Bitter Irony

From the mind of Megan Arkenberg

March 11, 2013

A Recommendation...

Posted by Megan Arkenberg with 3 comments
...of the if-you-liked-X-you-should-read-Y variety: readers who enjoyed the curatorial, documentarian, found-footage feel* of “Désiré” might appreciate Jake Kerr's story in the latest issue of Lightspeed, "Biographical Fragments of the Life of Julian Prince."  Kerr puts bluetext and the Wikipedia article format to good world-building use; the result feels compelling, emotionally satisfying, and above all authentic.

*Not to mention the meditations on intersections between art and global disaster, and the artist's role and responsibilities in the creation of each.
Monday, March 11, 2013
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3 comments:

  1. AnonymousMarch 15, 2013 at 12:16 AM

    "Julian Prince" really is interesting, isn't it? I love survivor's guilt, I love epistolaries and such, and I'm not sure I've seen a story in the form of a Wikipedia entry before. ("Désiré" is also lovely, belatedly, though I neglected to comment at the time.)

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  2. Jake KerrMarch 15, 2013 at 9:16 AM

    Thanks for the kind comments, Megan.

    I adore your story "Desire," by the way. How you mention the letter from the soldier in the first section and then present it later in the narrative to tremendous effect--just brilliant. And the little hints that lead up to the final section are just so good.

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  3. Megan ArkenbergMarch 15, 2013 at 9:36 AM

    Thanks, Jake!

    I can't overemphasize how effective "Julian Prince's" Wikipedia entry format was for me. The way the bluetext links stretch the worldbuilding beyond what actually appears in the story, the wry "citation needed" messages...it's just fantastic.

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About

Welcome my blog! I'm Megan Arkenberg, a graduate student in Northern California and an award-winning writer of fantasy, science fiction, and horror. I also edit the online fantasy magazine Mirror Dance.

In Davis, CA 2016

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