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The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil
 
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The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil (Paperback)

by George Saunders (Author)
4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 144 pages
  • Publisher: Riverhead Books (6 Sep 2005)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 1594481520
  • ISBN-13: 978-1594481529
  • Product Dimensions: 17.8 x 12.2 x 1 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 796,305 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review
'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 --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Robert Colvile, Observer
`Reading George Saunders is, it's safe to say, like no other
literary experience ... surreal, rather moving and deeply angry' --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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4.0 out of 5 stars One of the best comic writers around, 25 Jun 2009
By Fredward Beasley (West of Ireland) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Brief and Frightening Reign of Phil: (Includes the 'In Persuasion Nation' Collection) (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 genuinely hilarious title story). Overall, I liked this collection slightly less than "Pastoralia, but I still liked it a lot. Slightly less funny, but still often 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.
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