Book Description

A brilliant theorist and cultural critic on race, sexuality, science fiction, and the art of writing. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Structure and Politics
Over the life of his career, Delany has astounded, shocked, awed, and confounded a large and very varied audience. From his early fantasies and science fiction works, to his pornographic novels Equinox and Hogg, to his critical papers that have helped place science fiction on the radar screen of academia, to his extraordinarily structured Dhalgren, each piece of his writing displays his broad erudition, his impeccable sense of language, and a finely honed mind that is not afraid to challenge the accepted and the norm. This collection of essays, reviews, and interviews mirrors this broad range. Like most collections, the quality and style varies considerably, and the average reader may find only a few of these pieces interesting and informative, depending on the reader's own interests.

For myself, I found the second section of the book, "The Politics of the Paraliterary" to be the most interesting, with an incisive look at literary criticism as applied to science fiction, and excellent overview of the writings of Zelazny, Varley, and Gibson and what distinguishes their work as 'quality', and some revealing insights about his own works: Hogg, Trouble on Triton, Mad Man, and the Neveryon series. At places the language used is very abstract, and it helps if the reader is least somewhat familiar with the history and terms of formal literary criticism. At other places, especially in the 'Appendix' to this work, Delany, by providing some very concrete examples and clear explanations, gives the reader a great look at just what it is that 'great' writing is and how it is done.

The other two major sections of this work, "Some Queer Thoughts" and "Some Writing/Some Writers" did not interest me as much, at least partially due to the feeling that, in several of the essays within these sections, Delany was writing with an axe to grind (or a compliment to pay to a fellow writer).

Those who are interested in understanding both Delany and the world of literary criticism should read this work. Everyone who does read it will come away with a larger understanding of not just writing but politics, life, love, and the world around them.

long and boring book about nothing
Delany is a brilliant man and his work speaks to a number of audiences. Here's a black gay man who has a large science fiction following. I have read his autobiography and it is a really challenging book on race and sexuality in the 1950s and 1960s. Academics love Delany too. But this book was a sleeper. It's hundreds of pages of nothing. It drones and doesn't say much. Only his most hardcore fans could enjoy this rambling book. I don't even know where my copy is and don't care either. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Enter the ogre's lair
If you fell in love with Piers Anthony's Xanth series or if you enjoyed his author's notes more than his clever books then prepare for a shock. Mr. Anthony writes beautiful books but in his autobiography he comes off as the cranky neighbor you love to hate. Oh well.

Great Book! A Must Read!
I was very surprised about his literary past. Such a great writer. I was interested in hearing what he had to go through to get a book published. Good book overall. Don't get many like this.

LOVE IT
This book has interesting facts about his ideals of life, man's envolvemet with nature and ect. ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring NEIL JORDAN, Oscar Winner: The Crying Game and JACK FRITSCHER, Winner, Best Fiction.

New voices dare to break the ancient silence. DUBLIN. New Storytellers reveal the erotic sizzle under the Irish skin. BOSTON. Wherever in the wide diaspora of the world the Irish are, the millions of them are in your culture, your music, and, likely, in your genes. CHICAGO. This dazzling collection of new stories tears down the lace curtains of sentiment and stereotype. NEW YORK. Brilliant, fresh young writers shout out the hidden homoerotic literature of Irishmen everywhere in the world: ancient romantic warriors to mythic Dublin punk/boyz. LONDON. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

I'm from LUBE, Dublin, and I got it bad for the IRA
I liked reading this book here in America because it revealed that lesbians and gays exist in Ireland and that same-sex encounters in Ireland can be as exciting as anywhere else. The stories about our warrior past are as interesting as the present-day stories of life in Dublin. The writing is excellent and the book has beautiful graphic designs based on our Book of Kells. The stories are about pretty boys, drag queens, and the kind of leathermen and bears who belong to LUBE in Dublin. I'd appreciate a volume 2 for reading on my return trip.

Finally, Irish come out o' the closet, top o' the mornin'
This collection of Irish and Irish-American fiction shocked me because it is so brilliantly written. It's also hot. Finally, the Irish come out of the closet. None of these stories--t'anks be-- are stage Irish stereotypes, and there is no sentimental "How Are Things in Gloccamora"--more like "How Are Things In (Sodom and) Gomorrah." Actually, the sex is tasteful, and so arousing Irish papers probably will not review this book, dismissing it as gay, when in fact it's more Irish than they will admit. The cover photo of famed Irish-Brit brat-pack author PP Hartnett is worth framing. Inside, thumbnail glossaries help the Yankee tourist out-on-the-slum with the bits of history and a couple o' Irish words used. If "Chasing Danny Boy" can be this much fun, then what fun "Catching Danny Boy" could be--only there ain't one, but if there were a sequel, that could be its title. I only wish my experience in Temple Bar in Dublin was what it is in the wonderful title story. And God bless that Irish jewel, Neil Jordan, for supporting this important book--without his name on the cover, I might have missed this collection. I'LL NEVER SING "DANNY BOY" AGAIN WITHOUT THINKING OF THIS BOOK THAT REVEALS THAT SONG'S PANTING SUBTEXT!

Bedside book for the living room, OR---
Chasing Danny Boy is a wonder of a book!This collection of short stories is that rare thing- the combination of intelligent and steamy.The settings of the stories range from modern Dublin, to the mythic past, including some with Irish-American settings and people. Many aspects of the (now) global gay culture are represented.The characters range in age from late teenagers with other teenagers, to men in their forties. There are decorative sketches at the beginning of each story, and brief biographies of each writer.Every time I re-read this book I am startled again, at how very good it is.

An Emerald of a Book Out of the Irish Closet! Wow!
Danny Boy loves to be chased. The stories in this collection are wonderful, sensitive, and hot. Celtic storytelling meets gay culture--two things that have never before been between two covers. (Shame on the denial of lesbigay life in modern Irish books like "Finbar's Hotel," "Angela's Ashes," and even "The Oxford Book of Irish Short Stories.") "Chasing Danny Boy" is joyous-fresh reading for any Irish man or woman who feels alone in the closet, as well as for any American Yank who is Irish, or is thinking about traveling to Ireland for a night out in Dublin to look for your lost cousins. Controversial, yes, and for all that all the more fascinating. I couldn't put it down.

Irish guys are hot!
Sizzling stories about gay life in the Emerald Isle. These authors have been there and know their stuff! The stories run the gamut from romantic to hot, hot, hot! ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Lord of the Rings
After seeing the movie "Lord of the Rings" I wanted to find out more aboout the man who had authored such an ambitious work of fiction. I remember for years hearing that the writing and the story were so spectacular that it was impossible to translate to the screen. I found Mr. Tolkien to be a very interesting subject and would recommend this book.

A bounteous source of error and misinterpretation
This is the third full-length biography of Tolkien, after Humphrey Carpenter's and Daniel Grotta's. Carpenter's is accurate, well-written, and insightful. Grotta's is none of these, and White's reminds me much of Grotta's. The writing is abysmally clunky, and the text is riddled with completely amateur factual errors on every level, from confusing Dorothy Sayers with Dorothy Parker to inflating Tolkien's discomfort with Charles Williams's work into a seething personal hatred for which there is no contemporary evidence: rather the opposite. White's task, as the title suggests, was to analyze Tolkien's work as well as to recount his life, but there is no literary criticism as such in this book. White starts off his analysis badly by declaring that "the published letters relate almost nothing of his private life," which could only be thought true by someone disappointed at not finding the "personal demons" and "inner drives" (his words) that he thinks Tolkien ought to have. Accordingly, he supplies them. For instance, White reduces Tolkien's motivation for writing his mythology into a simple Freudian longing for his lost mother, and then adds insult to injury by claiming that this oversimplification takes nothing away from Tolkien's achievement. White shows no understanding of what made Tolkien tick, and replaces him with a textbook psychological construct.
Parts of the book are not this bad. White is less digressive than Grotta, and he shows at least a minimal knowledge of Tolkien's posthumously-published works. He concludes with a rousing defense of the value of Tolkien's work, but doesn't really engage with the criticisms. Against elitists who half-believe that popularity is a sign of worthlessness, it's no reply to emphasize Tolkien's popularity.
At one point White criticizes Tolkien for objecting to errors in a publisher's blurb. Tolkien didn't understand the publisher's publicity needs, White says. But no publisher needs to be factually inaccurate, and neither do Tolkien's biographers. This book is likely to be a source of factual and interpretive error for years to come. It adds nothing useful to Carpenter's biography, the one book all persons curious about Tolkien's life should read.

No New Insights Into Tolkien
Michael White's new biography of J.R.R. Tolkien is a competently written book and people who are just now discovering Tolkien and his works will most certainly find his book most useful. BUT everyone who has read e.g. Humphrey Carpenter's landmark biography from the late 70s or the ground-breaking studies of Tom Shippey will find nothing new in it. Unfortunately, White only uses second-hand sources and has no new conclusions to offer. Moreover, his book is flawed by some truly sloppy research mistakes, such as calling Dorothy Sayers an "American" and making the Habsburgs the rulers of the "Prussian Empire" (he is clearly confusing Germany with its neighbor Austria-Hungary).
Carpenter's biography although some 25 years older is the far more substantial biography, and although White introduces more historical background material than Carpenter, his background explanations (e.g. about the First World War) are never above schoolbook level. Recommend only for Tolkien newcomers. ... Read more

Book Description

This handy little gold mine describes 100 titles for middle and high school students that are readable, attention-grabbing, and are all less than 200 pages! ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Great resource
This is a good resource especially for librarians and teachers, but it wouldn't hurt parents to have a copy, either. This is an easy and quick way to check on shorter, but quality, books that kids who like to procrastinate can read for school. Bodart is very thorough in including as much information about the book as possible in as brief a way as possible - the only problem I see with that is kids or teens using the information listed in "World's Best Thin Books" as the source for their reports instead of actually reading the book. Also, as one who works in the youth services dept. of a public library, I've seen the problem of kids (and parents) not wanting to read a book that's not on an accelerated reading list. Some of the books in Bodart's compilation ARE on the accelerated reading lists, but there's still the problem of because the books are shorter, less points are awarded (not always, but sometimes) to kids who read those books and for that reason alone, shorter books are set aside. Regardless of outside glitches, Bodart has a great idea and presents a thorough, easy to use reference book for anyone who is in the position to encourage a child to read a shorter (or in this case, thinner) book. ... Read more

Book Description

Michael Coren offers a thought-provoking and entertaining story of the fascinating life of J.R.R. Tolkien. Readers will learn about the author¹s childhood in South Africa, his youth and adulthood in Great Britain, his experience in World War 1, and his professorship at Oxford University, where Tolkien had thought he had reached the pinnacle of his career.Little did he know that was just the beginning, for it was there that Tolkien began to write THE HOBBIT, the story that started it all. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Highly recommended
This slim book is a fascinating look at John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, the author of the classic works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Starting with his birth in South Africa in 1892, the book shows his life, and the progression of his writing career. Along the way, the reader is given a real feeling for Mr. Tolkien, and the life that he lived.

This book, though originally written for the younger reader, is a wonderful addition to anyone's library. I especially like the way that Catholicism is treated in such a sympathetic way, just the way that Tolkien would have presented it himself. I found this book to be informative and quite interesting to read, and highly recommend it to everyone.

Good intro
"Who was J.R.R. Tolkien?" With the release of the astounding movie trilogy, a lot of people are suddenly flocking into the "Lord of the Rings" fandom, people who previously would have paid no attention to a classic fantasy or its author. If you don't know much about Tolkien, then this book is a good introduction to his life.

After an introduction where Coren talks about the popularity of the book (and how much critics hate that it IS popular), Coren introduces us to Tolkien in his youth. John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born in a turmoil-filled time, was orphaned as a boy, fought in World War I, and married and had four children. And, of course, he produced books -- the fantasy classic "The Hobbit" and the darker, more epic "Lord of the Rings," "Roverandum," a few other little tales, and the Bible-like "Silmarillion."

Coren does a good job with the book. Not a great job, but a good job. His tone is usually pretty conversational, but occasionally he gets a little too heated or gushy or cutesy. This book doesn't contain any new interpretations or information; it's pretty basic, he tells us what Tolkien did, where, and sometimes why. There are plenty of crisp black and white photographs of Tolkien, his buddy C.S. "Jack" Lewis, Tolkien's homes, his guardian Father Morgan, book covers, parts of Oxford such as Merton College, and even a few wide shots of all of Oxford.

Normally this book would earn four stars, but there are some basic errors in describing people and events in "Lord of the Rings." This is pardonable in the author -- everyone makes booboos -- but an editor should have caught those little items; that's what editors are for. It gives the book a rather rushed feel.

If you already know about J.R.R. Tolkien, his life and his works, then you won't get anything new from this book. But if you're a new fan, or never learned much about Tolkien himself, then this can be considered a good introduction to the basics.

A good introduction for adults too.
Although "JRR - The Man Who Created ..." was aimed at young adults, I found it a good introduction for me as an older adult. It can be read in an evening, but I believe that it touches on all the main points. True, it does not go into the scholarly quarrels and quibbles or the lit crit, but I did not need that. I really just needed to know what type of a person Tolkien was. The book serves that purpose admirably. If I were cataloguing for a library, I would put one in the adult section too.

A decent juvenile biography of the creator of the hobbits
The introduction to this juvenile biography of focuses on how "Lord of the Rings" keeps coming out on top of surveys of the most popular literature of all time, to the dismay of academics and critics, and that fact that the trailer for the first film in the trilogy set a download record on the internet. Michael Coren certainly covers the biographical details of J. R. R. Tolkien's life and gives young readers a sense for how the Oxford don's love of words led to him creating entire new languages, which in turn led to him telling stories about the people who spoke these unknown tongues. However, Coren's writing style does get a little too cute at times and while children might think nothing of it, older readers might find themselves rolling their eyes or wincing from time to time. There are lots of black & white photographs from throughout Tolkien's life and attention is paid to the publication of his famous works and the various attempts to transform them into radio programs and feature films. Coren is obviously a fan of Tolkien and if he lays it on a bit thick at times that is not too grievous a sin. At least he focuses on the man's life and his work rather than getting caught up in gossip and details about "The Fellowship of the Ring" film. I learned some details about Tolkien and if I rolled my eyes a few times at Coren's verbal excesses, I can live with it.

Ok
I found this book very interesting until I got to the synopsis of the Lord of the Rings. I found four mistakes! 1 - Mike says that Legolas, Gimli, AND Aragorn are in a boat 2gether going down the Anduin and Frodo and Sam are alone. Wrong. Aragorn is with the 2 hobbits. 2 - It mentions that Frodo is wounded in battle and captured by Orcs. Wrong again, he was wounded by a spider. 3 - The guy totally skips over when Aragorn is crowned! That is half of the point of ROTK! 4 - Lotho Simple? Where did he get that? It's Lotho Sackville-Baggins! I am quite irritated with this book! I now have no idea if half the facts are even true! Tiis is an easy read, but Mike sure didn't read LOTR! And, I KNOW some of the other facts aren't true...

I wouldn't recommend this book to someone who hasn't read LOTR at all, because the synopsis is totally wrong. I really wanted to learn something about JRRT, but I learned something else - Mike doesn't know what he's talking about. ... Read more

Book Description

Isaac Asimov and science fiction are one and the same to millions of readers.He was the field's transcendent genius, its reigning prophet, its genial patriarch, and its most prolific author.But Asimov also wrote fantasy, and invariably of an enduring quality.Magic is his final originalcollection, containing all of hisuncollected fantasy stories that have never before appeared in book form.

In addition, this farewell collection of Asimov's writings also includes his thoughts on the genre of fantasy itself.Here are the fascinating musings of a wide ranging intelligence, discussing everything from Tolkien to Spielberg, from Unicorns to King Arthur, from the difference between maidens and damsels to the speed of Seven League Boots - scientifically calculated at last! ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Technically Magic
Like GOLD, the previous "final collection" of Asimov's work from HarperCollins, MAGIC is divided into three separate sections: The Final Fantasy Stories, On Fantasy, and Beyond Fantasy. As a compilation, I found this to be a decent, if not exactly exciting, read. Asimov usually isn't a spectacular writer, but he can be an interesting and engaging one. Even if I didn't fall in love with any of the short pieces presented here, I can't say that I hated any of them either.

The first section contains the fictional content, and is made up of eleven short stories relating to the fantasy genre. Unfortunately, a full eight of these are Asimov's George-and-Azazel tales, which are enjoyable enough, but they dominate the book and are rather formulaic. An entry from Asimov's Black Widowers mystery series (which certainly would certainly seem to fit more under the mystery genre rather than the fantasy) and a couple of delightful fairy tale stories complete this segment. The worst charge that could be leveled at any individual story is that it's a bit dull, and the best ones are fun entertainment. They're amusing diversions, but nothing much more.

The second section contains non-fiction, Asimov's thoughts on various aspects of the fantasy genre. There aren't any earth-shattering revelations, but Asimov had a very enjoyable prose style that quickly and carefully brings his point of view across. Here he writes about Tolkien, applies scientific knowledge to traditional fairy tales (there's a humorous section where he calculates the speed of Seven League Boots, which strongly reminded me of the "how fast does Santa travel on Christmas Eve?" email that now seems to be a holiday staple), and discusses the origins of the genre and many of its staples.

The third section is entitled "Beyond Fantasy", as presumably the title "Things That Have Nothing To Do With Fantasy But We Wanted To Include Anyway" wouldn't fit on the page. That alternate title fairly accurately describes the contents of this section, as it tackles subjects as far ranging as "Ignorance In America" to evolution to translating ancient texts from their various ancient tongues. They aren't exactly the sorts of essays that one might expect to find in a fantasy anthology, but they make for fascinating reading all the same. Asimov's philosophies and beliefs always come across as commonsensical notions that have been explained to you by an expert. There are only seven short entries in this final group, and I wish there had been more, as I found this to be the most interesting section. Of course, as mentioned, the majority of these were so unrelated to the main topic that one should probably just be grateful that they were included in the first place.

No Asimov-completist's library will be whole without this volume, and even people with little interest in fantasy will probably find a few things to enjoy here. I read this book while making a transatlantic journey, and it was a great way to fill those deadening hours of airplane travel. MAGIC isn't a book that demands much from the reader, but it makes for very enjoyable light reading that is still head and shoulders above the average work of most other writers.

Magic The Final Fantasy Collection Isaac Asimov
Isaac Asimov was always a pioneer in writing. Here is his foray into the then-new area of Fantasy. Azazel, the 2 inch extra-dimesional being, and the well-meaning George star in most of the stories. Like the proverbial genie, George helps his family and friends realize their dreams and wishes which they come to find aren't what they really wanted. Also contains a few of Isaac's witty essays on fantastic creatures and figures. A must read for fantasy readers.

Good book
Asimov was such a great writer. In this book, he will make you laugh, will make you think, will make you imagine. If you want to get started on SciFi, I think this is a good book to start with. One of the short stories I liked the most was the one telling the real BATMAN story. Overall: good book.

Excellent ramblings by the master of science fiction.
"Magic" by Isaac Asimov is truly that. At the start of the book, the short stories are captivating. The second part consists of a collection of stories about a little two-inch demon that all Asimov readers are familiar with. Finally, it wraps up with several insightful musings by the author himself. In one tome, the reader is bathed in Isaac Asimov's best science fiction, fantasy, and thoughts. It is well worth the price just to have in a complete Asimov collection, but it's thoughtful, well planned shifts from one subject to the other seems as if the compiler was led by an expert conductor ... Read more

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Extrapolation, published by Extrapolation on March 22, 2002. The length of the article is 7492 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: H.P. Lovecraft and the semiotic Kantian sublime.(Critical Essay)
Author: Bradley A. Will
Publication: Extrapolation (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 2002
Publisher: Extrapolation
Volume: 43Issue: 1Page: 9(16)

Article Type: Critical Essay

Distributed by Thomson Gale ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Where is the second volume?
Originally published in two volumes, this is a translation of Volume I, which contains all the text. All of the musical examples and graphical analyses (without which, Volume I is of little use) are in Volume II. Volume II is in print and available from the publisher, but does not seem to be listed here. ... Read more

Book Description

Written when the author was only sixteen years old, Fairytale takes place in a timeless land of intrigue and danger and tells the coming-of-age story of the resourceful Marianne, a girl engaged to marry a nobleman she has never seen.Her adventures eventually involve a magical dragonfly, a talking frog, and a final showdown between valor and malice. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Fine first novel for a young author
Recently, there has been an increase in published fantasy books by teen authors such as this one and Christopher Paolini's Eragon. Amelia Atwater-Rhodes' books also come to mind. While this book has not received the same amount of press as the other authors, hopefully more readers will also find this gem.

Gribben's Fairytale is suitable for middle readers and up. Here we have an adventure story about a young woman engaged to marry against her own desires for her life, a common and popular theme but presented through Gribben's imagination. While Gribben's style lacks full maturity, she writes a story that entertains and uses many of the popular fairy tale themes fantasy lovers adore, from enchanted frogs and scary dragons to the fight between good and evil.

This book makes fine reading for a lazy afternoon for your child or even yourself!

Keep Writing, Valerie!!
This book captivated me instantly. I could see in my mind the swarm of buzzing dragonflies that the writer discribes so vividly on the first page, waiting to etch the beautiful picture into my imagination. It's an inspiring story, bound to ensnare its readers and take them on a breathtaking adveture in a land of enchanted castles, kindly dragons, and vicious werewolves; a story never to be forgotten. The vocabulary used is lovely: a well-written, famous author could not have done better. I encourage everyone who likes fantasy and adventure to read this book, or one who just wants to cuddle up with a touching story. While the morals are more geared towards young adults, Children with high reading levels will find this book utterly enchanting.
Another thing that really makes this story stand out and adds to its beauty is the character developement. By the time you are finished with the book, you know the characters so well that you almost think of them as your best friends. The well-written thought shots that are so constantly ringing in the main character's mind really add to the knowledge that is given about her.
This book has become a classic in my personal library. For a big-time fantasy reader, this book deserves a place on every shelf, no matter what age. Keep it up, Valerie!

Classic fantasy, fresh author
In the tradition of Lloyd Alexander, "Fairytale" is a sweet, simple fantasy that's a bit deeper than one realizes at first. The writer's youth is evident in some stylistic choices, but overall, she demonstrates remarkable competence with well-rounded characters and relationships, juicy themes, and a carefully constructed and controlled plot. The book is aimed at younger audiences and the twelve to fifteen crowd will probably get the most out of it, but it's a nice, warm, familiar story for older readers as well. I'm definitely looking forward to watching Miss Gribben grow into her talent.

Tone it down
This book is written with a vocabulary for a college English major but with a storyline suitable for a fourth grader. I do not recommend this book unless you are a grown person who enjoys fairys and dragons.

What are you waiting for? Buy this book!
I would definitely recommend that YOU read this book. Any person who enjoys a great, exciting story that is written using beautiful language would love Fairytale. I was addicted to the book from the moment that I started to read the first page, not just because the storyline is wonderful, but also because of the way that Valerie describes the settings and the wonderful similies she uses to create a magical world of Princesses, Dragons, and all of those mythical creatures. It's one of my favorites and I'm sure that it will be one of your favorites, too! ... Read more

Book Description

How, where and why runes were used is still often mysterious; they continue to set puzzles for those who study them, among whom few are better known than the author of this book. Here he investigates evidence from Anglo-Saxon runic coins to Manx inscribed stones, including many of the known Anglo-Saxon runic inscriptions (notably the Ruthwell cross and the Franks casket) and manuscripts, and looks in passing at some Scandinavian material, both in Great Britain and elsewhere. In addition to these detailed descriptions of inscriptions, and of the runic futhorc, or alphabet, on which they are based, Page also considers wider issues on which runes throw light: magic, paganism and literacy. Archaeologists, historians and others will find this a uniquely useful and authoritative volume on Anglo-Saxon runes. R.I. PAGE is a Fellow of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and Emeritus Professor of Anglo-Saxon, Cambridge University. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent collection of hard-to-find essays!
Anything by Prof. Page is good! This book is a collection of some of his harder-to-find essays on runes, spanning a number of decades. I treasure my copy, and recommend it most highly to the serious student of runes. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

AN INTRODUCTORY PRIMER
Pragmatic, informative, and to the point are the best adjectives to use in describing the contents of this how-to-book of writing science fiction. Matthew Costello doesn't go into literary theory about the genre nor does he lead the reader on an endless quest of defining science fiction. What you get is solid guidance on how to write, sell, and market a science fiction story that is believable.

Step by step the reader is shown the basic building blocks of creating a good story. After providing you with those essential elements, the author tells you the basic components of developing the science, worlds and characters in the piece. He also examines the classic works of science fiction's masters (Asimov, Silverberg, Card) to acquaint the reader with the various styles contained within the genre.

After you have followed the steps then the next mountain to climb is that of marketing your work. Costello is very clear in letting you know that writing is a business. If you are to succeed in the business you need to know your market, know how to write a proposal and studying your field.

I enjoyed reading this book about a genre that appears to be more intimidating than others when it comes to writing. Costello breaks the myth that you must be a science major or science nerd in order to be able to write a clear and concise work that is believable.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants to explore the possibility of writing science fiction. It provides the catalyst to make you want to experiment in writing in the field. The book is not a detailed work which covers every aspect of writing in the genre. Use it as an introductory primer and you will get satisfaction out of beginning your first story of science fiction. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A provocative collection of stories by science fiction's finest,including Samuel R. Delany, Kate Wilhelm, Harlan Ellison, Ursula K. LeGuin, and many others.Accompanying each story is an eloquent critical essay in which the writer discusses one particular aspect of his or her story.This classic is an invaluable book for anyone interested in the art and craft of science fiction writing. ... Read more

Book Description

"Divine Invasions" is the first full-scale biography of Philip K. Dick, a brilliant writer who, working inside the science fiction field, created some of the most powerful and lasting visionary fiction of this century. This biography chronicles the story of a man whose life was truly as interesting as his own enduring work.

""Divine Invasions" is a perceptive introduction to Philip K. Dick's amazing talent. In Europe and Japan, Dick is regarded as a major American writer, without regard to genre. This new biography takes a large step toward earning Dick that same respect in his native country." -San Francisco Chronicle

"A century from now, two or three of Dick's novels are likely to be among the books by which people will understand this era and its fascination with subliminal manipulation of consciousness and the general origins and limits of consciousness... Lawrence Sutin's biography is a highly informative and fascinating attempt at establishing the fundamentals of Dick's life and work... Extremely useful... is a twenty-page chronological guide to the novels... This biography makes you like Philip K. Dick and makes you want to read his books." -Hungry Mind Review

"It is difficult to praise this book highly enough... Philip K. Dick is finally being accorded the same depth and detail as subjects far less deserving. As scholarship and research, Sutin's efforts are impeccable. As literature, the book is at once absorbing, intelligent and eminently readable... A must-read book for anyone interested in the psychology and art of this fascinating figure." -Trajectories

"An incisive, conscientious biography. Bravo." -Art Spiegelman

"The only biography I've ever read that's as exciting as a spy novel... Phil Dick's life was as weird and mysterious as any of his science fiction books." -Robert Anton Wilson ... Read more

Reviews (12)

All PKD fans should read this biography
Sutin, who obviously did his homework, begins with the loss of a twin sister when Philip K. Dick was an infant, and develops the idea that this had a profound influence on his life and his writing. He weaves literary and psychological insights together to explain Dick's entire career and the themes of his books. Sutin also proposes a plausible theory (bringing medical and psychological facts together) about the source of the "VALIS" experience, which was the major event of Dick's adult life and the impetus for some of his strangest, best, and most difficult books. Along the way, Sutin manages to put Dick's life in context of the times (especially the counterculture of the 60's) while making it clear that he was very much outside the times. It's too bad this is out of print, and I hope it's reissued someday.

For insight into the man and his writing, this is the one.
Having read any Philip K Dick, you may be moved to learn more about this troubled artist. Sutin's book is the perfect place to look. This biography fills in all the necessary facts, but more than that, shows their influence on what would become a great body of vividly imaginative fiction. From the loss of a twin sister at the age of six weeks, through drug addiction and the pain of the breakup of multiple marriages, and finally to the transcendent visitation from God (as fictionalized in VALIS), we see how the events and people in Dick's life became distilled into his fiction. A fascinating account of the life of a sad genius.

Useful book for serious PKD readers
Sutin's sometimes sarcastic style might surprise the reader at first, but this is a very insightful look at the life and work of Philip K. Dick - it's also the most substantial book of its kind we have yet. Sutin does a good job of inserting his comments about the works while sharing with us their genesis at the same time; the analysis aspect of 'Divine Invasions' is fairly limited, but since it's not a scholarly book, it doesn't disappoint. It reads somewhat like PKD's own novels and short stories, with Dick himself as the central character. The extracts from the Exegesis show PKD at his speculative best and made me want to read more. One more note: in the last section, Sutin offers a 'guide' in which he rates PKD's books on a 1-10 internal scale, also providing capsule reviews of the works he didn't write about in the main narrative; it's sure to provoke arguments, as he thought it would. Serious PKD readers should definitely read this.

Philip K. Dick, Self-Devourer
By the time of his premature death in 1982, Philip K. Dick had shrewdly submitted and withdrawn so many hypothetical explanations for his chaotic life and unusual experiences that it made rational judgement and objective analysis impossible for those who were paying attention. Many people were paying attention, and waiting a little too passively for his every next pronouncement on the divine. What is amazing today isn't the great number of fans his science fiction work has generated globally, but the increasing deification of Dick as an illuminated cyberpunk guru and Fortean poster boy of the first order. Certainly Dick documented his experiences more thoroughly, if not more clearly, than most; but since millions of people experience paranormal or metaphysical phenomena every year, and some year after year as Dick did, exactly how and why does Dick stand out from the rest?

Lawrence Sutin's book, Divine Invasions: A Life of Philip K. Dick, doesn't attempt to answer this question, taking for granted as it does that Dick was a unique case and a genius; but it does given the general reader a broader overview of Dick's life than has thus far been available. Sutin states that he has respectfully declined to psychoanalyze or diagnose Dick; fair enough; but, considering the events of Dick's life, why not have given the finished text to a reputable psychiatrist for an opinion? Because Sutin, obviously an admirer of his subject, 'wants to believe,' as Dick did. Clearly, Dick, who believed his traumas at the hands of others began while still in the womb, had many legitimate physical, emotional and mental problems of a severe, documentable nature. While no psychiatrist's opinion is verity, in light of Dick's chronic drug addiction, institutionalizations, suicide attempts, and diagnoses of schizophrenia (his aunt was a catatonic schizophrenic), an objective analysis of the facts of Dick's life as it is currently understood would be helpful to fans, Forteans, and general readers alike. For those genuinely interested, separating the various facets of Dick's existence as carefully, cautiously, and sensitively as possible is a must, and the only proper route to an accurate understanding.

Dick had been paranoid, emotionally infantile, co-dependent, and narcissistic all of his adult life when he suffered his first 'Valis' ('Valid?' 'Validation?') experience in 1972. He was also too blinded by his own unconscious egotism-which was everywhere in evidence--to consider that what he-an avowed Gnostic--had experienced may simply have been a miraculous manifestation of the divine. Mystifier Dick spent the next 9 years anguishing over his experiences in private and public, often sounding like the madman he may have irregularly been and alienating friends and colleagues.

Though Dick claimed to be well-versed in Jung, he seems never to have applied himself to Jung's The Psychology of The Transference, a book which concisely offers an explanation for Dick's visionary, archetypal experiences without in the least flattening them into dusty meaninglessness (Jung states: "The unconscious manifests itself in a sudden incomprehensible invasion.") Considering the hatred Dick harbored for his parents throughout his lifetime, it's unfortunate he didn't stringently apply himself to Freud as well. For backward-looking, Oroborous-like Dick never tired of habitually swallowing his own tail. His vision of an immense evil face in the clouds-which he readily identified with his father--and his 'Valis' experiences--whatever else they may have been---point directly to both a highly charged and constellated father complex and a gaping maw of family romance. Dick consciously recognized his morbid ties to his family, but blithely moved beyond these, favoring KGB agents, CIA mind control, beams from distant planets, orbiting satellites and shadowy conspiracies as the more likely culprits. Like a 1970s Richard Shaver, Dick went out on some very long, thin, and unsupportable limbs to attempt to justify his experiences, as if Plato's allegory of the cave had never entered the historical record.

When the Christian god eventually manifests in a prolonged vision and establishes itself to Dick as the true force generating 'Valis,' Dick decides to accept this deity--for a few months anyway--but not before suggesting to 'God' that the two of them are one and equivalent. Dick completed over a million words of nonfiction speculation on the nature of these experiences, and Sutin writes that Dick's final estimation of 'Valis' was that "knowledge-not mere faith-as to the true 'hyper-structure' of the universe is possible." Funny, that's something any intelligent person knows just out of the gate. Astronomy, physics, the Neoplatonists, anyone?

Dick also seems to have conveniently failed to make the conspicuously obvious jump concerning psychic contamination. Before the 'Valis' incidents, he had written two novels (one, UBIK = 'Ubiquitous?') which dealt with strange amorphorous godlike entities who intrude unexpectedly on mortal men with devastating results. Why then didn't he draw the more reasonable conclusion that the explanation for 'Valis' could be found within his imagination and himself? Dick was not the first creative personality to experience seemingly divine inspiration; from Blake, Rilke, and Yeats to Robert Frost, Keith Richards and Tori Amos, the phenomena is universally experienced but little understood.

Clearly an ardent fan, author Sutin occasionally presents his material in too subjective a fashion. Readers may also reject Sutin's following claims: that modern science fiction does not stem from the early work of Wells, Verne, Huxley and others; that Dick was the first novelist ever to mention the I-Ching in an American work of fiction (Sutin must have read several hundred thousand books to verify this); and, perhaps mistaking a publishing house for an audience, that William Burroughs is a 'mainstream' American writer. Most glaringly, Sutin repeats the global error of stating that 'Fred' in 'A Scanner Darkly' does not realize he is also Robert Arctor, the person Fred has been assigned to surveil.

Fans of Dick's work, and especially those who share his seedy if prescient sensibilities, will find the book fascinating. With all the new information concerning Dick's life coming to light, the book is deservingly in need of a careful revision.

Only Apparently Real
This is Lawrence Sutin's best book (well, of the three that I've read). It's also the best book on Dick I've found, and it's about as engrossing as some of Dick's better novels. There's a lot of stuff in here, but I wolfed it down pretty quickly.

The various troubled relationships, paranoid experiences (and attitudes), drug experimentation, and transcendental experiences are discussed here in some detail. We get lots of stories from Dick's ex-wives and such discussing his writing habits and nervous behavior.

I found particularly helpful the bibliography (with plot summaries) at the end of the book. It's depressing how much of Dick's work is still out of print.

A great book on a great American writer. Anyone who wants to go further might look at IN SEARCH OF VALIS, also by Sutin. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Best authority on Byron
James Soderholm is clearly the best authority on Byron in the world. His writing style is very fine, and he is an original thinker.

The lost art of literary criticism
I hope you'll allow me to glow a bit about my former instructor. Soderholm singlehandedly turned me from a gaping pre-law undergrad to a lover of literature, for which I'll be ever thankful. As to the merits of his first published work, I must add my sincere praise. Soderholm's sleek skull fascinates as it parades on the page. Especially entertaining--and, I would hastily add, quite in keeping with the dynamics of his lecture style--is the extended etymology in the first chapter: of the relationships between "glamour" and "grammar" and the spells that have been woven throughout our culture of them--right up to the present day. Soderholm is a first-rate mind, hardened in the crucible of UVa's graduate English program, and finely sharpened on the anvil of endless conversations with his students and colleagues. I am stronger for having known him, and studied under him, and I enjoyed very much this romp through the tawdry legend of Byron. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Author is too preoccupied to teach writing
This incomplete book is not as much help as it could be. If you are looking for a good book on craft. Look elsewhere. I suggest the books of John Gardner, Gardner Dozois and Damon Knight as better places to start.

unfortunate waste of money and trees
The author is more self-possesed of foisting her feminist ideology on would-be writers than she is of helping them to become writers. It is far better to take advice real editors/professionals like Gardner Dozois, Damon Knight or John Gardner (who all have published books on craft) than to read this overly preachy book. The book is condecending and downright insulting to the readers and writers of Science Fiction in that it assumes that we are all lazy, twinkie-munching, television. Don't waste your money on this one. There is so much that is better out there!

discusses little that is useful
Although the book has an inspiring title, it hardly ammounts to much of anything. It fails to discuss conflict, plot, and other aspects of narrative that are fundamental to "creating" any novel. There is some broad discussion of how to think about about the physical and the social and political environment of your novel, but this discussion is not deep enough for someone who has not studied in depth subjects like politics, science, history, etc to be able to really think of the issues on his own.

Start thinking
Melissa Scott starts the book off with "A brief defense of science fiction, or why does someone who went to Harvard write this stuff anyway?" - and the book takes off. Even though the book is less than 200 pages long she covers important points of world building, characters, research, ideas and provides suggestions for getting published. ... Read more