Plumage From Pegasus »

What happens when the tools and themes of science fiction are applied to the genre of science fiction itself-and to publishing in general?

Surprisingly, the result is not a black hole of dreary self-referentiality but a supernova of literary comedy, in the manner of classicists such as S. J. Perelman, Stephen Leacock and Robert Benchley, and postmodernists such as Mark Leyner, Will Self and Steve Aylett.

In this collection of short, sharp, satirical gems, Paul Di Filippo-noted for his own fiction and criticism, which gives him an insider's perspective-turns a keen eye on the foibles, fallacies, fads and failures of science fiction the industry, mining comedic gold from the gaffes, pomposities and pretensions of authors, publicists, reviewers, publishers, editors, fans, librarians and bookstore owners. Using their own words as springboards in many cases, he extrapolates wildly, in the classic manner of the best GALAXY magazine stories, to give us such improbable but inevitable scenarios as literary hit men, self-blinded authors, agents as personal servants and a Victorian internet.

Although these japes abound with in-jokes, nothing more is required to enjoy them than a basic familiarity with science fiction, an empathy for the human condition, and a willingness to laugh heartily.

Publishers Weekly

Nothing is sacred to Di Filippo (Ribofunk), as shown in this hilarious collection of parodies and other satirical writings that affectionately send up the SF genre as well as the publishing world. The opener, "Falling Expectations," spoofs the stylistic idiosyncrasies of Barry Malzberg, who aptly notes in his introduction that satire "is founded upon love." Like a good stage mimic, Di Filippo captures the essence of his targets, among them stuffy Robert Heinlein in "Manuscript Found in a Pipedream" and strange bedmates Stephen King, John Grisham and Michael Crichton as publishers in "Scissors Cut Paper, Paper Covers Schlock." "Excerpt from Decad" skewers in miniature a dozen writers, including Gene Wolfe, Ursula Le Guin and Jeff VanderMeer. "It Was the Blessed of Times, It Was the Cursed of Times" solves the difficulty of getting students to read classic novels by having them rewritten by popular authors (e.g., Proust's Remembrance of Things Past redone as a vampire saga by Anne Rice). Readers will laugh out loud. (Nov.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.