Strange Trades
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
"Full of storytelling that is untamed, writing that is superb, and tales that are expansive and suggestive . . . a wry romp worthy of your attention" (Strange Horizons).
In these eleven stories, including Nebula Award finalist "Kid Charlemagne," Paul Di Filippo applies his armamentarium of vastly varied literary skills to an examination and definition of the outer limits of an almost unbearably mundane-sounding subject: daily toil or, in a word, jobs. In "Spondulix," Rory Honeyman, desperate to preserve the meager cash flow in his sandwich shop, starts offering store coupons that somehow take on a life of their own. "The Mill" is the only place in the universe where Luxcloth, treasured and worn by many, can be manufactured and only at the direction of one man. "The Boredom Factory" gives meaning to the phrase "living to work." Keep reading—it will be the easiest job you've ever had.
You can try to escape from the mundane, or with the help of Paul Di Filippo, you can take a brief, meaningful break from it. In the vein of George Saunders or Michael Chabon, Di Filippo uses the tools of science fiction and the surreal to take a deep, richly felt look at humanity. His brand of funny, quirky, thoughtful, fast‑moving, heart‑warming, brain‑bending stories exist across the entire spectrum of the fantastic from hard science fiction to satire to fantasy and on to horror, delivering a riotously entertaining string of modern fables and stories from tomorrow, now, and anytime. After you read Paul Di Filippo, you will no longer see everyday life quite the same. Strange Trades includes an introduction by Bruce Sterling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This splendid collection of 11 SF and fantasy stories, most of novelette length and loosely predicated on the theme of work, showcases some excellent writing from the underrated Di Filippo (The Steampunk Trilogy; Ciphers; Ribofunk; etc.). An introduction by Hugo winner Bruce Sterling will attract attention, as will the Frank Kelly Freas jacket, but these witty, thoughtful, accessible tales require no special hype. The book's finest story, "The Mill," set in a grim, factory-dominated town of seemingly 19th-century vintage, has a humanity worthy of Dickens or Hardy. It's almost a letdown to discover its fantasy basis. Never shy of paying tribute to his predecessors, Di Filippo honors Samuel R. Delany and Philip K. Dick in "Harlem Nova" and "Karuna, Inc.," while in "FYI:After the death of Golden Gryphon founding editor James Turner in 1999, there was some question whether the press would survive. As evidenced here and in other recent titles, the press, under the directorship of Turner's brother Gary, is maintaining high standards.
