Odd Corners: The Slip-Stream World of William Hjortsberg [Paperback]

William Hjortsberg (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2004

In 1971, when William Hjortsberg first published Gray Matters, reviewers mentioned Borges. And in 1972 came Symbiography, a novella about a man who dreams for a living. He is in fact a best-selling dreamer. Before Mad Max (1979) and Neuromancer (1984), back in the days when reality was either “real” or chemical, Hjortsberg set about to create a post-holocaust fiction, (mis-termed, we think, “science” fiction), that anticipates the Virtual, the Punk, and the Meta. As readers it is thrilling to realize how perfectly timed this work is for our day, fresher even, somehow, than it was thirty years ago. Odd Corners collects Gray Matters and Symbiography together with two stories never before in book form. It is a complete cyberworld, courtesy of William Hjorstberg.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Gray Matters raises nothing less than the question: What is the point of living? And Hjortsberg makes that question uproariously funny."

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (March 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1593760213
• ISBN-13: 978-1593760212
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #560,996 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost 35 years later and Gray Matters holds up...and how!, August 13, 2004

By 

Marx Loeb (Tucson, Az United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Odd Corners: The Slip-Stream World of William Hjortsberg (Paperback)

When I was originally searching Amazon for new stuff from William Hjortsberg, I was surprised that his new book included Gray Matters--a shortish novel expanded from a story I read in Playboy around 1970 or so.

I've never forgotten the story.

I ordered it and burned through Odd Corners. Let's forget plot summaries. Let's forget trying explain or elaborate on Hjortsberg's stories. It'll be a hell of a lot more fun for you to dive in and be surprised. You'll love all of it.

If you like truly original fiction and a superior writer who honestly pushes the envelope, you can't miss with Odd Corners. And Gray Matters? It's going to stay with you. It stayed with me.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Gray Matters (1979) is a minor SF classic...., March 30, 2008

By 

rickzz "rickzz" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Odd Corners: The Slip-Stream World of William Hjortsberg (Paperback)

I read this book solely because I was eager to read something else by the author of the classic "Falling Angel".

The bulk of Odd Corners consist of the SF novel "Gray Matters" (1979), which is an expansion of a short story from 1970. Although out of print for the past few decades, the book holds up surprisingly well and ranks as a minor SF classic. In writing style and theme, I found it quite similar to the 1970s work of Robert Silverberg, which is high praise for those in the know. Definitely worth reading.