Rhys Hughes' unique observational, aphoristic humour abounds in this collection of artfully crafted, extremely short stories. A perennial master of invention, Hughes explores our perceptions of humanity, mining truths beneath the clutter of culture with incisive wordplay and trademark wit.
Hughes has arrayed eighty-eight narrative gems into three groups, The Zodiacal Light, Beyond Necessity, and The Ostraca of Inclusion-clever new takes on mythology, history, and science. A thirteenth star sign, minotaurs and gorgons, a dog ventriloquist, gears and cogs, a clock-wrestling octopus -- all are semantic Möbius strips where fantasy and philosophy are seamlessly melded as only Hughes can do; both thought provoking and entertaining.
About the Author :
Rhys Hughes was born in Wales but has lived in many different countries. He began writing at an early age and his first book, Worming the Harpy, was published in 1995. Since that time he has published more than fifty other books and his work has been translated into twelve languages. He recently completed an ambitious project that involved writing exactly 1000 linked short fictions. He is currently working on a novel and several new collections of prose and verse.
Review :
"Brilliantly written and conceived, Hughes' fiction has few parallels anywhere in the world. In some alternate universe with a better sense of justice, his work triumphantly parades across all bestseller lists."
-Jeff Vandermeer
"Rhys Hughes seems almost the sum of our planet's literature...drunk on language and wild imagery, sober on the essentials of thought... A sensuality, a relish, an addiction to the delicious."
-Michael Moorcock
"Hughes' style, with all that means, is among the most beautiful I've encountered."
-Samuel R. Delany
"Like Kafka with a brighter sense of humour."
-A.A. Attanasio
"Wit and whimsy and word-relish, high spirits and bittersweet twists."
-Ian Watson
