In this collection of nineteen surreal stories Andrew Hook rides the slipstream through a series of fantastic yet familiar scenarios which, despite their peculiarities, are often only one step removed from reality. Weaving life into death and death into life he skates the twilight zone of our own imaginations.

His skewed images are both disturbing and vibrant: a daffodil is inserted into an open wound, a giant beaver rampages through a small town, a boy's coming of age is reflected through schlock horror vignettes, and the planet's Eco-system is downloaded on computer disk.

Andrew Hook's stories transport the reader into a bizarre world where, although you may think you recognise the scenery, it very soon becomes obvious that this is merely a backdrop for nightmares to take control. - Trevor Denyer, Roadworks.

These stories are unsettling dissections of the mind and the strangeness of the world it perceives. His titles are particularly effective - 'Awkward scenes with girls', 'Man Was In The Forest', 'One Day, All This Will Be Fields' - and its his good fortune as well as ours that his narrative skills don't stop there. A collection of value and ambition. - Nicholas Royle.

 

 

The Virtual Menagerie is available now. 162pp. £5.00. Purchase direct from the publisher at 85 Gertrude Road, Norwich, NR3 4SG. Cheques/PO's to be made payable to "Elastic Press" or buy now.

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