Books I Read October 15th, 2024

Fight on, dear friend. Fight on.

Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson – Speculative fiction more in the Etgar Keret line than Fritz Leiber, impossible things happening outside of traditional genre norms. Interesting to me that this was so well regarded within the fantasy/sci-fi space at one point – alas, it falls pretty far outside of it these days. Anyway, clever and funny and sad. Good stuff.

My Death by Lisa Tuttle – A widow attempts to write the biography of a her favorite forgotten writer. Strange things ensue. More anti-genre genre fiction. Good stuff.

Special Envoy: A Spy Novel by Jean Echnoz – It isn't really. A spy novel, I mean, more a comedy with some light genre flourishes. There is a plot but it almost seems pointless describing it, thin cover for a lot of sexual politicking and funny asides. Light but enjoyable.

Goodnight Tokyo by Atsuhiro Yoshida – Speaking of genres, there really ought to be a short hand for that form of Japanese literature populated entirely by quirky Edoites visiting esoteric tea shops and all night diners, engaging in whistful, semi-mystical dialogues – that way I could stay the hell way from it. This is sub-Murakami shlock, without a recognizable human figure to be found.