Humor

by Stanley Donwood

A beautifully produced collection of stories written and illustrated by Radiohead's celebrated cover artist. Welcome to Stanley Donwood's fictional a landscape of dark streets and high-rise concrete, creeping shadows and shifting perspectives; its citizens forever caught between boredom and paranoia, alive to the threat of menacing machines and Aliens from Outer Space. Here disappearances (people, things) are everyday. Relationships are unstable. Nature has turned unnatural. Unsettling dreams segue into waking nightmares. In Humor , Stanley Donwood reveals himself as a contemporary master of the micro-narrative, riffing on the four humors of the human body - sanguine, phlegm, choler and melancholy - to rummage beneath the veneer of sanity that passes for civilised society. Apocalyptic, funny and hallucinogenic in their intensity, these stories present a series of brief, haunting episodes in a world drained of meaning, sense and consequence.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Music, Horror

192 pages, Hardcover

First published September 30, 2014

Reviews

[Georgie Fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

You know when someone tells you about their dreams and it’s actually pretty non sensical, self indulgent and boring… well that’s the first section of this book, the longer sections get better and I enjoy his hatred for shopping but left me feeling a bit cold. I love his art though so go see that instead!

[od1_40reads · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh dear… DNF at 100 pages.

Admittedly I only bought a copy of this as Tom Yorke has written the blurb/endorsement on the back cover. And then of course discovered that Stanley Donwood is actually the artist who created much of Radiohead’s album artwork. All sounds great so far, right?

Unfortunately I think Donwood should stick to art. He’s good at that. Writing not so much.

I don’t want to be too damning, but it basically reads like a collection of high school creative writing papers.

I’m surprised Faber even published this tbh. Guess it just goes to show that name dropping really does work. Unlike this collection.

[Rebecca Alcazaze · Rating 2 out of 5]

Moral of the story: just because you’ve seen some things and done some stuff and know some cool people and have had your author portrait taken with a snazzy hat on doesn’t mean you should confidently thrust this bollocks on the ‘horror’ reading public.

Why was it in the horror section? Is this the mistake of book sellers or is this meant to be horror? It’s more like creepy think piece fictions from someone with a pressing deadline. Why do any of these things really relate to the humors?

So disappointed. This dude clearly has all the junk in his trunk to be more than able write a pretty lovely and chilling novella or even a collection of actual short stories, but instead he did this. And he can do whatever the hell he likes, don’t get me wrong, it’s his ‘book’, I just don’t understand what this actually is for.

That said, the general vibe is pretty evocative. The language is, at times, brilliant and eerie, making the fact it’s largely just a load of paragraphs of indulgent nonsense even more annoying. I almost feel tempted to give it three stars because of what this could have been if it was even mildly knitted together into something with a tadge of narrative purpose, but I cannot. The intro made it even more confusing. Initially I thought each fragment or ‘story’ was going to relate to the whole dream journal idea, acting as a framing device to hold it all together- but no. As a cornucopia of fragments it felt frustrating and repetitive. I found myself genuinely wondering what the fucking point was most of the time.

[Cassie Pearson · Rating 2 out of 5]

I simply don't see the appeal, and struggled to find more than 1-2 pages of delight within this book.

The ideas felt immature, the writing too obvious. It was missing the Je ne sais quoi that makes a book stand out in any way.

[Ruth · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is basically the same book as Household Worms, shuffled into a different order. Do publishers and authors not realise that people pay for books, or do they simply not care as long as they get a few more pounds out of readers? This is a terrible excuse for a book.

[Boudewijn Koppers · Rating 4 out of 5]

What da hell

[Yasmin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simply put. It was a bit weird and to be honest brief. The stories followed the brief glimpses of certain moments but never went deep into that story for it to develop and when it did, it just got weird or nonsensical. Some stories were interesting and I would read those again but the rest are instantly forgotten with me.

[Kevin Tindell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not quite sure what to make of this. A collection of short stories. Some purported to be dreams. I would question how anyone might have such vivid and coherent dreams and be able to recall so much detail. I guess the title of the book suggests that we shouldn't take it too seriously. Don't get me wrong - some of the writing is superb and conveys and incredible sense of place and time. Ordinary locations, such as supermarkets, become magical and you feel that you are there. These bits are worthy of 5 stars. However some sections, particularly towards the end, remind me of myself as a pretentious sixth former writing pseudo-intellectual claptrap that I would shudder to show anyone these days. I probably need to re-read the whole thing and I will one day. Not just yet though!

[Sebastián Álvarez · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads as part dream diary, part short story potpourri, and some curious ramblings. Very hit or miss for me, gave me a good couple of laughs. The most interesting part was the introduction, where the author talks about his conviction of being chased by a demon and how he managed to rid himself of it.

[Kevin Warne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I would have appreciated this book more when I was younger. It's dark, humorous, at points it's revolting, and there's no central plot. The author is the artist from most of Radiohead's albums, which was why I picked this book up. The actual book is composed of short chapters (most are one or two pages) describing some of his nightmares. I'm giving it three stars because parts of it were clever and well written, but much of it is pessimistic and rambling. Some people would love this book and others would definitely hate it, but it's an easy read for anyone who's curious.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book taught me that Stanley Donwood detests grocery shopping more than I hate pretty much anything.

These little stories are a mixed bag: some are legitimately funny, some are horribly gruesome, and all of them are dark as coal.

If you like Radiohead’s vibe, this collection is worth a shot. Not the best book ever, but quite nice if you want some bleak, surreal vibes to suit a cold, rainy night.

[Ceyrone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t heard of Stanley Donwood or Radiohead but I loved the idea of micro-narratives. I think it would make such a great teaching tool. This was not what I expected going in. I don’t know what I was expecting but when I read it’s his take on the four humors, I liked that as a concept. Some of the stories I liked, others didn’t work for me. I will be using this concept of story telling in the classroom.

[Greg H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Occasionally spooky and always unsettling, this collection of short stories are divided up into four parts. I enjoyed them all and appreciated the variety. There were recurring themes such as desolation, despondency and depression but it was an enjoyable read despite these somewhat sombre overarching tones. The artist-turned-author conjures unique worlds with words with similar effect as he does with his distinctive visual style. I will definitely be reading more from him.

[ellie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read. Had some dark themes, but handled in a way that didn’t leave me feeling down. Probably wouldn’t recommend if you are easily grossed out, although that may be as I’ve just come off the end of the last story, which was significantly gorier than the majority.

[Loindoin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a an interesting and somewhat odd read. Odd in the fact that you are reading someone's nightmares. Nightmares that woke the author with terror. Yet, because you are the observer and not the participant in the nightmares it has a strangely soothing, but disturbing tone.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book of strange and often revolting nightmares where the mundane is dangerous and danger is welcomed with open arms.

[Alex Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.75 stars - good stories, dark and funny. But almost exactly the same as “Household Worms”, which was disappointing upon realization.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just words on pages.

[Rebecca Hudson · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars.
Favourite chapters:
Condiment
Straw
Snuff

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik wou dit goed vinden omdat zijn kunst zo goed is. Maar het is niet gelukt.

[Nata · Rating 5 out of 5]

100⭐️
Mindblowing writing!!!

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

See my review of “Houshold Worms.”

[Elaine Aldred · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Humour’ is a mixture of flash fiction and very short stories told in a succinct style reminiscent of a hapless modern Charles Pooter dictating a statement to the police or (given the way most of the stories go) a government representative from the secret ‘Men in Black’ organisation. However, the sparse narratives often belie their complexity and are only occasionally punctuated by a complex word such as ‘perambulate’ to enhance the absurdity of the situation the protagonist is getting themselves into. At times the narrative conveys a sense that it is tipping into prose poetry.
Reality is stretched until it snaps in most usual and intriguing ways. It seems no situation or object is too insignificant for Stanley Donwood to notice and comment on in whip-smart observations that can build into the keystone of the whole narrative.
There is humour, but it is very dark and not all the stories work. When they do, you cannot help but read another one; even though reading too many can be a little overwhelming.
The illustrations are exquisitely rendered entanglements of trees; until the end, where there is a sense of a pathway of escape being opened up beneath an arch of branches (or is this merely a way of luring the unwary into a trap?).
It is likely that this will be a ‘Marmite’ book, dividing opinion in two distinct camps. But even for those who really cannot cope with the nature of the content or unrelenting machine gun delivery, they will have to agree that the tall tales have been written by someone with a highly inventive and agile mind.

[Vinod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Radiohead's music is full of sharp, poetic songs, memorable, sometimes twisted, sometimes funny. These songs often contain a quiet devastation in their language, and can be easily appreciated as poetry. Thom Yorke has the brilliant ability to turn a phrase just so as to completely invert the rest of the song and thus, leave it lingering in your mind forever.

So it is with Stanley Donwood's short stories in Humor.



For Radiohead fans: 5 million stars. (Thom may have learned that ability I mentioned above from Stanley; or even better, they developed it together.)

For everyone else: 5 stars, read it.

[Andy Haddon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent. As much a reflection of the deterioration
of the narrator's mental (un)health as it is a collection of gothic horror shorts, like Brett Easton Ellis writing Gormenghast.
The future horror is Ballardian but the decay is Dickensian.

[Simon Sweetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mad and wonderful - some really great stories and ideas here, Kafka-esque in places.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I hadn't just been reading Lydia Davis and Miranda July, I would have loved this more. Dark, funny and sharp.

[Rahdiandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

i dont like many words, but i know this book good!

[Mugren Ohaly · Rating 2 out of 5]

The only good parts were "Happiness: a guide", "Here be dragons, and "East Croydon".

[Calvin · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are a lot of clunky sentences.