Harsh Oases

by Paul Di Filippo

Harsh Oases is the author's thirteenth collection of short fiction, but he chooses to regard that number as a lucky one, since this volume assembles some of his newest, most well-received personal favorites along with some of his older work either little reprinted or never before available. In the first category is 'Femaville 29,' a much-lauded fantastical tale of love and salvation among the ruins of America's Eastern Seaboard. 'The Singularity Needs Women!' pits human against posthuman over a woman's love. In 'Shipbreaker,' a common laborer in an interstellar salvage yard finds his destiny altered forever by a strange pet. And in 'Escape from New Austin,' a young girl leaves her liberal home seeking the conservative dream. Two stories appear here for the first 'Aurorae' and 'A Game of Go.' Both are set in the cyberpunk future of the author's seminal 'Kid Charlemagne.' Two short, sharp satires, 'Bad Beliefs' and 'Leakage,' resurface from their initial publication in the alternative press. The title story, 'Harsh Oases,' is the first addition to the Ribofunk canon since the publication of that pivotal collection in 1996. Nearly a compressed novel, it spans many strange milieus in the bio-engineered future of that series. On two radically different notes, 'Pinocchia' chronicles the erotic adventures of a sexy android, while 'Personal Jesus' and 'Lignum Vitae' address, with varying degrees of solemnity, the topic of religion. A collaboration with gonzo creator Rudy Rucker explores levels of quantum weirdness that underlie our familiar world. Finally, some flash fiction packs a few startling SF conceits into bite-sized stories. Running the wide gamut of DiFilippo's myriad concerns and styles, this collection extends and solidifies his reputation as one of the finest short-story writers working today.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

330 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

Paul Di Filippo is the author of hundreds of short stories, some of which have been collected in these widely-praised collections: The Steampunk Trilogy, Ribofunk, Fractal Paisleys, Lost Pages, Little Doors, Strange Trades, Babylon Sisters, and his multiple-award-nominated novella, A Year in the Linear City. Another earlier collection, Destroy All Brains, was published by Pirate Writings, but is quite rare because of the extremely short print run (if you see one, buy it!).

The popularity of Di Filippo’s short stories sometimes distracts from the impact of his mindbending, utterly unclassifiable novels: Ciphers, Joe’s Liver, Fuzzy Dice, A Mouthful of Tongues, and Spondulix. Paul’s offbeat sensibility, soulful characterizations, exquisite-yet-compact prose, and laugh-out-loud dialogue give his work a charmingly unique voice that is both compelling and addictive. He has been a finalist for the Hugo, Nebula, BSFA, Philip K. Dick, Wired Magazine, and World Fantasy awards.

Despite his dilatory ways, Paul affirms that the sequel to A Year in the Linear City, to be titled A Princess of the Linear Jungle, will get written in 2008. He has two books forthcoming from PS Publications: the collection entitled Harsh Oases and the novel titled Roadside Bodhisattva. His 2008 novel Cosmocopia is graced by Jim Woodring illustrations.

Paul lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This hardcover is numbered 406 of 500 and is signed by Paul Di Filippo.

Each story is preceded by a short introduction by Di Filippo.

"Aurorae" and "A Game of Go" are previously unpublished.

Contents:

v - introduction by Cory Doctorow
003 - "Aurorae" (2009)
028 - "A Game of Go" (2009)
054 - "Bad Beliefs" (1994)
066 - "Leakage" (1995)
074 - "Everywhere Is Now" (1996)
082 - "Shipbreaker" (2002)
123 - "Harsh Oases" (2005)
155 - "Daydream Nation" (2005)
163 - "Escape From New Austin" (2006)
181 - "Pinocchia" (2006)
217 - "The Singularity Needs Women!" (2006)
242 - "Lignum Crucis' (2007)
253 - "Femaville 29" (2006)
278 - "The Perfect Lover" (2006)
283 - "Cootie Box" (2007)
286 - "Personal Jesus" (2007)
299 - "Elves of the Subdimensions" (2006) by Paul Di Filippo and Rudy Rucker

Cover Art "The Snake Charmer, 1907, by Henri J.F. Rousseau

[Adam Meek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun collection. Di Fillipo returns here to his Ribofunk universe and his Hespirides series, but for my money the surrealistic stand alones like Leakage and Cootie Box are the real stand outs.

[Charlie K · Rating 3 out of 5]

tangy

[John Kenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harsh Oases is Paul Di Filippo’s thirteenth collection of short stories, an indication that he is most certainly a devotee of the short form. What is striking about Di Filippo as a writer, as evidenced in previous collections, is his range, both in terms of style and subject matter. Previous collections have demonstrated a multitude of ideas that are treated sometimes in a serious vein, sometimes humorous. It is this very variety that has perhaps kept Di Filippo out of the limelight to an extent; there is no easy label that can be applied to him, there is no typical trait or trope that can be handily attributed to him. And yet there is such a thing as a Di Filippoian or Di Filippesque story. It is not always easily recognised, but there is a certain gonzo quality to a typical Di Filippo story.

Harsh Oases offers fresh and rewarding evidence of this in what proves to be a bumper edition of short stories. Seventeen stories run the gamut of concerns, ideas and styles that a reader can expect from Di Filippo. A couple of the stories are very short: ‘The Perfect Lover’ and ‘Cootie Box’. However, even here, we see his quirky sense of humour exercised to good effect, the first story being a very clever idea that is all the more enjoyable for knowing exactly how it’s going to end, the second being essentially a joke with a great punch line. Of more substance are stories like ‘Bad Beliefs’ (a brilliant take on a world where political correctness has gone into overdrive), ‘Leakage’ (where the most cherished memories of our cultural heritage are systematically destroyed by the violence of the present), ‘Daydream Nation’ (which presents an extremely complicated landscape to be negotiated in the development of interpersonal relationships with a beautifully subtle finishing line) and ‘Personal Jesus’ (where GodTM is available to all through an iPod-like device).

There are several standout stories in evidence. ‘Shipbreaker’ is a solid piece of good ol’ science fiction with some genuinely interesting concepts bandied about and an ending that leaves you wanting more. There is mention in Di Filippo’s introduction to the story of a follow up piece and I’d certainly love to see it. ‘Harsh Oases’ belongs to Di Filippo’s Ribofunk series of stories and tells the story of the protection and development of a young person who embodies the genetic diversity of the splices, a species of genetically altered human bred for commercial use that is being systematically weeded out of existence. The story is also an excuse to explore how life could exist in a variety of extreme environments. ‘Escape from New Austin’ beautifully illustrates a United States fractured along Redneck/non-Redneck lines and has an ending that nicely pulls the rug from under our feet. ‘Pinocchia’ is an outrageously pornographic retelling of the story of Pinocchio in a science fictional setting. The donkeys are hung like um… donkeys and it’s a certain part of the female anatomy (that us poor men are constantly being told we can’t find) which grows every time Pinocchia tells a lie. Finally, ‘Femaville 29’ is a post natural disaster story that brings together an ex-cop and a single mom and her daughter in a tented city erected to house the dispossessed. While awaiting relocation, the relationship grows, as do the mysterious activities of the large population of children on the site. Beautifully written and very much reminiscent of the best work of Lucius Shepard (who Di Filippo cites as his influence for this one).

All told, a cracking collection and one I would highly recommend as a good entry point for anyone not already familiar with the work of Paul Di Filippo.

[Adam]

Not giving this stars yet. Di Fillipo needs to reconsider his selections for his hodge podge collection ( or skip them and stick to themed ones that he is brilliant at...ex. Steampunk trilogy,Ribofunk, and Lost Pages) Crappy, dated stories that didn't get published twenty years are a way to dampen my cheer and not really urging me to continue. An as always enthusiastic intro by Cory Doctorow.