Other Seasons

The Best of Neal Barrett, Jr., Volume One

By: Neal Barrett Jr.

Narrated by: T. W. Ashworth

Neal Barrett, Jr., answers (sometimes) to a number of names: Odd, Weird, Gonzo, and, as a former collection points out: Slightly Off Center. Barrett is all of the above, and more. From fans who have followed his career come accolades such as brilliant, unique, sheer genius. Other writers respect his status as a master of words, his ability to weave rhythm and poetry into his tales.

Barrett jumps in and out of genres at will, or simply invents one of his own. He likes to bring his favorite characters together and see what they'll do.

Neal Barrett, Jr., has made a special effort to give us a number of dark, funny, and hopefully impossible views of the future.

Clearly, Nostrodamus missed the boat. Listen and enjoy.

Stories included in this collection:

In the Shadow of the Worm

To Plant a Seed

The Stentorii Luggage

A Walk on Toy

The Flying Stutzman

Nightbeat

Hero

Survival Course

©2021 Ruth Barrett (P)2021 David N. Wilson

Absurd Smart Camp

A science fiction absurdist anthology. Many of the stories are a little silly infused with things like corny alien names but there is often a smart philosophical basis to the story in the end. It took me a bit to acclimate to the weirdness and flavor, the gleeful camp infused with experimental curiosity. One of my favorites was a more dramatic less deep tale of The Flying Stutzman about a fellow stuck in airplane travel after airplane. More than a few of them stuck we me a bit longer as I puzzled over the subtext or twist; like what a society that might all be the same could be like. The narration is serviceable enough but seemed slow (on 1.5 it sounded more normal to me). Worth a read.