A Hollow Cube is a Lonely Space [Paperback]

S. D. Foster (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 16, 2011

IT'S AESOP, AS IMAGINED BY JOHN WATERS

A collection of twenty-three bizarro fables in which you'll meet Nobody, a performing primate who wants to chew your children's lips off; pontificate with the Stork, philosopher and feces-eater; rejoice as Nordin "The Noggin" Nobel, noted socialite, is reconciled to his estranged head; share the existential despair of Slothra the suicidal kaiju; celebrate the love of Violet and her rotting lover; explore the meaning of life with Dr. Ebenezer A.T. Horkenheimer, sociopath, and the geography of heaven and hell with Ted the mangled toy. And so much more...

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With rich prose and enjoyable stories, S.D. Foster's debut collection is nothing short of amazing. This is one you do not want to miss."

--Bibliomantics

"Foster's style is downright intimidating. The lyrical flow of his prose is wonderful, and the subjects he tackles are more than sufficient for several head-scratching moments of discomfort and beguilement... This is a collection I'd re-read, for sure." 
--Dreadful Tales

"A gracefully demented collection that pulls you in fast and keeps you with its irreal humor writ with a remarkable degree of plausible illogicalities."

--John Dimes, author of Intracations, The Rites of Pretending Tribe, and The White Corpse Hustle: A Guide for the Fledgling Vampire

"This book belongs in the hands of readers who are tired of the same ole, same ole...go out and grab this sucker and get lost within its pages asap."

--The Next Best Book Club

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Eraserhead Press (November 16, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1621050084
• ISBN-13: 978-1621050087
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.2 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,132,485 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Using his fingers as toes, S.D. Foster roams the hills of Dorset, England, for no apparent reason. Using his toes as fingers, he types. His first book, "A Hollow Cube is a Lonely Space" (Eraserhead Press, 2011), is a collection of fantastic fables featuring cartoonish characters and anthropomorphized fruit. Influences include absurdist prose-poet Russell Edson; the exceedingly silly Soviet, Daniil Kharms; Lewis Carroll; pulp horror; existentialism; Edward Gorey; B-movie auteurs Larry Cohen, John Waters and Frank Henenlotter; and, of course, Aesop.

Links to reviews, interviews and unpublished stories: http://www.facebook.com/pages/A-Hollow-Cube-is-a-Lonely-Space/310300085679014

Author blog: http://morbidomelettes.blogspot.com/

Twitter: @SD_Foster

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Better than the stars say... March 4, 2012

By TW Brown, Author, Editor, and Reviewer

Format:Paperback

I have a friend who is really into art. He sees things in a painting that I can't begin to fathom. My responses to some of the work he has shown me over the years makes him chuckle. Hey, a single black dot in the center of an eight-foot canvass is not art. That is just my opinion. I believe I just finished the book that would be the equivalent.

A Hollow Cube Is A Lonely Space is a collection of some very off-the-wall shorts. I found some to be VERY amusing. Naturally, I didn't love all of them, but there is certainly something in their to tickle your brain. Writers will appreciate the cheekiness, readers will enjoy it, but those who write will find an appreciation for Shelby Foster on a different level.

This is a book that you can leave around the house and pick it up while walking past, read a quick story, chuckle, and be on your way.

It is uneven at times, and not everybody will appreciate Foster's humor. Still, it is entertaining, and that is what writing should be.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Literary Bizarro February 13, 2012

By Spike Marlowe

Format:Paperback

How can I describe S.D. Foster's A Hollow Cube is a Lonely Space?

I can say this is what happens when Bizarro gets literary.

I can tell you that this a collection of twenty-three short stories, lovingly crafted, expertly told with a feel for language, rhythm and a definite literary arch.

I can say, "Share this with your friends who consider their tastes to be more `literary' - you'll get them hooked."

Or I can say, "This is a great bedtime book - twenty-three short tales to open the gates to dreamland."

Or perhaps, "This is seriously weird stuff. In a seriously awesome way."

I could also tell you about the stories themselves. How strange they are - fantastically strange. Within this book, you will follow the natural cycle of a clementine's life, watch how a snowman can break up a relationship, how dolls can care for a dying human child, what really happened to Santa Claus and why those hot ladies from your Happy Meal aren't the best relationships. You'll read about characters who see death, and accept it; characters who much grow up and embrace independence, individuality and adulthood - who must embrace life, and who do so, no matter the cost.

I can also say this: A Hollow Cube is a brave book, touching on those things that scare us the most, and bring us the most joy. It's a self-aware book, which shouldn't be mistaken for self-conscious. Foster knows his mind and his heart, and therefore knows the mind and heart of much of humanity. And he knows how to hold up the mirror and show us those feelings and fears that lie deep within us all.

Perhaps most importantly I should tell you this book is entertaining. I laughed, my jaw dropped, my eyes bugged out of my head. Foster wrote a book I loved reading.

I'll end by telling you this: I think you'd love it, too.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A truly interesting piece by an intimidating, powerful voice January 26, 2012

By Colum 'Dreadful Tales' McKnight

Format:Paperback

Collecting stories of what I can honestly say are the epitome of all that is bizarre, A Hollow Cube is a Lonely Space is a trip through the mind of an author who is obviously comfortable with his burgeoning insanity. From the very first story, the reader is going to become painfully aware that not all is as it should be, and maybe you should treat your fruits the way they would like to be treated, and gobble them up before they feel neglected.

Foster has a style I haven't seen in modern genre fiction for a while. He swings from down-to-earth all the way over to philosophical without missing a beat, and never stumbling over himself in the process. This is a collection I'd re-read, for sure.