BOC: John Shirley

[Andrew Gilham]

Daniel asks

>Is Shirley a good writer? I think his Bad Channels lyrics are silly but
>maybe his other efforts are better. His novels?

I'm more familiar with his short fiction than his novels (general opinion
seems to be that his short fiction is better anyway), and from them I'd say,
he's not a terribly original writer, but when he gets his teeth into a story
he won't let go, and he writes in a very visceral, energetic manner.  Probably
read too much Harlan Ellison as a youngster!

As far as critics go - William Gibson likes him, Gene Wolfe called him "an
ultramodern writer who would have made a marvelous eighteenth-century
pamphleteer", while John Clute dismissively said "mostly he does organ-grinder
riffs out of the dead past of the genre and the bottom of his drawer.  Not
strongly recommended" (which is Clute-speak for saying he's shite.)

I think he's worth trying, anyway - this new collection (_The Exploded Heart_)
is a good place to start.

- Andy

ObCD: Moby - _Animal Rights_