Secret Life

Rating:
Summary: Vandermeer knocks down walls with his cutting edge fantasies
Review: Jeff Vandermeer, best known for his interconnected Ambergis stories (published in "City of Saints and Madman"), shows here, in his first short story collection encompassing the first 15 years of his writing life, that genre and literary borders are illusory. When confronting "Secret Life," forget all you know about the rules of fantasy and story construction, and embrace the spontaneity of these highly imaginative fantasies.

One thing "Secret Life" is not is boring! It is bold and groundbreaking. It is a brief glimpse into the future of fantasy fiction. And it is one of this year's hallmark books, inside or out of genre.

These imaginatively fecund stories breath, live, and crawl around the brain like living organisms. Give Jeff Vandermeer's "Secret Life" a chance to open your mind to the possibilities of fiction.

Rating:
Summary: Vandermeer is a literary master
Review: Only one with less gray matter than the score given (1 star) would call Vandermeer's writing boring, more likely the reader failed miserably in his attempt to comprehend the literature contained within.

Rating:
Summary: A wonderful collection with uniquely splendid Notes
Review: Secret Life is the most engaging collection of short stories by a living author that I have read in years. VanderMeer did himself a disservice, in one way, by his Notes after each story, in which he tells the story behind what we've just read. They give away something that I am sure if he hadn't told, would not be known to anyone who doesn't peruse the copyright details--and that is that some of these stories were written when he was just a sprout, not that he is a greybeard now. The Publishers Weekly reviewer was possibly influenced by this, giving the impression that some are really stories on training wheels. Perish the thought! While the range is vast here, in tone and subject, the collection is wholly absorbing. Even a comparative toddler's work, 'The Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlight' reads more beautifully and meaningfully than many a famous one's whole oeuvre, including a preciously pointless piece by an international name that I read in a Harpers the night before opening 'Secret Life'. Older stories here, anyway, have been revised for this collection, so though their earlier form might have been lacking, they do not drag down the whole at all now--a collection that stimulates the mind and heart. The Notes alone--part-autobiography/part lit-crit, self-deprecating, critically objective, funny and touching--are worth the price of the book. If this guy doesn't get too famous and jaded, his autobiography in 30 years will be a ripper of a classic.

Sometimes his self-criticism made me want to say, 'Hey, avert your hindsight and better judgement. I liked that story, and still do! And its faults were its strengths!' But back to the collection as a whole. Here is a singularly fresh writer who doesn't sound like he's gone through the writing-school mill, doesn't fit easily into any genre, who creates stories and worlds that are morally, emotionally, and plot-wise, complex. There is a love of language and a mastery of it that is unsurpassed today, and that many a riffing writer would do well to examine, as here there is no sloppy diarrhoea of weird-wordiness, no self-indulgence, but some simply soaring prose, always in the service of the story. But most enjoyable for this reader was to see the development of a wonderful, gentle sense of humour, evident throughout the Notes and in full flower with the masterpiece of faux reporting, 'The Festival of the Freshwater Squid'.

Stories I particularly liked were mixed in age and subject, but the title story still captivates me, and 'Mahout' still chokes me deep in my chest, just thinking of it. Then there are the 'worlds' stories, and he is a master there. 'The Mansions of the Moon' is VanderMeerian to the nth. Other favourites: 'The General', the surreal postscript to 'Learning to Leave the Flesh', 'Greensleeves' (another charming story enhanced enormously by the Notes). So for anyone who loves what good reads have always been -- something to get lost in, both the stories in Secret Life, and the opened life of the author himself in his Notes, make a wholly rewarding experience. I needed tissues in a few places in the book, laughed aloud at many others, and often found myself re-reading a passage for the sheer sensual pleasure of it.

Rating:
Summary: Boring Stories
Review: The stories in the collection were simply to boring to read. This author is so self-absorbed, he forgot that the task of storytelling is to entertain. None of the stories in this book even attempted to do that. Who publishes this junk?

And to the chucklehead who criticized my opinion of this talentless author's work, blah blah blah! Go blow it out your you know what.

Rating:
Summary: Breathtaking glimpse into a remarkable imagination
Review: There are many things that are remarkable about Jeff VanderMeer's newest collection "Secret Life", but what is perhaps most remarkable is how in spite of a host of different subjects and thematic approaches, it still fits together as a whole. What exactly that "whole" is is open to question, but whatever it is, it certainly represents arguably the most unique, and certainly one of the most exciting, voices in fiction today.

Actually, it should come as no surprise that VanderMeer can weave so many disparate parts into something comprehensive; while there may be writers with more innate talent, I find it hard to believe that any author is more dedicated to the actual craft of writing. This comes through not only in the insightful endnotes that accompany each story, but also in writing that has plainly been pored over and molded to perfection, much like the mantle being chipped away from a gemstone to reveal the hard, perfect core.

With twenty-one stories that are not directly (but certainly thematically) linked, it would be difficult to review "Secret Life" in its entirety in the space available. Instead, a few general comments, and then some brief comments on a few of the best pieces. First, for those readers who have already encountered VanderMeer's other work, this volume will be a particular treat. Both Ambergris and the world from "Veniss Underground" are heavily represented, but what makes these stories particularly intriguing is that they represent various stages in each world's evolution. For example, "Learning to Leave the Flesh" is set in an Ambergris, but it is not the Ambergris which so delighted readers in "City of Saints and Madmen". There are familiar elements, but it is much more like our own world the baroque marvel that it becomes. Conversely, "Corpse Mouth and Spore Nose" contain very familiar Ambergris elements, but seems to be set long after the era of "City of Saints and Madmen".

Even more provoking is the development of the Veniss world. The first, "The Sea, Mendeho, and Moonlight" was written when VanderMeer was only seventeen, which is impressive. However, it is only when this story is bumped up against "Balzac's War" which happens hundreds, over even thousands, of years later, can the true breadth of VanderMeer's creative vision be realized. There are also several stories written in the second person, which, while the author never specifically mentions it, must of have contributed immensely to his ability to write the perfectly executed second section of "Veniss Underground".

As for specific stories, there are those who may think this is a cop out, but the best was probably the title piece, "Secret Life". Set in an office building that is a world unto itself, the story is perhaps most engaging for how it makes the mundane seem bizarre and new. Moreover, layered over this bustling little world is the author's characteristic wit, poking fun at the absurdity of the modern workplace, while not being so condescending as to deny it's not something we all need to do. Ultimately, it's a story about seeing the remarkable in everyday things and is probably the best executed of all the pieces.

"The Bone Carver's Tale" is another beautiful piece, which is in a way ironic since it deals with the nature of beauty, as seen through the eyes of a bone carver (surprise, surprise) during a time of war in Southeast Asia. "The General Who is Dead" and "London Burning" are both interesting looks at the ultimate futility of war. While both are brief, they are notable in that the imagery they use is simple without being hackneyed and absolute without being preachy. Finally, there is "Mansions of the Moon (A Cautionary Tale)" which in setting is very reminscent of H. P. Lovecraft, but in style somehow similar to H. G. Wells' "The Time Machine". If I had to pick one story for VanderMeer to develop into a novel, it would probably be this one just because it is so distinct from his other work.

I could go on, but I fear my enthusiasm would risk spoiling the stories for others, particularly when it comes to the Ambergris and Veniss pieces. "Secret Life" will thrill VanderMeer fans even as it ensnares new readers with his utterly unique perspectives (not to mention the dazzling cover art). Moreover, even as "Secret Life" gives a look into VanderMeer's development as a writer, it also offers glimpses of what is to come, including a stand alone (the author's words) excerpt from his recently completed (but not yet published) novel "Shriek: An Afterword". Whether a true champion of the New Weird (if one must classify in genres) or a neophyte, "Secret Life" is another treat from one of the most exciting voices in fiction today.

Jake Mohlman