Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures [Paperback]

Michael Swanwick (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2003

This collection of short-short fiction by Michael Swanwick contains more than 70 stories in fewer than 100 pages. Often humorous, sometimes chilling, always entertaining, these are prime examples of a recently resurrected literary form. The title piece is a five-minute condensation of a classic of Western literature, featuring a cigar-cutter as Mephistopheles, a box of matches in the roles of Helen of Troy, an Angel of the Lord, the Light of Ontology, and a cigar as Faust himself. Swanwick's bravura imagination has resulted in a separate story for every letter of the alphabet and another set of tales for every planet in the solar system. Additionally, there is a clutch of alternate autobiographies, a novella of decadence and corporate politics in a future Venice that has been boiled down to 416 words, Picasso and Philip K. Dick as existential heroes, and a rhyme for orange.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Always brilliant, Swanwick shines in these quirky short pieces." -- Locus Online

"You have both hands full: felicities, surprises, bon-mots, witticisms, epiphanies, goodies of every description." -- Eileen Gunn, The Fantastic Metropolis

"[M]iniaturized, tightly compressed fictions that are alternately startling, funny and mysterious, and often possess the resonance of especially vivid dreams." -- Bill Sheehan, The Washington Post Book World

About the Author

Michael Swanwick is the author of numerous books, including Bones of the Earth, Tales of Old Earth, and The Iron Dragon's Daughter, a New York Times Notable Book. He has received the Hugo, Nebula, Theodore Sturgeon, and World Fantasy awards for his work. His stories have appeared in Omni, Penthouse, Amazing, Asimov's, High Times, New Dimensions, Starlight, Universe, Full Spectrum, and Triquarterly. Many have been reprinted in Best of the Year anthologies and translated for Japanese, Dutch, German, Italian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, French, and Croatian publications. He lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Tachyon Publications (November 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1892391074
• ISBN-13: 978-1892391070
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #814,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious box of literary bon-bons, August 26, 2004

By 

Eileen Gunn (Seattle) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures (Paperback)

To read this collection of tiny stories is to have a series of unusually personal interactions with the storyteller. In each story, the author seems to be completely at your disposal, with no goal other than your amusement. The barrier of the book disappears.

Reading it is the adult equivalent of having your dad tell you stories in which the main character has your name. Each story speaks directly to you, its ideal reader. Some were written specifically to amuse Swanwick's wife, or son, or favorite editors, and these happy origins may contribute to the effect. It's not a children's book -- there's no sugar here, rather, an intoxicating, slightly tart, effervescence.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An entertaining collection of short stories, March 26, 2004

By 

j-c-m - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cigar-Box Faust and Other Miniatures (Paperback)

Michael Swanwick has consistently impressed me with his imagination in both his novels and short stories. Here we have a collection of miscellaneous very short work of varying quality. The title story was particularly fun given its original appearance - I could easily visualize Swanwick reciting it from atop a trash can. Along with some interesting essays on various subjects, there are several groups of stories fitting certain criteria which show the author's ability to write about absolutely anything. See his Periodic Table of Science Fiction for more of this. I didn't like The Mask as much as the expanded version, perhaps because I read this one second.

While only a few stories here reach the quality of his longer fiction, Swanwick's creativity and sense of humor shine throughout.