- Hardcover: 294 pages
- Publisher: Harcourt; First Edition edition (Sep 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0151001804
- ISBN-13: 978-0151001804
- Product Dimensions: 21.1 x 13.7 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 3,458,985 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- See Complete Table of Contents
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Product Description
Review
"Lethem has talent to burn."--"Voice Literary Supplement"
"One of the most fertile imaginations among America's young writers."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"An author to be reckoned with."--"Newsweek"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
"One of the most fertile imaginations among America's young writers."--"San Francisco Chronicle"
"An author to be reckoned with."--"Newsweek"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Product Description
Jonathan Lethem again displays his brilliance in this collection of seven short stories, blurring the boundaries of sci-fi, mystery, and thriller. Tales include 'Light and the Sufferer', in which a crack addict is dogged by an invulnerable alien; 'The Hardened Criminals', wherein convicts are used as building blocks for new prisons; and 'The Happy Man', whose hapless protagonist is raised from the dead to support his family, only to suffer periodic out-of-body sojourns in Hell. Each tale features Lethem's characteristic deadpan wit and unflinchingly macabre vision of life.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
With this collection of seven stories (three of which are reprints from Asimov's) Lethem continues to befuddle me. I loved Motherless Brooklyn, Gun With Occasional Music, and a short story in the Best of Crank anthology-but I hated Amnesia Moon and another story in Best of Crank. While all the stories in this collection benefit from brilliant premises and Lethem's dexterous prose only the two best two ("The Happy Man" and "Vanilla Dunk," both from Asimov's) have true "endings." The other five trail off into nothingness or incomprehensible weirdness that make me wonder if Lethem's subconscious is bound by the old writer's adage that no ending is better than a bad ending.
"The Happy Man" features a dead man who is raised from the dead so he can financially support his family, the catch is that his consciousness must reside in hell part of the time. There he has bizarre nightmares that lead to an unfortunately predictable denouement. In "Vanilla Dunk," professional basketball players are issued suits giving them skills of former greats. From this interesting idea, Lethem fabricates one of the best sports stories I've ever read, as an obnoxious white kid wins the "draft lottery" and gets to be the next Michael Jordan and racial tensions ensue. "Light and the Sufferer" follows a crack addict, his brother, and the mysterious alien who follows them around New York. The humans' story ends rather obviously, but the significance of the aliens is left somewhat obscure. "Forever, Said the Duck" is about a cocktail party inhabited by clones of everyone who's had sex with the two hosts. It's promising enough at first, but degenerates into a psychedelic nonsense. The nifty notion of "The Hardened Criminals" is that convicts are physically hardened and used as bricks for a massive prison tower. Lethem seemed totally unable to make anything out of the premise, however, and when a young criminal meets his father in the wall, the result is rather forced. "Five F***s" presents the mystery of a woman who has sex with a man and "loses" two weeks of her life. Unfortunately, the story implodes rather than leading anywhere interesting. The final story, "Sleepy People" is simply odd and makes you wonder why it was included.
Lethem is certainly a creative genius, however, he's still pretty hit or miss in harnessing his creativity. Sometimes he doesn't seem to know what to do with it and ends up writing himself into a bizarre corner. Still, I'll continue to read him to catch the sparkling stuff.
Format:Paperback
Like his novels, this collection transcends genre, making pigeon-holing redundant. It also, sometimes makes for difficult reading - I just had problems with "Amnesia Moon", but maybe that was me! - but you finish feeling better, and compelled to read the nest story (novel)! Brilliant (in the true sense of the word) stuff.
Format:Paperback
Several works of varying quality. None of them are bad, but I'm sure everyone can find one in this batch that reminds them that Letham is a mere mortal. I'm almost as sure that it is a different story for everyone. If you liked any of his books a lot you will probably like at least a couple of the stories.
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