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The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories

The document provides a summary of several books and stories. It discusses a large anthology of strange stories from the past century called 'The Weird' edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. It also summarizes several novels and short stories covering various genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction.

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Kim Eliakim
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2K views2 pages

The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories

The document provides a summary of several books and stories. It discusses a large anthology of strange stories from the past century called 'The Weird' edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. It also summarizes several novels and short stories covering various genres like science fiction, fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction.

Uploaded by

Kim Eliakim
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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^ The Weird: A Compendium of

Strange and Dark Stories


Edited by Ann and Jeff Vandermeer. Tor, $39.99 (1152p)
ISBN 978-0-7653-3360-5

mbitious in the extreme, the Vandermeers' latest


genre-blurring endeavor (after Steampunk 11: Steampunk Reloaded), which compiles 110 weird stories
from the past century, is one of the most far-reaching
and inclusive speculative anthologies to ever see print.
Alongside familiar names-from Lovecraft and Kafka to
Link and Kiernanthe Vandermeers unveil a menagerie
of obscure authors and impressive stories from around the
world. These short works and novel excerpts explore every definition of weird, including Borges's surreality ("The Aieph 0, Shirley Jackson's slow descent into darkness ("The Summer People"), Octavia E. Butler's subtly horrific SF ("Bloodchild"), and Michael Chabon's ornate unease ("The God of
Dark Laughter"). This standard-setting compilation is a deeply affectionate and
respectful history of speculative fiction's blurry edges, and its stunning diversity,
excellent quality, and extremely reasonable price point (even more so for the
$29.99 trade paperback and $14.99 e-book) will entice a wide variety of readersincluding those who think they don't like "weird." (May)

* The King's Biood: The Dagger


and the Coin, Book 2
Daniel Abraham. Orbit, $15.99 trade paper
(528p) ISBN 978-0-316-08077-4

year 2035, using alien technology that can


only transport children, to pick up fresh
supplies and recruits. Julie, a mathematician in 2013, finds a pattern in a series of
kidnappings. They are, of course, Pete's expeditions, and as the two head towards
their inevirable collision, the clock ticks
down on the catastrophe that will turn Julie's orderly world into Pete's devastated
landscape. Kress handles the crisscrossing
timelines with cool elegance, making a
complicated story clean and easy to read.
Some readers may find both the setting
and the characters a little severe, but the
ultimate message of hope and understanding resonates strongly. (May)

litical prisoners and cultists, he eventually


meets his old friend and bandmate, Chuy,
and the two of them attempt to make do
with their new lot in life. Teflon doesn't
try for subtlety, leading to occasionally
painflil exposition dumps early on and undeveloped villains later (futuristic Nazis
complaining about the "New Jew Order,"
etc.), but he throws in enough drunken
concerts, narrow escapes, and over-the-top
characters to create a solidly entertaining,
if unpolished, atmosphere. The end result
is reminiscent of early Mick Farren, a
goofy but entertaining story that shows
promise. (May)

When the king of Antea dies, loyal and


idealistic Geder Palliako is appointed regent for the young prince. But Geder is an
unrepentant genocidaire and an unquestioning follower of the Spider Goddess of
Truth, and his bad judgment threatens to
destabilize the region. His opponents attempt a cotip but are doomed by their adherence to the feudal social order, which
blinds them to both the danger of the Spider priests and potential allies among the
lower classes. It's left to the people beneath their notice to set things right.
Cithrin bel Sarcour and her colleagues at
the Medean Bank plot Geder's downfall,
and bank mercenary Marcus Wester and
former priest Master Kit set out to kill a
goddess. Abraham builds on The Dragon's
Path to create and sustain a rich, satisfyingly complex epic fantasy. Agents: Shawmi
McCarthy, the McCarthy Agency, and Danny
Baror. Baror International. (May)

Kiiiing Ghost

Lies & Omens

Free Radicals

Christopher Ransom. Cemetery Dance (www.


cemeterydance.com), $25 (400p) ISBN 9781-58767-256-9

Lyn Benedict. Ace, $7.99 mass market


(320p) ISBN 978-1-937007-50-8

Zeke Teflon. See Sharp (www.seesharppress.


com), $12.95 trade paper (300p) ISBN 9781-937276-05-8

Ransom (The Birthing House) imagines a


Pseudonymous nonfiction author (The
shadowy and convoluted tale of obsession,
Complete Manual of Pirate Radio) and musi- identity, and possession, published in the
cian Teflon delivers an action-filled fiction
U.K. as The Haunting of James Hastings.
debut filled with bizarre ideas, social comJames Hastings is traumatized when his
mentary, and a retro vibe. Sometime in the
wife, Stacey, is killed in a hit-and-run outfuture, musician Kel Turner is hauled off
side his house while he's inside sleeping
to Extrasolar Penal Colony 3, a planetwide
off a stint working as a body double for
prison where the only rules forbid rebelprovocative rap star Ghost. A year later,
ling or attacking the guards. Among poduring an alcoholic haze, James sees Stac70

ey alive in his neighbors house. As James


tumbles down the rabbit hole, beautiful
Annette Copeland, who looks eerily like
Stacey, scams her way into his lifo. Soon
Annette morphs into Stacey and Hastings
morphs into Ghost against the background of violent, misogynistic Ghost lyrics. The tension is hampered by uneven
pacing, unsympathetic characters, and distracting descriptions of scenery. Readers
looking for spine tingles won't find them
here, but they may be intrigued by the
tortured inner dynamics of a shattered
man. Agent: Scott Miller. Trident Media
Group. (May)

PUBLISHERS

WEEKLY

MARCH

19, 2012

Paranormal investigator Sylvie Lightner


has a lot on her mind: she hiis inadvertently helped create a new and disturbingly
active god, and gained unwanted personal
notoriety as the "New Lilith." She could
be forgiven for ignoringor celebratinga string of bloody supernatural attacks targeting Internal Surveillance and
Investigation, the government-sanctioned
stalkers of magical entities. If left unchecked, however, the casualties may in-

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