By Kendra Hibbert
April 18, 2003
MCSWEENEY’S QUARTERLY is a collection of short stories/odd tales published on a somewhat quarterly schedule out of that literary mecca, San Francisco, by that literary genius, Dave Eggers. Previous issues have included a group of booklets bound together by a rubber-band, and one that came with a soundtrack by THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS and Philip Glass.
The 10th issue of McSweeney’s is entitled MCSWEENEY’S MAMMOTH TREASURY OF THRILLING TALES. It’s a collection of mostly genre (sci-fi, mystery, adventure, etc.) stories written by anyone who’s anyone in short fiction writing today and it’s guest-edited by Michael Chabon, whose novel THE ADVENTURES OF KAVLIER AND CLAY won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2001.
Issue 10 of McSweeney’s is the greatest anthology of short stories to come out in decades. If you’re going to buy only one book in the next five years, pick up this one. Here are 21 reasons why:
TEDFORD AND THE MEGALODON – an adventure story about the journey into the heart of darkness a young zoology clerk takes to the Antarctic to find the Carcharodon Megalodon, the legendary 40-foot-long shark. Written by Jim Shepard, author of NOSFERATU and a collection of short stories called BATTING AGAINST CASTRO, definitely a writer to watch for in the future.
THE TEARS OF SQUONK AND WHAT HAPPENED THEREAFTER -- a beautifully constructed circus murder mystery written by Glen David Gold involving a clown and a 12-foot elephant. Set in 1916, the story calls up a simpler time when 12-foot elephants could still draw a crowd but humans were no less capable of evil manipulation and murder.
THE BEES -- a mildly supernatural thriller concerning the guilt an ex-alcoholic father feels about leaving his previous wife and child and his fear that his past life has come back to haunt him. Like all good ghost stories, there’s a great sense of impending doom right from the first paragraph.
CATSKIN by fantasy writer Kelly Link. A sinister story about the murder of a witch and the cat she sends back to help her son avenge her death. It’s a fairy tale for twisted children.
HOW CARLOS WEBSTER CHANGED HIS NAME TO CARL AND BECAME A FAMOUS OKLAHOMA LAWMAN - Elmore Leonard’s expertly crafted legend of a famous criminal and the encounter he has with a young boy that eventually leads to his downfall. A perfect example of how a master storyteller can take a relatively simple story and make it refreshing and new.
THE GENERAL - a war story about a soldier raised by his enemy who escapes to the mountains and is taken in by a young girl and her grandmother. A timely story with thematic echoes of Mary Shelly’s FRANKENSTIEN.
CLOSING TIME – Neil Gaiman’s urban myth about a haunted house that swallows children. Not one of his best works but still a good read.
OTHERWISE PANDEMONIUM from Nick Hornby. The story of a 16-year old kid who sees the end of civilization through a precognitive VCR and how he uses that information to get laid. Fans of Hornby’s other works (HIGH FIDELITY, ABOUT A BOY) will not be disappointed.
THE TALE OF GRAY DICK – yet another chronicle from Stephen King’s Dark Tower Series. A forgettable story but King fans will no doubt be excited about this preview from the upcoming WOLVES OF CALLA.
BLOOD DOESN’T COME OUT – a short crime story by Michael Crichton about an insurance detective having a bad day. Though it seems a bit hastily written, it’s still a relatively good read.
WEAVING THE DARK – a mystery in which a blind woman tries to discover who is stealing the water and power from her log cabin. It suffers a little from a few ominous red-herrings planted at the beginning of the story, but is still a nicely written character piece.
CHUCK’S BUCKET by Chris Offutt -- a self-aware sci-fi tale (the ADAPTATION of the collection) about the author’s attempts to go through time to read the end of his story. One of the few comedic pieces of the anthology that includes plenty of tongue-in-cheek references for readers.
UP THE MOUNTAIN COMING DOWN SLOWLY, Dave Eggers own contribution to the collection about a young woman’s hike up the Kilimanjaro. While it doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of the genre stories, it’s still an excellent story nonetheless.
THE CASE OF THE NAZI CANARY – a murder mystery by Michael Moorcock that offers an alternative history to the downfall of the Nazi Party. Like a Sherlock Homes mystery with Hitler as a suspect.
THE CASE OF THE SALT AND PEPPER SHAKERS – a mystery in which a detective tries to figure out the significance a collection of salt and pepper shakers has on the double murder of an elderly couple. Not really that strong of a story but offers an interesting mode of death for the victims.
GHOST DANCE –a Tales From the Crypt-like horror story about the trail of carnage left after the dead rise from their grave from the Battle of Little Big Horn. Ultra-violence in the spirit of Cormac McCarthy (for anyone who’s ever read him).
GOODBYE TO ALL THAT by Harlan Ellison -- an adventure story set in the future about a weary traveler and his desire to find Shangri-la. It’s Harlan Ellison. ‘Nuff said.
PRIVATE GRAVE 9 about an archeological dig and the writer who shows up and inspires murderous thoughts in a young man. Though there’s not too much action in this story the setting and the mood call up visions of adventures stories from the ‘30s.
THE ALBERTINE NOTES (my favorite of the collection) by Rick Moody – an incredibly mind-bending story set in the future that delves into the theoretical possibilities of memories and murder. It’s like END OF DAYS, eXistenZ and THE MATRIX all rolled into one.
And …
THE MARTIAN AGENT, A PLANETARY ROMANCE by Mr. Michael Chabon himself. The first part of a story involving two young boys and their adventures on their uncle’s airship after their parents are killed in the American Revolution. There’s a note at the end of this story that the second installment will be included in MCSWEENEY’S SECOND MAMMOTH TREASURY OF THRILLING TALES. Here’s hoping Chabon isn’t kidding about that.
Lastly but not least-ly there’s the amazing illustrations by Howard Chaykin, whose classic comic book style that bring the reader back to a time when stories like this were much more common. With any luck the success of this collection will cause a resurgence of these kinds of genre stories and inspire a new fad in publishing or at least another similarly themed issue of MCSWEENEY’S.
Next Column: I’m taking another brief hiatus from fiction to plunge into the world of rock n’ roll with a book that is destined to be included in the Rock Star Bio canon – WHITE LINE FEVER by Lemmy from MOTORHEAD.
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