by @Nicholas Zielinski, curator of HOWLS Book Club nominees for June’s “Weird Postmodernism” category
Weird fiction is hard to define, but I’m going to do it anyway, with help from weird fiction’s most problematic grandpa: H.P. Lovecraft.
In a landmark essay on the subject, he claims that all weird tales must contain “outer, unknown forces… and there must be a hint… of that most terrible conception of the human brain—a malign and particular suspension or defeat of those fixed laws of Nature which are our only safeguard against the assaults of chaos.”
According to Lovecraft, weird fiction must contain a thing which intrudes upon reality with such force that it causes characters to question their assumptions about the nature of reality itself. Fear is a natural response to this experience, which is why—I think—weird fiction is often conflated with horror. But the reality-breaking experience of weird fiction can be found outside of the spooky shelf at Barnes and Noble… even in the highfalutin world of postmodern lit.
Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs
The book is structured as a series of loosely connected vignettes. Burroughs stated that the chapters are intended to be read in any order. The reader follows the narration of junkie William Lee, who takes on various aliases, from the U.S. to Mexico, eventually to Tangier and the dreamlike Interzone. (from goodreads)
Of all the books on this list, Naked Lunch is by far the most horrifying. A transgressive classic, this debauched fever dream deals with many of the same themes as the classic writers of Weird Tales magazine, including the corrupting power of forbidden knowledge, the haunting influence of dreams on reality, and flirtation with occult philosophy. Although he’s best known as a postmodern stylist, he was also a student of H.P. Lovecraft, as evidenced by his experimental novel Cities of the Red Night, which is dedicated to the Lovecraftian god “Kutulu”.
Bookshop* | Goodreads | Amazon
Labyrinths: Selected Stories and Other Writings by Jorge Luis Borjes
Labyrinths is a selection of Borges’ writing, some forty pieces drawn from various books of his published over the years. (from goodreads)
I found Borges in Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s anthology of weird fiction, and I’m now addicted to his characteristic blend of intelligence, imagination, and reality-warping weirdness. This collection features many of his weirdest stories, along with some non-fiction essays and parables which elicit the same emotional experience as the weird fiction classics.
Bookshop* | Goodreads | Amazon
The Eye in the Pyramid by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea
It was a deadly mistake. Joseph Malik, editor of a radical magazine, had snooped into rumors about an ancient secret society that was still alive and kicking. Now his offices have been bombed, he’s missing, and the case has landed in the lap of a tough, cynical, streetwise New York detective. Saul Goodman knows he’s stumbled onto something big – but even he can’t guess how far into the pinnacles of power this conspiracy of evil has penetrated. (from goodreads)
According to legend, the premise of this book started with one question: “What if every conspiracy theory was true at the same time?” In The Eye of the Pyramid, Wilson and Shea explore this paranoid situation, drawing inspiration from the same themes that nourished the weird fiction pulps, including strange cults, mind-bending drugs, and fringe science.
Bookshop* | Goodreads | Amazon
Cyclonopedia by Reza Negarestani
At once a horror fiction, a work of speculative theology, an atlas of demonology, a political samizdat and a philosophic grimoire, CYCLONOPEDIA is work of theory-fiction on the Middle East, where horror is restlessly heaped upon horror. (from the publisher’s website)
Put simply: this is a weird novel disguised as an academic text. I read a portion of it in Ann and Jeff Vandermeer’s anthology of weird fiction and was charmed by clear language, formal inventiveness, and compelling narrative in what seemed like a droll treatise on sentient dust. Truly can’t wait to read the whole thing.
Bookshop* | Goodreads | Amazon
Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed
In Mumbo Jumbo, Ishmael Reed draws on conspiracy theory and occult philosophy to craft a haunting satire of Western culture. The novel, set amidst the Harlem Renaissance, follows voodoo practitioner PaPa LaBas and his companion Black Herman as they race against the Wallflower Order, an international conspiracy dedicated to monotheism and control, as they attempt to root out the cause of and deal with the “Jes Grew” virus, a personification of ragtime, jazz, polytheism, and freedom. (from wikipedia and goodreads)
If weird fiction is about unknown forces creating a rift in consensus reality, then few texts are “weirder” than Ishmael Reed’s magnum opus. This speculative rewrite of history places voodoo priests and hidden cults at the center of world events in shiver-inducing fashion. Also, it uses the intertextual tradition of postmodernism to put Black thinkers in conversation with ancient philosophers: a mega-thrill for bookish eggheads.
Bookshop* | Goodreads | Amazon
And The Winner Is…
Out of these five books, HOWLers voted to read Cyclonopedia by Reza Negarestani. Join HOWL Society on Monday, June 13, 2022 to begin discussion!
Nicholas Zielinski is a nascent writer who likes to make people laugh, spookily. He’s based in Los Angeles and spends a lot of time lurking in the shade of a palm tree while hissing at the sun. You can find him on twitter at @final_nicholas.
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