Monday, January 7, 2008

elimae's ebooks

In my thinking about html ebooks recently, I realized I'd forgotten about those released by elimae, which consists of two by Norman Lock and one by A. Bioy Casares & Silvinia Ocampo.

I am reading Norman Lock's ebook GRIM TALES right now and I am loving it. It has Lynchian strangeness mixed with short, cold descriptions of strange scenes like in Thomas Bernhard's THE VOICE IMITATOR (which is also short and easy to read and very interesitng). The book is broken up into short paragraph sections. Here is one I particularly like:

From the fissure that had opened during the night "like a piece of black lightning," issued a seemingly endless column of giant ants of a kind not previously identified but now believed to have come from the depths of the interior. In a short while -- shorter than anyone had thought possible -- the ants carried off the houses with their contents down to the last bed, broom, and cup until nothing remained of them, and the ground where they had stood was beaten flat. Why this neighborhood had been singled out is unknown, as is the fate of those who had lately dwelled there. Some think that the former inhabitants are now living in a reconstruction of their original houses deep below ground under an artificial sun. Whether they were brought there to rescue or to punish is hotly debated.

and also

Those unfortunate enough to open their closet doors that night were smothered by the coats hanging inside. It was revenge taken by objects whose function is to humble themselves in the service of their owners. What is more, to stand in harm's way, between their owners' vulnerable bodies and the harshest of elements. Those who considered themselves lucky to have escaped their coats had only to wait until the next rain, when they were impaled on their umbrellas the moment they were unfurled.

Excellent. Please read.

I also reread Daniel Spinks's small pale humans several times in the past few days. It is still very excellent. I like that book.

I also read the first story in ST. LUCY'S HOME FOR GIRLS RAISED BY WOLVES by Karen Russell today and liked it a lot. More magical realism-ish fairy-tale-ish-isms.

I finished a draft of what I want to make into an ebook today. It is about 3700 words in 14 short sections. Right now I like the title PRETEND I AM THERE BUT VERY LITTLE, which accidentally came out of an IM conversation with my girlfriend last night.

Googoo.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

i like the title PRETEND I AM THERE BUT VERY LITTLE. i like those books good job

Annie said...

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