Weirdmonger
by D. F. Lewis
Trade Paperback. $19.95.
ISBN: 1-894815-84-X.
http://www.weirdmonger.com
http://www.primebooks.net
He may not be a household name among literature aficionados, but D. F. Lewis's body of work sure does entitle him to such a position. Having spent the last fifteen years being published mostly in the small press, accumulating a back-catalogue of some 1500+ stories, this British fantasist has something to offer for one and all, regardless of your tastes in fiction. Fantasy, horror, magical realism, surrealism or slipstream, yes, his stories bear these marks, yet they do not. The fact that you can't label him, only makes his work more appealing. A sign of greatness, if anything.
The stories culled together in this volume, cryptically titled Weirdmonger, are of a bi-polar nature.
You can open the book at any random place and read any random sentence, and you WILL ultimately be captured by the sheer intensity that radiates from the pages. The way Lewis uses language is nothing but astounding. There are really two levels of apprehending these fictions: You can either read them for what they contain plot-wise, and you will have one story (most commonly based on a more than weird and often very surrealistic outset), or you can read them and savour the way the words themselves form impossible structures and buildings, objets d'art, a virtual feast for the intellectual residing somewhere within you. Or you could, and this would be the wisest choice, read them for both, at which the reward will be even greater.
I won't kid you here. At 67 stories, there are bound to be some duds. Yet the gems far outshine the stories I don't like. A heap of rubies, diamonds and emeralds, small, exquisite silvery coins and big chunks of gold, and yeah, maybe one or two pieces of coal. At such a multitude of work, you are bound to like some stories less. But goodness prevails: The majority here is of spun sugar, bleeding fingers playing intricately carved harps, and smooth white pearls, gathered from the edge of forever, that sit more or less perfect in awkward hands.
Trying to describe any selected story may prove futile. The famous saying 'it's in the eyes of the beholder' could not apply more here, really. It's in the eye, ear, ribcage, heart, it's everywhere in and on the beholder (and bolder)! Some of these fictions even made me naseous, fer crying out loud! Could it get any better than this? I urge you to check this out. D. F. Lewis's stories are a drug, and you'd do very well as an addict.
Alex Nyström May 7:th 2004
Nemonymous 2
edited by D. F. Lewis
http://www.nemonymous.com
If you're into speculative fiction of any kind, you probably know the score by now. NEMONYMOUS is an annual publication, edited and published by a certain D.F. Lewis, featuring the creme de la creme of genre fiction, even though the boundaries are blurred, to say the least. What you get is magic realism, science-fiction, fantasy and horror, yet the stories are none of that. Mostly though, the pieces included for publication are just plain... off-beat. In a good way, that is.
The idea of publishing the pieces anonymously is a stroke of genius. Obviously, a story must stand on its own, not benefitting on the merits of its author (who may or may not be a celebrity in his craft, that depends), but on its contents. A clever idea, that works. Add to that a stylish package, and you're almost home. NEMONYMOUS looks good, it smells good, but does it taste good? Hell yeah.
NEMONYMOUS 2 was published in May 2002, and features 18 stories, most of which are instantaneous favourites of yours truly, mainly because most of them deliver. A plot, a scene, a feeling. Content, if you will. Of course, there may be some I like less, but still they deserve a place among the others on the account of them being so darn well written. Sifting through the words contained within the covers of NEMO is a pleasure. Trembling sweaty fingers leafing through pages ripe with energy and zest, it's sad to reach the final page, but hey, that's life for ya.
You have the vignette 'Climbing The Tallest Tree In The World', about a group of young men deciding to climb the tallest tree in the world. Simple as that, but as they go higher and higher, this little delicious tale evolves into a meditation on life, expectations and the concept of time. Just one hauntingly well-written piece among many that demand a second reading to be fully comprehended. 'The Assistant To Dr. Jacob', probably my favourite among the stories, deals with an old Doctor, who may or may not be a serial killer, and his young apprentice. What actually happened in the Doctor's greenhouse those many years ago? I can't really describe this story; it's just so damn multi-layered, but it will pay off in the end. I just adore the way the parables roses/flesh are executed. Read it, read! 'Mighty Fine Days' is a story about a man who, day by day, loses more and more of his short-term memory, leaving him completely alienated toward an albeit predictable, but nonetheless powerful, ending. 'The Vanishing Life And Films Of Emmanual Escobada' is a Borgesian piece, a mockymentary if you will, about a filmmaker whose life and films have taken on a cult status, but who seems to have fallen into oblivion, since every trace of him and his work have started to disappear, not only from official records, but also from people's mind. Is it true that your legacy dies with you, and if no one remembers you, did you really exist at all? The only *story* I did not like was 'Four Minutes Thirty-Tree Seconds', which is five blank pages, and only comes across as wasted space, or a bad joke. Other than that, all is well!
All in all, I can't recommend NEMONYMOUS enough. At this time, the fourth issue has just been published. Get 'em all from the publisher himself, and marvel at the wonders that await you. Classy, stylish, and yeah, entertaining!
Alex Nyström June 14:th 2004