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They’re tales, they’re thrilling and there are lots of them. When Michael Chabon took over the reins of McSweeney’s for this short fiction anthology he was driven by the desire for plot. He wanted to dispatch with "the contemporary, quotidian, plotless, moment-of-truth revelatory story”. In short, the man wanted a good yarn. And so, with a retro design and ironic quips, we get a throwback to the days of pulp fiction which aims to breathe life into the sci-fi, detective and ghost story, and the thriller.Like most anthologies, it has its ups and downs, the ups being Nick Hornby’s suburban fantasy of a teenage boy whose second-hand VCR fast-forwards to show him visions of the future, and Rick Moody’s near-future New York tale, in which a drug enables characters to relive their memories. Other contributors include Stephen King, Dave Eggers, Aimee Bender, Harlan Ellison and Neil Gaiman. At worst, these stories can be underwhelming, but still worth reading. Ideal for dipping into when the need for Boy’s Own thrills is calling. McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury Of Thrilling Tales edited by Michael Chabon is out now, published by Hamish Hamilton.
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 mcsweeny's 13:the comics issue art  art archive Watch artist interviews and see images from British exhibitions. |
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