A Short, Sharp Shock

Robinson, Kim Stanley

ISBN 10: 092948018X / ISBN 13: 9780929480183

Published by Mark V Ziesing, 1990

About this Item

© 1990: A stand-alone novel by Kim Stanley Robinson. 1st edition, 1st printing:- Synopsis: With 'A Short, Sharp Shock, Kim Stanley Robinson has turned his hand to the surreal. With the conviction of a persistent, recurring, unwelcome dream, the story is propelled from surprise to surmise to disillusionment to satisfaction to utter mystification. Incorporating erotic symbolism fraught with quasi-Freudian overtones and social contrivances invested with Jungian implications, Robinson has created a modern mythological playground for the twentieth century imagination. This hypnotic novel is more than just another spiritual quest for identity. With an urgency reminiscent of Philip K Dick, the ambiguous nature of reality itself is both central and inseparable from the protagonist's own personal search for meaning and understanding. Along the way, bizarre and colorful imagery and iconography are the order of the day, and moments of stability are unsustainable in the face of treachery and collusion among the elements of the physical environment as well as characters with secret agendas and unknown motivation:- (original cost £18.00).

Seller Inventory # 12.016.00041

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Short, Sharp Shock
• Publisher: Mark V Ziesing
• Publication Date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 092948018X
• ISBN 13: 9780929480183
• Binding: Hardback: 8¾" x 5¾"
• Illustrator: Cover Art: Arnie Fenner / Illustrations: Arnie Fenner
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Fine: Very small signs of wear
• Dust Jacket Condition: Fine
• Weight: 0.35 kilograms
• Seller catalogs:
  • Fantasy

About this title

Synopsis

Signed by author on title page - signature only-- Book in Mylar cover, No remainder marks, no ink markings. NOT priced clipped. First edition, First Printing

Review

Kim Stanley Robinson, justly famous for his science fiction, has created a mesmerizing fantasy work in A Short, Sharp Shock. Each brief chapter (with evocative titles such as "Beauty Is the Promise of Happiness") explores a little further along the path of the amnesiac protagonist, Thel. Thel finds himself on an amazing world, which has just one narrow ridge of land encircling the globe, with endless ocean on either side. And Thel is on a quest, searching for the woman who was with him when he first awakened, but who was taken by the murderous spine kings. In his travels along the ribbon of land, Thel encounters exotic local peoples and their legends of the origin of the world, and learns more about his companions and himself. Robinson's imagination is far-ranging and he has a pointed way with words: in a scene where Thel is slowly pushed through a magical mirror, Robinson's evocation of pain is unforgettable. A Short, Sharp Shock is guaranteed to haunt the reader for a long time. --Blaise Selby