Really, Really, Really, Really Weird Stories

Rating:
Summary: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK
Review: DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: it is too weird, it will freak you out! DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: you may be able to read four or five stories gathered in there and return to your normal life, you won't be able to do that after you have read all THIRTY-SEVEN. This book is a trip -and I mean this literary- which will take you far, far beyond the limits of your perception. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: it will become an addiction and there is no way to resist its lure. Once you have started reading it you will want to have more of it. And then more. And then more. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: you will die laughing. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: the images it provokes will be burned on your cerebrum like a neon-sign you can not switch off. Forever. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: you will be desperately longing to read the next story but at the same time you will be afraid which kind of dark journey this story will take you on. This fear will become a paranoia. It will take control over your daily routine. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK: you will be lost in the beauty of its language, the variety of styles and tones. And maybe you won't come back. DO NOT READ THIS BOOK! If you do it anyway then do not tell me that I did not warn you.

Rating:
Summary: 37 by Shirley: Too Much of Good Stuff? Hardly!
Review: For a long-time fan of John Shirley, this collection of 37 (CountÕem -- thirty seven!) stories by one of the most imaginative science fiction/horror writers working today is a deal just too good to be true. In this collection you will find stories of every imaginable stripe, from urban paranoid fantasy to cosmic science fiction to magic realism to deliriously sensual prose poetry to just flat-out unclassifiable weirdness; from the galactic gamesters who throw planets as if they were bowling balls, to a metal griffin and a Virgin Mary made out of beach ball rubber, to Dracula who consumes his victims by squeezing them like lemons, to a bioengineered room which, to its ownerÕs chagrin, harbors a reincarnated soul of a murder victim ... all written in a style altogether ShirleyÕs own; pulverizing and devastating in its candor, precision and black, deathly black, humor, yet somehow simultaneously lyrical, compassionate and deeply spiritual. He takes no bullshit, he takes no prisoners. As a collective edition, BLACK BUTTERFLIES or HEATSEEKER perhaps packs greater punches, but I heartily recommend the present volume to any newcomer to John Shirely.

Rating:
Summary: Not so very weird
Review: I don't know why he would call this book really, really, really, really, weird stories. The stories are ok and the writing not so bad. But not worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: Not so very weird
Review: I don't know why he would call this book really, really, really, really, weird stories. The stories are ok and the writing not so bad. But not worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a unique idea for a story collection...
Review: It really is a unique concept - the short stories are set out in four sections, Really Weird Stories, Really Really Weird stories, Really Really Really Weird Stories, and Really Really Really Really Weird stories...for a reason. Each section's stories are chosen to be weirder than the previous one. And the FIRST section's stories are pretty thoroughly weird. The idea is to create an altered state in readers, a state they get to through the act of reading alone (assuming they play along with the experiment and read them *in order*). The stories are in several genres, crime/suspense, science fiction, horror, and some that are beyond genre typing - the only thing that links them is their weirdness. And the fact that I feel that these are among my very best stories --and certainly it's all my weirdest stories, except for a few contractually unavailable (and let's face it, I'm known for weird stories, among other things). They may be weird - but they are coherent (or they are to me...but then I'm weird). Not everyone will agree about the relative weirdness of the stories - that's a subjective call - but part of the fun is in comparing and judging that quality as you read the book. I took a couple of risks, in formulating this collection of my stories. First of all, the idea for the collection might be dismissed by some as gimmicky - over 30 stories arranged *in order of increasing weirdness*; second, its whimsical title, REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY WEIRD STORIES - might make it sound like a Fox Channel special. But I thrive on risks, on brinksmanship, to me that's part of being creative. For me Art is courage times creativity. And what I'm trying to do here is make an artistic statement about the relativity of reality itself; about consensus reality versus the riotous possibilities of real freedom.

Rating:
Summary: The weirdest of the weird, the strangest of the strange.
Review: John Shirley's Really Really Really Really Weird Stories slip out of the constraints of whatever labels have been been put to them -- science fiction, fantasy, horror, erotica, suspense -- and into his own very special, indefinable, extraordinary literary universe.

The thirty-six stories in the book are arranged in four sections: Really Weird, Really Really Weird, Really Really Really Weird, and Really Really Really Really Weird -- the book gets weirder as it progresses.

It's whimsical title acknowledges that it is an exercise in something that is not likely to be a critical priority among literary pundits and academic soothsayers. It acknowledges that there's a big element of pure fun in the concept. As the reader will discover, however, the broad spectrum and literary merit of the stories go far beyond sheer entertainment. This is coherent weirdness -- weirdness that has internal logic and internal believability

The book contains some of Shirley's earliest work and ten pieces never before published.

Rating:
Summary: Uneven
Review: Not Shirley's best work but worth the price of the purchase. Some of his stories seemed little more than pointless vignettes, drug or booze addled memories or simple nonsense. But when Shirley is on his game (more misses than hits) its the genuine stuff. I think a little more editing before a rush to publish may have payed dividends or at least discarding half of the stories in favor of quality over quantity.

Rating:
Summary: What a ride!
Review: Shirley's best work lies in his short stories, and RRRWS includes thirty seven of Shirley's finest taut tales of the desperately demented. For fans of New Noir and Black Butterflies, this collection is sure to please. While RRRWS may seem like merely a cathartic romp through Shirley's miswired grey matter, digesting these stories merely for their shock value would be a mistake. The true beauty of this collection lays not so much in the horrific scenarios Shirley dreams up for his unfortunate protagonists. Its real heart lies in the compelling attempts of these unfortunate characters to make sense of unspeakable plights. Just be sure to give yourself a breather between stories. Reading them in one sitting could prove hazardous to your health.

Rating:
Summary: What a collection!
Review: This was my first John Shirley experience. It has left me both eager and afraid to track down more of his work. I'm eager to read more Shirley because he is master of stories. He can write in any genre. His stories are fascinating. I like them. I'm afraid to read more Shirley because the stories are so engrossing that I lose track of time. That, and the fact, that many of his stories are quite disturbing.

As other reviewers have noted, this collection is not made up of all winners. In any collection of nearly 40 stories, there will be some poorer stories. While this collection does not have any bad stories, there are several short vignettes that perhaps should have been left out of this collection.

Several of the stories in this collection left me reeling. 'Lot Five...' is a marvelous story that really defies description. There are several acolytes of a cult-like leader who are attempting to wend their way through a maze of doors, hallways, and security guards to reach the guru. I loved this story. It was weird and horrific at the same time.

Another of my favorites was '...And the Angel with Television Eyes', a story about a tele-screen actor who's been plagued with bizarre dreams. He wakes one morning to find an iron griffin on his balcony. The griffin tells him that he's being summoned by some sort of ethereal lords. Before the actor can act on the summons he's kidnapped by hideous harpies and taken to a rooftop balcony where a metal man, Lord Thanatos, tells him that the griffin is attempting to trick the actor. A large battle ensues in which the actor learns of his true identity and the large mystery behind the events of his morning. I am excited to hear that Mr. Shirley has recently completed a novel expansion of this story, due in 2002.

As the title of the collection indicates, many of the stories in this collection are very weird. In fact, the stories are organized by their weirdness. The first section is Really Weird Stories. The second is Really, Really Weird Stories...and so on.

Those of us who love weird fiction, and you know who you are, should pick up this collection. It's full of great weirdness. I should point out that many of the stories in this collection contain explicit sexual content, so if that's not your thing, stay away. On the whole, I found this collection to be a mind-blowing trip through the works of a brilliant author, John Shirley. Immediately after finishing this book, I jumped online and ordered several other Shirley titles. I fully expect to enjoy them as much as I did this one. Recommended.

Rating:
Summary: What a collection!
Review: This was my first John Shirley experience. It has left me both eager and afraid to track down more of his work. I'm eager to read more Shirley because he is master of stories. He can write in any genre. His stories are fascinating. I like them. I'm afraid to read more Shirley because the stories are so engrossing that I lose track of time. That, and the fact, that many of his stories are quite disturbing.

As other reviewers have noted, this collection is not made up of all winners. In any collection of nearly 40 stories, there will be some poorer stories. While this collection does not have any bad stories, there are several short vignettes that perhaps should have been left out of this collection.

Several of the stories in this collection left me reeling. 'Lot Five...' is a marvelous story that really defies description. There are several acolytes of a cult-like leader who are attempting to wend their way through a maze of doors, hallways, and security guards to reach the guru. I loved this story. It was weird and horrific at the same time.

Another of my favorites was '...And the Angel with Television Eyes', a story about a tele-screen actor who's been plagued with bizarre dreams. He wakes one morning to find an iron griffin on his balcony. The griffin tells him that he's being summoned by some sort of ethereal lords. Before the actor can act on the summons he's kidnapped by hideous harpies and taken to a rooftop balcony where a metal man, Lord Thanatos, tells him that the griffin is attempting to trick the actor. A large battle ensues in which the actor learns of his true identity and the large mystery behind the events of his morning. I am excited to hear that Mr. Shirley has recently completed a novel expansion of this story, due in 2002.

As the title of the collection indicates, many of the stories in this collection are very weird. In fact, the stories are organized by their weirdness. The first section is Really Weird Stories. The second is Really, Really Weird Stories...and so on.

Those of us who love weird fiction, and you know who you are, should pick up this collection. It's full of great weirdness. I should point out that many of the stories in this collection contain explicit sexual content, so if that's not your thing, stay away. On the whole, I found this collection to be a mind-blowing trip through the works of a brilliant author, John Shirley. Immediately after finishing this book, I jumped online and ordered several other Shirley titles. I fully expect to enjoy them as much as I did this one. Recommended.