Supernatural Superserious

The book I read right after Angry Candy ended up being another sci-fi/fantasy short story collection. I wasn't seeking the genre, but found it by browsing boingboing.net, which happens to have a science fiction author as an editor. The site provided a link to a completely free download of Maureen F. McHugh's Mothers & Other Monsters. Even though I definitely prefer the tangible method of reading by curling in bed with sunflower seeds, digital readings are pretty damn convenient. I had never heard of this author before, and I certainly wouldn't have bought her book, and suddenly within one minute and two clicks, I had her fiction on a PDF file in front of me.


So, is it worth the read? I think you should definitely check it out. Nearly every story had me in awe over her creativity, scratching my head and wondering how the hell anyone could come up with that stuff. (Gotta be some shrooms up in her diet. 'Fess up, McHugh!) My top three of the bunch are Interview: On Any Given Day (its This American Life-like format is ingenious), Nekropolis (splendid visuals) and Laika Comes Back Safe (can't hate a werewolf love story, even with a sucky ending). She certainly has some really interesting stuff. However, I have to admit that I just wasn't that into it. I couldn't really get into any of the characters, and then even with the long-ass stories that did draw me in, the tale would be so bleak that I'd just be pissed that I had to read all that and not even get a happy ending. The worst one was The Cost to Be Wise, hands down. Ugh! But whatever, it's free! And you can read it at work and no one would know it! Ah, man, I spoil you guys.

Stellar

So it's now a mere three and a half hours since I went to sleep. My sister came home after a night of drama and reiterated it, loudly, at 7:30am to her friend. It woke me up and I started listening in; by the time she was done I was completely mentally alert. So I shuffled out of bed and made the most delicious breakfast: three organic free-range eggs, two pieces of Ralph's brand (so not good) bacon, a handful of crimini mushrooms, two pieces of sourdough bread, and a cup of blood-orange soda. I'm still awake, so I might as well get on with catching up on blogging the books I've been reading.


I first heard of Harlan Ellison only last year, when he was mentioned in this fascinating article by Josh Olson, the writer of A History of Violence. Olson tells the true story of an insane internet predicament that happened to his friend; it's pretty crazy and worth the read. I looked up Ellison afterwards, and discovered that he's known mainly for his sci-fi short stories. Now, while I'm not a big sci-fi fan (it's hard to relate to characters when they're living on the planet Goober of the 62nd dimension), I happen to love short stories. How can I be adverse to something that often packs as strong a punch as a novel, but for only a fraction of the length?!

Plus, you're way more likely to find short stories posted up on a webpage somewhere, for instant gratification. Unfortunately, from my brief research, Mr. Ellison seems to have a reputation for being a bit of a pompous ass, and is very tenacious when it comes to tracking down and destroying any distributed work of his over the internet. However, he was gracious enough to share a couple of stories, Susan and Paladin of the Lost Hour. The moment I read those, I knew I had to read more. So I did more research and ordered Angry Candy, apparently his most acclaimed collection of short stories.

Like I said, I'm not a sci-fi kind of gal...but some of these tales were so beautifully rendered that the whole fantasy element didn't even detract from my enjoyment. My top three are On the Slab (so wrenching that I can't even bring myself to reread it), Paladin, and the vividly entertaining Quicktime. The weirdest shit was The Region Between; I have never encountered a short story as wacky as that one. But mostly, it's just a really well-written collection, powerfully paired with an incredible imagination. If this is sci-fi, it's good shit, and I wouldn't mind getting in on more of it.