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tungstenmouse's review against another edition
I just couldn’t get into it and found myself dreading reading it.
rodneywilhite's review against another edition
4.0
I'm going to read this, Interfictions, and Feeling Very Strange back-to-back and write a longer review for all three, but I will say about this one that it seems to focus on genre stories that have eccentricities that tilt them into the literary realm. Yes, the characters and plots are very odd, often with no connection to any human reality, but the prose itself is very pulpy, intentionally and self-consciously so. Most of these are not much more capital-w Weird than the stories I grew up with in Dozois's and Datlow's anthologies. For instance, one of my old favorites "A Hypothetical Lizard" by Alan Moore would seamlessly fit right in here.
My biggest gripe about this book is that 300 pages of it are short stories and about 120 pages of it are hand-wringing about what does or doesn't constitute "New Weird." I really couldn't care less, and I think the importance of this book was that it inspired a new generation of speculative authors (Sofia Samatar for instance) going forward, rather than--as the content seems to have been intended--to define something that had already happened.
My biggest gripe about this book is that 300 pages of it are short stories and about 120 pages of it are hand-wringing about what does or doesn't constitute "New Weird." I really couldn't care less, and I think the importance of this book was that it inspired a new generation of speculative authors (Sofia Samatar for instance) going forward, rather than--as the content seems to have been intended--to define something that had already happened.
scheu's review against another edition
5.0
This may be the best collection I've read in a decade.
I'd been through Mieville and Vandermeer, cut my teeth on Lovecraft, a pile of slipstream, Barker, but I didn't feel as though I had much of a handle on what "New Weird" was or why I was drawn to it. Boy, I loved every story in this volume, including the oddly vulgar Rennie story at the end. Perhaps if slipstream makes you feel 'a little strange' (and the _Feeling Very Strange_ anthology would make a nice companion to this book), New Weird makes you feel EXTREMELY STRANGE, as well as dizzy, unsettled and slightly queasy. I recommend this collection to anyone with a passing fancy for any of the writers therein.
I'd been through Mieville and Vandermeer, cut my teeth on Lovecraft, a pile of slipstream, Barker, but I didn't feel as though I had much of a handle on what "New Weird" was or why I was drawn to it. Boy, I loved every story in this volume, including the oddly vulgar Rennie story at the end. Perhaps if slipstream makes you feel 'a little strange' (and the _Feeling Very Strange_ anthology would make a nice companion to this book), New Weird makes you feel EXTREMELY STRANGE, as well as dizzy, unsettled and slightly queasy. I recommend this collection to anyone with a passing fancy for any of the writers therein.
makennahbristow's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
3.0
I ended up DNFing the final story - The Gutter Sees The Light That Never Shines by Alastair Rennie and I merely skimmed the final contents of the book. I loved some of the stories, particularly In The Hills, The Cities by Clive Barker; The Braining of Mother Lamprey by Simon D Ings; Wat son’s Boy by Brian Evenson; and The Ride of the Gabbleratchet by Steph Swainston. The anthology overall oozes with a certain mid-2000s energy which will probably only appeal to a certain niche audience.
kurwaczytaj's review against another edition
3.0
Tato kniha trošku připomíná představení Divadla Járy Cimmrmana. Je zde několik povídek z tohoto žánru a pak také různé odborné osvětové články, přepis diskuzí na internetu či seznam doporučené literatury.
Nádraží Perdido mne hodně oslovilo a tak jsem si říkal, zda i jiní autoři z tohoto žánru / nežánru píší tak dobře. A v této knize jsem na to nenašel odpověď. Některé příběhy byly takové hodně vyprázdněné a formalistické (podobný problém jsem měl i s výběrem povídek z nové vlny steam punku) ale jiné byly opravdu povedené. Nejvíc mne zaujala ta mlynářská povídka. ta měla dobrou atmosféru, uvěřitelná svět a dobře namíchaný poměr akce, úvah a fantastických prvků.
Uvidíme, kam se žánr vyvine. Možnosti tu jsou.
Nádraží Perdido mne hodně oslovilo a tak jsem si říkal, zda i jiní autoři z tohoto žánru / nežánru píší tak dobře. A v této knize jsem na to nenašel odpověď. Některé příběhy byly takové hodně vyprázdněné a formalistické (podobný problém jsem měl i s výběrem povídek z nové vlny steam punku) ale jiné byly opravdu povedené. Nejvíc mne zaujala ta mlynářská povídka. ta měla dobrou atmosféru, uvěřitelná svět a dobře namíchaný poměr akce, úvah a fantastických prvků.
Uvidíme, kam se žánr vyvine. Možnosti tu jsou.
novelinsights's review against another edition
4.0
This was a very interesting examination of the New Weird as a genre movement (or potential movement?) The first two sections of the anthology included a variety of short stories, which of course are the main draw to the book. The stories were hit or miss for me; I liked most of them to some degree, although one of them (unfortunately the first story in the book, which made me hesitant initially) my brain just repeatedly rejected and I eventually had to DNF. That said, a few of these stories I'd have given 5 stars, and the majority fell somewhere in the 3 or 4-star range of enjoyment. I'd imagine that there's something in here for everyone (unless you're really not into the idea of weird fiction, in which case, what are you doing reading this review in the first place, silly?)
The next section included and excerpt from an internet message board conversation that initially sparked the idea for the anthology as well as several non-fiction essays written by a various authors and editors discussing whether or not they believe in the New Weird as a movement in general and, in the case of a series from foreign editors, what their perception is of the New World's presence in their country. This I found interesting from the perspective of a writer, but if I didn't write I probably would have skipped it.
The last section is actually a "round robin"-style story where seven authors got together and took turns adding onto a New World story, telling their own mini-narratives within a world of their shared creation. I did not try to internally rate this section because it was more experimental, but the story was an interesting read, if unique in its structure.
In general, I think this book makes a good introduction to weird fiction (at least as it stood in the 2000's) and could also serve as a text of sorts for a writer interested in expanding their writing in that direction (keeping in mind that part of the argument of the non-fiction part of this book in the first place is that an over-emphasis on labels can be dangerous because writers shouldn't be writing to fill a specific genre but rather to tell a specific story).
The next section included and excerpt from an internet message board conversation that initially sparked the idea for the anthology as well as several non-fiction essays written by a various authors and editors discussing whether or not they believe in the New Weird as a movement in general and, in the case of a series from foreign editors, what their perception is of the New World's presence in their country. This I found interesting from the perspective of a writer, but if I didn't write I probably would have skipped it.
The last section is actually a "round robin"-style story where seven authors got together and took turns adding onto a New World story, telling their own mini-narratives within a world of their shared creation. I did not try to internally rate this section because it was more experimental, but the story was an interesting read, if unique in its structure.
In general, I think this book makes a good introduction to weird fiction (at least as it stood in the 2000's) and could also serve as a text of sorts for a writer interested in expanding their writing in that direction (keeping in mind that part of the argument of the non-fiction part of this book in the first place is that an over-emphasis on labels can be dangerous because writers shouldn't be writing to fill a specific genre but rather to tell a specific story).
giantarms's review against another edition
OOOH LOOK IT IS SOMETHING STRANGE AND NOBODY WILL SAY WHAT IT IS FOR.
If you like Lovecraft, probably you'll like this.
I lose several million nerd points, but I thought Lovecraft was pretty boring.
I lose several million human being points, but I only read about two of each.
If you like Lovecraft, probably you'll like this.
I lose several million nerd points, but I thought Lovecraft was pretty boring.
I lose several million human being points, but I only read about two of each.
hannah_fox's review against another edition
3.0
3 star rating an average of my ratings for each individual story, as follows:
* The Luck in the Head - ⭐️
* In The Hills, The Cities - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Crossing Into Cambodia - ⭐️ (Why is this even in here? Not weird enough to even be pre-weird if you ask me.)
* The Braining of Mother Lamprey - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Neglected Garden - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* A Soft Voice Whispering Nothing - ⭐️⭐️
* Jack - ⭐️⭐️
* Immolation - ⭐️
* The Lizard of Ooze - ⭐️⭐️
* Watson’s Boy - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Art of Dying - ⭐️⭐️
* At Reparata - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Letters from Tainaron - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Ride of the Gabbleratchet - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Gutter Sees The Light That Never Shines - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Symposium - Skipped, here for stories not literary criticism/theory.
* Festival Lives - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Immensely irritated that I can’t access the internet-only conclusion, since the page on Tachyon’s site is gone! I was enjoying this round robin until the ending where nothing was wrapped up. Sometimes that’s ok in weird fiction, but this one has too many loose ends for me. Maybe could’ve gotten more stars if I’d been able to read the conclusion!
* The Luck in the Head - ⭐️
* In The Hills, The Cities - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Crossing Into Cambodia - ⭐️ (Why is this even in here? Not weird enough to even be pre-weird if you ask me.)
* The Braining of Mother Lamprey - ⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Neglected Garden - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* A Soft Voice Whispering Nothing - ⭐️⭐️
* Jack - ⭐️⭐️
* Immolation - ⭐️
* The Lizard of Ooze - ⭐️⭐️
* Watson’s Boy - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Art of Dying - ⭐️⭐️
* At Reparata - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Letters from Tainaron - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Ride of the Gabbleratchet - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* The Gutter Sees The Light That Never Shines - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
* Symposium - Skipped, here for stories not literary criticism/theory.
* Festival Lives - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ Immensely irritated that I can’t access the internet-only conclusion, since the page on Tachyon’s site is gone! I was enjoying this round robin until the ending where nothing was wrapped up. Sometimes that’s ok in weird fiction, but this one has too many loose ends for me. Maybe could’ve gotten more stars if I’d been able to read the conclusion!