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Sex, Death, and the End of the World: Stories
Ghosts, aliens, vampires, zombies, God and the Devil, robots, detectives, the Arabian Nights, and the Thirteen mostly lighthearted tales subvert expectations to introduce unusual characters faced with the unexpected.
We discover that devastating power can inhere in sex organs, that the end of the world might get a bit crowded, that blood is thicker than interstellar space, and that some ghosts have heroic histories. And several acerbic dialogues unpack a classic Jewish joke. Under the quirky fun, however, lurk transgressive messages of peace, justice, and freedom.
All of us think about sex, many of us think about death (willingly or not), and some of us have thought about the end of the world. But probably not like this! Infused with fantasy and touches of science fiction, these surprising takes on a trio of universal themes will awaken the imagination to new impossibilities.
We discover that devastating power can inhere in sex organs, that the end of the world might get a bit crowded, that blood is thicker than interstellar space, and that some ghosts have heroic histories. And several acerbic dialogues unpack a classic Jewish joke. Under the quirky fun, however, lurk transgressive messages of peace, justice, and freedom.
All of us think about sex, many of us think about death (willingly or not), and some of us have thought about the end of the world. But probably not like this! Infused with fantasy and touches of science fiction, these surprising takes on a trio of universal themes will awaken the imagination to new impossibilities.
144 pages, Paperback
Published June 2, 2015
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 4, 2016
I would have to say that one should read all the stories before passing judgment on the book. The first story was a little hard for me to get into, but everything after that was very smooth. I would recommend reading the afterword first, before reading each story. This will help you better understand the concept and theme.
Perper insight into human sexuality and courtship is intriguing dazzle in humor lanced antics. At worse, it is a fun summer read; at best, an interesting analysis of human courtship.
I received an advance reader copy of this book thanks to NetGalley, in exchange for my honest and insightful review.
Perper insight into human sexuality and courtship is intriguing dazzle in humor lanced antics. At worse, it is a fun summer read; at best, an interesting analysis of human courtship.
I received an advance reader copy of this book thanks to NetGalley, in exchange for my honest and insightful review.
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February 5, 2016"According to his wife, collaborator and editor, Martha Cornog, Timothy Perper liked to field-test his fiction by reading excerpts in bars. The patrons probably sipped their ales late into the night, as Perper is a gifted storyteller.
This collection contains 14 fantasy and science fiction pieces ranging from the surreal to satire to just plain silly. Many have an existential element that allows readers to form their own opinions about what happens next to the characters and the world around them.
In “Twilight of the Gods: The End of the World gets complicated,” the gods from most mythological and current religions descend on 42nd Street in Manhattan. It’s the end of the world, but, as might be expected, New Yorkers take it in stride, and the gods, who don’t know each other, seem to hit it off. A city cop threatens to arrest archangels Michael and Gabriel for excessive trumpeting, and, when Buddha appears, a street vendor breaks out his shoebox of gold-colored plastic Buddhas. The world may not end after all.
In “Statue, No Limitations,” General Culvershaw and his horse are allowed to return to life from their statue one day each thousand years. A problem arises, however, because each thousand years the general does a noble deed and another statue is erected — and that statue comes to life each thousand years. After millennia, there are so many generals and horses running around no one knows what to do with them.
All of the stories are unique; most are thought provoking; some are delightfully funny. The dialogue between their believable characters is smooth and seamless. And, despite the fact that humor may be the most challenging of genres, the authors frequently create situations that will have readers smiling and occasionally laughing out loud. Even the longest stories fly by.
Perper died in 2014, but Cornog compiled this collection from his copious notes. At book’s end, readers will find themselves hoping she uncovers more of her husband’s work for a companion volume. Perhaps the greatest compliment a reviewer can give a story collection is “I wanted more of them.” We wanted more of them."
This collection contains 14 fantasy and science fiction pieces ranging from the surreal to satire to just plain silly. Many have an existential element that allows readers to form their own opinions about what happens next to the characters and the world around them.
In “Twilight of the Gods: The End of the World gets complicated,” the gods from most mythological and current religions descend on 42nd Street in Manhattan. It’s the end of the world, but, as might be expected, New Yorkers take it in stride, and the gods, who don’t know each other, seem to hit it off. A city cop threatens to arrest archangels Michael and Gabriel for excessive trumpeting, and, when Buddha appears, a street vendor breaks out his shoebox of gold-colored plastic Buddhas. The world may not end after all.
In “Statue, No Limitations,” General Culvershaw and his horse are allowed to return to life from their statue one day each thousand years. A problem arises, however, because each thousand years the general does a noble deed and another statue is erected — and that statue comes to life each thousand years. After millennia, there are so many generals and horses running around no one knows what to do with them.
All of the stories are unique; most are thought provoking; some are delightfully funny. The dialogue between their believable characters is smooth and seamless. And, despite the fact that humor may be the most challenging of genres, the authors frequently create situations that will have readers smiling and occasionally laughing out loud. Even the longest stories fly by.
Perper died in 2014, but Cornog compiled this collection from his copious notes. At book’s end, readers will find themselves hoping she uncovers more of her husband’s work for a companion volume. Perhaps the greatest compliment a reviewer can give a story collection is “I wanted more of them.” We wanted more of them."
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August 25, 2016Odd little collection of short stories. Gaiman once wrote one about an old woman who bought the Holy Grail in a junk shop and then just left it on the mantlepiece and kept having Sir Galahad visit her to acquire it. Discombobulating: two types of story which are an uneasy mix, and make you think, huh? what? Well, if you liked that story, you'll like these. There are some nice turns in here -- I liked the ending of the one with the woman and the coffee place the most -- and some which are likely to have you scratching your head a bit, which is not a bad average for a book of short stories. The first story, about a Lord's magnificent organ (which is precisely what those of you with gutter minds will have imagined) does not necessarily set the tone for the others; the afterword notes that both the authors are frequent writers on sexuality and that that populated many of the stories, but to be honest I didn't notice that. Gods show up more than organs do.
I was sent this via NetGalley.
June 11, 2016
Sex, Death, and the End of the World was an interesting concept and nothing more in my eyes. Maybe this type of book just was not for me, but it left me annoyed as I read through the short stories. Several of the stories are fantasy or science fiction (which I love) and uncompleted. Almost every story comes across as a conception piece with basic character development and nothing more. I would come to the end of a piece and be left thinking that I gained nothing from what I read. The stories didn't have enough content for me to care about the characters nor did they develop any type of completed story. I felt this was just a push to pull together unfinished work of a late author. I received this book for free from Netgallery and the publisher in-order to do a review. My opinions are 100% my own.
November 24, 2016
I was given a free galley of this book by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A set of short stories with some sexualized themes that also have an underlying theme of death makes for a quick and interesting read. While I did not find any one story captivating as a collection it was at least interesting.
A set of short stories with some sexualized themes that also have an underlying theme of death makes for a quick and interesting read. While I did not find any one story captivating as a collection it was at least interesting.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews