9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anthology of the Year, September 10, 2011
This review is from: Warmed and Bound: A Velvet Anthology (Paperback)
WARMED AND BOUND is the first book published by The Velvet Press, and what a debut it is. The Velvet Press takes its name from a Web site (The Velvet) originally set up in 2004 (with help from the folks behind Chuck Palahniuk's (FIGHT CLUB; CHOKE) Web site, The Cult) as a forum for neo-noir* authors Will Christopher Baer (KISS ME, JUDAS; HELL'S HALF ACRE), Craig Clevenger (THE CONTORTIONIST'S HANDBOOK; DERMAPHORIA) and later, the prolific Stephen Graham Jones (DEMON THEORY; IT CAME FROM DEL RIO). (*There is no apt description for this kind of writing, but neo-noir comes closest.)
The site quickly blossomed into something much more than a fan site, as many talented young authors, themselves fans of the authors mentioned above, began flocking to The Velvet to share and discuss their own stories. Flash forward seven years to the present and the list of people frequenting the site has grown to include established authors, fresh writers eager to express themselves, and more fans of independent artists in the book and film industries.
WARMED AND BOUND is a collection of 38 short stories from this community of misfits, miscreants and misanthropes. The stories have been described as "Velvet Noir," a variation of neo-noir which means nothing to those not familiar with the Web site and its family of writers. Yet the term fits, and like "Cyberpunk" (coined by Bruce Bethke and made popular by William Gibson and others), "Velvet Noir" may someday become a sub-genre unto itself. How does one describe Velvet Noir? I'll leave that to those with a better flair for words. To me it means dark, post-modern, non-traditional, experimental, creative, and most importantly, quality prose.
As for the 38 stories in WARMED AND BOUND, they share nothing in common, yet combined form one of the most talked-about and "must read" anthologies to come out in a long time. From the foreword by Steve Erickson -- one of, if not the, most original voices in contemporary literature:
"The writers of the Velvet are contemporary fiction's most effective and least self-conscious aesthetic guerrillas . . . The result is fiction at once conceived from high artistic intent and executed with depraved populist energy."
It's hard for me to pick favorites. None of the stories are fillers, as seems to be the case in many anthologies. The styles of writing are varied but always gorgeous. I found myself touched on some unconscious level by Amanda Gowin's entry, "The World Was Clocks," in which a twin sister struggles with the sudden departure of her sibling and the death of their parents and her own daughter, only to be reunited with her sister in an ending that forced me to reconsider the entire story and the reliability of the protagonist's narrative. Gowin's prose is haunting and elusive, and fits perfectly in this eclectic collection.
The heartbreaking tale "Touch" by Pela Via also deserves mention. There is more emotion packed into seven pages than in most novels. Like all short stories, it's difficult to write a synopsis without giving away something that should be experienced alone and void of preconceptions or expectations. Sometimes a sentence or two is all that is needed to convey everything while revealing nothing. From "Touch":
"You killed me that day. Have you ever had to hold your mouth with both hands?"
(Pela Via also served as the anthology's editor -- a demanding role overlooked by most readers, particularly people (like me) whose written output is limited to e-mails, text messages and Facebook updates. While reading WARMED AND BOUND, I was impressed with Via's sequencing of 38 non-connected stories, and by her ability to impart to these sundry tales an undertow of familiarity in a sea of disparateness. The overall effect created by Via was that these stories belong together, and each is stronger by virtue of being in the company of the others.)
The heavy hitters in WARMED AND BOUND -- Craig Clevenger, Stephen Graham Jones and Brian Evenson, to name a few -- contribute pieces that alone make this an anthology worth checking out. But the truly amazing thing about this particular collection is that the stories from the authors whose names are not as well known (yet) are just as good. Writers like Richard Thomas, Caleb J Ross, Gavin Pate, Bob Pastorella, Gary Paul Libero, Nik Korpon, Anthony David Jacques, Gordon Highland, JR Harlan, Sean P Ferguson, Chris Deal and all the other authors assembled in WARMED AND BOUND are authors to watch. I know I will seek out their other works and look forward to their future projects. It's exciting to see such a gifted group of writers finally getting the exposure they deserve.
If you are tired of the same, recycled novels and stories, best-sellers and formulaic plot lines, read WARMED AND BOUND. If you are looking for offbeat, dark, uncategorizable, unique and, above all, exciting reading material, check out WARMED AND BOUND.
"Anthology of the Year" anyone? I'm casting my vote now. Welcome to The Velvet. It warms and binds. Highly recommended.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You won't be disappointed..., September 14, 2011
This review is from: Warmed and Bound: A Velvet Anthology (Paperback)
If you take your fiction dark, Warmed and Bound is a rare collection: all killer, no filler. It's amazing to imagine a collection like this, with so many authors and voices included, could come together to create something so solid from cover to cover. The range of emotion and tone in these pages is broad, even tending as they all do towards the darker, more depressing aspects of humanity. The reason for this, I think, is that most of the stories cling to, struggle with, and lift up the most important aspect of darkness in fiction: hope.
Nothing here feels morbid or sinister for the sake of pure emotion (writing just to sound edgy or brooding), but rather for examining the aspects of character and story in a multitude of seemingly hopeless situations and always finding something to strive towards. In some cases, only remnants of hope, embers and ashes; in others, a chance for the world to return to bloom.
The standout stories for me:
Edward J Rathke's Tree of Life, a frightening, frustrating look at love in a world torn asunder. The world is literally going to hell as the story examines various aspects of love and what it means to be in love. It's powerful and character driven, even though the premise is somewhat high-concept. A tightwire performance of writing, deftly maneuvered. Gordon Highland's Headshot is full of gallow's humor, delivering the kind of twisted fun and action I used to love so much on Tales From the Crypt. Pela Via's Touch is raw, challenging, difficult family drama. Combined with Gayle Towell's shattering Seed and Amanda Gowin's melancholy The World Was Clocks, the ladies in this book seize their time onstage and leave you floored. And the grand finale, Chris Deal's In Exile is intense, heartbreaking, and a truly amazing tale of... if not redemption, then as close as a damned man could come to it. I am rarely moved emotionally by fiction, especially short fiction, but Deal always delivers the goods, and the final notes of this story are simultaneously uplifting and a punch in the gut.
Naming only these stories gives short shrift to the other incredible voices in the book, from Stephen Graham Jones and Craig Clevenger to Richard Thomas, JR Harlan, Bob Pastorella... really, I could just print the entire table of contents here. I don't buy many short story collection, but I liken the experience to buying an album. If four of the ten songs on the album are great, I'm happy. If six or more are good, I'm blown away. Anything over that number and I consider it near-classic. This collection, these authors, they sing. You should listen.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
