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martinlivingsSome months back, I bid for and got myself a copy of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
paulhaines's collection from Prime Books, Doorways for the Dispossessed, during the amazing Art That Scares You online auction. It was really the main thing I wanted, so I was chuffed as hell to have gotten it. And, ever since, it's sat on my to-read pile gathering dust.
Until now.
I thought I'd read some of Paul's stories, but I seem to have somehow skimmed over them in the past. This time, reading them all in one concentrated chunk, there was no escape. Every story in the collection is excellent in its own right, but my favourites were "Shot in Loralai" (beautifully playing with expectations, and not a sign of speculation in sight!), "Hamlyn" (how did I not read this in ASIM? I have the issue right here. I knew all about it from discussions withbattblush and others, but somehow never read it??? Brilliant retelling of the Pied Piper, genuinely taboo-breaking), "Burning From The Inside" (didn't quite understand it, but, like stories by deborahb, that's not really the point, it's more about mood and feeling the edges of a much bigger story, an undercurrent of darkness in an otherwise innocuous and dull city), "Doof Doof Doof" (damn, that's fucked up and funny!), "Warchalking" (again, I know I read this story when it was in Agog, but somehow reading it this time I appreciated it so much more, such clever storytelling!) and "Yum Cha" (I finished the book around midnight last night, and actually laughed out loud when I understood what was going on in this story, waking up my girlfriend... I'd love to read the shorter version, I think I can see where it's been expanded!). But it's hard to pick favourites, really, these are just the ones that leap to mind.
Doorways for the Dispossessed is an extraordinary collection. I can't recommend it highly enough, I really can't. Especially for those who like their short fiction twisted, perverted, and incredibly intellectual. Paul is for short fiction what David Cronenberg is for film; he combines the profane and the profound, the sacred and the revolting. And it's never gratuitous or pointless. Both visceral and thoughtful, unashamedly masculine and unabashedly emotional, and beautifully and meticulously crafted, this is a book that belongs on everyone's shelves.
Get it. Now.
EDIT - as the man himself has pointed out on his own blog, if you want Paul to actually make any money out of this, it would be better to buy his two new collections coming out next year, Slice of Life and The Last Days Of Kali Yuga. All (well, almost all) of the juicy goodness of Doorways, and much more besides!
Two collections??? That's just greedy...
MaShoReMo, Day Twenty Nine:
paulhaines's collection from Prime Books, Doorways for the Dispossessed, during the amazing Art That Scares You online auction. It was really the main thing I wanted, so I was chuffed as hell to have gotten it. And, ever since, it's sat on my to-read pile gathering dust.Until now.
I thought I'd read some of Paul's stories, but I seem to have somehow skimmed over them in the past. This time, reading them all in one concentrated chunk, there was no escape. Every story in the collection is excellent in its own right, but my favourites were "Shot in Loralai" (beautifully playing with expectations, and not a sign of speculation in sight!), "Hamlyn" (how did I not read this in ASIM? I have the issue right here. I knew all about it from discussions with
battblush and others, but somehow never read it??? Brilliant retelling of the Pied Piper, genuinely taboo-breaking), "Burning From The Inside" (didn't quite understand it, but, like stories by deborahb, that's not really the point, it's more about mood and feeling the edges of a much bigger story, an undercurrent of darkness in an otherwise innocuous and dull city), "Doof Doof Doof" (damn, that's fucked up and funny!), "Warchalking" (again, I know I read this story when it was in Agog, but somehow reading it this time I appreciated it so much more, such clever storytelling!) and "Yum Cha" (I finished the book around midnight last night, and actually laughed out loud when I understood what was going on in this story, waking up my girlfriend... I'd love to read the shorter version, I think I can see where it's been expanded!). But it's hard to pick favourites, really, these are just the ones that leap to mind.Doorways for the Dispossessed is an extraordinary collection. I can't recommend it highly enough, I really can't. Especially for those who like their short fiction twisted, perverted, and incredibly intellectual. Paul is for short fiction what David Cronenberg is for film; he combines the profane and the profound, the sacred and the revolting. And it's never gratuitous or pointless. Both visceral and thoughtful, unashamedly masculine and unabashedly emotional, and beautifully and meticulously crafted, this is a book that belongs on everyone's shelves.
Get it. Now.
EDIT - as the man himself has pointed out on his own blog, if you want Paul to actually make any money out of this, it would be better to buy his two new collections coming out next year, Slice of Life and The Last Days Of Kali Yuga. All (well, almost all) of the juicy goodness of Doorways, and much more besides!
Two collections??? That's just greedy...
MaShoReMo, Day Twenty Nine:
| |
43 / 79 (54.4%) |
- New Ceres Issue 1 - 3 stories
- New Ceres Issue 2 - 4 stories
- Midnight Echo Issue 1 - 16 stories
- Doorways for the Dispossessed - 20 stories
- Canterbury 2100 - 18 stories
- Voices - 18 stories
Hmm... don't much like my chances of finishing this in the next three days! Ah well, I gave it my best!
