Table of Contents for The Weird released

The ToC for The Weird, edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer, was just revealed on Jeff's blog.  Now, I'm going to be biased due to a translation of mine, "Mister Taylor" by Guatemalan writer Augusto Monterroso, appearing there, but I do think this 750,000 word reprint anthology will be one of those anthologies that readers of all stripes, particularly those who like one or more iterations of weird fiction, ought to own.  There are authors who have fallen from the limelight, authors from non-Anglo-American literary traditions, stories that are classics and those who just might surprise you.  Even if I didn't have a story appearing here, I'd want to own this one (it comes out in the UK in mid-October, with a possible US publication some time later) as soon as it was on the market due to the high probability that I would discover several outstanding writers/stories.

Also, when the associated Weird Fiction Review site launches near release date, expect some content related to this ToC there.  I am quite excited about this and hopefully there will be others excited as well. If you want to weigh in with your thoughts on the ToC or just to express your interest (or even disinterest, if that suits you more) in the stories, please leave a comment below.

László Krasznahorkai and Max Neumann's Animalinside

Currently reading a recently-published chapbook by Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai that consists of 48 pages of short writings inspired by paintings done by Max Neumann.  The result is something that is so stunningly visceral that I thought it might be better to snap a couple of photos than to attempt (and fail miserably) at capturing this short book's power in a traditional review essay.  Hope the little excerpts captured by the photos appeals to you as much as they do for me.

2011 releases bought/received so far

Seems like I'm discovering quite a few interesting 2011 releases in a variety of genres.  For those looking for the new shiny, here is a non-chronological listing of 2011 books (and e-books) that I now own:

Stephen Kelman, Pigeon English

Alice LaPlante, Turn of Mind

Donald Ray Pollock, The Devil All the Time (already reviewed)

Glen Duncan, The Last Werewolf

Jesse Ball, The Curfew

Dana Spiotta, Stone Arabia

Carol Birch, Jamrach's Menagerie

S.J. Watson, Before I Go To Sleep

Jim Shepard, You Think That's Bad (collection)

Minister Faust, The Alchemists of Kush

Chris Adrian, The Great Night

David Albahari, Leeches

Genevieve Valentine, Mechanique:  A Tale of the Circus Tresaulti

Ransom Riggs, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

Rikki Ducornet, Netsuke

Nick Mamatas, Starve Better (non-fiction)

Helen Schulman, This Beautiful Life

Elanor Henderson, Ten Thousand Saints

Bradford Morrow, The Diviner's Tale

Giorgio Agamben, The Sacrament of Language:  The Archaeology of the Oath (non-fiction)

J.M. McDermott, Never Knew Another

Karen Russell, Swamplandia!

Joe Abercrombie, The Heroes

Téa Obreht, The Tiger's Wife

Steven Erikson, The Crippled God

R. Scott Bakker, The White-Luck Warrior

David Foster Wallace, The Pale King

Roberto Bolaño, Los sinsabores del verdadero policía (Spanish)

Jeff VanderMeer, The Compass of His Bones and Other Stories (collection)

Peter Beagle, Sleight of Hand (collection)

Tibor Moricz, O Peregrino (Portuguese)

Michael Cisco, The Great Lover

Jonathan Strahan, Eclipse Four

Roger Manley, Weird Tennessee (non-fiction)

Jeff VanderMeer, Monstrous Creatures (non-fiction essay collection)

China Miéville, Embassytown

Jeff VanderMeer and S.J. Chambers, The Steampunk Bible (non-fiction)

Inky Johnson, Inky:  An Amazing Story of Faith and Perseverance (non-fiction)

Blake Butler, There Is No Year

David Anthony Durham, The Sacred Band

Lila Azam Zanganeh, The Enchanter:  Nabokov and Happiness (non-fiction)

Ben Loory, Stories for Nighttime and Some for the Day (collection)

Brandon Sanderson, The Alloy of Law

Gail Carriger, Heartless

Nnedi Okorafor, Akata Witch

Umberto Eco, Confessions of a Young Novelist (non-fiction)

Catherynne M. Valente, The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

Maeve Gilmore and Mervyn Peake, Titus Awakes

George R.R. Martin, A Dance With Dragons

Lev Grossman, The Magician King

Phil Edwards and Lewis Carroll, Snooki in Wonderland:  The Improved Classic

Tim Powers, The Bible Repairman and Other Stories (collection)

Juan Gabriel Vásquez, El ruido de las cosas al caer (Spanish)

Drew Magery, The Post-Mortal


There are a few other books lying about that I'll add to this list later this afternoon.  With only a few exceptions, these are books that I've read and the others are those I plan on reading shortly.  Think I might have some reason to think I'll have a comprehensive Best of 2011 selection based on the books listed here?  Now to count up how many this actually is – certain it is at least 50.