Synopses & Reviews
For perhaps two decades, a small group of writers rooted in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror have been simultaneously exploring and erasing the boundaries of those genres by creating fiction of remarkable depth and power. Their connections to the genres they have been radically redefining have, for many of these writers, limited the appreciation of their accomplishments to a specialized readership. For example, though John Crowley and Jonathan Carroll have massive underground reputations, and Peter Straub has written two books with Stephen King and other bestselling novels such as
Ghost Story,
Koko, and
The Throat, many if not most readers of
Conjunctions will be unfamiliar with their work. In this haunting and beautiful collection of tales, Crowley, Carroll, and Straub join Elizabeth Hand, China Mieville, M. John Harrison, Neil Gaiman, and Kelly Link to demonstrate precisely how science fiction, fantasy, and horror have been unobtrusively colonizing serious literature during the past twenty years. As an added bonus, science fiction and fantasy experts Gary K. Wolfe and John Clute offer a critical perspective and explain everything in sight. With original cover art by master cartoonist Gahan Wilson.
Contributors Include: Peter Straub, Gary K. Wolfe, John Clute, John Crowley, Jonathan Carroll, Elizabeth Hand, China Mieville, John M. Harrison, Neil Gaiman, and Kelly Link among others.
Edited by Peter Straub.
Review
"This top-drawer literary journal has done an issue on 'New Wave Fabulists,' a newly conceived grouping that includes some of the most interesting fiction writers around today. What they have in common is no particular commitment to realism. There are stories here by writers with large followings Neil Gaiman contributes a lovely tale in which the months of the year sit around a campfire while October tells them a ghost story; Straub offers an account of a mysterious redhead living on West 55th Street; Jonathan Lethem describes a cranky dystopian writer who has no one but himself to blame for a visit by a suicidal sheep and stories by writers with cult followings: Kelly Link, John Crowley and China Mieville. The two smart critical essays, by Gary Wolfe and the elliptical but always exciting John Clute, avoid sinking into the persecution complex typical of genre advocates. And each story is illustrated by Gahan Wilson." Laura Miller, Salon.com
Synopsis
Guest-edited by Peter Straub
Conjunctions presents a volume of innovative cross-genre science fiction, fantasy, and horror, featuring a cover and illustrations by master cartoonist Gahan Wilson exclusively commissioned for this issue.
About the Author
Straub was born in Milwaukee. He has won the British Fantasy Award, the Bram Stoker Award, the International Horror Guild Award, and two World Fantasy awards. He was elected Grand Master at the 1998 World Horror Convention.
Table of Contents
The Girlhood of Shakespeares' heroines /John Crowley --Lull /Kelly Link --Entertaining angels unawares /M. John Harrison. --Little Red's tango /Peter Straub --The Wisdom of the skin /James Morrow --Shift /Nalo Hopkinson --The Dystopianist, thinking of his rival is interrupted by a knok on the door /Jonathan Lethem --From Guardian /Joe Haldeman --Familiar /China Mieville --The Big Rock Candy Mountain /Andy Duncan --From Knight /Gene Wolfe --The bearing of light /Patrick O'Leary --Simon's House of Lipstick /Jonathan Carol --The invisible empire /John Kessel --The Futher adventures of the invisible man /Jaren Joy Fowler --Abduction /Paul Park --The Least trumps /Elizabeth Hand --October in the chair /Neil Gaiman --Malebolge, or the ordinance of genre /Gary K. Wolfe --Beyond the pale /John Clute.