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thomaswjoyce's review
5.0
A collection of short stories from an exceptionally fearless and unique imagination. Some I'd read before (like the phenomenal "Ex-Hale" and "Precedents" and the other stories from Angel Dust Apocalypse) and some were new to me, but they were all entertaining. Johnson doesn't allow traditional norms to restrain his fiction. Things like how a story is presented, formatted, POV; he just delivers incredible stories about incredible people. Is that dude actually alive in "Ex-Hale"? Can you imagine your parent talking to you about the subject matter in "Priapism"? Sewing bugs to a suit to withstand a nuclear apocalypse? Death and destruction as seen from the POV of an H-bomb? It all sounds so insane and unworkable but, not only does Johnson make it work, he delivers each story with a compelling voice and brave style that leaves me awestruck. A must-read; open your mind, wide.
theresa_w's review
4.0
Reviewing a book of short stories is difficult. It's especially difficult to review a book of short stories as eclectic as this was. There were stories with endearing characters, stories that were practically long-form jokes with a crude punch line (and yes - I found them funny!). And then there were stories that you wouldn't want to read in your neighborhood book club!
A couple really stood out for me as favorites. One was Wall of Sound: A Movement in Three Parts. I think my heart was racing with the three main characters we followed through the rave and the less than ideal trips they had. It was vivid and surreal. Very well told! The other was the very last story: Extinction Journals. This follows up on a character I met in Entropy in Bloom who made a suit out of roaches to survive the apocalypse. In the pages of this story we follow him and his roaches as they search for food/water/survival. I can't share too much without giving away the story. I just loved the strange hero's journey this character makes.
Add to that several stories about parasitic infestations. So many parasites are in this book! It's not for the squeamish. But it is for the curious who can't help but wonder how Jeremy Robert Johnson's brain ticks!
A couple really stood out for me as favorites. One was Wall of Sound: A Movement in Three Parts. I think my heart was racing with the three main characters we followed through the rave and the less than ideal trips they had. It was vivid and surreal. Very well told! The other was the very last story: Extinction Journals. This follows up on a character I met in Entropy in Bloom who made a suit out of roaches to survive the apocalypse. In the pages of this story we follow him and his roaches as they search for food/water/survival. I can't share too much without giving away the story. I just loved the strange hero's journey this character makes.
Add to that several stories about parasitic infestations. So many parasites are in this book! It's not for the squeamish. But it is for the curious who can't help but wonder how Jeremy Robert Johnson's brain ticks!
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