Sinister Miniatures - Book Club August '11

I finished 'Rain and the Library' last night... holy! Got my mind racing!

Is that the second story? I don't have my copy on me.

I've only read the first two stories so far.

Rain and the Library is a good one. Does a really good job of blurring the line between the narrator's sexual fantasy and what is actually happening... that is, if it was just a fantasy (which I gather from the girl not really doing much in protest). Whether it was or wasn't, it was spectacularly graphic.

That said, my favorite story choice is split between Any Road, Any Time; Real Art; and War Dream.

Any Road, Any Time: One of the most mean-spirited, but clever reversals of the victim role that I have seen in any medium.

Real Art: It was interesting to see how one student's trauma from another student's photograph of her could be defended by the photograph being well-done. That said, the argument comes with a lot of opposition. There's a great deal of drama in this story.

War Dream: A god-like giant commanding soldiers to piece themselves together into a giant of their own lends an interesting angle to a war film (despite the title).

As for ones I didn't like so much? Hard to say, but The Garage Door seemed a little bit too much like early Clockwork Orange scenes. To me, when everything else seems to be twisting plot lines as much as possible, The Garage Door doesn't live up to that.

The stories in this book divided my opinion quite a bit. I'll go light on the potential spoilers in this post if you guys are still reading, just some general thoughts for now. In a few days I'll come post again.

Some I really liked, other were just... meh. Sure, this is the case with a lot of collections, can't please everyone all of the time and all that. For me though, this one had more ups and downs than most.

There's a lot of tiny flash fiction stories, just a page or a couple of pages long. Some of these are quite cool (Jason Speaks, The Finn, and War Dream were my favorites here) but I don't really think many stood out as having a wow factor.

As for the longer stories, some were excellent, others I just couldn't get into. There's a lot of weird erotica. A hell of a lot. More than I was expecting for sure. My general opinion on erotic literature is that it sucks. I just find it cheesy as hell most of the time. All the erotic tales here were kind twisted though, and some of them were really cool. (Rain In The Library and Circadas stood out. Any Road, Any Time was pretty intense too, that one counts as a win)

I think the very best stories were the less erotic ones though. Distant Voice Come Near was probably my overall favorite in the book. That one was sweet. Dormez Vous was cool too. Both of these stories have a neat weird horror vibe.

Most of the stories I didn't like were either just a little bland (mostly in the case of the flash fiction) or were spoiled by over sexing. You Saw Me Standing Alone would have been much better without the pointless cock cameo. The Night Creature was just daft. The last story Sparklewheel, which is the longest, is a kind of trippy dream sequence which usually I'd be into but it just totally failed to grab me.

So yeah overall - mixed bag here. Glad I read it though, the good stories outweigh the rest.

I shall be back with some more specific thoughts later in the week I guess.

-peace

This brings up a good question regarding collections that I've been wondering about.

As a reader, do you prefer the "mixed bag" approach, i.e. a variety in theme, POV, genre, length, etc.? Or do you prefer consistency like in Knockemstiff where it's all pretty much one style and voice the entire time?

Most of the time I'd rather see a steady theme across a collection. I like it when people are playful with POV and presentation etc though.

I feel the same. it was a mixed bag. I enjoyed some of the stories and didn't enjoy others at all. One or two were fantastic. Rain and the Library was my favorite. Some of them were too short and just seemed to be in there to take up space. I'm not usually a big short story fan though. I like things to take time to develop etc.

As far as whether I'd prefer consistency or a mix of styles, I'd prefer consistency if it's a style that I like. I'd rather enjoy all the stories than half of them. But I'd rather enjoy half the stories than none. I think having a mix is a safe bet. You're going to like something in there and then might go on and read more of the writer's work.

I am interested to read one of Saknussemm's novels. Has anyone read any of them?

I haven't read Sinister Miniatures. The reactions in this thread will probably determine if I do or don't since my book queue is already out of control.

The consistency vs. variety aspect of collections intrigues me though.

On the one hand, if I like what the author is doing, I'm going to want more of it. If I don't, the entire book is fucked. Either way, I very quickly find myself becoming acclimated to whatever they're doing in their stories. That's been more or less my issue with collections: even if I like the writing, the book can be quite easy to put down.

The mixed bag approach, on the other hand...I rather like not knowing what to expect. Even if some of the pieces don't work (which is usually the case), this seems to bode better for my actual reading process.

I did a little more reading last night and was kind of let down by some of the stories... I didn't really like the first story, then the second (Library and the Rain) was super intense... now it's like everything after is anti climactic.

If I were to have answered the question of 'would I prefer a mixed bag or consistency' yesterday, I probably would have said mixed bag but now I'm thinking consistency.

(wishing I had my book on me...) There is a story where there is someone chanting with a mask on... I didn't like that one. That is one of those ones I thought was 'to take up space'.

I'll agree that the level of intensity of Library and the Rain is difficult to match with many of the other stories (save for Any Road, Any Time and perhaps Sparklewheel).

The Binding Light (I'm guessing that's what you meant by the mask and the chanting) wasn't that great either, now that I'm looking back at it. However, I feel that Skootermonjin and A Quiet Snap make up for it. For those ones, it's not so much intensity as it is intrigue for me.

I joined The Cult especially so I could join in this discussion. Kris Saknussemm is a great author. I've read Enigmatic Pilot and I am right at the end of Private Midnight. I'm going to get this collection today and read it asap.

Saknussemm is a fascinating author... one of my favourites all truth be told. I believe each story in Sinister Miniatures was published elsewhere first, which would shed light on their mixed nature.

One of the things I appreciate the most about Saknussemm's writing is the sense of mystery that permeates. Sinister Miniatures has this sense of mystery for me. Even when the stories concern themselves with more familiar territory, the angle he takes somehow infuses them with mystery.

I wish I were at home so I could use my copy as reference to discuss the individual stories in more detail. Was anyone else put off by the erotic slant of some of the stories?

His novels are another story entirely. Private Midnight is a brilliant, if slightly frustrating, book. The cycle he started with Zanesville and has continued with Enigmatic pilot, paint a rich mythology. I'd definitely recommend picking up his books.

Haven't yet gotten a chance to look at his novels, though I might start with Enigmatic Pilot. Having enjoyed his shorts in this collection, his longer work may prove interesting too.

Do you think that this collection is mostly for fans of bizarro?

I've only read the first story so far. This month has been hectic due to moving across the country. But I've read his first two novels and think they have the potential to appeal to people besides fans of bizarro (and they aren't really categorized as such considering they were published by traditional NYC publishers rather than the small press). But most bizarro books also have the potential to appeal to people that aren't into bizarro or aren't aware of its existence.

Hey, Pete!

Any Road, Any Time was definitely my personal favorite, though I also really enjoyed Cicadas, Dormez Vous, Distant Voice Come Near and The Garage Door, Report from Hong Kong, and Sparklewheel.

Kris' voice is one of the most unique I've ever encountered, and I admire his willingness to constantly subvert expectations. He writes trap door stories. What starts as a horror/suspense story suddenly veers into erotica and then returns to horror (or something more subtle). Makes for a very exciting (or sometimes almost frustratingly ambiguous/thoughtful) read.

And as in any collection spanning decades and genres, it's a mixed bag, but I personally dig that in collections (themed collections can be very cool but kind of one note). After a while into each story, though, I started to wonder when people were going to start fucking. Because that happens quite a bit.

I second Revert's admiration for Private Midnight. Such a strange, gender-fucked head trip of a noir story.

I know lots of fans of specific Bizarro writers, but not as many whole cloth Bizarro Fiction fans. Which I think is a testament to the expanding depth and breadth of the genre and contributing authors. And most of the shorts featured in SM were previously published in non-Bizarro venues, so I'd say that it has a big reach outside of genre.

Kris has had an esteemed career long before Bizarro existed, but I think it's great that a Bizarro press can push some of his work that New York deemed "psychotic" out into the world. Kris said "Any Road, Any Time" has been optioned for film (although I'm guessing it would take someone like Solondz to pull it off).

JRJ

Hey everyone,

I’m the editor of Lazy Fascist Press, publisher of Sinister Miniatures. First off, I want to give a huge thanks to Peter for welcoming us on here and allowing us to be a part of your book club. This was a very exciting privilege for me as a publisher and Kris as an author, and I apologize for dropping the ball. More than half the month remains, and I’ll be on here every day from now on, drumming up discussion, answering questions, giving away a few books, etc. Kris Saknussemm is in the middle of a big move from Australia back to the states for a sponsored residency in Las Vegas, but you can expect involvement from him as well.

As our thank you to everyone at The Cult, I’m offering three Lazy Fascist Book Club memberships, which will get you a copy of every book we publish between August 2011 and August 2012 (approx. 15-20 releases). Anyone who participates in the discussion this month will be eligible. Winners will be randomly drawn and announced on September 1st.

If anyone would like to join in on this month’s discussion but doesn’t have a copy of Sinister Miniatures, let me know. I have a few copies to send out. In addition, I can provide anyone with a pdf.

Brandon, you brought up good questions about collections. Here are some initial thoughts: Some collections are meant to capture a single style or period of a writer’s work, while others encompass a wider range and timespan. Then there are best-of collections, which tend to come late in a writer’s career, that cull the very best work from all of their other books.

Sinister Miniatures falls into the “wider range and timespan” category. There are pieces from every stage in Kris’ writing career up to this point, with a number of stories that predate his first novel, Zanesville.

One of the earlier stories in the collection, “The Garage Door,” is a quietly unsettling domestic tragedy that’s reminiscent of Raymond Carver, if Carver somehow got infected with the nightmare logic of David Lynch.

(Bonus fun fact: Stanley Elkin originally picked up this story for the New England Review in the eighties. If you’re unfamiliar with Elkin, go look him up right now. And if anyone wants to check out his work, PM me your address and I’ll put something in the mail for you until my collection runs out.)

“The Garage Door” still holds up well today. Kris read this story on a book tour stop in Portland, Oregon back in May, and he had the whole audience on edge.

One of my absolute favorite stories in the collection, though, is “Special Guest Stars.” I’ll post some things here about it this weekend.

There's a quote by David Lynch that goes "In Hollywood, more often than not, they're making more kind of traditional films, stories that are understood by people. And the entire story is understood. And they become worried if even for one small moment something happens that is not understood by everyone. But what's so fantastic is to get down into areas where things are abstract and where things are felt, or understood in an intuitive way that, you can't, you know, put a microphone to somebody at the theatre and say 'Did you understand that?' but they come out with a strange, fantastic feeling and they can carry that, and it opens some little door or something that's magical and that's the power that film has." I think this sentiment applies perfectly to KS's writing, especially in these little shorts.

In all of his work, "Zanesville" especially, Saknussemm seems to be interested in blurring the line between myth and reality, for the specific purpose of allowing the reader to feel what it would've been like to be in these situations rather than imparting a sort of linear and boring notion of "what exactly happened".

"The Rain and the Library" is an example of this, as is the first story. By the end of that story you've by turns felt uncomfortable, aroused, embarrassed, triumphant. If this is a fantasy that simply occurred within the narrator's mind, then by displaying the events as fact the reader is put into his subjective frame.

There's a definite theme of blindness throughout, whether it's in "Cicadas" where that girl is able to explore her sexuality with the blind boy completely in her own head, without worrying about being seen, or in "The Garage Door" where the main character is blind to both his own feelings and to the objective reality of his situation, or in the story with camp for blind kids (I need to get my copy back). JRJ is right, these stories act as traps, but I don't think that they do it just to fuck with you. KS wants to put you into a certain subjective frame and then shine a light on that subjectivity, not to show you "ha! nothing is real" but rather to say "even though it might not be true...didn't you have more fun that way?"

Thanks to everyone who’s read the book and is participating in this discussion thread. Now that some lines of focus have emerged, I thought I might make a couple of comments. I’ll post them separately, as they are very distinct issues.
First, on the subject of short story collections and how unified/integrated they are as a whole. I have a great fondness for this technique when done well—and many have. James, Poe and Lovecraft all managed something along this path—as did Conrad, Lawrence, Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, Katherine Anne Porter, Angela Carter—Tim O’Brien. The list is long. One of my favorite American works of all time is Sherwood Anderson’s Winesburg, Ohio, which is a superb demonstration of this aesthetic. But I also appreciate works that are straightforwardly“collections” in the sense of Raymond Carver and Paul Bowles. These are books where you may not read every page and certainly don’t feel an obligation or even inclination to read sequentially. In recorded music terms, they aren’t concept albums and don’t pretend to be. Graham Greene’s brilliant 19 Stories is an excellent example. John Cheever also comes to my mind—and in totally different registers, some of the work of Stephen King, William Gibson and Poppy Z. Brite, to name just three.
My only structural intention with this book was to select (and it is a selected works volume) pieces that sit comfortably under the rubric of the title, and which had been previously published and to that extent, have proven themselves in some definitive way in forums I respect.
I personally have some complaints with a contemporary trend in fiction regarding books of loosely connected stories that seem to want to split the difference between short story collections and consideration as novels, without, in my view, delivering the holistic and coherent narrative and dramatic composition that I believe defines a novel, even in these murky times of lost consensus. I’m thinking here of writers like Jennifer Egan, Jim Shepard and David Mitchell. To me, as good as these writers are, I don’t feel the works they are best known for show that architectonic sense of cohesion that a great symphony or a true novel should. Nor do they reinvent or give us a fresh but comprehensible new vision of the larger form, as I reckon two of my former employers (Frank Zappa and Miles Davis) did in their artistic realms.
My intention with SINISTER MINIATURES was simply to bring together a very diffuse body of work created over many years in one package—and to perhaps show an arc of development as well as a matrix of continuous obsessions, however shadowy and inarticulate they may be. I’m grateful to the thoughtful readers commenting here for helping me to understand my own work better.

On the subject of writing about sex, I feel a personal and professional imperative to do so—and one of the key reasons is that there seems to be widely held belief that this subject is rarely handled well. To me, this is like the whiff of ozone just before lightning, and suggests exactly the kind of opportunity for risk, failure and revelation that once drove me to jump out of airplanes at 15,000 feet or to tackle Grade 5 whitewater when my skill level was really at 3. In art as in love, I admire above all else the willingness to risk. Anything that has the potential to fail very badly is something I want to get very close to. We fear embarrassment, shame and humiliation far more than physical violence. Boredom, confusion, disgust, revulsion—I’m a big fan of all these possible pitfalls—because I think they are essential parts of life. I don’t think anything could be more fundamental than sex, and the ability to address it in more naked terms, so to speak, is one of the great artistic freedoms we are fortunate enough to be able to enjoy and abuse, thanks to the pioneering work of many colleagues in the past. Whether I handle it well is another matter. But just like actual, physical sex, sometimes you get in the groove and the friction and texture is just right. Other times things fall flat. All the more reason to stay at it as much as you can—and I feel the same way with writing about it. One of the great reasons that there remains a vast market for pornography, stand-up comedy and all forms of Fight Club, professional or street level, is that we animalistically admire people who get up in front of others to perform AGAINST our deepest anxieties. A comedian absolutely bombing on stage…impotence…getting knocked out…these are fears that lie deeper than death. Precisely because people have to live with them afterwards. I think all great art takes on these challenges, in some way. Despite my powerful commitment to the visual arts and music, I believe writing has the edge in fully rendering them. And in also capturing those moments of triumph and transcendence.
I’m not saying in any way I come close to achieving that, and I fail very badly by the standard I set for myself. But I want to be in any competition where you can really lose. When I was a baseball pitcher, I learned a very important lesson. You can’t throw strikeouts unless you get hit for homeruns.

Awesome that you guys have joined us now.

I'm interested to hear from both of you about the idea of story collections. Kris, since you have already released novels with major houses, was this something that appealed to you or did Cameron pitch to you etc?

Also for Cameron, Since so many of the storys have been published already. Do you find it risky releasing a collection? (One of my favourite things about the bizarro genre is how willing they are to publish novellas and collections, unlike so many other houses)

Hey there Jeremy! How are you?

Thank you Kris and Cameron for participating. I'm looking forward to how the discussion goes.

Keep in mind that the discussions stay up for 2 months. So this month is a little over a third of the way through, but I leave it up here at the top of the page for 2 months. And it never really goes away. People can add to it 3 years from now if they want.

I was very keen to participate in some way with the Bizarros, not because I feel my work necessarily jives perfectly with theirs--just because I like their energy and integrity, and they have been very big supporters when I've come to Portland to read. I knew of Cameron first as a writer--and then when he launched Lazy Fascist Press, which has its own distinct brief and profile relative to the other Eraserhead imprints, it seemed a nice fit. I like the idea of working with an editor who is also a writer. The same holds true for new relationship I have with Dark Coast Press in Seattle, where the editor Jarret Middleton is also a novelist. I'm excited about the Bizarros diversifying and tailoring their offerings to different audiences. I'm a huge fan of Carlton's--but I have a special personal rapport with Cameron's and Jeremy's tastes and work. Jeremy published an important novel by J. David Osborne, which I was very pleased to blurb. I'm always excited when I come to Portland, and I count this strange, loyal and deeply talented tribe an important part of my extended family.

I'm not a Bizarro reader and i love his books.

Valmont - I don't consider publishing collections risky because I believe in every single book I publish. If I wasn't excited about a book, I wouldn't publish it, period. However, collections tend not to sell as well as novels, so it's important to realistically assess each book and how it fits in with the immediate and long-term goals/plans/etc. of the press before committing to taking it on.

I feel really fortunate to have been given the privilege and opportunity to work on the collections I have. Four of the first five Lazy Fascist releases were collections, and while I've been publishing fewer collections this year, I intend to always give short stories their due. The authors who inspired me to take up writing were mostly poets and short story writers. I have an immense love and respect for shorter forms and the writers who dedicate themselves to creating small works of perfection. If an author I'm unfamiliar with has a story collection out, that's usually their book I start with. Hope that answers your question!

If anyone wants to start off with just a few stories, I recommend "Rain and the Library," "Any Road, Any Time," "Special Guest Stars," and "You Saw Me Standing Alone."

"Special Guest Stars" was one of the stories that struck the deepest chord with me the first time around. It's a psychological horror tale about a terrifying disease (known as Fitzpatrick's Disease) that basically transforms the mind into a haunted house of sorts. The victims of the disease are helpless to the overwhelming, excruciatingly detailed memories that rise up without warning. The disease is different than Alzheimer's or schizophrenia, and in a way more terrifying than both (to me).

Perhaps because of the clinical tone, it has a David Cronenberg vibe, but without the gore and weird sex (if sexy isn't your thing, this is a good story to start with).

Hey, Pete- I'm good. Kept pretty busy since I was here for the ADA discussion. Have a house, wife, and kid now (and a small black pug), got plagiarized in France, got legitimately translated in a few other countries, worked a weird project with The Mars Volta, published some very cool books via my press, and I've finally got a new collection that's about to drop. So all is well. Hope the same goes for you.

On a less "hijacky" note, I just posted a Top Ten Short Stories list over at Bizarro Central, and Kris' "Any Road, Any Time" is on there along with stuff from people like Barker, Lansdale, Shirley Jackson, etc.

Cameron- I actually thought Fitzpatrick's Disease sounded like an okay way to lose one's mind. At least it would be more experiential than a gradual deterioration...

All great news Jeremy!

You've had a busy time I see.

Great philosophy, Kris.

I want to thank Paul and everyone else at The Cult again for allowing us on here. I hope you came away with something from Sinister Miniatures. This was a huge honor, and I hope I've done right by your community. Whether you're brand new to this board or have been around for years, I hope you'll stick around and contribute to September's Book Club Pick, the excellent anthology Warmed and Bound.

I'm happy to announce that Lazy Fascist has just signed Warmed and Bound contributor Stephen Graham Jones.

In other good news, Kris Saknussemm successfully relocated from Australia to Las Vegas, NV in the past week. He's gone from koalas and boomerangs to gambling and strippers. I believe the move will suit him just fine.

As my way of thanking everyone who participated in this thread, three of you are walking away with Lazy Fascist Book Club subscriptions, which will get you every book LF publishes over the next year. I've pulled three names from the hat, and the winners are:

LizardKing
The_Mouseketeer
Valmont

Congratulations! You've just won a year of great books. I'll be contacting the three of you in the next few days with more details.

And if anyone was late to the game, feel free to pick up the discussion or ask more questions. I'll be hanging around.

Thank you.

Wow, thanks a lot Cameron! I'll do right in return and make sure I review them and do everything that I can. Just want to say I've been following Lazy Fascist Press and have really enjoyed the work you've put out. Everyone who I've spoken to has given you glowing reviews as an editor and your hardwork shows.

Thanks! I really appreciate that. And like I said, I'll be in touch soon with all the details. This week is crazy-busy with several big deadlines and script work for an animation project.

Yep, well done with the publishing inroads and all the best for the future.

...and this was an accidental second posting; I haven't figured out the delete button yet... doh!