The New Weird is one of the most promising new subgenres of science fiction. It’s kind of hard to define: Start with a mishmash of steampunk, horror, urban fantasy, and the social consciousness of Charles Dickens. But Paul Di Fillipo does good work providing a basic overview of it here.
The first place to go for a grounding in The New Weird is Ann and Jeff VanderMeer’s 2008 anthology of that name. (Full disclosure: a work of mine is featured therein.) In his superb introduction, Jeff VanderMeer details the history, strategies, and effects of the New Weird and discusses its marketplace impact and probable future vectors. His eloquent and persuasive “working definition” of the mode is too long to quote at length here, but the salient bits include the phrases “urban, secondary-world fiction,” “elements of both science fiction and fantasy,” “elements of surreal or transgressive horror,” and “surrender to the weird.”
It goes on from there to discuss specific authors and books to investigate. I don’t think The New Weird has really hit its stride yet, but authors like China Miéville are very close to getting it right.
I wish K.J. Bishop would release another book. Etched City was exceedingly delightful, and to my mind didn’t get bogged down as much as Mieville. I’d have to agree that Mieville/Bishop have created the most enthralling imaginary fictions that I’ve read in years.
I had no idea the fiction I like had a name. I am not sure I like it. What is “Old Weird”
where is kelly link? joe meno? i consider these two the absolutely peak of new weird.
Someone has to define “steampunk” for me.
Didn’t Michael Moorcook write the lyrics to “Veterans of Psychic Wars” by Blue Öyster Cult?
briefly, steampunk is a form of science fiction as viewed from a victorian perspective, or a world not that far off from a victorian civilization (according to our timeline of history) But go here:
http://brassgoggles.co.uk/brassgoggles/b…
China Mieville has a great vocabulary but his books are essentially vapid.
I really enjoy Paul Di Fillipo’s short fiction.
I wrote a novel two years ago with a similar description. Had no idea I wrote “new weird.”
Total bullshit, I must say. The fiction is just fucking good fiction. Fantastical fiction.
Quit this bullshit steampunk blahblahblah.
Die already, instead of creating a market to sell your bullshit.
Feh, “new weird” is already retro; just ask anyone who’s been regularly reading Warren Ellis’ web site for the past couple of years…
Oh, and BTW, “Atompunk” is the NEW “new weird”…
New Years’ Resolution
All the people who commented on this thread have a ‘weird’ lengthy review of this book handed into the Stranger by February. I won’t include one, but I don’t practice what I preach.
@1 Hear, hear. I’ve been scanning the shelves for a new K.J. Bishop novel for a couple of years now, but remain empty handed.
Between VanderMeer, Mieville, Bishop and newcomer Ekaterina Sedia the field is thriving. But it’s not necessarily “New” anything. By the time there’s enough material and interest to put out any sort of “definitive” anthology of anything, the new has gone out of it already.
the over-genrefication of fiction continues unabated
Old weird would be Lovecraft and other writers for Weird Tales.