but Di Filippo seems in a rush to get to the end. In some selections, like "Our House," where the titular house holds a number of creepy residents who seduce new owners into their alien lives, Di Filippo takes his time and the reader is well rewarded. Similarly, in "Rare Firsts," the author lets his handy if overused cockeyed sense of humor slip into the background in favor of an affecting, cynical little story about a failing rare-book dealer who stumbles across bibliophile's heaven. Somewhere south of the science fiction that Di Filippo is always accused of writing and a touch more elevated than your average horror collection: Little Doors doesn't surprise but does open up a number of odd, new places. (Kirkus Reviews)
Synopsis
In the title story, a professor of children's literature discovers a bizarre synchronicity between a lost text and his illicit relationship with a student. In another story, a boy is born without a brain and his skull is invaded by a group of wild animals. Another chronicles an all-night drive through a Manhattan distinctly different from - but strangely similar to - our own. Replete with chaos, human oddities and unruly energy, this is an exhilarating collection from a true creative force in contemporary fiction.
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First Sentence
Once upon a time . . . began the story Jerome Crawleigh was trying to read but couldn't. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
Once upon a time . . . began the story Jerome Crawleigh was trying to read but couldn't. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3.3 out of 5 stars (3 customer reviews)
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Disturbing only in the way Jimi Hendrix disturbs, 7 May 2003
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Little Doors (Di Filippo, Paul) (Hardcover)
Reportedly Di Filippo brews his heady potions whilst seated with headphones on, blasting music so loud it can be heard across the room. Probably the man listens to everything from Glenn Gould to the Stones; his stories reflect that kind of eclectic, roving intelligence. He's not afraid to poke gentle fun at the SF genre, and his skill at writing is impressive: he's a shape-shifter in writer's form. That is, one story will have you thinking "Harlan Ellison," another "Gene Wolfe," another "Samuel Delany," etc. So, yes, it's weirdly discomforting not to be able to pigeonhole these tales. But it sure seems to me that if you're looking for a hugely enjoyable, multi-faceted and unpredictable collection...this is it.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not Free SF Reader, 3 Aug 2007
By Blue Tyson "- Research Finished" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Little Doors (Di Filippo, Paul) (Hardcover)
This is a good example of an average collection. There is nothing brilliant, or nothing terrible, most of the stories are above average, with some average or slightly less, so a no-brainer 3.5 all around. They are pretty much all in the supernatural/fantasy vein.
Little Doors : Little Doors - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Billy - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Moloch - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : The Grange - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Sleep Is Where You Find It - Paul Di Filippo and Marc Laidlaw
Little Doors : The Horror Writer - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : My Two Best Friends - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : The Death Of Salvador Dali - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Our House - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Jack Neck And The Worry Bird - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Stealing Happy Hours - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Singing Each to Each - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Rare Firsts - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Return To Cockaigne - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : The Short Ashy Afterlife Hiram P. Dootle - Paul Di Filippo
Little Doors : Slumberland - Paul Di Filippo
Shagged student's escape portal.
3.5 out of 5
Brainless boy's lower order locutors are trendsetters.
3.5 out of 5
Devil maybe talk.
2.5 out of 5
Secret society of fertilisers.
3.5 out of 5
Human Head Cakebox Murderer proves camera shy.
3 out of 5
Stephenkingalogue not quite all there in his twisted world.
3 out of 5
Werepeople AC/DC match is no matter.
3.5 out of 5
Painter's posthumous path.
3 out of 5
House squatters provide higher and lower function.
3.5 out of 5
Taking the avian load off.
2.5 out of 5
Pleasuresucker strangulation showdown.
3.5 out of 5
Mermaid hooker scheme.
3.5 out of 5
Librarian lady's booksense worth a punt.
4 out of 5
Fantasy trippyworld quartet's return to adventure.
3.5 out of 5
Axe murdering golddigger victim's wooden existence luckily coincides with superhero's crime investigation. A permanent trophy life.
4 out of 5
Sojourn with the Sandman.
3 out of 5
0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
BORING and DISTURBING, 15 Mar 2003
By Plastic Larry - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Little Doors (Di Filippo, Paul) (Hardcover)
Don't bother to open these little doors. I buy every book and article that I can find by Paul, He is usually the most stimulating, interesting, inovative and fun author. He was number one on my list.This collection is terrible in many ways. The stories and either boring, or unintersting and a couple are disturbing .
It is ok to disturb your reader, but there are stories that make you think that Paul is so disturbed that you do not want to support him anymore by buying his books.
Maybe this is just a collection of the stories that he wanted to through away but was published anyway.
It will probably take me a year to buy another one of his books( That is a long time, since I buy about 3 books a day and he publishes about 3 books an hour.)
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