Reviews
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Review of The Beggar Student by Osamu Dazai
Dazai stays in character with this autobiographical short novel about a sad author attempting to reconnect with his lost youth by hanging out with (or harassing) schoolboys. By sharing in their game, he attempts to recapture the sense of adventure and perhaps the inspiration he has lost in his dissolute…
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Review of Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata
Strange and unsettling lightly speculative fiction from a provocative author. Like with her previously Englished novels and story collections, Murata returns with a surprising novel of pointed social commentary. Though this one was too heavy-handed for my taste, it included enough nuance to captivate me most of the way through.…
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Review of American Gothic Tales (William Abrahams) by Various
A recommendable collection full of some stories I’ve read before and some unusual choices. Plenty of classics like “The Veldt,” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and “A Rose for Emily. But I preferred my encounters with the less-commonly anthologized ones like “Death in the Woods” by Sherwood Anderson, “The…
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Review of Set My Heart on Fire by Izumi Suzuki
A great, sleazy Japanese novel in the tradition of Ryu Murakami and Shuichi Yoshida. I would love to read all of her books. I read and loved her two previous short story collections. So far, her most interesting book in English is Terminal Boredom. She broke from traditional Japanese realism…
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Review of Beasts by Joyce Carol Oates
A more succinct example of Dark Academia than The Secret History, and in my opinion, better. Better yet, it can be read in one sitting. The only criteria I require a book to fulfill to earn a five-star rating from me is that I can’t stop reading. And this book…
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Review of The Universe as Performance Art by Colby Smith
A collection of eccentric tales. The author has also released a novella and a nonfiction book. With this publication, he gathers a few pieces previously published in Neo-Decadent Anthologies, along with 14 previously unpublished stories. I think the best of the lot is “Hellenic Dropout.” This is probably not the…
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Review of The Academy Outside of Ingolstadt by Damian Murphy
A very readable short novel by one of my favorite living authors. I feel like when you say ‘living author’ you’re talking about someone about to keel over. But Damian Murphy may put out dozens of more books in his time. At the rate he is going we can look…
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Review of Catastrophe: And Other Stories by Dino Buzzati
The author depicts the daily travails of individuals encountering bizarre and unexplainable phenomena. The details of the stories accumulate in subtle shifts of tone, always sliding toward uncanny doom. The consequences the hapless heroes face are sometimes uncertain – the tales are often abandoned at the perfect moment, when the…
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Review of War by Louis-Ferdinand Céline
A nasty brutish and short book. But rewarding. The perils of war. We follow Ferdinand, a wounded soldier, as he is taken in and variously abused by nurses and doctors. As he inhabits the tenuous zone of the infirmary, striking out periodically to escape an uncertain fate, he is haunted…
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Review of Notes from the Underworld by Vik Shirley
A very short fantastical exploration of the traditional Greco-Roman underworld, full of gods, monsters and characters compiled from popular Greek myths. It is far to short, with prose poems or paragraphs taking up 1/4 of a page. It would have made a fine short story, but is packaged like a…
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Review of The Nun by Denis Diderot
A brutal and brilliant satire, but atypical for its time. Diderot was jailed for his polemic writings. Rightfully indignant toward religious men of power of the time. His most famous works were published posthumously – the only ones still in print – regarded as classics. He fits snuggly next to…
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Review of Tears of a Komsomol Girl by Audrey Szasz
An experimental novel with photographs. The plot revolves around a young female protagonist rebelling against her harsh upbringing by transgressing in various typical ways. She makes the perfect target of a notorious serial killer. The author spends ample time describing the Brutalist cityscape of the USSR, which is a place…
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Review of The Architect by Brendan Connell
Connell delivers another absorbing fictional account of bizarre people acting in satirical fashion. This is a baroque and elegant gem about a brilliant architect driven mad by his vision of the greatest edifice ever to be imagined. His eldritch genius spreads to others, infecting them with illusions of grandeur, leading…
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Review of Whale by Cheon Myeong-Kwan
The supremacy of storytelling. A fantastic and magic realist tale about a giant, a movie theater and a lot of other things. The author managed to conjure a surreal setting, painting sympathetic characters I will never forget and tying seemingly disparate events together through unbelievable, but clever, coincidences. The writing…
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Review of Mystery Train by Can Xue
Can Xue is one of the recurring nominees for the Nobel Prize. I can see why. Her body of work is varied and unique, relevant, and large. This short novel takes place mostly on a train. One of my favorite literary settings. The main character undergoes a kafkaesque series of…
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Review of Authority (Southern Reach, #2) by Jeff VanderMeer
I am sad to say I did not get any entertainment out of this one. Sure, it put a few of the pieces into place, but the ever expanding mystery of Area X remains largely unexplained. But we did not go into it hoping for explanations, I would think. We…
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Review of Himmler and the Handmaid by Erik Martiny
Martiny has put out a lot of books recently. I was surprised to find another one coming out this year called Bloodberry. I’ve written reviews of all his previous productions from River Boat Books. This one was engrossing and historically intriguing. It offered a well-researched fictional look at a mistress…
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Review of Creepy Sheen by Rebecca Gransden
An entertaining and thought-provoking collection of scary stories to peruse in the half-light of sun-baked twilights. A moody, unhurried taste of dreamy apocalyptic nostalgia. With an appreciation for film and music, the author frames the scenes in enigmatic layers of imagery, where molting skyscrapers and abandoned stores abound, where dead…
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Review of The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton
The book is not long enough. To read it is to drink at the firehose of Burton’s accumulated research.Reading about the book can scarcely convey the experience. Many reviews of it quote from the first 50 pages, where Burton describes his own method and mentality, his madness and genius, the…
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Review of City of Mann by L. Ross Coulter
The author poses an interesting thought experiment and uses it as a vehicle to make many utopian s-f speculations about humanity, the almighty, and modern society. One must ponder the concept of intelligent design, entering into the strange world of sentient cities he created. Though lacking in action and traditional…
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Review of Neo-Decadence Evangelion
I don’t summarize plots in my reviews. (Some of these tales do not contain plot). But I do offer impressions. This volume compliments the Neo-Decadent canon curated by Justin Isis, enlarging and enriching the aesthetic and providing a unique form of entertainment which will surprise and challenge any brave reader.…
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Review of Self-Portraits by Osamu Dazai
Can you turn a terrible life into high art? Dazai’s life was astoundingly reprehensible. Attempting three love suicides, succeeding at one, and attempting at least 3 other suicides. Combined with addiction, mental illness, alcoholism, infidelity, multiple marriages and illegitimate children, supporting prostitutes, engaging in public violence and insults, following illegal…
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Review of Memoirs and Misinformation by Jim Carrey
The average star rating of this book is under 3 stars. I’m one of the few who enjoyed it and couldn’t put it down. It can only be compared to the works of Mark Leyner and Antkind by Charlie Kaufman (who plays a role in the book). If it had…
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Review of Early Light by Osamu Dazai
Three stories from the best era of Japanese fiction in my opinion. These three longer stories, “Early Light,” “One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji,” and “Villon’s Wife” are a good introduction to Dazai. Two of them are contained in the new volume entitled “Self-Portraits.” His stories are often called autobiographical.…
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Review of Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura
Fact-checking errors in this book: The lecturer claims trillions of humans have died since the beginning of time. It’s actually around 117 billion.The lecturer claims your body’s matter is 100% replaced through natural processes every year. It’s actually 5-7 years.The lecturer says there are tens of millions of neurons in…
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Review of The Book of Love by Kelly Link
This book is brutally unfocused, so many characters thinking, saying and doing things which are unrelated to previously done, said and thought things. Pseudo-explanations for post-magical situations seemingly added after the fact. A lot of talk about magic but not a lot of magic happening.Characters are quirky in the extreme.…
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Review of Fake Ass Lawyers by Justin Isis
A unique reading experience. This book appears hand-made, printed on lush paper and bound in a Japanese style. The unusual subject matter inside might defraud some reader’s expectations. But it contains a wonderfully captivating satirical short novel detailing the frightful encounters of derelict and raucous imitation lawyers, roving between night…
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Review of The Big Meat by Carlton Mellick III
A fever dream. A journey into a superorganism. Mellick delivers another disturbing post-apocalyptic scenario with fantastic imagery and survival tale constraints. The sheepish main character joins a crew in charge of excavating the remains of a kaiju. It might remind you of Kaiju No. 8. But unlike the manga, this…
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Review of Bio Melt by Carlton Mellick III
I can still remember all 50+ CM3 books I’ve read, which is more than I can say about Orhan Pamuk or other more critically acclaimed slingers of words. I prefer to remember the books I read, instead of letting them fade into a pleasant blur of impressive but barely perceptible…
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Review of Goblins on the Other Side by by Carlton Mellick III
A memorable read. CM3 seems fond of depicting twisted afterlife scenarios, as in his Boy with a Chainsaw Heart and Ugly Heaven. He may be another atheist borrowing heavily from Christian imagery, but he has a unique imagination which is always striking, managing to revitalize tired tropes with elegant imagery…
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Review of Brooklyn Crime Novel by Jonathan Lethem
Harping on race and gentrification on about every page, employing a sledgehammer when a lighter touch would’ve been appreciated. The old-fashioned style is quaintly meta, with a grossly omniscient narrator who seems fond of gangsta slang. As in some of his other novels, the male protagonist is blasé about indiscreet…
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Review of The Sleep of the Assassins and Other Stories by Damian Murphy
The stories in this collection are some of his most varied work. Each offering is a succulent delight to read. He is one of the most consistent authors I follow. His work possesses an uncanny depth, always poised between aesthetic acuity and imagistic splendor. While they are subtly or overtly…
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Review of The Heel by Brendan Connell
The perspective character Mitch is a typical sleaze, borderline alcoholic, borderline jobless former gigolo still on the prowl. Brendan Connell provides a rollicking, realistic tale of this washed-up ladies’ man. With more plot than I typically expect from his experimental work, he showcases his exquisite prose rhythms while not compromising…
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Review of The Voyage of Horace Pirouelle by Philippe Soupault
Another one-sitting read from Wakefield Press. A surrealist tale of an outrageous journey to Greenland. The author is deliberately inaccurate, inhumane and self-described as “gratuitous.” The strange interjections, quotes and unconventional format mark it as an experiment piece, but it most engages on the level of subverting the reader’s expectations…
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Review of City of the Chasch (Planet of Adventure, #1) by Jack Vance
A classic set-up for an adventure novel. The premise allowed Vance’s mastery of the pulp s-f elements he had used in his other stories and novels to shine forth unfiltered. Our main character crash lands on an alien planet and must survive. What more do you need to know? He…
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Review of The Huntress and the Trickster by Tristan Zelden
The story opens with a quiet scene between Abigail and Jacob, who may not seem extraordinary at first, despite their penchants for piercings and tattoos. Though many chapters are weighted down by some filler, this lends a more relaxed tone to the novel than one may have expected. There are…
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Review of Servants of the Wankh by Jack Vance
The adventures of our surly protagonist continue in this second book in the series. He has acquired new friends and enemies, but his goal remains the same. Of course he wants to return to Earth with the knowledge he has gained – but does he stand to profit more by…
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Review of A Conversation With an Errant God: Distorted Reflections on the Kerker-Kreis by Damian Murphy
I have written many other reviews on the majority of Murphy’s work. Each time I finish one of his stories or novellas I am slightly saddened by the fact that I have one fewer pieces of his left to encounter for the first time. This piece takes the form of…
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Review of Reconciliation by Naoya Shiga
A quiet and simple story in the best I-novel tradition. Shiga pioneered this style and joined the ranks of Soseki and others in giving slice of life and autobiographical fiction a place in Japanese literature. His book A Dark Night’s Passing is considered by some the first I-novel. Like his…
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Review of A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
Sublime and magnificently ornate visions. A startling voyage through bizarre and fantastic imagery. Reminded me of the film Fantastic Planet, and of course Out of the Silent Planet. I also thought it bore some similarity to the expansive scope of Starmaker by Olaf Stapledon. A beguiling allegory about Man’s search…
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Review of 2023 on Goodreads by Various
I surprised myself by not exceeding my previous years’ reading this year. What was I doing all year? Slacking? Adult coloring books? Knitting? Nascar? What even are those things? Where did last year go? The world speeds up and you slow down. Here I have lapsed into 2nd person because…
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Review of At the Sign of the Reine Pedauque by Anatole France
Another strange and mesmerizing book by one of my favorite Nobel laureate authors. As in Thais, the author layers a sometimes straightforward tale with religious and occult themes. Here we have a young main character who is tasked with aiding in a translation of Zosimus and other obscure authors for…
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Review of The Complete Cosmicomics by by Italo Calvino
A collection of more than 30 stories by one of the masters of Italian literature. The germs for other works are present in this collection, including Invisible Cities and Castle of Crossed Destinies. The most interesting and delightful tales are toward the beginning in my opinion. As the collection wore…
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Review of Maison Ikkoku Collector’s Edition, Vol. 1 by Rumiko Takahashi
This adorable sitcomic comedy by the inimitable Rumiko made for diverting reading. I will be continuing with the series. While lacking in supernatural elements, I was at once taken by the cozy atmosphere. Most of the scenes take place in the eccentrically populated titular rooming house, where the quintessential collegial…
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Review of The Explosion of a Chandelier by by Damian Murphy
In this swiftly paced adventure, D. M. marries a clarity of expression with a depth and ambiguity of subtexts. You feel a current running beneath the surface narrative of dark forces astir. Hector and Vito epitomize the thrill of youth’s longing after dramatic distractions as they encounter with some uncertainty…
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Review of The Plotinus by Rikki Ducornet
If Rikki keeps releasing short experimental, post-Consumerist dystopian novellas, steeped in imagery that evokes nostalgic aesthetics, I will keep rating them 5 stars. A nice accompaniment to Trafik. Highly recommended, though this one is a bit weird. Imagine a person imprisoned in a monotone cell, reading bars of light through…
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Review of Fables by Alexander Theroux
A few good and shiny examples of rare Theroux wit. But mostly not. I say rare because his humor is an acquired taste, and it can also spoil after a time. The Therouxian works released by Tough Poets Press are glorious in theory but do not compare to the author’s…
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Review of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
This book is heavy on the PTSD, bullying, and other trauma triggers. I try to shy away from reading peoples’ accounts of living in an unfair world. It’s not all about blaming the world for our individual struggles. However, there is legitimate pain that goes along with it. And you…
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Review of Suggestion Diabolique, by David Vardeman
Having read all of Vardeman, I can’t help wanting more Vardeman. Remember that character from As I Lay Dying who says “My mother is a fish.” Isn’t that kid named Vardaman? >Coincidence? I think not.Vardeman observes and portrays American life in an acerbic, quirky style. This volume of stories in…
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Review of Solarium by Braden Matthew
Sui generis. Books about bibliophiles ring too true for me. I dream of books, bathe in books, eat books without condiments, I drink books black, without cream sugar or a wedge of lemon, I take them straight, not watered down. I burn only abridged editions. I store books in my…
L. S. Popovich 