THE BOOK OF LOST
PLACES
by Jeff Vandermeer
Dark Regions Press, 1996 P.O. Box 6301 Concord CA 94524
118 pgs. $8.95 + 1.24 p/h (chapbook)
Patrick must have been cleaning out his office when he unearthed this gem from
1996. Wish I had known about the stories when they were first published in
various small press and prozines as I'd have recommended a few of the stories
for Stoker Awards. Jeff Vandermeer's grasp of slipstream fantasy grips you by
the throat and doesn't let go.
The nine stories that make up this chapbook are all good, with some standouts
that imprint their strangeness on you and may alter the way you look at the
world. A slim volume, LOST PLACES will convey you to uncharted territories of
imagination.
A strange and terrible fate awaits a mercenary soldier in "Falling Into
the Arms of Death He Found a Beautiful Place". The life of a librarian is
changed forever after meeting one of the Fey in "Greensleeves". A
psychic suffers with the elephant he trains in "Mahout". These unique
characters, strange locales and more await you during your journeys in THE BOOK
OF LOST PLACES. Highly recommended. --Don Kinney |
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