Jagannath: Stories

"A man in a troubled romantic relationship with an airship and the horror of being suicidally depressed in the presence of a merciful and loving God are just two of the intensely memorable stories in the English-language debut of Swedish fantasist Tidbeck (Vem är Arvid Pekon?). The title story explores a society of symbiotes living inside a vast, nurturing 'mother.' An ordinary family with a history of mental illness struggles with the influence of the Vittra, strange elflike beings who may be their ancestors, in 'Reindeer Mountain.' A woman creates a vegetable child only to lose him to the lure of the earth in 'Cloudberry Jam.' Not all of Tidbeck's stories have that same quiet, elusive magic — 'Herr Cederberg,' for example, gradually loses its way — but all are impressively brave literary experiments. By turns brilliant and indecipherably cryptic, this book will capture the imaginations of fans of experimental fantasy and science fiction and is a fine launch for Cheeky Frawg, a new press dedicated to international and translated fiction." Publishers Weekly Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.