Pitching Ice Cubes at the Sun: A Book of the Dead [Paperback]

Todd Sherman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 9, 2001

Darkly comic and clearly tragic, these seventeen short stories of strange fiction will take you to the twisted landscapes of shadowed imagination. Dead animals purposely thrown in a neighbor's yard; a shiftless hitchhiker stalked by the"Ice Cube Killer;" two scientists who discover a new color and an even greater mystery; a writer doomed to tell stories that no one will ever read. Sometimes haunting, sometimes hopeful, these unique tales run the human soul through the ever-changing faces of death and futility. And who knows what else?

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Todd Sherman is an ordinary person just like you. Except, of course, for his being beamed down by an alien starship as a baby. And that he bleeds blue. And has an undeniable penchant for sea urchin. Oh, and that he says "NEEP, NEEP" wherever he goes. Did I forget to mention his webbed fingers? Well, anyway, other than all that, he's just like you.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: IUniverse; illustrated edition edition (May 9, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595182828
• ISBN-13: 978-0595182824
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,689,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beauty in the face of futility, January 12, 2002

By 

"aubdom" (Butler, Pa United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pitching Ice Cubes at the Sun: A Book of the Dead (Paperback)

Although the title suggests futility, let's hope these 17 stories are not Thomas Gray's desert flower.
"Born to blush unseen, And waste its sweetness on the desert air."
The collection of stories showcases Mr. Sherman's ability to tuck a tricky turn of phrase inside a tumultuous story.
Mr. Sherman shows sublime flashes of poetry that could be saddled with conventional stories, but would still be worth the read. The author, though, tries to rise above that and instead of leaving the reader empty and malnourished, like a dinner of chocolate bars and soda, he tries to serve a well-made and fulfilling dinner. Sometimes he fails, but his efforts to strive for something more compelling compensate for some of Pitching's weaker efforts like "Shade for a Butterfly." Shade is a short stream of consciousness that did not connect with me.
But mostly the stories are creative, ranging from bizarre to humorous to horrific.
At some of its darkest points, Mr. Sherman is with the reader giving a sarcastic wink -- a tether to reality and some of the book's subtlest and best humor. Stories about a Sumerian god trapped in today's "hellish world" trying to kill his way back home or an aimless hitchhiker and mysterious truck driver's efforts to foil death are funny and satirically gruesome, but they are not so heavy-handed to be parodies. He treads the fine line with great dexterity.
Among my favorite stories were:
-- "The Conversion...," A poignant and fantastic tale of infidelity... A little sex never hurts, either.
-- "MiddlAmerica," A portrait of fatuous, self-absorbed Americans on a road trip
-- "The Point Hammered Home" An eerily silly story about a hammer with spunk
-- "Metalmorphisis" A look at how mechanical humans can be. A great opening story that sets the tone for the rest of the book. It shows the author's to ability to make both amusing and pithy observations.
Melissa Hindle's cover art and illustrations that mark the start of each story are also splendid. Their quality and subtle hints into the story that follows shows they were much more than an afterthought.
Many of the books characters battle futility with varying degrees of success, but there is optimism tucked in the words.
And I am optimistic that we will be hearing good things about Mr. Sherman in the future.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, entertaining , bizarre, brilliant horror, December 3, 2001

By 

Edward F. Orris Jr. (Meadville, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pitching Ice Cubes at the Sun: A Book of the Dead (Paperback)

Pitching Ice Cubes at the Sun is is brilliant, dark, funny, strangely awe-inspiring and certianly thought -provoking. I found myself looking forward each night to the next short story as I took the book along on a vacation. From a hammer that pounds its master to shreds becoming hero to his brethren, to a hilarious story of a demon God suddenly thrust into 20th century New York City, to two tear-jerking very short stories that evidence the depth and inner gentleness of soul that the complex author can feel, the book was overwhelming. I'm not certian if Mr. Sherman planned it this way, but the stories get better as the book progresses. The collection of 17 utterly imaginitive short-stories reveals the mind of an author with vast knowledge of art, religion, literature and the occult. Its the mind of an author I want to see pour his knowledge and pain into future books. When I first dug into the book, I found I had to readjust my focus to move into Sherman's bizarre, certianly-not-linear way of thinking. By the end, I wanted to meet him, and tell him to rewrite the too-humble, silly description of himself on the back cover. He is an author of note, nothing like the poor soul in one of his stories, who frittered his life away wanting to touch souls, but unable. For a freshman effort, this book is remarkable. I expect great things from Todd Sherman. I expect to read them in the future. Also of note is the brilliant cover art.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking, entertaining , bizarre, brilliant horror, December 3, 2001

By 

Edward F. Orris Jr. (Meadville, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pitching Ice Cubes at the Sun: A Book of the Dead (Paperback)

Pitching Ice Cubes at the Sun is is brilliant, dark, funny, strangely awe-inspiring and certianly thought -provoking. I found myself looking forward each night to the next short story as I took the book along on a vacation. From a hammer that pounds its master to shreds becoming hero to his brethren, to a hilarious story of a demon God suddenly thrust into 20th century New York City, to two tear-jerking very short stories that evidence the depth and inner gentleness of soul that the complex author can feel, the book was overwhelming. I'm not certian if Mr. Sherman planned it this way, but the stories get better as the book progresses. The collection of 17 utterly imaginitive short-stories reveals the mind of an author with vast knowledge of art, religion, literature and the occult. Its the mind of an author I want to see pour his knowledge and pain into future books. When I first dug into the book, I found I had to readjust my focus to move into Sherman's bizarre, certianly-not-linear way of thinking. By the end, I wanted to meet him, and tell him to rewrite the too-humble, silly description of himself on the back cover. He is an author of note, nothing like the poor soul in one of his stories, who frittered his life away wanting to touch souls, but unable. For a freshman effort, this book is remarkable. I expect great things from Todd Sherman. I expect to read them in the future. Also of note is the brilliant cover art.