More Shapes Than One: A Book of Stories

More Shapes Than One is a 1991 collection of short fiction from Fred Chappell, a novelist and poet, and a writer often concerned with the fantastic or weird. All but a couple of the stories here are at least to some extent fantastical, and a couple stories directly concern horror/fantasy writers. The first couple of stories reminded me of Byatt's _The Biographer's Tale_, which I recently read, in their subject matter: "Linnaeus Forgets" is of course about Linnaeus, and "Ladies of Lapland" about an exhibition to Lapland. Both are fun stories with a certain density of obscure historical facts (as I assume): the first about Linnaeus receiving a very strange plant from a sailor; the second about a French geographer travelling to Lapland and seducing a number of Lapp women. "The Snow That is Nothing in the Triangle" is a curious story about the mathematician Feuerbach -- it didn't no much for me. "Barcarole" is about the composer Offenbach encountering a dying musician with a resemblance to himself, and about a long-loved tune of Offenbach's youth. A nice story. "Weird Tales" is about H. P. Lovecraft, Hart Crane, and a strange associate of both, Samuel Loveman, who discovers a means of visiting Antarctica in other times -- as when the Elder Gods ruled ... One of my favorite stories is "The Somewhere Doors". This concerns a barely successful pulp writer in the late 30s and 40s, who encounters a strange woman with a very unusual message for him. This eventually gets him in trouble when the government decides the woman is a Communist -- but she may have given him an out in the form of the title doors. My other favorite story is "Duet", possibly the only non-fantastical story in the book, about an old-time musician reacting to the death of his friend and fellow musician. "The Adder" is a clever story about a copy of the Necromonicon in the original Arabic, and its baleful effects on neighboring books. "Ember" is straightforward horror about a man who murders his girlfriend and tries to escape, with predictable (to the reader) results. "Miss Prue" is a very short story about an elderly woman and her relationship with her long time suitor. "Mankind Journeys Through Forests of Symbols" is a very fun story in which unwritten Symbolist poems can take tangible form, and one blocks traffic in rural North Carolina. "Alma" is pretty solid SF about gender roles -- set in a world where men and women are treated as basically separate species, with women quite literally enslaved and sold by some of the men. And "After Revelation" is apparently set in the future, after a couple of holocausts, in a world where science is proscribed -- then the "Owners" come, offering complete knowledge and happiness. This is a very fine collection of stories.

Fred Chappell's book "More Shapes Than One" is an excellently written collection of short stories. Each of the 13 stories is very unique and independant of itself. Each work has its own genre, its own theme, and its own message. The stories are extremely descriptive and very well presented. The book can also be viewed in its entirety. The book mostly deals with the nature of humanity and the elation and the pitfalls that can come as a result of human nature. "More Shapes Than One" is also a testament to Chappell's creativity and flexibility as a writer. However, this book is very different from most of Chappell's other works. Most of his other books are very realistic, but one of the best aspects of this book is the way that Chappell uses magic realism, but still manages to maintain the believablility of his characters. This is an extremely good book from many perspectives. Whether you read for mental release, enlightenment, or just for fun, I would highly recommend this book. This is a book that anyone can read, understand, and enjoy.

In fact, Chappell is probably the great unheralded American writer alive today. Skilled as a novelist and poet, his work is by turns funny, lyric, horrifying, erudite, and folksy, and no where else is that more apparent than in this collection. Speaking of horrifying, read "The Adder", a Borgesian like tale of a mysterious tome that devours other books it comes in contact with - not just particular copies but the books themselves. It's one of the best stories of its kind I've ever read. And "Linnaeus Forgets" is a jewel of equal shine.