Rite: Short Work | |||||||||
Tad Williams | |||||||||
Subterranean Press, 464 pages | |||||||||
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A review by Nathan Brazil
What makes this collection impressive is the variety, ingenuity, enthusiasm and storytelling craft the author exhibits. Nothing
feels like it was thrown in as a filler, and most of the works are clearly separate from his epic tomes. What's on offer
includes "The Happiest Dead Boy in the World," a delightful piece featuring Orlando Gardiner, one of the more endearing
characters from Otherland. The story can be understood as a stand-alone work, but will be more enjoyable for those
already familiar with the enormous back story. "A Tale from the Book of Regret" is a classical folktale about imaginary folk,
written as a companion piece to the author's Shadowmarch novels. "Nonstop" tells the tale of Henry Stankey, a
painter who hates flying, and the ultimate destination to which his fear leads. It would make a great episode of
The Twilight Zone. The two unproduced ideas for television are the first couple of episodes for a comedy
called "The Cloak" for which Williams hoped the surreal British comedian Eddie Izzard would play the lead role, and "Dog Versus
the World" another comedy, this time about a scrawny new arrival among a bunch of dogs, some without nuts. "Go Ask Elric"
is, as the title suggests, a genuine Elric story, of sorts. It's a light-hearted piece, told from the perspective of Sammy,
a tripping Hippie who at first mistakes the albino for Johnny Winter. "Z is For" gives us a quite disturbing tale of alien
contact, in which those from above are not our friends. "The Stuff that Dreams Are Made Of" features a down-at-heel
magician, employed to investigate the apparently suspicious demise of an inspirational forerunner. "Child of an Ancient
City" crosses the Arabian Nights with the tale of an ancient vampyr. In "The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch" we have an
example of Williams writing in praise and explanation of Philip K. Dick. My favourite was "The Scent of Trumpets the Voice
of Smoke," a fabulous, cinematic story, about a man seeking redemption via an excursion to inner space; a world created for
him inside his own mind, where he meets the legendary Joan of Arc.
My overall impression was that this collection is Tad Williams having fun, but never losing sight of who he is, and what
his audience wants. I read it mostly while on the move, across sea by Fast Cat, then overland at the mercy of the malodorous
beast that is British Rail. Throughout I found Rite: Short Work to be an agreeable travelling companion; witty,
entertaining and thought provoking, with occasional glimpses into hidden depths. I can, therefore, recommend it to fellow
travellers, be they in motion or merely passing through time.
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