Objects of Worship

Introducing twelve strange, eerie, sensual stories by a bold new voice in weird fiction, with illustrations by Rupert Bottenberg: Capricious gods rule a world of women. Zombies breed human cattle. The son of a superhero must decide between his heritage and his religion. Young lovers worship a primordial spider god. The apocalyptic rebirth of the god of the elephants. Monstrous chimeras roam through a devastated future Earth. A retired fisherman caught in the middle of a conflict between gods and superheroes. Teenagers struggle to survive a surreal ice age...

"The strange is matter-of-factly mundane in Canadian author and editor Lalumire's collection of 10 reprinted and two original stories of the surreal and fantastic. Deities and spiritual grace are both unfathomably alien and somehow less than you might expect when Lucifer makes a deal with the phone company ('A Place Where Nothing Ever Happens') and likewise in the title story, where keeping your gods satisfied is like caring for extra-finicky but disturbingly powerful cats. Lalumire's love of comic book heroes informs the antics of 'Hochelaga and Sons,' 'Spiderkid' and 'Destroyer of Worlds,' and the daily lives of zombies set the stage for the blackly comedic 'The Ethical Treatment of Meat' and 'A Visit to the Optometrist.' Even when the plots aren't quite enough to carry Lalumire's curious ideas, they're still intensely memorable." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)