In his excellent introduction to "McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories", Michael Chabon decries what one might call the "genre-fication" of modern literature. He quite rightly points out that there is romance in the fantastic, science fiction in the literary, mystery in romance, etc., etc. It is therefore the stated ambition of this collection to gather authors who would otherwise not be lined up side by side, in an effort to blur these distinctions of genre, and introduce the reader to new styles and authors. I am glad to report that the result is spectacularly successful. While there is no connection between the stories, the uniformly excellent writing and passion displayed by the contributors results in a collection of diverse entries that somehow works as a whole.
The collection begins with Margaret Atwood's "Lusus Naturae" which immediately captures the spirit of the book with a romantic/gothic/science fiction entry. An ideal first piece, it sets the tone for the subsequent entries. Next is the remarkable David Mitchell with "What You Do Not Know You Want"; a noir-ish mystery with a supernatural twist. Readers of his recent "Cloud Atlas" will particularly enjoy this entry as it definitely echoes the themes and settings of that work. Moreover, like Atwood's entry, this blurring of genres adds to the cohesiveness of the work as a whole.
Jonathan Lethem's "Vivian Relf" carries things forward with an enigmatic romance written in a literary style. It is a classic short story, and a good change of pace which keeps the reader on their toes. Next is "Minnow" by Ayelet Waldman which probably had more of an impact on me than any other stories. It would be difficult to go into detail without spoiling the plot, but the themes surrounding parenthood are somehow both disturbing and reassuring at the same time. "Zeroville" by Steve Erickson just might be my favorite entry. His tale of a door hidden across the breadth of cinema, and just what it means, is fascinating and perfectly executed.
In "Lisey in the Madman", Stephen King proves that he is still the master of scene setting; no one can make you feel the heat of a noonday sun like him. However, this is also an interesting psychological/supernatural thriller, and if he does flesh it out into a novel (as is suggested) it could prove to be a remarkable work. "7C" blends hard science fiction and romance in perhaps the most original entry in the book. It's rare that quantum physics makes for exciting reading, but author Jason Roberts pulls it off nicely.
"The Miniaturist" by Heide Julavits is reminiscent of a "Twilight Zone" episode with all of the macabre scene setting and bizarre conclusion one would expect. "The Child" by Roddy Doyle is an excellent companion piece as it has the same sort of feel, but the motivations are far more vague and the twist at the end definitely leaves open a host of interpretations. "Delmonico" by Daniel Handler offers another nice change of pace in a fun little mystery that reads like a magic trick.
The next two entries are the only two that I have mixed feelings about. Both "The Scheme of Things" by Charles D'Ambrosio and "The Devil of Delery Street" by Poppy Z. Brite are well written, but neither really got of the ground. The first features superb scene setting and some fascinating characters, but the payoff was never really there, while the latter seemed to be building to a great conclusion, but ultimately fell flat in the end. I should emphasize that neither contribution is "bad" by any stretch, but compared to the other entries they just don't measure up.
Fortunately, the next two entries are superb, and along with "Zeroville" make up my top three for the collection. The first is what motivated me to buy the book in the first place, China Mieville's "Reports of Certain Events in London". As usual, he doesn't disappoint; while he maintains his thus far ubiquitous fascination with urban landscapes, he has once again gone in a totally unexpected direction that is reminiscent of Mark Danielewski's "House of Leaves", but entirely original. Next is Joyce Carol Oates' amazing "The Fabled Lighthouse of Vina Del Mar". The entire time I was reading it, I felt like I was reading a lost Edgar Alan Poe story, and sure enough on the last page the reader finds that the story is based upon the only surviving page of a lost Poe work. I should emphasize that this should in no way detract from Oates' writing, as she pays tribute even as she writes a wildly original piece that has some echoes of Lovecraft as well.
Finally, Peter Straub's enigmatic "Mr. Aickman's Air Rifle" provides the perfect conclusion to this collection. A nice touch is that following this entry is a brief biography/bibliography of each author for those who would like to further explore the contributors' work.
Generally speaking, one expects an ensemble collection to be a mixed bag, and one crossing numerous genres, even more so. Gladly, Michael Chabon has produced in "McSweeney's Enchanted Chamber of Astonishing Stories" that is informally excellent even as it accomplishes in breathtaking fashion its goal of breaking down the barriers between genres. This collection is a real treat for fans of short stories, and is definitely not to be missed.
Jake Mohlman
