Customer Reviews

Odd Corners: The Slip-Stream World of William Hjortsberg

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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.

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.