Strange Trades [Hardcover]

Paul Di Filippo (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Revolving around the inescapable process of earning a living, these 11 stories present a welcome and refreshing change of pace from more typical science fiction. Speculating about future lifestyles and how to function as a member of the new global economy, these tales emphasize the moral and spiritual dimensions of employment and examine the practical and ethical quandaries that possible future occupations may provide. Though written primarily about jobs, careers, and professions, these narratives are filled with suspense and adventure, romance, and laughter.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This splendid collection of 11 SF and fantasy stories, most of novelette length and loosely predicated on the theme of work, showcases some excellent writing from the underrated Di Filippo (The Steampunk Trilogy; Ciphers; Ribofunk; etc.). An introduction by Hugo winner Bruce Sterling will attract attention, as will the Frank Kelly Freas jacket, but these witty, thoughtful, accessible tales require no special hype. The book's finest story, "The Mill," set in a grim, factory-dominated town of seemingly 19th-century vintage, has a humanity worthy of Dickens or Hardy. It's almost a letdown to discover its fantasy basis. Never shy of paying tribute to his predecessors, Di Filippo honors Samuel R. Delany and Philip K. Dick in "Harlem Nova" and "Karuna, Inc.," while in "Agents" he playfully parodies Asimov's three laws of robotics with his "Three Laws Governing Agents." Most consistently funny is "Spondulix" (i.e., money issued by a desperate restaurant, payable in sandwiches), with a character named "Ped Xing, the only man in the world to profess both Orthodox Judaism and Zen monkhood." In "Skintwister," the ultimate plastic surgeon works from within his patient. The author appropriately concludes with a light Kafkaesque fable, "The Boredom Factory," in which a character known as P. is the first to be employed by a factory that produces nothing but plans on increasing the work force exponentially. Discriminating SF fans are in for a treat. (Oct.)Turner in 2001, there was some question whether the press would survive. As evidenced here and in other recent titles, the press, under the directorship of Turner's brother Gary, is maintaining high standards.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Di Filippo is one of the most talented humorists in contemporary fantasy and science fiction." -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Golden Gryphon Press; First Edition edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1930846053
• ISBN-13: 978-1930846050
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,490,660 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended collection of SF stories about work, January 22, 2002

By 

Richard R. Horton (Webster Groves, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Strange Trades (Hardcover)

Strange Trades, Paul Di Filippo's fifth collection of short fiction, is one of the most satisfying SF single-author collections I have read in some time. As the title announces, the stories are concerned with people at work. Di Filippo explores a variety of science-fictional jobs, some strange due to technological advances, others due to marginal or experimental economics, others because they're set in unusual milieus.

One of Di Filippo's favourite themes is people living on the edges of society, or in the cracks. In several stories in this book, he depicts, with sympathy, a cooperative economy built in those "cracks." One story, "Harlem Nova," mentions Levi-Strauss' term bricoleurs, for "a class of people who live as scavengers, living on the odds and ends the rest of society discards." And the heroes of "Harlem Nova," "Spondulix," "Karuna, Inc." and maybe even "Conspiracy of Noise," four of the best stories in the book, are to one extent or another bricoleurs. In particular, "Karuna, Inc.", one of my favourite stories of the year 2001: dark because of some real tragedy, and because it features some truly (even cartoonishly) evil villains, but also optimistic, in its view of basic human nature, and in the depiction of the title corporation, with its mission:

"the creation of environmentally responsible, non-exploitive, domestic-based, maximally creative jobs... the primary goal of the subsidiaries shall always be the full employment of all workers... it is to be hoped that the delivery of high-quality goods and services will be a byproduct..."

Di Filippo also indulges in some classical SFnal extrapolation. "Agents" looks at computer-based personality simulations which handle interactions in the "net," and at what might happen if one such "agent" became autonomous. "Skintwister" and "Fleshflowers" follow the career of Dr. Strode, a very talented "peeker": a man who uses psychokinetic powers to heal people by manipulating them at the cellular level. "SUITs" is a mordant and effective fable about robotic security personnel.

The other stories are perhaps less easy to fit into categories. "Kid Charlemagne," as the author acknowledges, is a story strongly influenced by J.G. Ballard's Vermilion Sands stories: it's set in an isolated lush resort, and features the inevitably doomed romance of a mysterious musician and a spoiled rich girl. "The Boredom Factory" is a cynical fable that is pretty well described by its title. And "The Mill" -- well, for one thing, "The Mill" is my favourite story in this book: I read it and loved it in Amazing Stories back in 1991, and I loved it as much on rereading it just now. It's a long story that in some ways seems reminiscent of Jack Vance. The Mill is a series of factory buildings devoted to producing "luxcloth," which is bought by the immortal Factor for interstellar distribution. In the background are such nice SFnal ideas as the interstellar milieu into which this colony planet obscurely fits, the true nature of the Factor, the "luxcloth," and so on. But the centre of the story is the close depiction of the circumscribed society of the factory villages. This society seems real, and its eventual fate is well-portrayed, the characters are sympathetic and worth reading about, and the concluding scene is truly moving.

I recommend this collection of stories very highly. Di Filippo is a compulsively engaging writer -- witty and imaginative, and fond of his characters, so that they are fun to spend time with, and fun to root for (mostly!). This book delivers on its implicit thematic promise, offering a nice distribution of SFnal explorations of people at work, even while collecting stories from all phases of the author's career. Excellent stuff.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A masterful collection of short fiction, January 1, 2002

By 

Fosky Bob "human" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Trades (Hardcover)

Prior to reading _Strange Trades_ I knew Paul Di Filippo as an author of wonderfully bizarre short stories. They don't always make sense, but they're wonderful just the same. This collection collects typically bizarre Di Filippo stories, but these are coherent, well-written stories. Truly, a masterful collection.

My favorite story is the novella "The Mill", set in the distant future on a planet where humans work in a mill for the benefit of alien overlords. The story brilliantly shows us the toil and struggle of the workers and their dedication to their masters.

The other stories are all equally good. 'Karuna, Inc.' is the tale of an evil cadre of businessmen out to take over an ecologically-minded firm with the help of their undead revenants. 'Spondulix' tells the fascinating story of how a sandwich maker created a form of underground currency.

My attempts to laud this collection don't do it justice. It's a fabulous book. Hands down my favorite collection from 2001. If you have any interest in short science fiction you must buy this collection immediately. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like Pynchon, Wm. Gibson, Bruce Sterling?, November 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Strange Trades (Hardcover)

The best and most varied collection yet from a standout writer of contemporary SF, whose prominence as a reviewer has perhaps distracted readers from his own excellent work. Di Filippo often wears his influences on his sleeve here (J.G. Ballard in 'Kid Charlemagne, Thomas Pynchon in 'Conspiracy of Noise,' Samuel R. Delany in 'Harlem Nova') but these stories are grounded in the writer's own fine sensibility and wit. Readers interested in the 'slipstream' between postmodernist fiction exemplified by Pynchon and the SF that lies somewhere in or around the 'Cyberpunk' milieu will be very glad they checked out Paul Di Filippo.