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Canary Fever: Reviews
Canary Fever is a collection of reviews about the most significant literatures of the twenty-first century: science fiction, fantasy and horror: the literatures Clute argues should be recognized as the central modes of fantastika in our times. The title refers to the canary in the coal mine, who whiffs gas and dies to save miners; reviewers of fantastika can find themselves in a similar position, though words can only hurt us.
This is the fourth such collection by John Clute. Several older pieces are included here, though the great bulk of the book - over 200,000 words - was first published between 2003 and 2008. Every review has been edited. Errors and incoherencies have been removed when possible. The original versions of some reviews - in particular those written in the past year or so - have been treated as first drafts, and have been brought into final form.
One piece, on John B Watson and Behaviorism, is previously unpublished.
This is the fourth such collection by John Clute. Several older pieces are included here, though the great bulk of the book - over 200,000 words - was first published between 2003 and 2008. Every review has been edited. Errors and incoherencies have been removed when possible. The original versions of some reviews - in particular those written in the past year or so - have been treated as first drafts, and have been brought into final form.
One piece, on John B Watson and Behaviorism, is previously unpublished.
440 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 2009
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About the author
John Clute
58 books43 followersJohn Frederick Clute (1940- ) is a Canadian born author and critic who has lived in Britain since 1969. He has been described as "an integral part of science fiction's history."
Clute's articles on speculative fiction have appeared in various publications since the 1970s. He is a co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (with Peter Nicholls) and of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (with John Grant), as well as The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction, all of which won Hugo Awards for Best Non-Fiction. Clute is also author of the critical essay collections Strokes, Look at the Evidence, and Scores. His 1999 novel Appleseed, a space opera, was noted for its "combination of ideational fecundity and combustible language" and was selected as a New York Times Notable Book for 2002. In 2006, Clute published the essay collection The Darkening Garden: A Short Lexicon of Horror.
Clute's articles on speculative fiction have appeared in various publications since the 1970s. He is a co-editor of The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (with Peter Nicholls) and of The Encyclopedia of Fantasy (with John Grant), as well as The Illustrated Encyclopedia Of Science Fiction, all of which won Hugo Awards for Best Non-Fiction. Clute is also author of the critical essay collections Strokes, Look at the Evidence, and Scores. His 1999 novel Appleseed, a space opera, was noted for its "combination of ideational fecundity and combustible language" and was selected as a New York Times Notable Book for 2002. In 2006, Clute published the essay collection The Darkening Garden: A Short Lexicon of Horror.
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July 30, 2010
A collection of erudite book reviews primarily from the years 2003 through 2008. It is a chronicle of books published during those five years, some well known and some already forgotten. A final section delves lovingly into the life of Thomas M. Disch. An insightful look at the recent history of SF.
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