Lovedeath [Paperback]

Dan Simmons (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1994

A collection of novellas follow themes of unbridled sexuality, love, and death, with such stories as ""Entropy's Bed at Midnight,"" ""Dying in Bangkok,"" ""Sleeping with Teeth Women,"" and ""Flashback."" Reprint. K.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The novella is an ideal length for dark fiction: short enough to sustain mood, long enough to develop interesting characters. This fine collection of five novellas shows off Simmons' range of styles: a literary tale of a man and his daughter on a scary mountainside; a Bram Stoker Award-winning horror tale about female vampires in Thailand; a semi-horrific Native American story about a young Sioux who undertakes various trials in order to become holy; a dark science fiction tale about a drug that has pernicious effects on society; and a harrowing, ambitious tale about the horrors of World War I.

From Library Journal

These five novellas mark the newest epiphany in a career that spans some dozen books, including Summer of Night ( LJ 1/91). In an unusually detailed introduction, Simmons observes that his work is almost obsessively concerned with the themes of love, death, and loss. The stories move confidently from the plea of an excessively cautious parent to a horrific drama of AIDS inflicted by a vengeful ex-G.I. A young brave's search for sexual adventure shapes a tale drawn from Native American tribal mythology, while a recreational drug that replays life in flashbacks forms the premise for a slight piece that juxtaposes a desperate fantasy with the Kennedy assassination. The final novella, an elaborate war saga, weaves the verse of Siegfried Sassoon and other real-life poets with the diary of a fictional soldier turned priest. Dipping in and out of the collection fosters better appreciation of the novellas' differences in tone, mood, and effect, but Simmons's scattershot technique guarantees at least one intense encounter for every reader.
- Barbara Conaty, Library of Congress
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: Warner Books (November 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446600776
• ISBN-13: 978-0446600774
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #899,383 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dan Simmons was born in Peoria, Illinois, in 1948, and grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years -- 2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York -- one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher -- and 14 years in Colorado.

His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado -- in the same town where he taught for 14 years -- with his wife, Karen. He sometimes writes at Windwalker -- their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike -- a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels -- was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan is one of the few novelists whose work spans the genres of fantasy, science fiction, horror, suspense, historical fiction, noir crime fiction, and mainstream literary fiction . His books are published in 27 foreign counties as well as the U.S. and Canada.
Many of Dan's books and stories have been optioned for film, including SONG OF KALI, DROOD, THE CROOK FACTORY, and others. Some, such as the four HYPERION novels and single Hyperion-universe novella "Orphans of the Helix", and CARRION COMFORT have been purchased (the Hyperion books by Warner Brothers and Graham King Films, CARRION COMFORT by European filmmaker Casta Gavras's company) and are in pre-production. Director Scott Derrickson ("The Day the Earth Stood Stood Still") has been announced as the director for the Hyperion movie and Casta Gavras's son has been put at the helm of the French production of Carrion Comfort. Current discussions for other possible options include THE TERROR. Dan's hardboiled Joe Kurtz novels are currently being looked as the basis for a possible cable TV series.
In 1995, Dan's alma mater, Wabash College, awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contributions in education and writing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great introduction, August 21, 2000

By 

Michael Battaglia - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lovedeath (Paperback)

For those wanting to get into the fiction of Dan Simmons without running into the science fiction of Hyperion and the like, this is just about perfect for them. It hits all his other styles in one fell swoop, and at the same time gives them to you in small digestible doses, so if you don't like one, well there's four others to choose from. This is basically five novellas with the common theme of either love or death. Now, neither are very original themes for fiction (or anything) but the way Simmons tackles them makes them infinitely memorable. Most of this stuff is probably considered horror, though only story is truly creepy, that being the sublimely frightening "Dying in Bangkok" one of the few stories that gave me a sick feeling while reading it (though the fact I was barrelling down the highway in a car didn't help, I'm sure) and if you like horror, that one alone makes the book worthwhile. However there are others. You've got a fairly authentic Native American story, told by a slightly sardonic narrator that never ceases to fascinate. The lone science fiction story is fairly touching as it shows a world where everyone keeps reliving the past for lack of anything else to do (and some people live in the past's of others . . . go read the book to find out what I mean). This one actually benefits the most from the short format, since he gives enough detail about this world, but not so much that you're bored and it overwhelms the story. You want to know more, but you know enough to be entertained. There's a small story of a father and daughter that shows off his skill with words and makes some nice points about life and love and death and where they all fit together. The centerpiece of the novel is probably the WWI story, written as a diary of a man fighting in the trenches, interspersed with poetry from the front. Simmons obviously spent the most time on this one, it's the longest and best researched and the work shows. This one shines in its poignancy and humanity, there are touches of humor and horror and everything that makes a great story. So, chances are you're going to like at least two of these stories and you'll like them enough so that it'll make the book worthwhile. Simmons deserves to be explored in other areas other than science fiction and this is by far the best place to experience that. Without a doubt.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dan Simmons's best work, August 7, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Lovedeath (Hardcover)

While Dan Simmons has produced some extraordinary books in the past few years, including the much acclaimed Hyperion and Children of the Night, this masterwork surpasses them all. Lovedeath is a one-volume illustration of the fact that Dan Simmons is one of the most talented writers of the generation, with a stunning ability that transends genre.

In the opening story, Entropy's Bed at Midnight, Simmons spins a suspensful, poetic tale that includes everything good about the way Stephen King writes internal dialog along with a dash of humor and a aura of quiet forboding. This is pure dramatic short story and compares well to any recent work of "serious" short fiction.

Dying in Bangkok, the next story, has a much different, darker tone. Here, Simmons takes a genre flooded with terrible writing, the erotic horror tale, and weaves a masterwork. Brilliant characterizations, a breathtaking description of a city lost in empty sensuality and sensationalism and a subtle blending of the supernatural carry the reader on a quest, deep into a dark, mysterious world.

His next tale would best be described as fantasy. It's an invented Native American legend, as told by an old tribal medicine man. Suffice it to say that I spent quite a while in the library trying to find out whether this story was Simmons's invention or the real thing. Once again, Simmons creates characters so human, the reader can't help but accept their world as real.

In the final story, The Great Lover, the theme of love, death and hope present in all four stories, takes clearer shape. Here Simmons writes what I believe is possibly one of the finest short story ever put to paper. On the surface, it's a touching story about the horors of war, but it's the subtle philosophy of hope that Simmons has been hinting at throughout the entire collection that really takes center stage here.

This collection is a sterling example the increadible talent that is Dan Simmons. The only question left is "is there anything he _can't_ do?"

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A masterpiece., May 2, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Lovedeath (Paperback)

As Simmons states in the foreword, a collection of novellas is a great way for a writer to display his range. And LOVEDEATH is ample proof that Simmons can soar with the best of them. From the (John) Irvingesque opener, "Entropy's Bed At Midnight" (whose structure reflects the title), to the horrific AIDS fable, "Dying In Bangkok," to the western folklore style of "Sleeping With Teeth Women" and the SF-cum-thriller of "Flashback" and the metaphysical, ghostly romance of "The Great Lover" (quite possibly one of the best WWI fictions ever written), Simmons dazzles with his wide-ranging story-telling styles and keen eye for detail. A masterpiece.