The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I seem to be having an AMAZING reading month. I can’t remember the last time I read so many 4+ star stories in a short time frame (we’ll give ‘Consider Phlebas’ a pass, and roll it into the Culture books overall). Partly this is, I think, because I’ve taken the pressure off myself to stick to “recent” releases and just concentrated on hunting down fiction that I think I’ll love.
Anyways… this was phenomenal. The kind of book that sets my brain alight, that delights in and plays with language; that contains enormous scope and far-reaching themes, yet very personal stories; that examines the universe through tiny, refractive lenses. The imagery and skillful writing were a joy. I think this will stay with me for quite awhile.
Fans of weird fiction, new weird, surrealism, and/or litfic with a speculative edge, should pick up this novel if they haven’t already.
TLDR: Look, it was just fucking great. Fin.
