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'Graceful, dark, authentic and funny' Thomas Pynchon 'An American short-story writer of intimidating talent' Zadie Smith, Marie Claire 'Dark, concerned, confused and funny, all at the same time ... Like so much of Saunders' brilliant, crazy writing it's relevant, but not too relevant' The Times 'You do not read Saunders' stories so much as watch them detonate on the page in front of you, like a firecracker some joker has slipped into your pudding' Stephen Amidon, New Statesman
Robert Colvile, Observer
`Reading George Saunders is, it's safe to say, like no other
literary experience ... surreal, rather moving and deeply angry'
literary experience ... surreal, rather moving and deeply angry'
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This volume comprises the novella "The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil" and the collection of short stories "In Persuasion Nation."
"The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil" concerns a conflict between the States of Outer Horner and Inner Horner. The inhabitants of these states are never fully described but appear to be part mechanical, part biological.We are told that Phil's brain sits on a rack in his head, and has a tendency to fall out. Phil is the de facto, and later official, leader of the Outer Hornerites; although Phil is clearly of low intelligence,he uses his more assertive and domineering personality to incite hatred among his people against the Inner Hornerites, whose gentle nature and numerical inferiority make them easy targets. Phil's frequent misuse of language(e.g. "Arrest this invaderment") brings to mind a certain ex-US president. The story appears to be some manner of political allegory, a la Animal Farm.
"In Persuasion Nation" conists of 12 shorter stories. Some of the best include: "The Red Bow" about how a rabid dog bites a young girl, who dies, and how the community reacts;"Christmas", which reads like a biographical episode, different in tone from most of Saunders' stories; and "93990", about drug-testing on monkeys, which reads like a journalistic piece, perhaps it is, but it makes a powerful impact, in any case.Some of the funnier stories include "In Persuasion Nation" and "Commcomm". Many of the stories also ridicule the consumerist culture of modern society.
I came to this collection after being greatly impressed by another Saunders' collection "Pastoralia" (particularly the title story, one of the few things I have read that have made me laugh uncontrollably- a real classic). Overall, I liked this collection slightly less than "Pastoralia, but I still liked it. Slightly less funny, but still quite funny. The satirical element is more pronounced, but Saunders is always tender and empathetic, even to the characters he ridicules. It is not an oversimplification to say that the basic point of all Saunders' stories is: "Be nice to people(or animals)." With such a message the greatest danger is a descent into sentimentality, but Saunders only occasionally verges on this. Mostly, this is a very warm, readable and funny collection, and the satire contained therein is sharp and well-founded. I definitely plan on further acquainting myself with Saunders' work.
"The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil" concerns a conflict between the States of Outer Horner and Inner Horner. The inhabitants of these states are never fully described but appear to be part mechanical, part biological.We are told that Phil's brain sits on a rack in his head, and has a tendency to fall out. Phil is the de facto, and later official, leader of the Outer Hornerites; although Phil is clearly of low intelligence,he uses his more assertive and domineering personality to incite hatred among his people against the Inner Hornerites, whose gentle nature and numerical inferiority make them easy targets. Phil's frequent misuse of language(e.g. "Arrest this invaderment") brings to mind a certain ex-US president. The story appears to be some manner of political allegory, a la Animal Farm.
"In Persuasion Nation" conists of 12 shorter stories. Some of the best include: "The Red Bow" about how a rabid dog bites a young girl, who dies, and how the community reacts;"Christmas", which reads like a biographical episode, different in tone from most of Saunders' stories; and "93990", about drug-testing on monkeys, which reads like a journalistic piece, perhaps it is, but it makes a powerful impact, in any case.Some of the funnier stories include "In Persuasion Nation" and "Commcomm". Many of the stories also ridicule the consumerist culture of modern society.
I came to this collection after being greatly impressed by another Saunders' collection "Pastoralia" (particularly the title story, one of the few things I have read that have made me laugh uncontrollably- a real classic). Overall, I liked this collection slightly less than "Pastoralia, but I still liked it. Slightly less funny, but still quite funny. The satirical element is more pronounced, but Saunders is always tender and empathetic, even to the characters he ridicules. It is not an oversimplification to say that the basic point of all Saunders' stories is: "Be nice to people(or animals)." With such a message the greatest danger is a descent into sentimentality, but Saunders only occasionally verges on this. Mostly, this is a very warm, readable and funny collection, and the satire contained therein is sharp and well-founded. I definitely plan on further acquainting myself with Saunders' work.
Format:Paperback
Science fiction? Satire? Fantasy? I don't know but I do know that it had many laugh-out-loud-dig-my-husband-in-the -ribs-and-make-him-listen moments. I read it all in about half and would recommend it to anyone who likes clever language and fun!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
24 reviews
22 of 28 people found the following review helpful
Saunders hits another one out of the park
7 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
Another winner from one of contemporary literature's funniest and most original writers. If you're a fan of Saunders's previous story collections -- "Pastoralia" and "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" -- you'll read this in one sitting, and then immediately start all over again. (At least that's what I did.) If you're unfamiliar with Saunders and enjoy surreal, topical fiction, this is one you should definitely check out. The critics' default comparison to "Animal Farm" is not entirely inaccurate as Saunders does seem to favor the absurd allegory over traditional realism, but don't assume that he's a second-rate Orwell imitator. For one thing, his stories are infused with more pathos and heart than Orwell's, and more hope than Vonnegut's (another frequent comparison). In short, if the top writers working in America today were to play a game of king of the mountain, Saunders would have a good shot at pushing others off the peak. But if the handling of his subject matter is any indication of how Saunders regards his fellow man, instead of pushing he'd extend his hand and help pull others to the top, all the while making sure everyone had enough room and a steady foothold. Buy and enjoy.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Whoa...
26 Sep 2005
Format:Paperback
First, I'll say that George Saunders' two short story collections are two of my favorite books. I've reread them more times than I can count. I also go to the trouble of tracking down his new short stories as they appear in various periodicals. I'm a pretty enthusiastic admirer. So I went straight down to the bookstore and bought it on the day it was released. And then I returned it the next day. I couldn't finish it (and it's only about a hundred smallish pages.) It read like a pretty cliched book for children written in an imitation of Saunders' voice. For those who are familiar with Saunders' work, I would say: Read the first ten pages or so in the store to get an idea of what this is. To those unfamiliar with this author, I would say: Pick up either "Civilwarland in Bad Decline" or "Pastoralia"; this book is definitely not representative of this man's talent.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Love life, walk in a circle, learn to enjoy coffee!
19 Nov 2005
Format:Paperback
like its setting, "The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil" is small. this shouldn't be too much of a surprise considering that saunders's two other major works have been short story collections, but one wonders why this story wasn't included in a collection rather than being sold as a stand-alone piece. in this reviewer's humble opinion, it does not merit the $10 price, even for the lovely illustrations. as for content, the story is a kind of surrealist satire involving a man with a brain problem (in that half the time he doesn't have one) gaining control of an entire landscape, and the chaos that he initiates. there are some piercing observations here, a hilarious take on modern media, and extremely inventive ideas for characters made of a combination of organic and mechanical materials. there are some funny moments (toward the end, phil begins to experience a kind of linguistic spasm in which his speech becomes jumbled, perhaps the one moment that evokes our current president most strongly), and the ending is poignant without being overdone. saunders is an extremely deft writer but the story was not fleshed out or given enough attention to warrant being its own book. I would recommend reading something else of his first.
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