Customer Reviews

Lovedeath

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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?"

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.

Wow- every time I even entertain the thought of becoming a writer I read Dan Simmons and realize I am not even CLOSE to being in his league. This is an incredible collection of novellas that will resonate within you long after you have finished reading them.

The first story "Entropy's Bed at Midnight" is a roller coaster ride in which the emotions of the protagonist ( a father and the feelings he has for his daughter) are projected onto the reader. Anyone who has been or is a parent will identify with this tale about love, loss, life and learning to let go and enjoy the ride.

The second is "Dying in Bangkok" is a slam-bang powerful tale of AIDS, casual sex, war, cultural differences and the lengths and depths a person will go to in order to achieve the ultimate revenge.

The third tale and in my opinion the weakest of the set is "Sleeping with Teeth Women". This is a raw-edged and perhaps overly angry reaction to the sugary Indian stories ala "Dances with Wolves." Although I understand his (over?) reaction to these stories and his wanting to portray his Native American ancestors in a more realistic light this story is perhaps a bit too much in the other direction. It is salvaged by a wonderful ending that wraps the tale up neatly.

The fourth tale "Flashback" is a cyberpunky tale that touches on realism with its portrayal of addicts who participate in flashback experiences and become more intertwined in their past to care about or shape their present.

The fifth tale and the showcase of the book is "The Great Lover", a visceral, gut-wrenching, incredibly well-researched tale that occurs during WWI. This story is like watching a particularly grotesque auto accident in that you can not tear yourself away from it and it will leave images in your mind that will haunt you long after you have finished reading it. Good writers can transport you to a different place. Dan Simmons will take you there, drop you head-first, immerse you, and blast you on spin cycle while he is at it. Incredibly powerful tales from a truly masterful writer.

I have recommended this book to many people; some had read Simmons's horror or Sci-fi novels, but hadn't been drawn by the concept of shorter stories. Well, don't miss it; this is one of the most compelling and memorable collections of fiction I've read in many years. Simmons doesn't miss often, and he is dead on target here. Yes, some of the themes are strong, and some imagery is less than pleasant, but the test of truth is met and these tales will resonate for a long time...

Along with "The Crook Factory" (Simmons's last novel truly worthy of five stars) "Lovedeath" (a Five Star Collection of Short Fiction) marks a line in the sands of time; the point in which someone (or some thing) high-jacked his muse and bitch-slapped it into submission, giving free reign to over-bloated paragraphs, didacticism, and the sound of one hand clapping closed over the wrong part of his anatomy.

Here then, is a rundown of what may prove to be Simmons's masterpiece:

1)"Entropy's Bed At Midnight": Along with PHASES OF GRAVITY, this is one of the few forays Simmons has made into mainstream literature (his excellent first novel _could_ be called mainstream, but there is such tone of fore-boding and dread hovering over the narration, and it has such an edge of suspense about it, that it's hard for _anyone_ not to think of it as a thriller; and there _are) half a handful of stories, collected or not). This ranks as one of the top five bits of short fiction Simmons has written (for the record, the other four are "Two Minutes Forty-Five Seconds," "The Great Lover," "Looking For Kelly Dahl" and "Carrion Comfort"). The non-linear construction gives rise to the idea of entropy. The father's over-protectiveness regarding his daughter is nearly as good as that on display in novels by John Irving (GARP, etc). And the litany of accidents (one or two apparently derived from urban legends) works just fine, because the comedy is needed to off-set the tragedy at the heart of things. (THIS is what Simmons should have been shooting for in DARWIN'S BLADE -- unfortunately, he settled for a below par "thriller").
2)"Dying in Bangkok": Not only does the story do a good job of describing how even something as beautiful as sex can be debased by humans (in the name of capitalism, of course), but it works as both a horror story and a mirror of the crazed fears everyone was developing over things like AIDS at that point in time (i.e., people with the disease -- in America, more often than not, gay men -- are somehow less than human -- monsters who deserve their fates). Even if that isn't the author's intended "message" or subtheme of the story, the changing times have made it so (sometimes stories take on meaning and life of their own, ala "A Christmas Carol").
3) "Sleeping With Teeth Women": Although Simmons's natural inclination to pontificate and be didactic threatens to overwhelm the tale; in the end, the simple, somewhat horrific (for men), somewhat amusing (for women) story of a Sioux indian man who must choose the right woman, actually comes off like some sort of old folk tale (passed down from generation to generation). Even the unfortunate undertone (men supressing women, controlling them by pulling their "teeth") doesn't quite ruin the flavor of the story.
4) "Flashback": a drug that lets one relive a certain moment in time from their own life. Most of us could imagine how happy that would make us: of course one would miss out on the rest of life, and in the natural progression and development that comes from living the bad parts of life as well as the good parts. Unfortunately, the protagonist of this story wants to keep reliving a tragic part of his past: when he just missed saving the life of a famous man who was assassinated. The elegiac tone of the story -- and the sense that (at the time this was written) -- America was a country that stood on the precipice of greatness, if only it could overcome its regrets, adds to the power of the tale.
5) "The Great Lover": Told from the view of a poet/soldier stuck in the trenches during WWI, this novella is one of the most powerful pieces of antiwar fiction I've ever read (even if the author _didn't_ intend it as such). And the scenes the narrator witnesses in the trenches are some of the most horrific visions Simmons has ever cobbled up. In the end, it's all about love: the love of a good woman...the love of a beautiful, sunny day...the love of soft sheets on one's face in the early morning hours...the love of great-tasting food on the tongue...the love of life.

This one is out of print, but if the author (and his publishers) are wise, it will be rushed back into production. It just might be the best thing Simmons has ever written. Period.

Sometimes I think about these stories. I've actually bought a second copy when I couldn't find mine to reread. Dying in Bangkok is the most sensational and obviously sexual and sinister but The Great Lover left the strongest and most enduring impression and encouraged me to seek out the poems used in the story and I will always remember why it was so difficult for that generation to enter into a second World War. In the new Battlestar Galactica, the scenes of anguish and yearning when Gaius Balter hallucinates about his lover are strangely affecting in contrast to his self-centered ways and reminded me of The Great Lover so strongly that I immediately wondered whether the writer(s) had read THE GREAT LOVER and the character's hallucinations were a tribute.

I didn't seek out other works by the author but recently read Carrion Comfort and Song of Kali. Both books were well-written but both books made me want to throw them away after reading them. I think I wanted to process them out of me not because the books should be destroyed. Carrion Comfort is incredibly long whereas Song of Kali reads more like a novella. Both are about maintaining a moral position in the face of evil reality at great personal cost and both mention the Holocaust. There is one page near the end of Carrion Comfort that I saved for the biblical quotation because it was about how Dan Simmons understands how victims feel but I tore the rest of the book to pieces and recycled it. I wanted to do the same with Song of Kali but I haven't.

This book is touted as a "Scattershot of writing" and the reader is "Guaranteed to find at least one novella that they will love" the problem with such a scattershot approach is that with people's varying tastes, odds are that they will only "Love" one or maybe two of the stories rather than all or even most of them.

The first story in the book is "Entropy's Bed at Midnight" - 38 or so pages of a panicky father's musings on life and death as his paranoia about his daughter's safety hamper's his life. This story was extremely well written but never really went anywhere. Still I won't say that I didn't enjoy it, it was rather interesting to read about.

The Second is "Dying in Bangkok" probably the most controversial of the stories in this collection... yes what the other reviewers have said is true, this story has some extremely explicit sexual scenes that seem to go on and on and on. The story does actually go somewhere, so if you can stomach the almost pornographic level of sex described in the story, it actually turns out pretty good in the end.

"Sleeping with Teeth Women" was strange. The tale of a Native American boy who is extremely horny, wants to marry the pretty young maiden in the tribe, but ends up on a vision quest instead in the hopes that he would save all of their people. This tale had a lot of potential but wandered all over the place as if Simmons was never 100% sure where he intended to go with it. It was well written but meandered about to the point of losing the reader's interest.

"Flashback" was more of a Sci-Fi story about a drug appropriately called "Flashback" that people are addicted to. The drug allows them to relive their memories and stars causing chaos throughout society. It reminded me somewhat of "Strange Days" though not as interesting. I had a hard time getting through this story; I guess I just really can't get into Sci-Fi. Sorry.

"The Great Lover" the final and longest story in the book... more of a war story told through the journal of a great poet. Though this was the best researched and "educational" of the stories in the book, but it failed to hold my attention. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into it.

On the whole, all of the stories are very well written they are just so different in their topics and styles that odds are very few people will either love or loath all of them. I personally enjoyed the first three and had a hard time with the last two; my friend liked the last three and hated the first two. Either way if you find a copy of this, odds are you will find something you like and something that really isn't your style. I don't find this is indicative of all of Simmons work, which I generally enjoy. His short stories really seem very hit and miss.

Almost every collection of novellas is met with a preface that says something along the lines of "Novellas are great to write but impossible to sell" which might be a good thing, because when novellas get published they are some of the best work of the particular writer.

These five novellas are some of the most intense literary experiences going. The first one is a simple father-daughter outing colored by the fact that one of his children is dead. Everything in the story is tinged with the father's fear. The second story "Dying in Bangkok" is ostensibly an AIDS story, but AIDS plays a small part of it. The demonic prostitutes could be a metaphor for the dangers of unchecked sexuality or they could just be the attraction of death itself. It's a grimy story that keeps you reading.

The Teeth WOman story proves that some of the best writing is done angry. After the requisite slam on Dances with Wolves, this story gets going with Sioux legend and mythology given its due. The gee shucks romanticism of Dances with Wolves (and several other "Indian" books) cannot compare to the oft-times disturbing tale of sex and redemption. Reading this book is like reading Singer after watching romanticized crap like Fiddler on the Roof.

"Flashback" is an interesting take on memories and reliving them, but it's too cyberpunk. Making the Japanese the villains tends to date this story as well. The depressing ending is just kind of a wash.

But "The Great Lover" really makes up for it. WWI horror told with precision and gut-wrenching detail. It makes you feel like you are there in the trenches watching people die by the thousands, waiting for the machine gun blast that will turn you into a pile of rotten meat. The best war stories leave the reader shell-shocked, and this is one of the best.

The only other book by Dan Simmons I've read was SOng of Kali and I find this one to be far superior.

This is an excellent book. I've read many of his other books and this is my favorite. The stories just stay with you for days. Don't read it before you sleep because you will have twisted dreams. If you're a fan of Dan Simmons, read this book!