Welcome to Day Two of Small Press Week; today our spotlight is on the relative newcomer Norilana Books. Their most recent release is Sherwood Smith’s A Stranger to Command; you can read more about it here. In October, they will be releasing this novel. John Grant is the pen name of Paul Barnett; between them he has written seventy or so books. Generally speaking, Paul Barnett edits, and John Grant writes. Twenty-five of his books are fiction; he has also contributed extensively to several reference volumes. Combined, he has received two Hugo Awards, the World Fantasy Award (twice), the Mythopoeic Society Scholarship Award, the Chesley Award, the J. Lloyd Eaton Scholarship Award, and a rare British Science Fiction Association Special Award.

This is a novel in ten episodes; what that means when it’s at home is that it’s a series of linked and mostly sequential short stories. Five of them have been published in other places, prior to this volume. The first one, involving an Operation Iraqi Freedom wounded veteran, is set just shortly after the current time (or perhaps during the current time); the main character is surnamed Prestentra, and that name will come back in nearly every story. The second story is set just after that, and then the setting descends into a bizarre dystopia that is an extreme extraction of the United States’ current administrations’ policies — but, as far as I can tell, as near as only ten or fifteen years out from now.

This is a very political and not particularly subtle book. It’s obvious that the President mentioned — as well as the Right Arm, and the Emperor, and other various figures — are intended to be unnamed versions of our current leadership. My first warning is that it is awfully harsh. If one is anything other than a critic of the current administration, the book will probably annoy one. In many ways, it makes Little Brother look like a goofy children’s book. The descent goes through some not-terribly-controversial condemnation of the Iraq ‘war’ (the one started in 2003; the condemnation is partly based on ‘what is happening to our wounded veterans?’) all the way to accusations of stupidity, insanity, and — much later — cannibalism. It ain’t pretty.

However, some of the episodes are more gentle, and particularly wonderful. The first four stories (especially the fourth) were my favorite. While a lot of the story wasn’t exactly narrative but more explication of some sort of science-fiction-tific principle, it was still mind-bending and interesting. The first one is about love and loss and Fairyland; the second one is about love, loss, and escape; the third is about the origins of the universe; and the fourth is about two children who want to be space explorers. It is, strangely enough (based on its fairly self-contained nature), not one of the stories that had been previously published. After those, we get a death circus; a public execution (mercifully not much described, although some); a chase across worlds that is particularly vilifying of the Emperor and his Right Arm (President and VP), although very interesting in its science and execution; cannibalism; disappointment; and a last, final view.

Strangely, I loved this book. There was much to chew on, and some amazing writing. Mr. Grant had a different voice and a different tone in every story, and he caught each of them perfectly. Based on my review of Little Brother, one might guess that I’m not a fan of the policies of this current administration. Mr. Grant seems to be a lot more pessimistic than I am, though; he’s taken the most extreme view of everything that might happen in the near future. I do not necessarily agree with all his projections; in some ways, it’s like a horror novel — a delightful thrill down my spine. In any case, for those who (like the majority in most polls) believe that the country is going the wrong direction, this could be a very thought-provoking and frightening book. I’d definitely recommend it with caveats — it’s not for the faint of heart (or youngsters), what with the amount of violence, gore, sex, and horrible language. 5/5 stars for sheerly amazing writing, and a big kudos to Norilana Books for publishing it.