To Be to Is to Was

by Stephen C. Bird (Illustrator)

Welcome to a collection of worlds that collide, collude, conflict, cooperate or exist in indifferent isolation.  In the late 1970s, Sunnie Deelite, a young gay male with one foot still in the closet, undergoes a trial by fire among his tribe of queer brothers.  Isabella Gloucester experiences the torment of unrequited love, alongside show business success, in Lost Angelist, Amourrica Profunda, Pangolina, Blue Green Planet.  Baba Yaga terrorizes the bourgeois neighborhood of Drowsydayle, Near-Wanna, in the province of Orckario, Narniada.  South of the Narniadan border, Turmerico Inflammatorio, an unstable demagogue, creates havoc in Amourrica Profunda.  In outer space, the people of Planet Gorp transcend hyper-capitalism through practices involving synesthesia and chromesthesia.  Bryanna Dolls gives birth by Immaculate Conception to her doppelgänger, Clawdeeya.  Upon reaching adulthood, Clawdeeya indulges in Schadenfreude while terrorizing the city of Near-Wanna, Orckario.  Tommy Massageny hosts a highly anticipated contest in the Galatea galaxy, in which Bryanna, Clawdeeya, Ophelia Wainwright  and Luchadora Madrugadora (Queen of Stepford Ken and Barbie Westworld) battle for interstellar supremacy.  Meanwhile back in Amourrica Profunda, resisters band together to celebrate the demise of Fascibook.  Even though Fascibook has stolen their souls, they make the best of a bad situation and party into oblivion.

Please refer to the Blog Posting on the Stephen C. Bird Author Profile Page for Reviews and Quotes from Goodreads Reviews for "To Be to Is to Was".

Genres: Fiction, Poetry, Graphic Novels, Short Stories

206 pages, Paperback

First published October 8, 2018

About the author

Stephen C. Bird is a fiction writer and visual artist. He has written the following books: "Hideous Exuberance" (2009, 2013); "Catastrophically Consequential" (2012); "Any Resemblance to a Coincidence is Accidental" (2015); "To Be to Is to Was" (2018); and "From G to PG to R to X" (2022). He was born in Toronto and grew up in Erie County, New York. Mr. Bird has lived in New York City for most of his adult life.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

I couldn't make heads nor tails of it. Somebody else might like it.

[Matt Nagin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Unique And Entertaining Book. Read this book with interest. It is a series of interconnected satires that offer socio-political commentary through the lens of characters and worlds closely resembling our own. The use of imaginary names resembling those in our world is certainty Swiftian (‘Fascibook,’ ‘Nueva Jorker,’ ‘Amourrica Profunda’ etc.) while the propensity for characters to be eccentric misfits reminded me a bit of Chuck Palahniuk. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, well-written, with a decent sense of structure/pacing. Perhaps the best thing I can say about this book is that it is highly original. That, however, could also be a bit of a critique. At times I wanted Steven to rein it in; to add more structure; to show these characters grow in a more traditional sense; and to build upon these episodes and unique characters so that the satire really more fully challenges our current social order. All this being said, there is enough in here to entertain a wide-range of readers and the book was better than much of what I’ve read of late. So I do strongly recommend it and think readers from a wide-variety of backgrounds will enjoy the zaniness and chaotic energy that Stephen creates.

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Welcome to the satire of 2018. I’m on the fence with this book. While parts made me laugh, and I enjoyed the satire of our current political climate, global warming, and even Facebook, the chapters felt disjointed and slightly disorienting. The pacing was good, but the characters lacked development and the plot needed cohesion. There was no flow. Rather, the book offered a series of commentary loosely woven together by characters randomly inserted like the tiles a player draws in a matching game. I felt like I was reading a draft of this book but not the finished product.

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a little weird. But it makes you think

[Jill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually, I'm giving up and moving on.

[Brian Homa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the literary genre of surrealist sci fi inspirational self help didn’t exist, Stephen C. Bird would have had to invent it! Don’t be afraid to walk away and come back to it, as I did when I felt I needed room to concentrate. It’s a strange and hallucinatory trip through several alternate worlds that satirize our own, that will confuse and confound you, and yet leave you feeling strangely uplifted.

[Barred Owl Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short-story satire stories of present day politics viewed through the lens of other worlds and times. Points of regular humor include the names of characters and settings spun throughout the book. It was a well-enjoyed and an over-too-soon read that kept me smiling.

[Lourdes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy through Goodreads.

I really did enjoy the book short stories.

[Trish D'agostino · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book through a giveaway on good reads. It was a unique combination of short stories that were very entertaining and different from stories I usually read.It was an easy read

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. In past and futuristic stories that parallel today, this book takes you on a wild ride. I really really really enjoyed the first short story. While reading the rest of this book my thoughts were all over the place...."this is a good satire.. wait this seems pretty realistic..okay definitely a satire....is the author on drugs....am I on drugs?" Repeat these thoughts at least 5 times throughout this book. The names were clever and fun, however, it was hard to keep up with towards the middle/end of the book. The names and information were just coming so fast, not much time to process what was happening. I think if things were elaborated on, certain parts would make more sense, but I feel like it would ruin the feel of the book overall if the author did that. Reading certain parts aloud is nearly impossible because there are a lot of tongue twisters, but I tried to read parts to friends. I see that this book was published in 2018, which is recent, but it is still very relatable in 2020 with the state of the world right now. This is definitely an interesting read that makes you think. The book itself is put together very well and is of good quality.

[Elna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received for review from the publisher.

I'm not really sure what I expected, but this wasn't it. The physical book is very well put together, clean and crisp.

The stories are... strange. Very surreal and trippy. They take place in/tell the story of some kind of future American continent where people have split into two camps: the hyper-sexual and aggressively liberal people who delightfully flaunt all sexual, political, and social mores and the proudly dumbed-down and staunchly conservative majority.

I really liked the parts where characters spoke in unison, "as in a Greek Chorus," and when the two men were seducing Sunnie into their lifestyle (it was ominous in a thrilling, scary way). But, otherwise, the strange hyper-sexuality really held me off from fully engaging with the stories.

[chels marieantoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Confusing while interesting.
Quirky tongue & cheek.
A play on current reality just far enough off to make anything believable. “a flamboyant trillionaire by the name of Turmetico Inflammatorio rose up within the ranks of Mourrzicka’s decaying political system, to become the voice of the untruth. His ruling technique involved distracting the populace by engineering chaos and drama, which he achieved by creating an ongoing political theater that was covered by every available media outlet. Tumerico also maintained a relationship with a mistress, who went by the name of Pornie Damnsell.”
The Fascibook Eulogy literally had me doubled over cackling.
I’m not sure I love the book, but I definitely love Stephen C. Bird and his creative mind.

[LaRuocco La · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Be To Is To Was by Steve Bird © year(2018), you can't find it because he goes by the Ghost Pen Name of Stephen C. Bird. Smart; I should have done That!
I loved in it in Print, then I read it again on Kindle.
https://www.amazon.com/…/dp/069206946...…

Then I tried to quote from it my favorite part, but learned you readily can't copy - paste straight away from a kindle page,
virtual iron curtain, so let me see if I can transcribe... the thing I seem most handicap, from page

_____________________________________yeah, i can't, but XOXOXOXOXOXO
Yours Subliminally,
LA Ruocco Nov30,2018 also known as L A Ruocco Laruocco La Ruoc & co. enterprises.

[April Kniess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through GoodReads and I honestly did not enjoy it much. It was an easy read and I did complete the book, but wanted to leave it several times. It spiked my interest when I first read about it because it's completely different than most books I read. I appreciated the satire that reflected stories on news of today. At times it felt a bit creepy but then again I felt entertained. Bird certainly has an imagination to be able write in this manner. It's good to read out of my comfort zone, but then again I feel I have such little time to myself to read that I would probably choose something different next time.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're ready for some feel good happy ending stories, you may want to move on to another book. If you're not afraid to absorb, think, be shocked, and oftentimes perplexed, you will find this a great choice. It is obvious that Stephen Bird is a brilliant thinker, perhaps beyond writing material that is to be read for relaxing pleasure. You may be forced to think more than what you had expected and may find yourself (as I did) throwing in some of your ideas to finish the story in a way that did give closure to some of the characters. I found it to be one of the most "different" books I have read and enjoyed. A bonus is several pages of art by the author.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received To be to is to was as a Giveaway through Goodreads. It was a quick read; albeit I needed to slow down at times so as to not miss the embedded humor within the satirical short stories. At times I saw definite parallels to today's state of affairs, such as the statement, "Red people plus blue people equals purple people". It is recommended that you sit back, relax and read these stories and don't miss the names of characters and settings spun throughout the book. Not recommended for young adult readers because of some language and subject matter.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A plethora of playful prose worth profusely perusing, complete with profoundly pleasing paragraphs that would make Heinlein and Heifetz hum happily, Frank Zappa's family and friends fete' and "Freak Out"- and Mark Twain mark-time, page turn quite purposefully, with pride to be on the same book-review thread! Get your copy today!Thank you Mr. Bird once again, for the good word!

[Fauxmaux · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read it so fast that I want to read it again. Like most of Stephen C Bird’s work, the dialogue grabs your attention very quickly. I found myself feeling eager to read the next bit of oddity that only this guy can imagine. The book drew me and kept my attention. Next thing I knew, I forgot to eat and the cat is meowing at me! Enjoy!

[Vickie · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories are easy, breezy, and fun. The satire is thick, wicked, and not for the faint-hearted. With that said, I think this is a book that is definitely an either-or book: the reader either really likes it, or really dislikes it. If it's your style, you'll enjoy it, but don't read this thinking it's like any other book you've encountered. I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.

[Colleen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Mr. Bird has an interesting writing style. Not very polished, but I usually like that. He writing is not for rainbow, puppy people. He takes a realistic and often dark view of life and humanity. His writing tends to be like his characters, raw.

[Jeff Nichols · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great satire, as good as it gets ..reminds me of Tom Robbins, you will laugh and be impressed , and feel good that there are still good Sartrist out there !

[Karen Dandurant · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories was a quick read. In some ways, the stories are connected, with a common thread running through them. I enjoyed it.

[Csimplot Simplot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book!!!

[Erika Kraus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book in the giveaway! I loved the lightheartedness present throughout the story.

[Brian Phillips · Rating 1 out of 5]

Crap

Terrible. It seems like it was written by someone mentally ill. I hope the author gets the help he needs.

[M.L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I have enjoyed it very much. It's fresh, a melding of visual art and the written word. I enjoyed the eccentricity.

[Ellen Schutt · Rating 1 out of 5]

Tried several time to read this just couldn't get into it.

[Janice · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry Mr. Bird, this book is not a game I play.

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very strange collection of short stories. I'm 63, perhaps it's geared towards a younger audience. I started and stopped many times. I just couldn't get into it. Sorry.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again Stephen C. Bird offers us a romp through his linguistically twisted funhouse mirror universe. The themes are the same as in his previous three books: loss of innocence for various caricatures as they explore the wild reaches of sexuality, satire of the bumpkins of the heartland, occupation of the vastness of time and space (does that make sense? ahh, let's not worry about it). Our own nation has changed names once again, this time from Amourrica Profunda to Mourrzicka. (Out planet is still the Blue Green Planet.) Our president is a "flamboyant trillionnaire by the name of Turmerica Inflammatorio." In perhaps the most concise explanation of our most recent presidential election that I've ever read, the population "fell under the spell of his anti-charisma." Sometimes I think I detect a little more tenderness towards Bird's characters in this one, but, well, not for long. And just when you're getting a little tired of the rube-speak, a chapter like "The Deeper Meaning of Smores" comes along, which caused this reader to bust a gut laughing while on a train: "in them thar piney woods...a family was sitting down to dinner, with their elbows on the kitchen table. They sat in silence. Their hands were clutching their forks and knives tightly; their cutlery was pointed upwards. They started to chant loudly as they pounded the bottoms of their clenched fists on the white formica table....MORE SMORES PIE! SMORES PIE FOR LIFE! SMORES PIE IS LIFE! SMORES PIE IS THE LIFE! SMORES PIE EVERY DAY! SMORES PIE EVERY NIGHT! SMORES PIE SWEET AND NICE! FUCK THAT PUMPIKIN SPICE! SMORES PIE ALL THE TIME! SMORES PIE AIN'T NO CRIME! SMORES PIE OUTER SPACE! SMORES PIE OUTER SPACE." Whereupon 12-year-old Bobby starts in on a passionate monologue: "If only usns could experience the fun times resultin' from the daily consumption of Smores pie!..."
Not too hard to once again fall under Bird's spell.