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jeffhall's review
4.0
As a collection of short stories, Fugue XXIX is inevitably somewhat uneven, especially given that many of the pieces herein qualify as experimental fiction. Some of the experimental stories are more successful than others, but there is no doubt that Forrest Aguirre has a bold sense of the possibilities of short fiction, and even the failures are fascinating simply because they represent a sort of risk-taking that most authors avoid.
At the end of the day, the best stories (such as "The Reverie Styx", "The Butterfly Artist", and "Beyond the Flame") make the whole volume worthwhile. The three stories mentioned are boldly imaginative, and "Beyond the Flame" especially manages to create and sustain a complete world of wildly original science fantasy in a mere seven pages, and does so with the creative intensity of a jazz solo.
This is only the second book by Forrest Aguirre that I have read, but it won't be the last - he's starting to take shape as one of my favorite contemporary fictioneers!
At the end of the day, the best stories (such as "The Reverie Styx", "The Butterfly Artist", and "Beyond the Flame") make the whole volume worthwhile. The three stories mentioned are boldly imaginative, and "Beyond the Flame" especially manages to create and sustain a complete world of wildly original science fantasy in a mere seven pages, and does so with the creative intensity of a jazz solo.
This is only the second book by Forrest Aguirre that I have read, but it won't be the last - he's starting to take shape as one of my favorite contemporary fictioneers!
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