Secret Life (Paperback)

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This collection of mostly older stories from the talented VanderMeer features a variety of tales that walk the border between literary surrealism and genre dark fantasy, many of them taking place in the author's two favorite locales, the haunted city of Ambergris, setting for the much-praised City of Saints and Madmen (2001), and the even darker metropolis featured in the novel Veniss Underground (2003). Perhaps the finest of the Ambergris stories is "Learning to Leave the Flesh," the tale of a writer who makes his living crafting individual perfect sentences whose life is transformed when he's assigned to write an epitaph for a dwarf who has committed suicide. Among the Veniss stories are "Balzac's War" and "Detectives and Cadavers," with their monstrous, sentient flesh dogs, and strangely mutated human beings. The title story may be the best of all, a surreal fable about the intrigues and battles among the employees who work in an office building, a struggle cut short when one woman's trumpet vine infiltrates the crawl spaces and ventilation shafts of the structure, pulling it down on the heads of everyone within. Not everything in the book is outstanding—a number of interesting but unexceptional apprentice pieces are included—but this is a solid collection overall and clearly points the way to the author's more recent, major work.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

VanderMeer's stories are clearly influenced by the magical literature of Borges, Garcia Marquez, and Calvino, and like theirs, VanderMeer's muse is equally at home in places real (Peru, Cambodia, Florida) and fantastic. The collection opener, "Secret Life," is the history of a five-story building, surrounded by desolation, that houses thousands-- from the janitors in the basement to the mysterious "Shadow Cabinet" on the fifth floor--and is brought down by a vine; ingredients including murderous rage over a presumably stolen pen and VanderMeer's revealing endnote on inspiration make the piece delicious. In the closer, "Experiment #25 from the Book of Winter: The Croc and You," a story won't cooperate with its writer because it has been inspired by an image that is irresistible but impossible to fit into a plot. In between, "The Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlight" provide a vital legendary background for VanderMeer's imaginary city, Veniss (see Veniss Underground [BKL Mr 15 03]), and other lovely, fantastic places are so well conjured that their most surreal elements seem veristic. Regina Schroeder
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 284 pages
• Publisher: Prime Books (December 27, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809556529
• ISBN-13: 978-0809556526
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,145,126 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking glimpse into a remarkable imagination, June 10, 2004

By	J. N. Mohlman (Barrington, RI USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Secret Life (Hardcover)

There are many things that are remarkable about Jeff VanderMeer's newest collection "Secret Life", but what is perhaps most remarkable is how in spite of a host of different subjects and thematic approaches, it still fits together as a whole. What exactly that "whole" is is open to question, but whatever it is, it certainly represents arguably the most unique, and certainly one of the most exciting, voices in fiction today.

Actually, it should come as no surprise that VanderMeer can weave so many disparate parts into something comprehensive; while there may be writers with more innate talent, I find it hard to believe that any author is more dedicated to the actual craft of writing. This comes through not only in the insightful endnotes that accompany each story, but also in writing that has plainly been pored over and molded to perfection, much like the mantle being chipped away from a gemstone to reveal the hard, perfect core.

With twenty-one stories that are not directly (but certainly thematically) linked, it would be difficult to review "Secret Life" in its entirety in the space available. Instead, a few general comments, and then some brief comments on a few of the best pieces. First, for those readers who have already encountered VanderMeer's other work, this volume will be a particular treat. Both Ambergris and the world from "Veniss Underground" are heavily represented, but what makes these stories particularly intriguing is that they represent various stages in each world's evolution. For example, "Learning to Leave the Flesh" is set in an Ambergris, but it is not the Ambergris which so delighted readers in "City of Saints and Madmen". There are familiar elements, but it is much more like our own world the baroque marvel that it becomes. Conversely, "Corpse Mouth and Spore Nose" contain very familiar Ambergris elements, but seems to be set long after the era of "City of Saints and Madmen".

Even more provoking is the development of the Veniss world. The first, "The Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlight" was written when VanderMeer was only seventeen, which is impressive. However, it is only when this story is bumped up against "Balzac's War" which happens hundreds, over even thousands, of years later, can the true breadth of VanderMeer's creative vision be realized. There are also several stories written in the second person, which, while the author never specifically mentions it, must of have contributed immensely to his ability to write the perfectly executed second section of "Veniss Underground".

As for specific stories, there are those who may think this is a cop out, but the best was probably the title piece, "Secret Life". Set in an office building that is a world unto itself, the story is perhaps most engaging for how it makes the mundane seem bizarre and new. Moreover, layered over this bustling little world is the author's characteristic wit, poking fun at the absurdity of the modern workplace, while not being so condescending as to deny it's not something we all need to do. Ultimately, it's a story about seeing the remarkable in everyday things and is probably the best executed of all the pieces.

"The Bone Carver's Tale" is another beautiful piece, which is in a way ironic since it deals with the nature of beauty, as seen through the eyes of a bone carver (surprise, surprise) during a time of war in Southeast Asia. "The General Who is Dead" and "London Burning" are both interesting looks at the ultimate futility of war. While both are brief, they are notable in that the imagery they use is simple without being hackneyed and absolute without being preachy. Finally, there is "Mansions of the Moon (A Cautionary Tale)" which in setting is very reminscent of H. P. Lovecraft, but in style somehow similar to H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine". If I had to pick one story for VanderMeer to develop into a novel, it would probably be this one just because it is so distinct from his other work.

I could go on, but I fear my enthusiasm would risk spoiling the stories for others, particularly when it comes to the Ambergris and Veniss pieces. "Secret Life" will thrill VanderMeer fans even as it ensnares new readers with his utterly unique perspectives (not to mention the dazzling cover art). Moreover, even as "Secret Life" gives a look into VanderMeer's development as a writer, it also offers glimpses of what is to come, including a stand alone (the author's words) excerpt from his recently completed (but not yet published) novel "Shriek: An Afterword". Whether a true champion of the New Weird (if one must classify in genres) or a neophyte, "Secret Life" is another treat from one of the most exciting voices in fiction today.

Jake Mohlman

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vandermeer knocks down walls with his cutting edge fantasies, October 26, 2004

By	Kelly C. Shaw (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Secret Life (Hardcover)

Jeff Vandermeer, best known for his interconnected Ambergis stories (published in "City of Saints and Madman"), shows here, in his first short story collection encompassing the first 15 years of his writing life, that genre and literary borders are illusory. When confronting "Secret Life," forget all you know about the rules of fantasy and story construction, and embrace the spontaneity of these highly imaginative fantasies.

One thing "Secret Life" is not is boring! It is bold and groundbreaking. It is a brief glimpse into the future of fantasy fiction. And it is one of this year's hallmark books, inside or out of genre.

These imaginatively fecund stories breath, live, and crawl around the brain like living organisms. Give Jeff Vandermeer's "Secret Life" a chance to open your mind to the possibilities of fiction.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful collection with uniquely splendid Notes, October 28, 2004

By	An Australian Reader - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret Life (Hardcover)

Secret Life is the most engaging collection of short stories by a living author that I have read in years. VanderMeer did himself a disservice, in one way, by his Notes after each story, in which he tells the story behind what we've just read. They give away something that I am sure if he hadn't told, would not be known to anyone who doesn't peruse the copyright details--and that is that some of these stories were written when he was just a sprout, not that he is a greybeard now. The Publishers Weekly reviewer was possibly influenced by this, giving the impression that some are really stories on training wheels. Perish the thought! While the range is vast here, in tone and subject, the collection is wholly absorbing. Even a comparative toddler's work, 'The Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlight' reads more beautifully and meaningfully than many a famous one's whole oeuvre, including a preciously pointless piece by an international name that I read in a Harpers the night before opening 'Secret Life'. Older stories here, anyway, have been revised for this collection, so though their earlier form might have been lacking, they do not drag down the whole at all now--a collection that stimulates the mind and heart. The Notes alone--part-autobiography/part lit-crit, self-deprecating, critically objective, funny and touching--are worth the price of the book. If this guy doesn't get too famous and jaded, his autobiography in 30 years will be a ripper of a classic.

Sometimes his self-criticism made me want to say, 'Hey, avert your hindsight and better judgement. I liked that story, and still do! And its faults were its strengths!' But back to the collection as a whole. Here is a singularly fresh writer who doesn't sound like he's gone through the writing-school mill, doesn't fit easily into any genre, who creates stories and worlds that are morally, emotionally, and plot-wise, complex. There is a love of language and a mastery of it that is unsurpassed today, and that many a riffing writer would do well to examine, as here there is no sloppy diarrhoea of weird-wordiness, no self-indulgence, but some simply soaring prose, always in the service of the story. But most enjoyable for this reader was to see the development of a wonderful, gentle sense of humour, evident throughout the Notes and in full flower with the masterpiece of faux reporting, 'The Festival of the Freshwater Squid'.

Stories I particularly liked were mixed in age and subject, but the title story still captivates me, and 'Mahout' still chokes me deep in my chest, just thinking of it. Then there are the 'worlds' stories, and he is a master there. 'The Mansions of the Moon' is VanderMeerian to the nth. Other favourites: 'The General', the surreal postscript to 'Learning to Leave the Flesh', 'Greensleeves' (another charming story enhanced enormously by the Notes). So for anyone who loves what good reads have always been -- something to get lost in, both the stories in Secret Life, and the opened life of the author himself in his Notes, make a wholly rewarding experience. I needed tissues in a few places in the book, laughed aloud at many others, and often found myself re-reading a passage for the sheer sensual pleasure of it.