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Lovedeath
Horror, love and obsession from a master of the genre--the Hugo Award-winning author of Children of the Night. Here is a riveting collection of novellas exploring the fascinating relationship between eroticism and horror. In his most ambitious work ever, Simmons reveals the exquisite conjunction of love and death that will keep readers awake and reading all night.
354 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
About the author
Dan Simmons
230 books12.4k followersDan Simmons grew up in various cities and small towns in the Midwest, including Brimfield, Illinois, which was the source of his fictional "Elm Haven" in 1991's SUMMER OF NIGHT and 2002's A WINTER HAUNTING. Dan received a B.A. in English from Wabash College in 1970, winning a national Phi Beta Kappa Award during his senior year for excellence in fiction, journalism and art.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
Dan received his Masters in Education from Washington University in St. Louis in 1971. He then worked in elementary education for 18 years—2 years in Missouri, 2 years in Buffalo, New York—one year as a specially trained BOCES "resource teacher" and another as a sixth-grade teacher—and 14 years in Colorado.
ABOUT DAN
Biographic Sketch
His last four years in teaching were spent creating, coordinating, and teaching in APEX, an extensive gifted/talented program serving 19 elementary schools and some 15,000 potential students. During his years of teaching, he won awards from the Colorado Education Association and was a finalist for the Colorado Teacher of the Year. He also worked as a national language-arts consultant, sharing his own "Writing Well" curriculum which he had created for his own classroom. Eleven and twelve-year-old students in Simmons' regular 6th-grade class averaged junior-year in high school writing ability according to annual standardized and holistic writing assessments. Whenever someone says "writing can't be taught," Dan begs to differ and has the track record to prove it. Since becoming a full-time writer, Dan likes to visit college writing classes, has taught in New Hampshire's Odyssey writing program for adults, and is considering hosting his own Windwalker Writers' Workshop.
Dan's first published story appeared on Feb. 15, 1982, the day his daughter, Jane Kathryn, was born. He's always attributed that coincidence to "helping in keeping things in perspective when it comes to the relative importance of writing and life."
Dan has been a full-time writer since 1987 and lives along the Front Range of Colorado—in the same town where he taught for 14 years—with his wife, Karen, his daughter, Jane, (when she's home from Hamilton College) and their Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Fergie. He does much of his writing at Windwalker—their mountain property and cabin at 8,400 feet of altitude at the base of the Continental Divide, just south of Rocky Mountain National Park. An 8-ft.-tall sculpture of the Shrike—a thorned and frightening character from the four Hyperion/Endymion novels—was sculpted by an ex-student and friend, Clee Richeson, and the sculpture now stands guard near the isolated cabin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
January 24, 2023
"The great attraction and the great danger of passion is that it is something outside of oneself, a strong wind from nowhere in the face of which the forest of everyday thought and behaviour cannot stand."
Initial Thoughts
I've been doing "deep-dives" into some of my favourite authors' works. Reading the large majority of their bibliographies, apart from those I really don't like the look of. Usually those that contain romance! So far I've done Stephen King and Robert McCammon, and I'm almost finished with Peter Straub. So flavour of the month right now is Mr Dan Simmons.
Probably better known for his science fiction work, with his blockbuster Hyperion series, Dan "the man" started off as a kickass horror writer with some fantastic stories. Ones like Song of Kali and Summer of Night. And for me, there's nothing like a good horror.
So when I saw he had a collection of speculative fiction, containing five novellas, I was literally salivating like a rabid dog at the thought of getting stuck into them. Anyone who's seen the end of Cujo will have a good idea exactly how that looked. I absolutely love novellas and it was in fact Stephen King's collectionFull Dark No Stars that stoked my current obsession with reading. Theres just something so right about fiction of this length. Long enough to create decent character while exploring different themes without becoming needlessly drawn out. All killer, no filler as they say. As Dan Simmon explained in his forword, while publisher's hate them, us readers can't get enough of them.
Let's see just how right he was with this bunch.
The Stories
So although this is marketed as a novella collection, there's actually four novellas proper and one short story. Each one centres around the theme of love and death. The one thing we want the most in life and the other the least. The author gives a fantastic explanation in his introduction that sets the tone for what's to come.
As always, I'm going to rank these from most favourite to least. So if you just want to dip in and read a select few you have an idea of what to go for. But here's a little spoiler...they're all worth your time.
Dying in Bangkok ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"How much blood could someone lose and still stay alive without a transfusion?"
It was certainly tricky picking a favourite based on the stellar quality throughout, but the one entry I just can't get out of my head is the grossly magnificent Dying in Bangkok. Set in the dark and oppressive underbelly of Thailand's capital, Simmons does what he did superbly in his first novel, Song of Kali, and paint the landscape in such a disturbing and unsettling way that is perfect for a piece of horror fiction.
The order of the day is pleasure...and what price would you be willing to pay to get it. It's told from a very unique point of view and the protagonist certainly isn't a likeable person, but it works so well. Absolutely nothing romantic here. Maybe that's why I liked it so much. Sexual, graphic and horrifying. I couldn't turn my eyes away.
Theres even shades of the original Hellraiser movie as he descends into a rabbit hole of pure nightmares in pursuit of that elusive high. But there's a twist at the end of this one that would make Hitchcock proud. I know I use the word brilliant frequently but this one is without doubt. Read it now, if you can handle it.
The Great Lover ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Is it brilliance when one advances like a lamb to slaughter? Our Battalion had buried thousands of these brilliant lads in the past twenty-four hours."
The fact that I ended up placing this one second shows just how good that first story is. This has to be one of the most literarily brilliant novellas I've ever read. Fantastically written, an absolute classic.
I remember studying the poet's of World War I in English literature and it being the best poetry I've ever read. Harsh and evocative that captured the brutal reality for those caught up in that nightmare reality. Simmons draws on the wealth of work in creating a single poet, James Edwin Rooke. The story is his journal detailing his experiences during his time served in the armed forces and his encounter with a potentially supernatural entity.
The imagery in this one is fantastic and a perfect exhibition of the authors talent. It's as bleak and harrowing as it gets, while being seated in reality. The brutal conditions the main character finds himself in are exquisitely detailed. But contained within it is a feeling of hope as Rooke manages to hold on to his humanity while being in the most hopeless and dire of circumstance. One of the best pieces of short fiction I've ever read. Amazing!
Flashback⭐⭐⭐⭐ 3/4
"For the first time she understood that a culture or a nation actually had to decide whether it would look forward or allow itself to lie back and dream until it died."
This one is a science fiction entry about a near future that is not that hard to imagine. The general population are getting whacked out on a drug that allows you to experience memories again as if they were happening. But at the expense of the here and now.
This one, like most science fiction, is all about the concept but oh what a concept. Simmons paints a dystopian society that exemplifies its soft nature and inability to deal with the present as people are content to live in a fake reality at the expense of what is real. Thought provoking and poignant, another magnificent display of this author's imagination and ability to portray it.
The Man Who Slept with Teeth Women⭐⭐⭐⭐
Although it doesn't quite match the quality of the previous installments, this is still a fun and well written piece. Especially if you enjoy westerns like I do. Then throw horror into the mix and you have a perfect combo.
This one is about a young native American in the Sioux tribe who is anything but brave. In fact he's almost a social outcast as he presents no value to his people, until a turn of events see him touted as the next wise elder of the tribe. But first he has to pass an initiation culminating in the selection of a wife from three potential suitors all of whom have sharp teeth in a very unusual place. This one has a crazy finish that left me with a smile on my face.
Entropy's Bed at Midnight ⭐⭐⭐1/2
A bittersweet tale that touches on grief and the loss of a child and the fear a father has in his ability to protect his other child in a world where danger is potentially lurking in the most unexpected places. Mixed with that is the realisation that you can't let that fear hold them back from experiencing a full life. It's short, sweet and certainly coming from the heart.
As a father myself I really connected with this one and it is certainly a worthwhile experience. The more I think about it, the more I like it. It's just in comparison to the others, and due to its length, it finishes last.
The Writing
Simmons is a stupendous writer...the end! What? You want more than that? Well then let me elaborate. His variety and eloquence in prose is almost unrivalled in the horror and science fiction genre. I've already touched on how vivid and expansive the guys imagination is and it just so happens he has the ability in terms of his creative writing to put that right in your mind's eye via the written page. It's the main reason I'm determined to read the majority of his work.
One of the only problems with Dan is that due to his undoubtable talent he sometimes can get a little over indulgent and long-winded, thus slowing down the pace of his work. Not a major problem when you still enjoy what you're reading. But I know this is a problem for a number of readers.
With a novella however, he is really focused on his objective and there's very little fluff. Were talking lean and mean and absolute quality. It might just be the perfect medium for this guys work.
Final Thoughts
So I've finished Lovedeath and I'm left wondering why more people don't talk about it? Answers on a postcard. I'm just going to come out and say it. Right now this is my favourite collection of novellas. That's right, ahead of my all-time favourite Full Dark No Stars. This should be a staple of any horror fans diet.
There are emotions and memories that will stay with me and it belongs amongst the best of this author's work. It's a fantastic showcase for his talent and demonstrates what happens when you let a creative genius with real talent loose in the horror genre. Great things happen.
I'm going to have to stop there before I start to sound like Annie Wilkes. All I will say is Dan Simmons better not crash his car outside my house. Highly recommended and something in here for almost everyone. I'm giving it the full five star treatment without hesitation.
Thanks for reading and...cheers!
September 19, 2020
This is a collection of five very well written horror-based novellas with a theme (as the title promises) of ruminations on love and death and the relation of the two. Some of the stories have a mild science fiction element, and there is an (occasionally graphic) erotic content throughout. It strikes me that this is the book that marked the beginning of transition for Simmons' from genre to literary/mainstream writer. It's a challenging and thoughtful read, but definitely not for the light-reading shelf.
August 18, 2015
Not sure what I was expecting, but this collection of five novellas was ultimately a bit of a let down. Many people will disagree but I just did not like the stories as much as I should have.
WARNING: These stories (besides 1st one) are all heavily reliant on sex and sexual themes, some over the top crazy scenes that made me almost skip them. I do not like stories that think sex, although normal part of life, are needed to make it great. To me, it is a cheap shot and a cliche way of keeping your audience interested in your writing.
"Entropy's Bed at Midnight": was a touching story about a man having a great day out with his daughter and reminiscing of his work and how humans can be careless as well as fragile. It is a nice story but the ending trailed off so you're left with a "Huh? That's it?" kind of a face.
"Dying in Bangkok": This one is probably my favorite one of the bunch. It follows a man who is looking for a world's greatest pleasure and ends up experiencing something that only the most privileged of us might find. Let's just say that this story goes way beyond normal male ejaculation. It has a man shooting something other than semen and/or urine out of his penis. Quite unnerving, especially for guys, unless you would be into that kind of thing, than more power to you. This story has some overly graphic sexual scenes I've ever read, borderline pornographic material/erotica.
"Sleeping with Teeth Women": fed up with a misrepresentation of his people, an old Sioux man tells a story of a kid who goes on a vision, sees a time when his people will be hunted, and ends in batshit crazy way. Not sure what I was hoping to get out of this story, but it sure wasn't what I end up getting.
"Flashback": One of my least favorites of the stories. This one focuses on few characters; some are living in the past and can't move on, some are looking for ways to commit crime and "flash back" to it to experience ultimate arousal, and they all ultimately end up being too political and quite predictable. The constant reference to Spanish (or Spanic as it is referred in the book) girl rape was very uncomfortable and only the sickest of fucks would find the reliving of such an event through "flashback" as something interesting and exciting.
"The Great Lover": I did not get into this one much as it failed to be entertaining. It is the last one of the bunch, over 100 pages long, and loved by many people who reviewed this book, but not my type of story.
Overall a solid set of novellas that dare to be different. These are all well written stories but my enjoyment level was not as high as some of the other reviewers'.
WARNING: These stories (besides 1st one) are all heavily reliant on sex and sexual themes, some over the top crazy scenes that made me almost skip them. I do not like stories that think sex, although normal part of life, are needed to make it great. To me, it is a cheap shot and a cliche way of keeping your audience interested in your writing.
"Entropy's Bed at Midnight": was a touching story about a man having a great day out with his daughter and reminiscing of his work and how humans can be careless as well as fragile. It is a nice story but the ending trailed off so you're left with a "Huh? That's it?" kind of a face.
"Dying in Bangkok": This one is probably my favorite one of the bunch. It follows a man who is looking for a world's greatest pleasure and ends up experiencing something that only the most privileged of us might find. Let's just say that this story goes way beyond normal male ejaculation. It has a man shooting something other than semen and/or urine out of his penis. Quite unnerving, especially for guys, unless you would be into that kind of thing, than more power to you. This story has some overly graphic sexual scenes I've ever read, borderline pornographic material/erotica.
"Sleeping with Teeth Women": fed up with a misrepresentation of his people, an old Sioux man tells a story of a kid who goes on a vision, sees a time when his people will be hunted, and ends in batshit crazy way. Not sure what I was hoping to get out of this story, but it sure wasn't what I end up getting.
"Flashback": One of my least favorites of the stories. This one focuses on few characters; some are living in the past and can't move on, some are looking for ways to commit crime and "flash back" to it to experience ultimate arousal, and they all ultimately end up being too political and quite predictable. The constant reference to Spanish (or Spanic as it is referred in the book) girl rape was very uncomfortable and only the sickest of fucks would find the reliving of such an event through "flashback" as something interesting and exciting.
"The Great Lover": I did not get into this one much as it failed to be entertaining. It is the last one of the bunch, over 100 pages long, and loved by many people who reviewed this book, but not my type of story.
Overall a solid set of novellas that dare to be different. These are all well written stories but my enjoyment level was not as high as some of the other reviewers'.
June 12, 2022
Pretty wild and well written collection of stories that explore both themes of love and death. Not all are about sex and violence.
Entropy’s Bed at Midnight (4/5 stars) - the only story that doesn’t feature sex, violence or the supernatural. This is an emotional one and shows Simmons is not just a horror and sci-fi writer.
Dying in Bangkok (5/5 stars) - one twisted, nasty story about the underground sex scene in Bangkok and the horror that awaits two soldiers on R&R. I loved this story, so nasty and disturbing but so memorable and well written.
Sleeping With Teeth Women (4/5 stars) - this one is super bizarre. I gave it 4 stars because the young Lakota man’s vision quests were very entertaining, the ending however makes me think Simmons got into some of Stephen King’s drug stash.
Flashback (3.5/5 stars) - this was my least favorite. It was an ok story, Simmons’s vision of the future is odd, and it didn’t do much for me.
The Great Lover (5/5 stars) - this might be one of the greatest novellas I’ve ever read. A haunting story about the horrific and brutal reality of fighting in the trenches during WWI. Bodies getting ripped apart by machine gun fire, severed bodies in crater holes, rats chewing on the deceased and everyday death is a strong possibility. This one is also an allegory for something I don’t want to spoil, but I loved the little twist towards the end.
Overall, this became one of my favorite collections. Highly recommend it to everyone.
Entropy’s Bed at Midnight (4/5 stars) - the only story that doesn’t feature sex, violence or the supernatural. This is an emotional one and shows Simmons is not just a horror and sci-fi writer.
Dying in Bangkok (5/5 stars) - one twisted, nasty story about the underground sex scene in Bangkok and the horror that awaits two soldiers on R&R. I loved this story, so nasty and disturbing but so memorable and well written.
Sleeping With Teeth Women (4/5 stars) - this one is super bizarre. I gave it 4 stars because the young Lakota man’s vision quests were very entertaining, the ending however makes me think Simmons got into some of Stephen King’s drug stash.
Flashback (3.5/5 stars) - this was my least favorite. It was an ok story, Simmons’s vision of the future is odd, and it didn’t do much for me.
The Great Lover (5/5 stars) - this might be one of the greatest novellas I’ve ever read. A haunting story about the horrific and brutal reality of fighting in the trenches during WWI. Bodies getting ripped apart by machine gun fire, severed bodies in crater holes, rats chewing on the deceased and everyday death is a strong possibility. This one is also an allegory for something I don’t want to spoil, but I loved the little twist towards the end.
Overall, this became one of my favorite collections. Highly recommend it to everyone.
October 11, 2013
In "Lovedeath", Dan Simmons gives us five novellas that range from unrelentingly horrifying to heart-warmingly romantic, and sometimes they manage to be both. It is a strange, beautiful, satisfying overlapping of Eros and Necros that could only emanate from the mind of one of the best writers working in any genre today.
"Dying in Bangkok" is the story of a man's erotic journey to find and recapture something he lost during the Vietnam War: his soul. "Sleeping with Teeth Women" is a humorous campfire tale told by an old Native American grandfather, angry at how his people have been romanticized in crappy Hollywood films like "Dances With Wolves" and ready to set the record straight with a disturbing "true story" of his noble ancestors. The book's best story, "The Great Lover", is an excerpted account from poet Richard Edward Harrison III's war-time diary. The young Harrison recounts, in graphic detail, the battles he miraculously survived in France during the First World War and the hauntingly beautiful and mysterious Lady in White that would come to him at night to make passionate love with him and disappear before morning. Is she a ghost? A vampire? Or something beyond time and space?
All five of the novellas in this book are fantastic. Published in 1993, this book is currently out of print, so if you find a copy of it at a second-hand bookstore, grab it up.
"Dying in Bangkok" is the story of a man's erotic journey to find and recapture something he lost during the Vietnam War: his soul. "Sleeping with Teeth Women" is a humorous campfire tale told by an old Native American grandfather, angry at how his people have been romanticized in crappy Hollywood films like "Dances With Wolves" and ready to set the record straight with a disturbing "true story" of his noble ancestors. The book's best story, "The Great Lover", is an excerpted account from poet Richard Edward Harrison III's war-time diary. The young Harrison recounts, in graphic detail, the battles he miraculously survived in France during the First World War and the hauntingly beautiful and mysterious Lady in White that would come to him at night to make passionate love with him and disappear before morning. Is she a ghost? A vampire? Or something beyond time and space?
All five of the novellas in this book are fantastic. Published in 1993, this book is currently out of print, so if you find a copy of it at a second-hand bookstore, grab it up.
June 24, 2020
Five solid novellas, one about loss, Entrophy's Bed at Midnight; a horror short, Dying in Bankok; a wonderful Native American horror short, Sleeping with Teeth Women; and a top drawer sci-fi short Flashback. Then the cream of the crop a dark and brilliant supernatural tale of a poet in the World War I trenches, historical fiction and fantasy mixed at its best - The Great Lover. 7 out of 12
January 8, 2013
I loved this collection. Dying in Bangkok was my favorite, Next was probably Flashback. It was funny because the novella of Flashback written many years ago was left politically while the recent novel was very right. It was interesting seeing how his views shifted over the same concept. The Native American novella was only one I didn't like. I just could not get into it.
June 14, 2017
Quite the collection of novellas... a few shine brighter than the rest, but all are worth reading, especially for fans of Simmons other fiction. He skates around a few genres, though horror is front and center more often than not. Since there's little connective tissue from story to story, other than the central themes of Love and Death, I might as well rate each story on its own merit.
Entropy's Bed at Midnight - 4 Stars
A perfect opening story. Others have commented that it 'goes nowhere' and they seem to miss the point. Simmons rides the tension out perfectly, without even offering a release, thankfully. His characterization is in top form here, and the fear and pain present in the main character resonate on a deeper level than any of his other characters in this collection.
Dying in Bangkok - 5 Stars
Its easy to see why this won awards. Its easily the most gripping story here. Simmons, like Clive Barker before him, pulls off something few horror writers can do... render the completely absurd and ludicrously implausible stuff of fantasy into something truly unsettling. The depth of his creation for such a short story is striking. Oddly enough I don't think the execution is perfect, with some of the later revelations feeling a bit off, or even trite, but it doesn't matter. This story reads like a steamroller, practically tearing itself off the pages.
Sleeping with the Teeth Women - 4 1/2 Stars
Here Simmons downplays the horror element a bit, and instead takes us along for the spiritual journey of a Lakota boy. More than anything, this is a fabulously told coming of age story. The early scenes with the protagonist sneaking off to his beloved's tipi are exquisite. As the tale progresses, and the scope widens, visions and supernatural beings come into focus and the story takes flight. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, but this seems to be something of a precursor to Simmons' latest novel, Black Hills, which has the same setting and possibly related characters? I haven't read it yet, but he seems to have used this story as a catalyst for that much longer work.
Flashback - 3 Stars
This is the only SF story of the bunch, but it doesn't hit quite as hard as I'd want, though it has some compelling ideas. Obviously the future he was channeling feels a bit dated, what with the early 90's buzz of virtual reality filling nearly every frame, but that can't be helped really. The titular drug reminds one of the film Strange Days, a wonder if James Cameron (who wrote the script for director Kathryn Bigelow) perchance had a copy of this lying around. The depth of creation is here, but the writing and characters don't hammer it home. Several bits are overexplained, the grandfather's flashbacks feel tiresome by the third revisit (of many more) and the most satisfying part for me, was how incredibly depressing and unsatisfying the ending was, if that makes any sense. Probably not, ha.
The Great Lover - 3 1/2 Stars
Ah, the big one. Its readily apparent Simmons fell in love with the source material, and his vision of concocting some overarching poetic statement about the Great War, and he comes close to nailing it. Unfortunately, this bit felt overlong, and not completely justified in its excess. Essentially what he did was to roll a bunch of WW I poets into one character, and throw him into the thick of the shit... and then proceed to describe every ounce of said shit in all its excretory glory. Much of the imagery is striking, but it numbs after a while, which parallels the experience of the character, so its surely intentional, but still. The ambition is impressive, as the amount of research involved is clear (there are footnotes explaining the origins of the included poems and histories of the individual poets), and the charm of such an undertaking rubs off on you as you get deeper into the story. The ultimate revelation about the supernatural element to this story actually came as just that, a Revelation, and by the end of the 100 plus pages, there did seem to be a valid bit of redemption for all that came before. A solid, if flawed story, but one worth reading nonetheless.
(apologies for typos & redundancies present in the above, don't have time to edit, cheers.)
Entropy's Bed at Midnight - 4 Stars
A perfect opening story. Others have commented that it 'goes nowhere' and they seem to miss the point. Simmons rides the tension out perfectly, without even offering a release, thankfully. His characterization is in top form here, and the fear and pain present in the main character resonate on a deeper level than any of his other characters in this collection.
Dying in Bangkok - 5 Stars
Its easy to see why this won awards. Its easily the most gripping story here. Simmons, like Clive Barker before him, pulls off something few horror writers can do... render the completely absurd and ludicrously implausible stuff of fantasy into something truly unsettling. The depth of his creation for such a short story is striking. Oddly enough I don't think the execution is perfect, with some of the later revelations feeling a bit off, or even trite, but it doesn't matter. This story reads like a steamroller, practically tearing itself off the pages.
Sleeping with the Teeth Women - 4 1/2 Stars
Here Simmons downplays the horror element a bit, and instead takes us along for the spiritual journey of a Lakota boy. More than anything, this is a fabulously told coming of age story. The early scenes with the protagonist sneaking off to his beloved's tipi are exquisite. As the tale progresses, and the scope widens, visions and supernatural beings come into focus and the story takes flight. I haven't seen it mentioned anywhere, but this seems to be something of a precursor to Simmons' latest novel, Black Hills, which has the same setting and possibly related characters? I haven't read it yet, but he seems to have used this story as a catalyst for that much longer work.
Flashback - 3 Stars
This is the only SF story of the bunch, but it doesn't hit quite as hard as I'd want, though it has some compelling ideas. Obviously the future he was channeling feels a bit dated, what with the early 90's buzz of virtual reality filling nearly every frame, but that can't be helped really. The titular drug reminds one of the film Strange Days, a wonder if James Cameron (who wrote the script for director Kathryn Bigelow) perchance had a copy of this lying around. The depth of creation is here, but the writing and characters don't hammer it home. Several bits are overexplained, the grandfather's flashbacks feel tiresome by the third revisit (of many more) and the most satisfying part for me, was how incredibly depressing and unsatisfying the ending was, if that makes any sense. Probably not, ha.
The Great Lover - 3 1/2 Stars
Ah, the big one. Its readily apparent Simmons fell in love with the source material, and his vision of concocting some overarching poetic statement about the Great War, and he comes close to nailing it. Unfortunately, this bit felt overlong, and not completely justified in its excess. Essentially what he did was to roll a bunch of WW I poets into one character, and throw him into the thick of the shit... and then proceed to describe every ounce of said shit in all its excretory glory. Much of the imagery is striking, but it numbs after a while, which parallels the experience of the character, so its surely intentional, but still. The ambition is impressive, as the amount of research involved is clear (there are footnotes explaining the origins of the included poems and histories of the individual poets), and the charm of such an undertaking rubs off on you as you get deeper into the story. The ultimate revelation about the supernatural element to this story actually came as just that, a Revelation, and by the end of the 100 plus pages, there did seem to be a valid bit of redemption for all that came before. A solid, if flawed story, but one worth reading nonetheless.
(apologies for typos & redundancies present in the above, don't have time to edit, cheers.)
September 26, 2012
I picked this book up because I’d never heard of it before, and now I’m wondering why it’s so obscure.
Lovedeath is Simmons at the level of, well, Simmons. All of his work I’ve read so far (which is admittedly not much) has been at the very least excellent (if not outright mind-blowing) and this one is no exception. This is really a collection of five novellas which are centered around the themes of- you guessed it- love and death (but really nothing so simple).
A note about each piece:
Entropy’s Bed at Midnight- a father loses his son and wants to protect his daughter- but what’s the cost? Hell, just stepping out the front door can kill you. I like the way Simmons juxtaposes the memory of the past loss with the reality of the present fear of loss. It’s a simple story but told in a heartbreaking manner that has bittersweet written all over it.
Dying in Bangkok- Darker than the first tale, this is a pretty creepy look at the underbelly of pleasure and the ways in which our sexual desire can lead us astray. It’s sensual, cautionary, and a bit disturbing all at once- an excellent mix.
Sleeping with Teeth Women- A little Native American guilt, anyone? (Just kidding.) This is about a seemingly useless young man(who just wants to get laid!!) who ends up being the hope of his people. I found this one a little long winded but nebulous in a sort of funny way. The end of it will probably surprise you.
Flashback- Simmons’ nod to science fiction, this is about a drug where people can live out their memories again, at the expense of the present. I sensed a little of the cautionary in this as well, in a more realistic sense than the second of this collection. This is almost dystopian and could become reality fairly easily; it’s a plea to live life to the fullest and live in the present, something a lot of us forget to do.
The Great Lover- I understand why this was saved for last. It’s a long novella, but twists beauty and grimness to create a tapestry that is one of the better short works of speculative fiction I’ve ever read. The paranoia, terror, and tragedy of war is intertwined with the main character’s epiphany of the meaning of life. Sounds trite, but come on- if anyone can pull off this kind of depth it’s Simmons, and he does it with flying colors.
So- read this. Even if some stories are too terrifying or gritty for your taste, you’d be hard pressed not to find something to like in this collection. And if you’re a Dan Simmons fan, it’s a must read.
Highly recommended.
Lovedeath is Simmons at the level of, well, Simmons. All of his work I’ve read so far (which is admittedly not much) has been at the very least excellent (if not outright mind-blowing) and this one is no exception. This is really a collection of five novellas which are centered around the themes of- you guessed it- love and death (but really nothing so simple).
A note about each piece:
Entropy’s Bed at Midnight- a father loses his son and wants to protect his daughter- but what’s the cost? Hell, just stepping out the front door can kill you. I like the way Simmons juxtaposes the memory of the past loss with the reality of the present fear of loss. It’s a simple story but told in a heartbreaking manner that has bittersweet written all over it.
Dying in Bangkok- Darker than the first tale, this is a pretty creepy look at the underbelly of pleasure and the ways in which our sexual desire can lead us astray. It’s sensual, cautionary, and a bit disturbing all at once- an excellent mix.
Sleeping with Teeth Women- A little Native American guilt, anyone? (Just kidding.) This is about a seemingly useless young man
Flashback- Simmons’ nod to science fiction, this is about a drug where people can live out their memories again, at the expense of the present. I sensed a little of the cautionary in this as well, in a more realistic sense than the second of this collection. This is almost dystopian and could become reality fairly easily; it’s a plea to live life to the fullest and live in the present, something a lot of us forget to do.
The Great Lover- I understand why this was saved for last. It’s a long novella, but twists beauty and grimness to create a tapestry that is one of the better short works of speculative fiction I’ve ever read. The paranoia, terror, and tragedy of war is intertwined with the main character’s epiphany of the meaning of life. Sounds trite, but come on- if anyone can pull off this kind of depth it’s Simmons, and he does it with flying colors.
So- read this. Even if some stories are too terrifying or gritty for your taste, you’d be hard pressed not to find something to like in this collection. And if you’re a Dan Simmons fan, it’s a must read.
Highly recommended.
May 23, 2021
As is the case in every other Simmons book I’ve read, the writing is upper tier stuff. The stories in this novella collection are well-crafted, with an insane variety of styles and subject matters. You’ll travel from the trenches of World War 1 in the French countryside, to a dystopian future full of junkies, to seedy underground sex shows in Thailand. You’ll ride along with a Native American on a vision quest of massive importance, and recount a father’s worst memory.
BUT ...
This book is definitely not for everyone. Not gonna lie ... it gets extremely disturbing and uncomfortable in places; so much so that I wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone.
In particular, Dying In Bangkok was one of the most difficult reads of my life. I had to read sections of it in 3 or 4 page chunks because it was literally making me feel sick, and that NEVER happens to me. I had to take a breather for a couple days at one point lol. It’s just that twisted at times (no spoilers here ... discover this one for yourself!). Simmons holds nothing back in this one. NOTHING. No taboo is off the table. I definitely look at this writer a little differently after reading it.
Disturbing subject matter aside, LoveDeath is also highly emotional and super creative at times. Flashback is the standout for me. It’s about a dystopian future where everyone is addicted to a drug that allows you to relive your favorite memories in real-time. What an amazing concept!
Overall, this novella collection, while not perfect, is definitely MEMORABLE. And you can’t say that Simmons doesn’t have range. These stories are all drastically different from one another. You probably won’t like them all, but I’m willing to bet you’ll dig at least a couple of them quite a bit.
Just keep in mind if you do read this ... it goes to some very dark places and covers a lot of disturbing and taboo subject matter, so read at your own risk. And don’t say I didn’t warn you!
3.75/5 stars
BUT ...
This book is definitely not for everyone. Not gonna lie ... it gets extremely disturbing and uncomfortable in places; so much so that I wouldn’t recommend this book to just anyone.
In particular, Dying In Bangkok was one of the most difficult reads of my life. I had to read sections of it in 3 or 4 page chunks because it was literally making me feel sick, and that NEVER happens to me. I had to take a breather for a couple days at one point lol. It’s just that twisted at times (no spoilers here ... discover this one for yourself!). Simmons holds nothing back in this one. NOTHING. No taboo is off the table. I definitely look at this writer a little differently after reading it.
Disturbing subject matter aside, LoveDeath is also highly emotional and super creative at times. Flashback is the standout for me. It’s about a dystopian future where everyone is addicted to a drug that allows you to relive your favorite memories in real-time. What an amazing concept!
Overall, this novella collection, while not perfect, is definitely MEMORABLE. And you can’t say that Simmons doesn’t have range. These stories are all drastically different from one another. You probably won’t like them all, but I’m willing to bet you’ll dig at least a couple of them quite a bit.
Just keep in mind if you do read this ... it goes to some very dark places and covers a lot of disturbing and taboo subject matter, so read at your own risk. And don’t say I didn’t warn you!
3.75/5 stars
April 10, 2019
A collection of five short stories, in my opinion two of which are brilliant and the others are good but not as outstanding as “Sleeping with Teeth women” and “The Great Lover”. So I enjoyed this especially now that I have read a few of Dan Simmons books and are starting to see his obsessions for certain themes, such as War, Native Americans and Spiritual passion, being just the most noticeable. He wrote the best Native American short story I’ve read and since I am going to add this to my Native American shelf because of “Sleeping with Teeth women” that will be my seventy second book of that subject so when I say this is the best short story you can believe I know a little bit about this topic. Approximately 1820’s timeframe from the Lakota point of view this is a vision quest type of story very similar in tone to the 2003 movie Dreamkeepers, I was rather impressed with the story but Dan Simmons did a similarly fine job with a native story in his book Black Hills, as well as his treatment of northern Canadian tribes, in his book the Terror. I would describe his approach as a reverse apple, (Apple) a term used as a derogative term for natives who are more white (on the inside) than their skin would indicate, well Dan Simmons is the opposite of that he’s a Indian who lives inside a white man. OK so that’s was a lame comparison but it’s the best I can do unless you can think of something white on the outside but red on the inside. Anyway moving on, the last story “The Great Lover” about World War I and the English poet Edward Rooke and his experience at the battle of the Somme. I’ve read a number of good writers who have done wonderful stories some based in part about their war experiences. Norman Mailer “The Naked and the Dead” or Harry Harrison “The Forever War” but Dan Simmons also a Vietnam veteran same as Harry Harrison, and he wrote a powerful descriptive account of trench warfare in “The Great Lover” best thing I’ve read about the great war, as it was called although I can’t say I’ve read a lot of accounts of that war still it was a very good story overall some enjoyable and interesting stories here also want to mention the near future Sci-fi story “Flashback” was rather more accurate in description of well present day 2020 reality (remember this was published in 1992) than many more well known efforts like William Gibson’s Necromancer, anyway “Flashback” was a good effort it kind of describes cell phone addition written back before we were addicted to our cell phones. So give the whole book four stars overall and a promise to myself to read a couple more of Dan Simmons books because he is a really fine writer.
August 13, 2020
This is actually a collection of five different novellas rather than a single story. Each one focuses on a combination of, obviously, love and death. The compilation worked extremely well except for one story. And unfortunately it is the last story and the one that I think the most work was put in to. But let's look at each of the stories individually.
"Entropy's Bed at Midnight" - An insurance investigator spends the day with his daughter. This story is a weird mix between love and death by having small stories told throughout the larger short story. It leads to a strange but enjoyable feeling that helps to explain love.
"Dying in Bangkok" - Originally I read this in LITTLE DEATHS but it still loses none of its impact when read a second time.
"Sleeping With Teeth Woman" - A story meant to counter the movie "Dances With Wolves" which does a superb job of it. Mostly about an Indian brave whose horniness leads him on a great journey of becoming the tribe's leader.
"Flashback" - An excellent science fiction story involving a drug that lets you flash back for 20 minutes to any point in your past. Unfortunately it causes a family which does love itself to be torn apart.
"The Great Lover" - This is the one story that I think fails somewhat. It is about a man during World War I who falls in love with Death personified. While the story telling is done excellently and the details of the war are enough to completely un-glamorize it forever, the falling in love part did not work for me. It just seemed to drag the story on and make it longer than necessary. In all, it should not have been the closing story of the collection.
"Entropy's Bed at Midnight" - An insurance investigator spends the day with his daughter. This story is a weird mix between love and death by having small stories told throughout the larger short story. It leads to a strange but enjoyable feeling that helps to explain love.
"Dying in Bangkok" - Originally I read this in LITTLE DEATHS but it still loses none of its impact when read a second time.
"Sleeping With Teeth Woman" - A story meant to counter the movie "Dances With Wolves" which does a superb job of it. Mostly about an Indian brave whose horniness leads him on a great journey of becoming the tribe's leader.
"Flashback" - An excellent science fiction story involving a drug that lets you flash back for 20 minutes to any point in your past. Unfortunately it causes a family which does love itself to be torn apart.
"The Great Lover" - This is the one story that I think fails somewhat. It is about a man during World War I who falls in love with Death personified. While the story telling is done excellently and the details of the war are enough to completely un-glamorize it forever, the falling in love part did not work for me. It just seemed to drag the story on and make it longer than necessary. In all, it should not have been the closing story of the collection.
November 5, 2019
Trigger Warnings/General Warnings: Rape, violence against women, misogyny
This was NOT the book for me. I did not like a single story. Some of them had some interesting ideas but I found the whole of this book peak misogynist. I can’t recall reading a book as misogynist as this one. The title and introduction are misleading; there is no love here, only violence. Rape abounds, and it is not treated with respect or gravity. I tried so hard to power through these stories even though I hated them and it took me so long to get through even one story; alas, I could not make it through the final story. I cannot think of a more boring plot than a WWI solider who writes poetry. It’s weird that it was the boredom and not the violent misogyny that finally got to me, but there you have it. I am not this book’s audience and I do not recommend this to anyone, especially women (more specifically, feminists).
This was NOT the book for me. I did not like a single story. Some of them had some interesting ideas but I found the whole of this book peak misogynist. I can’t recall reading a book as misogynist as this one. The title and introduction are misleading; there is no love here, only violence. Rape abounds, and it is not treated with respect or gravity. I tried so hard to power through these stories even though I hated them and it took me so long to get through even one story; alas, I could not make it through the final story. I cannot think of a more boring plot than a WWI solider who writes poetry. It’s weird that it was the boredom and not the violent misogyny that finally got to me, but there you have it. I am not this book’s audience and I do not recommend this to anyone, especially women (more specifically, feminists).
December 25, 2011
This fantastic book LOVEDEATH is a collection of short stories all with death as the theme. It was like shooting thru a tub of butter with a cannon the way I went thru this bo ok. Mostly Fiction.
The first story was written like an H. Ellison story running back and forth between reminiscences of bizarre insurance claims (ha funny deaths and accidents ha), and a guy on a sled with his daughter with some impending doom by the end (death oriented book). To me it was the weakest of the stories but written really well enough to keep me going.
The second story is about a horrific encounter with a blow job vampire whose feeding technique makes the stomach turn a blushing red (amidst colored lights and cheerleaders) in a really fascinating way. Vietnam vet goes in for a freak show with his buddy and gets the biggest eyeful of weird this side of C'thulhu mating rituals. I don't want to give away any of it. I'm dying to tell ya about it though!!! What a story!
"Sleeping with Teeth Women" is a thorough short story based on Souix Indian legend. As a reaction to the ever boring Kevin Costner "Dances with Wolves" movie, this story puts the straight arrow back in the bow instead of the wet noodle. A spook story about Lame Badger who needs some teen sex immediately. Wanting to be a man, he goes out for a fasting with elders and has his dream vision. It's a disturbing dream of sexy women with grinding sex teeth he has to sleep with. Endless torture meets him on the way to fulfilling his quest of sleeping with teeth women where he will definitely loose his baby maker. Ha!
"Flashback" is a drug that lets you relive precious moments of your life. Tune in and drop out. You're 18 again! Kids like to commit crime and flash on them later. Ladies love intimate moments of love. Men go for the sex. Grandpa thinks he's in the secret service with JFK. What? There's a conspiracy since Japan has made use of this drug punishable by death, America is slacked off on everything economically since the intro of the drug. Japan may be supplying the world with it and reaping the benefits of global bank supreme. Young Val is getting peer pressure to rape or kill and flash on it with his tough peers. Short and fucked this is a great read. The closest to sf in the whole book.
The last story is a killer. "The Great Lover" has a poet in WWI (many poets died in that war apparently) stuck in the labrynthian trenches of the battlefield watching extreme scenes of horror every day. It's Dante's Inferno Cake with Night of the Living Dead frosting over the entrails. Endless horror (based on true accounts) plague Rook the writer as he puts in his journal the groups of men sent to blow to pieces and rot in puddles while useless arms paw at their over detailed evisceration. In the maze of horror generals show up now and then to show how proud they are or upset with the men in losing limbs or lives. Like aliens from another world commenting on the price of rice or something having very little to do with the incredibly dire, dire, dire, situations the fighters are in. Main writer Rook begins to hallucinate that a woman (death?) wants him to stay with her. Gangreen and blood/gut covered situations make this the endall of all horror stories. A slice of hell served on heads of hundreds of blown to bit bodies. I've never read anything more disturbing...
Review was originally posted on sfbook.com
The first story was written like an H. Ellison story running back and forth between reminiscences of bizarre insurance claims (ha funny deaths and accidents ha), and a guy on a sled with his daughter with some impending doom by the end (death oriented book). To me it was the weakest of the stories but written really well enough to keep me going.
The second story is about a horrific encounter with a blow job vampire whose feeding technique makes the stomach turn a blushing red (amidst colored lights and cheerleaders) in a really fascinating way. Vietnam vet goes in for a freak show with his buddy and gets the biggest eyeful of weird this side of C'thulhu mating rituals. I don't want to give away any of it. I'm dying to tell ya about it though!!! What a story!
"Sleeping with Teeth Women" is a thorough short story based on Souix Indian legend. As a reaction to the ever boring Kevin Costner "Dances with Wolves" movie, this story puts the straight arrow back in the bow instead of the wet noodle. A spook story about Lame Badger who needs some teen sex immediately. Wanting to be a man, he goes out for a fasting with elders and has his dream vision. It's a disturbing dream of sexy women with grinding sex teeth he has to sleep with. Endless torture meets him on the way to fulfilling his quest of sleeping with teeth women where he will definitely loose his baby maker. Ha!
"Flashback" is a drug that lets you relive precious moments of your life. Tune in and drop out. You're 18 again! Kids like to commit crime and flash on them later. Ladies love intimate moments of love. Men go for the sex. Grandpa thinks he's in the secret service with JFK. What? There's a conspiracy since Japan has made use of this drug punishable by death, America is slacked off on everything economically since the intro of the drug. Japan may be supplying the world with it and reaping the benefits of global bank supreme. Young Val is getting peer pressure to rape or kill and flash on it with his tough peers. Short and fucked this is a great read. The closest to sf in the whole book.
The last story is a killer. "The Great Lover" has a poet in WWI (many poets died in that war apparently) stuck in the labrynthian trenches of the battlefield watching extreme scenes of horror every day. It's Dante's Inferno Cake with Night of the Living Dead frosting over the entrails. Endless horror (based on true accounts) plague Rook the writer as he puts in his journal the groups of men sent to blow to pieces and rot in puddles while useless arms paw at their over detailed evisceration. In the maze of horror generals show up now and then to show how proud they are or upset with the men in losing limbs or lives. Like aliens from another world commenting on the price of rice or something having very little to do with the incredibly dire, dire, dire, situations the fighters are in. Main writer Rook begins to hallucinate that a woman (death?) wants him to stay with her. Gangreen and blood/gut covered situations make this the endall of all horror stories. A slice of hell served on heads of hundreds of blown to bit bodies. I've never read anything more disturbing...
Review was originally posted on sfbook.com
January 26, 2015
Svaka od prica je na mene ostavila odredjeni utisak i gurnula me u razmisljanje. Jedino, prica o zenskim vampirima. Ona me je iznervirala i jedini je razlog zbog kojeg ovoj zbirci nisam dao cistu peticu.
August 13, 2019
Pěkná sbírka pěti zajímavých (delších) povídek s motivem lásky a smrti, jak už napovídá titul.
Každá povídka je jiná, od až legračních Zubatých žen přes hororové Umírání v Bangkoku až po hodně pochmurného Velkého milence. Za mě pěkné čtyři hvězdy, doporučuji.
Každá povídka je jiná, od až legračních Zubatých žen přes hororové Umírání v Bangkoku až po hodně pochmurného Velkého milence. Za mě pěkné čtyři hvězdy, doporučuji.
March 12, 2021
Plutôt que nouvelles, je dirais que ce sont 5 novellas qui composent ce recueil, dédié comme le titre le dit, à l'amour et à la mort, ce dans chacune des histoires.
Toutes dans des genres différents, du fantastique à la sf en passant par l'horreur, il y en a pour tous les goûts, tout en gardant cette thématique de la mort et de l'amour comme une entité inséparable l'une de l'autre.
Par contre une des nouvelles, "Mourrir à Bangkok", bien que géniale et d'ailleurs la meilleure histoire du livre à mon goût, n'est pas à mettre entre toutes les mains, car certaines scènes peuvent vraiment choquer. (j'ai retrouvé l'ambiance que notre cher "Thomas Day" avait réussi à mettre dans "Dragon" ou dans "La cité des crânes", deux textes que j'adore.
J'ai beaucoup aimé également le texte "Flash-back" dont on ne décroche pas du début à la fin.
Les trois autres textes sont aussi intéressants mais m'ont moins passionnés, attention, la qualité est tout de même au rendez-vous.
L'écriture de Dan Simmons est toujours aussi forte, il a l'art du suspense, l'art de l'amour, l'art de la mort, l'art de nous transporter par ses mots et ses idées.
https://unbouquinsinonrien.blogspot.c...
Toutes dans des genres différents, du fantastique à la sf en passant par l'horreur, il y en a pour tous les goûts, tout en gardant cette thématique de la mort et de l'amour comme une entité inséparable l'une de l'autre.
Par contre une des nouvelles, "Mourrir à Bangkok", bien que géniale et d'ailleurs la meilleure histoire du livre à mon goût, n'est pas à mettre entre toutes les mains, car certaines scènes peuvent vraiment choquer. (j'ai retrouvé l'ambiance que notre cher "Thomas Day" avait réussi à mettre dans "Dragon" ou dans "La cité des crânes", deux textes que j'adore.
J'ai beaucoup aimé également le texte "Flash-back" dont on ne décroche pas du début à la fin.
Les trois autres textes sont aussi intéressants mais m'ont moins passionnés, attention, la qualité est tout de même au rendez-vous.
L'écriture de Dan Simmons est toujours aussi forte, il a l'art du suspense, l'art de l'amour, l'art de la mort, l'art de nous transporter par ses mots et ses idées.
https://unbouquinsinonrien.blogspot.c...
October 27, 2017
A more coherent review later but overall it's not terrible!
Shelved as 'dnf'
December 8, 2019Not feeling it.
DNF.
DNF.
April 25, 2008
This book is touted as a "Scattershot of writing" and the reader is "Guaranteed to find at least one novella that they will love" the problem with such a scattershot approach is that with people's varying tastes, odds are that they will only "Love" one or maybe two of the stories rather than all or even most of them.
The first story in the book is "Entropy's Bed at Midnight" - 38 or so pages of a panicky father's musings on life and death as his paranoia about his daughter's safety hamper's his life. This story was extremely well written but never really went anywhere. Still I won't say that I didn't enjoy it, it was rather interesting to read about.
The Second is "Dying in Bangkok" probably the most controversial of the stories in this collection... yes what the other reviewers have said is true, this story has some extremely explicit sexual scenes that seem to go on and on and on. The story does actually go somewhere, so if you can stomach the almost pornographic level of sex described in the story, it actually turns out pretty good in the end.
"Sleeping with Teeth Women" was strange. The tale of a Native American boy who is extremely horny, wants to marry the pretty young maiden in the tribe, but ends up on a vision quest instead in the hopes that he would save all of their people. This tale had a lot of potential but wandered all over the place as if Simmons was never 100% sure where he intended to go with it. It was well written but meandered about to the point of losing the reader's interest.
"Flashback" was more of a Sci-Fi story about a drug appropriately called "Flashback" that people are addicted to. The drug allows them to relive their memories and stars causing chaos throughout society. It reminded me somewhat of "Strange Days" though not as interesting. I had a hard time getting through this story; I guess I just really can't get into Sci-Fi. Sorry.
"The Great Lover" the final and longest story in the book... more of a war story told through the journal of a great poet. Though this was the best researched and "educational" of the stories in the book, but it failed to hold my attention. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into it.
On the whole, all of the stories are very well written they are just so different in their topics and styles that odds are very few people will either love or loath all of them. I personally enjoyed the first three and had a hard time with the last two; my friend liked the last three and hated the first two. Either way if you find a copy of this, odds are you will find something you like and something that really isn't your style. I don't find this is indicative of all of Simmons work, which I generally enjoy. His short stories really seem very hit and miss.
The first story in the book is "Entropy's Bed at Midnight" - 38 or so pages of a panicky father's musings on life and death as his paranoia about his daughter's safety hamper's his life. This story was extremely well written but never really went anywhere. Still I won't say that I didn't enjoy it, it was rather interesting to read about.
The Second is "Dying in Bangkok" probably the most controversial of the stories in this collection... yes what the other reviewers have said is true, this story has some extremely explicit sexual scenes that seem to go on and on and on. The story does actually go somewhere, so if you can stomach the almost pornographic level of sex described in the story, it actually turns out pretty good in the end.
"Sleeping with Teeth Women" was strange. The tale of a Native American boy who is extremely horny, wants to marry the pretty young maiden in the tribe, but ends up on a vision quest instead in the hopes that he would save all of their people. This tale had a lot of potential but wandered all over the place as if Simmons was never 100% sure where he intended to go with it. It was well written but meandered about to the point of losing the reader's interest.
"Flashback" was more of a Sci-Fi story about a drug appropriately called "Flashback" that people are addicted to. The drug allows them to relive their memories and stars causing chaos throughout society. It reminded me somewhat of "Strange Days" though not as interesting. I had a hard time getting through this story; I guess I just really can't get into Sci-Fi. Sorry.
"The Great Lover" the final and longest story in the book... more of a war story told through the journal of a great poet. Though this was the best researched and "educational" of the stories in the book, but it failed to hold my attention. I don't know why, but I just couldn't get into it.
On the whole, all of the stories are very well written they are just so different in their topics and styles that odds are very few people will either love or loath all of them. I personally enjoyed the first three and had a hard time with the last two; my friend liked the last three and hated the first two. Either way if you find a copy of this, odds are you will find something you like and something that really isn't your style. I don't find this is indicative of all of Simmons work, which I generally enjoy. His short stories really seem very hit and miss.
May 24, 2018
Five novellas from Dan Simmons on the themes of Love and Death. All five are interesting although some of the stories are stronger than the others.
"Entropy's Bed at Midnight" starts off well as a parent who has lost one child to an accident is consumed with ensuring his other child stays safe. The story builds on the dread of something to come, but then it just wanders off and ends, slightly disappointing.
"Dying in Bangkok", is a difficult tale to read, erotic and horror and vampires and HIV, combine to make a story you won't soon forget.
"Sleeping with Teeth Women", predates Simmons novel "Black Hills", but you can see his love of the Sioux already in this novella, and he is able to create a fascinating story about an Indian boy who somehow stumbles into seeing visions of the white man conquest of his people. Moving, interesting and powerful.
"Flashback" is the only S.F. story. Similar to the novel of the same name, Simmons creates an all too real story of what would happen to America if a drug was available that allowed someone to "flash" to that memory. Interesting premise, however, just like the novel, it would have been more interesting to keep the politics out and focus on the impact of the drug on America.
"The Great Lover" is a masterpiece of horror describing the WWI battle of the Somme's, where over a million men lost their lives for no apparent reason. Haunting, horrific, and grisly, Simmons describes a poet trapped in the trenches as his grasp on sanity slips and slowly fails amid the tragedy of war.
Worth reading, as Simmons, as always, writes powerful stories of love and death.
"Entropy's Bed at Midnight" starts off well as a parent who has lost one child to an accident is consumed with ensuring his other child stays safe. The story builds on the dread of something to come, but then it just wanders off and ends, slightly disappointing.
"Dying in Bangkok", is a difficult tale to read, erotic and horror and vampires and HIV, combine to make a story you won't soon forget.
"Sleeping with Teeth Women", predates Simmons novel "Black Hills", but you can see his love of the Sioux already in this novella, and he is able to create a fascinating story about an Indian boy who somehow stumbles into seeing visions of the white man conquest of his people. Moving, interesting and powerful.
"Flashback" is the only S.F. story. Similar to the novel of the same name, Simmons creates an all too real story of what would happen to America if a drug was available that allowed someone to "flash" to that memory. Interesting premise, however, just like the novel, it would have been more interesting to keep the politics out and focus on the impact of the drug on America.
"The Great Lover" is a masterpiece of horror describing the WWI battle of the Somme's, where over a million men lost their lives for no apparent reason. Haunting, horrific, and grisly, Simmons describes a poet trapped in the trenches as his grasp on sanity slips and slowly fails amid the tragedy of war.
Worth reading, as Simmons, as always, writes powerful stories of love and death.
November 9, 2014
This set of stories had an odd and intriguing manner of delivery at times, but for most of the collection, worked favorably. Entertaining and original.
Since it is a small collection I'll go through what I thought of my favorites.
Entropy's Bed at Midnight: Fun and touching on a level that worked well. Strong, sincere characters and story that demanded a response. Great ending.
Dying in Bangkok: Awesomely strange monster story set in a vivid underworld. It was an interesting glimpse into AIDS looking forward from a past's perspective.
Flashback: This is pure sci-fi fun. It really made me smile as it reminded me of the Digital Underground song from around the same time titled Sex Packets. It moved fastest of all the stories and the generational differences shined wonderfully through the addictions and personalities. Damn those tricky Japanese!
The Great Lover: This story was the longest and moved along somewhat slower than the others, but it was easy to grow attached to Rooke and his trench affair. The imagery was haunting and wonderful. Easily the scariest of the bunch.
Since it is a small collection I'll go through what I thought of my favorites.
Entropy's Bed at Midnight: Fun and touching on a level that worked well. Strong, sincere characters and story that demanded a response. Great ending.
Dying in Bangkok: Awesomely strange monster story set in a vivid underworld. It was an interesting glimpse into AIDS looking forward from a past's perspective.
Flashback: This is pure sci-fi fun. It really made me smile as it reminded me of the Digital Underground song from around the same time titled Sex Packets. It moved fastest of all the stories and the generational differences shined wonderfully through the addictions and personalities. Damn those tricky Japanese!
The Great Lover: This story was the longest and moved along somewhat slower than the others, but it was easy to grow attached to Rooke and his trench affair. The imagery was haunting and wonderful. Easily the scariest of the bunch.
January 24, 2014
This was my first exposure to Dan Simmons' work and all I can say is...instant fan. This brilliant collection has five novellas, each exploring the twin themes of love and death. Every one of these stories resonated with me, with "Dying in Bangkok" and "Sleeping with Teeth Women" particular favorites.
The jewel in the crown, however, is "The Great Lover," which chronicles the experiences of a young soldier / poet in the trenches of World War 1. This is a period of history in which I have a particular interest and I've read a number of non-fiction books on the subject. None of them comes within a whisper of describing the terror, chaos, suffering and ultimately, the futility, of trench warfare as well as this story. It is meticulously researched, exceptionally well written and quite frankly terrifying.
Five stars for Love Death and if I could an extra star for The Great Lover, I would.
The jewel in the crown, however, is "The Great Lover," which chronicles the experiences of a young soldier / poet in the trenches of World War 1. This is a period of history in which I have a particular interest and I've read a number of non-fiction books on the subject. None of them comes within a whisper of describing the terror, chaos, suffering and ultimately, the futility, of trench warfare as well as this story. It is meticulously researched, exceptionally well written and quite frankly terrifying.
Five stars for Love Death and if I could an extra star for The Great Lover, I would.
February 17, 2020
3.8 stars
“But love...of whom?" I say at last. "Of what? What great passion would forestall death?"
Her graceful eyebrow arches, "You do not know? You, a poet?"
I do not know. I say as much.
She leans forward so that I can hear the rustle of her starched cotton blouse and silk beneath. Our faces are so close that I can feel the warmth from her skin. "Then you need more time to learn," she whispers, her voice as filled with emotion as when she cried out last night.”
― Dan Simmons
Simmon's novels play better than his short stories/novelettes. Don't let that stop you from delving deeper into Simmons.
Good, but nonessential addition to horror collections.
“But love...of whom?" I say at last. "Of what? What great passion would forestall death?"
Her graceful eyebrow arches, "You do not know? You, a poet?"
I do not know. I say as much.
She leans forward so that I can hear the rustle of her starched cotton blouse and silk beneath. Our faces are so close that I can feel the warmth from her skin. "Then you need more time to learn," she whispers, her voice as filled with emotion as when she cried out last night.”
― Dan Simmons
Simmon's novels play better than his short stories/novelettes. Don't let that stop you from delving deeper into Simmons.
Good, but nonessential addition to horror collections.
December 13, 2020
Simmons’ Eros and Thanatos in one book.
One story has Vietnam soldiers, losing virginity by fellating succubus (maybe - Simmons does not say) with abnormally long, suckered, tongue. Orgasm, as French would say, is “petit mort” (little death). Disturbing - arousal is invitation to death.
One story has Vietnam soldiers, losing virginity by fellating succubus (maybe - Simmons does not say) with abnormally long, suckered, tongue. Orgasm, as French would say, is “petit mort” (little death). Disturbing - arousal is invitation to death.
June 13, 2010
Only have clear memories of the last story in this collection, but that novella, called The Great Lover, was an amazing account of trench warfare in WW1 that was worth the price of the whole book.
February 19, 2012
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10415999
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10415999
February 20, 2021
I understand it's often better for writers to "write what they know," as the old dictum goes, but too often in the horror genre this creates a myriad of stories about writers or, perhaps, journalists or other kinds of artists, which can begin to seem formulaic and tiresome after so long. So one of the first things that stood out to me about Dan Simmons' collection of novellas was the range of perspectives on display. Instead of writers struggling with deadlines or internal issues, readers get stories about soldiers, court reporters, native youths, and even one about an insurance agent.
Making this all more impressive is the fact that each of these stories is clearly well-written and well-researched, leading to a variety of worlds with fully developed characters that begin firmly planted in reality before veering off into the depths of the characters' psychological despair or the seedy night life that exists somewhere off the radar. Whether Simmons is inserting authentic poetry of the World War I era or language and myths of the Sioux tribe, his knowledge in these historical areas elevates these tales to something more than commonplace genre fiction and allows readers to revel in the horrors of other worlds not so often explored.
The best story of the bunch is "Dying in Bangkok," which inhabits a world of sleazy sex clubs in Thailand from the 1970s to the present day and is salacious and perverse enough to make Clive Barker blush. It's basically a new take on both the revenge yarn and the vampire tale that is, perhaps, degrading to everyone involved, men and women alike. If horror stories are meant to produce feelings of revulsion, then this one hits the mark. It made me feel queasier and more uncomfortable than I've felt for a long time.
"Sleeping With Teeth Women," a story about a native youth's long struggle to maturation, and "The Great Lover," a story about a soldier poet who is visited by a ghostly woman who may or may not be death itself, are both fantastic as well. The former utilizes most native tribes' belief in the power of storytelling, combining specific moments of realism with mythic distortions. The latter showcases the long, linear, nigh inexorable trajectory of violence of early twentieth century warfare on par with the seemingly endless trenches on display in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. And what all of these stories do well, especially these two, is allow the narratives to play out logically. The endings are often unexpected, but they always follow from the events that have preceded them and never feel tacked on in an effort merely to shock.
The more science fiction-oriented, "Flashback," and the opening story, "Entropy's Bed at Midnight," are both fine but flawed. "Flashback" nails people's penchant for escaping from their problems into the past. However, it bungles some smaller issues like how much people actually value their privacy, and its use of future teenagers' slang is distracting. Similarly, "Entropy" has a touching message at its core—of how parents must let go of their children to experience the random whims of the world for themselves—but it interrupts its main narrative too often and, thus, deflates any tension that might have been built. These two stories prevent this collection from being a near masterpiece.
Making this all more impressive is the fact that each of these stories is clearly well-written and well-researched, leading to a variety of worlds with fully developed characters that begin firmly planted in reality before veering off into the depths of the characters' psychological despair or the seedy night life that exists somewhere off the radar. Whether Simmons is inserting authentic poetry of the World War I era or language and myths of the Sioux tribe, his knowledge in these historical areas elevates these tales to something more than commonplace genre fiction and allows readers to revel in the horrors of other worlds not so often explored.
The best story of the bunch is "Dying in Bangkok," which inhabits a world of sleazy sex clubs in Thailand from the 1970s to the present day and is salacious and perverse enough to make Clive Barker blush. It's basically a new take on both the revenge yarn and the vampire tale that is, perhaps, degrading to everyone involved, men and women alike. If horror stories are meant to produce feelings of revulsion, then this one hits the mark. It made me feel queasier and more uncomfortable than I've felt for a long time.
"Sleeping With Teeth Women," a story about a native youth's long struggle to maturation, and "The Great Lover," a story about a soldier poet who is visited by a ghostly woman who may or may not be death itself, are both fantastic as well. The former utilizes most native tribes' belief in the power of storytelling, combining specific moments of realism with mythic distortions. The latter showcases the long, linear, nigh inexorable trajectory of violence of early twentieth century warfare on par with the seemingly endless trenches on display in Stanley Kubrick's Paths of Glory. And what all of these stories do well, especially these two, is allow the narratives to play out logically. The endings are often unexpected, but they always follow from the events that have preceded them and never feel tacked on in an effort merely to shock.
The more science fiction-oriented, "Flashback," and the opening story, "Entropy's Bed at Midnight," are both fine but flawed. "Flashback" nails people's penchant for escaping from their problems into the past. However, it bungles some smaller issues like how much people actually value their privacy, and its use of future teenagers' slang is distracting. Similarly, "Entropy" has a touching message at its core—of how parents must let go of their children to experience the random whims of the world for themselves—but it interrupts its main narrative too often and, thus, deflates any tension that might have been built. These two stories prevent this collection from being a near masterpiece.
June 3, 2018
Dan Simmon's is one of my favorite writers and one of America's unsung heroes. Even many of my book friends have not heard of him. He obviously wants to fly under the radar with little to no advertising, but he has written quite the collection in different genres from horror, mystery, science fiction and recently historical. He does them all equally well but what I like best is how he has such original thoughts and imagination on the subject matter he chooses. For instance, his vampire story, 'Children of the Night' about a doctor who specializes in blood infections unknowingly adopts a Romanian baby with...can you guess? The last novel I read by him was 'The Fifth Heart' in which Sherlock Holmes and Henry James get together to solve the murder of Henry Adam's wife. It has historical insight, a great mystery plus the relationship between Sherlock and Henry is quite amusing (spoiler: they aren't exactly friends.) So, I was quite intrigued to read Dan's handling of short stories, which I originally thought this to be. It is actually 5 novella length stories. Each is about the combination of love and death, love causing death, etc. Quite original. I liked all the stories and would only give one less than 4 stars, but that is on me since I've never cared for the wild west/American Indian themed tales. One of the novellas, 'Flashback' was an early precursor of a novel he wrote, also called 'Flashback,' which is a drug that allows the user to flashback and revisit any part of their past. Dan Simmon's books come with a guarantee in my humble opinion, they are so good that you won't be able to resist reading another and another and another.....
June 29, 2024
This collection of five novellas has one masterpiece ("The Great Lover," a bravura and well-researched work that represents the diary of a World War I soldier/poet in the vein of Siegfried Sassoon), two okay novellas that feel more like Simmons retreads ("Entropy's Bed at Midnight" and "Flashback," which Simmons would expand into a strongly loathed novel years later and, in this form, is devoid of the right-wing paranoia that would define that later work, which also killed Simmons's reputation), and two pieces of utter garbage -- the execrable "Dying in Bangkok," which relishes in xenophobia, sexism, and racist stereotypes (far worse than SONG OF KALI) and "Sleeping with Teeth Women," in which Simmons embarrassingly attempts to write from an indigenous perspective and falls on his ass big time. But "The Great Lover" is truly great -- almost reminiscent of Pat Barker's Regeneration cycle -- and is worth slogging through the other bits.
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