Paraspheres

In the United States, most published fiction falls under two categories: "genre fiction" and "literary fiction." According to Ken Keegan, editor at Omnidawn Publishing, genre fiction, which accounts for about 90% of all fiction published, is often defined as "escapist," usually follows a "winning" formula, and seldom has any lasting literary value. Literary fiction (also referred to as narrative fiction), which accounts for the remaining 10% of all fiction published, is primarily realistic and possesses more depth, characterization and lasting cultural impact. (625-8) But what happens to fiction that doesn't fit into one of these categories? Novels like The Mists of Avalon, Brave New World, or Life of Pi, for instance--works that have unrealistic settings or plots and aren't officially "literary," yet have incredible depth and power? As we all know, necessity is the mother of invention. Thus, in the Fall 2002 issue of Conjunctions, the literary journal from Bart College, a new term was coined: New Wave Fabulist. Put simply, New Wave Fabulist is non-realistic, literary fiction. You may also think of it as literary fiction with strong elements of horror, science fiction or fantasy. Looking back, other terms have been used to describe this type of fiction: magic realism and speculative. Yet magic realism is chiefly associated with Latin American novelists like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whose One Hundred Years of Solitude greatly exemplifies it. On the other hand, speculative fiction disregards literary quality, making it impossible to always represent serious works. Omnidawn's latest anthology, Paraspheres: Extending Beyond the Spheres of Literary and Genre Fiction, excellently illustrates New Wave Fabulist fiction. The carefully crafted stories, fifty in all, combine elements of magic realism, the paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, mythology, fable, dream vision, even fairy tale, yet are serious literary works filled with symbolism and allegorical power, inviting the reader to ponder at their underlying meaning. The authors, many of who have won prestigious prizes such as the Nebula, Hugo, Kafka, and National Book Awards, and who have published works in such renown publications as Ploughshares, Chicago Review, The American Life, The Literary Review, Pearl, Pleiades, The Berkeley Fiction Review, American Literary Review and Glimmer Train, among others, offer the reader an interesting array of styles, plots, settings and character studies. In "Skunk," by Justin Courter, the reader takes a mesmerizing glimpse into the mind of a man who has a skunk fetish: "The first time I took skunk musk straight, the effects were overwhelming. I held Homer over my head, squeezed a full shot straight down my throat, and was aware of a burning sensation in my sinuses for an instant before I blacked out. I awoke on the ground, with little idea of how much time had passed. By overdosing the first few times I drank musk, I missed out on much of the experience. M

This anthology begins with a fascinating discussion of fiction and its subdivisions. The stories here are what might variously be termed "slipstream," "surreal," or "speculative" in different contexts. These editors prefer to call them "fabulist and new wave fabulist stories." They are tales of weirdness and wonder, largely set in odd analogues of our own world. Not quite like ordinary literature, nor yet like typical fantasy, they hold a unique and intriguing flavor. My favorite story is "The Third Jungle Book: A Mowgli Story" by Michael Moorcock. Herein Mowgli has moved to London and become a lawyer. There he befriends the foxes who live in the city - and must fight against a proposed law which would kill most of them. Just wait until you find out who Mowgli's "friend" is! Another gem is "Third Initiation: A Gift from the Land of Dreams" by Mary Mackey. Set in ancient times, this tale follows the potter Marrah as she strives to satisfy a demanding taskmaster during her initiation. The goal is to make a perfect pot, but the reason for it is the point of the story. Worth noting on the scientific side is Michael Constance's "Finding the Words." It questions the nature of reality and consciousness, as the main character travels through virtual reality. These and many other fine tales await you in ParaSpheres. You'll enjoy them more if you don't try to make sense of them. -- Sheela Ardrian for the FEARLESS REVIEWS