'It was customary, it seems, for an author to begin with excuses, explanations and snivels about their work. Which is quite peculiar since the author is usually the last person to know what their book is about...'
Right from the wickedly funny table of contents, which belongs not to this collection but an imagined one, this remarkable genre-defying volume is guaranteed to delight the reader in the mood for something original and different.
In the title story, 'The Inconceivable Idea of the Sun', a couple finds that reorganizing their home library has an unexpected consequence on their shared reality; 'The Robots of Eden' is set in a world where stories are no longer essential to be human, because civilized people have developed better technology to mediate their emotions; in 'Into the Night', an old Brahmin leans into the comforts of an ancient language when the future renders him obsolete; and 'How Not to Tell the Ramayana' is a Borgesian journey into a Ramayana retelling unlike any other.
This stellar collection of short fiction, as poignant as it is playful, blurs the distinction between what lies inside a story and what lies outside it. It demonstrates yet again why Anil Menon is one of the most formidable names in contemporary Indian writing.
Praise for this book:
'Retellings of myths mix with vivid modern settings, realistic characters, fine SFF ideas, philosophical references and gentle wit. Speculative fiction of a high and literary order.' – GEOFF RYMAN, award-winning author of The Child Garden and Air.
Praise for the author's other works:
HALF OF WHAT I SAY
'This intricate, brilliantly written novel will appeal to sophisticated with-it readers everywhere.' – URSULA K. LE GUIN
'What a delightful, delightful novel! What Anil Menon has built here is a masterpiece of plot structure. The language and style, though beautiful in their own right, sit back whenever storytelling changes gears.' – SHALIM M. HUSSAIN, The Pioneer
'Anil Menon's brave, brash, bizarre novel Half of What I Say is ultimately about itself. About the centrality of narrative that underpins our quests, large and small, real and fictive; about the importance of lost letters and found selves.' – DEVAPRIYA ROY, Scroll.in
THE BEAST WITH NINE BILLION FEET
'Menon's future is neither one of shock (dystopia) nor awe (utopia) but something in-between, both pragmatic and experiential, a lived reality that his characters already inhabit and to which we are invited.' – PAUL MARCH-RUSSELL, Foundation: International Review of SF
'I thought this was a terrific, engaging world, full of interesting science, sympathetic characters facing hard problems, and the occasional dose of philosophy... Easily one of the best things I've read this year.' – CAT RAMBO, Goodreads
'This exciting, imaginative and intelligently witty fantasy will blow your mind.' – MONIDEEPA SAHU, Deccan Herald Review
'It was customary, it seems, for an author to begin with excuses, explanations and snivels about their work. Which is quite peculiar since the author is usually the last person to know what their book is about...'
Right from the wickedly funny table of contents, which belongs not to this collection but an imagined one, this remarkable genre-defying volume is guaranteed to delight the reader in the mood for something original and different.
In the title story, 'The Inconceivable Idea of the Sun', a couple finds that reorganizing their home library has an unexpected consequence on their shared reality; 'The Robots of Eden' is set in a world where stories are no longer essential to be human, because civilized people have developed better technology to mediate their emotions; in 'Into the Night', an old Brahmin leans into the comforts of an ancient language when the future renders him obsolete; and 'How Not to Tell the Ramayana' is a Borgesian journey into a Ramayana retelling unlike any other.
This stellar collection of short fiction, as poignant as it is playful, blurs the distinction between what lies inside a story and what lies outside it. It demonstrates yet again why Anil Menon is one of the most formidable names in contemporary Indian writing.
Praise for this book:
'Retellings of myths mix with vivid modern settings, realistic characters, fine SFF ideas, philosophical references and gentle wit. Speculative fiction of a high and literary order.' – GEOFF RYMAN, award-winning author of The Child Garden and Air.
Praise for the author's other works:
HALF OF WHAT I SAY
'This intricate, brilliantly written novel will appeal to sophisticated with-it readers everywhere.' – URSULA K. LE GUIN
'What a delightful, delightful novel! What Anil Menon has built here is a masterpiece of plot structure. The language and style, though beautiful in their own right, sit back whenever storytelling changes gears.' – SHALIM M. HUSSAIN, The Pioneer
'Anil Menon's brave, brash, bizarre novel Half of What I Say is ultimately about itself. About the centrality of narrative that underpins our quests, large and small, real and fictive; about the importance of lost letters and found selves.' – DEVAPRIYA ROY, Scroll.in
THE BEAST WITH NINE BILLION FEET
'Menon's future is neither one of shock (dystopia) nor awe (utopia) but something in-between, both pragmatic and experiential, a lived reality that his characters already inhabit and to which we are invited.' – PAUL MARCH-RUSSELL, Foundation: International Review of SF
'I thought this was a terrific, engaging world, full of interesting science, sympathetic characters facing hard problems, and the occasional dose of philosophy... Easily one of the best things I've read this year.' – CAT RAMBO, Goodreads
'This exciting, imaginative and intelligently witty fantasy will blow your mind.' – MONIDEEPA SAHU, Deccan Herald Review
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