The Bookian » Poetry

The Time Travelers Wife

Bookian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:49:17 +0000

Audrey Niffenegger is a truly wonderful writer, and can create highly psychological science fiction right up there along the lines of the most intense victorian mind-game plans. The Time Travelers Wife taxes the ability of a journalistic style but she pulls it off. Lo, the days of having to pseudoname yourself to be taken seriously as a woman writer must come to an end. This book is well worth the read. – reviewed by clock

The Best Short Stories of J. G. Ballard

Bookian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:17:17 +0000

A true poet of the scientific. This collection has an excellent grouping of Ballards short stories, many of which have been hard to find until now. Known too much for his Crash, Ballard is, like early Frank Herbert, an extensively environmentalist author, and many of these stories reflect it. Not a bad story in the collection. – reviewed by drowned world doom

Songs of the Purple Fungus

Bookian — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 19:21:17 +0000

Apocalyptic Poetry about Science Fiction and Robots and Reptiles? Readable Poetry? From Canada? Apparently. Having recently re-read Edgar Allen Poes The Purple Pileus, and being a great fan of Early Chinese Poetry (and ONLY early chinese poetry), and with a few moments stuck on a trip to Seattle, I stole this book from a neighbor and read it on the flight. Its kind of like William Burroughs if he wrote more like Allen Ginsburg. Although, of course, it would be more Allen Ginsburg being William Burroughs.. whatever. It was really good to get back into being able to read some poetry/prose. Upon arrival, I visited Powells to track down some more poets who write sci-fi kind of poetry, and found Short Haul Engine by Karen Solie, but it wasnt as extreme or twisted as songs of the purple fungus. Ah well. Five Pan-Galactic Gargle-Blasters for the Quebec poetry scene.
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From the Publisher…
“Songs of the Purple Fungus”, from a line by the great Chinese poet Tu Fu, is a new collection of poetry from the foreign writer Ache Outre. Inspired by early Chinese Daoist writings by Chuang Tzu, amongst others, Ache Outre travels across America, detailing what he sees as a country becoming the worlds first social technocracy, and examining the distance of its inhabitants from their ancient reptilian origins. Foreward by A.J. Specktowsky, Illustrations by Kjell Otterness. Vol VI in the Machine-Humanist library. “Imaginative, entertaining and thought provoking… My next guide to hitchhiking in America.” – Jean-Louis Sabbetoir, Quebecois Poesie Mode “Poetically Bizarre!” – Hilda Vornamen, Deutsche Poesierichtlinien – reviewed by Lao Tzu Poet