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NOTE: Reviews are the opinions of the individual reviewers and not necessarily those of The Chiaroscuro as an entity unto itself.
| by William D. Gagliani
Email: tarkusp@execpc.com One Day Closer to Death; Eight Stabs at Immortality By Bradley Denton St. Martin's Press (Currently OoP) Bradley Denton's best work leaves me speechless. What can I say? His novels resonate long after I've turned the last page, nearly overcome with sadness at seeing the journey end. Denton (BLACKBURN, LUNATICS, BUDDY HOLLY IS ALIVE AND WELL ON GANYMEDE), won the World Fantasy Award for two prior collections of short stories, both limited editions from Wildside Press now extremely difficult for anyone but collectors to find. Fortunately, St. Martin's Press came to the rescue a few years ago with ONE DAY CLOSER TO DEATH, a cycle of seven stories culled from those earlier collections and/or various magazine appearances and one brand new tale about Jimmy Blackburn, protagonist of the novel that bears his name. As an aside, let me reiterate my belief that BLACKBURN is a masterpiece of contemporary literature, filled with humor and pathos, darkness and light, wisdom and sad truths. It was one of the best novels of the Nineties, and remains a cult favorite. A new story featuring Blackburn himself, sort of, is a true gem. And "Blackburn Bakes Cookies" is indeed a gem, as Jimmy makes an appearance from beyond the grave to help his sister deal with a mysterious stalker obsessed with the Blackburn legacy (you don't have to have read the novel to follow this, but it helps). "The Territory" fills in some of Mark Twain's Civil War experiences so vividly that you'll want to check references. It convincingly portrays a pivotal point in the writer's life, and it does so effortlessly and with dignity. In "Captain Coyote's Last Hunt," a young narrator faces more than one kind of death during a series of savage, pointless hunts. With "We Love Lydia Love," Denton uses a mild SF staple, the chip implant, to explore the origins of creativity and inspiration, and makes some points about exploitation in the music business as well. In "Skidmore," violence comes home to stay—literally. The collection's heart and soul is formed by a triad of stories so powerful they almost defy description. In "Killing Weeds" we watch as a farmer, a Vietnam vet, slowly unravels in front of his family—passing on his tragically contagious psychosis to his young son. "A Conflagration Artist" takes a Kafka-esque approach to the Art as Life dilemma, using as its core image a woman who performs a bizarre act for pay-per-view audiences—setting herself on fire and diving into a water-filled tub. The Amazing Evelyn's motivation will shock and move you equally, and you will never forget it. Finally, "The Calvin Coolidge Home for Dead Comedians" creates an eerie afterlife for Leonard (Lenny), a newcomer at the "home" where swear words are strangely forgotten and a prim housemother attempts to clean up his act with repeated viewings of "It's a Wonderful Life." It's not likely to happen, for Leonard is incorrigible. When John arrives, Leonard senses he has an ally in mischief. Together they buck the system, until pain and deprivation lead to submission. Be assured—you'll laugh and cry with this one, and you'll recognize Leonard and John. And you'll almost expect to see Chris arrive. (Read it and you'll know what I mean.) As you might suspect, these truly amazing stories share a common theme. They all deal with death in some way, as Denton points out in the introduction. Then, as if to ram the point home, he ends with his fill-in-the-blank obituary (thankfully many years premature). When asked why he chose to end on what I considered a downbeat, he expressed surprise -- and an ulterior motive: "Is it a downbeat? Really? It gave me the opportunity to scoop the journalists who'll be writing my real obituary on a date to be determined later." Given Bradley Denton's sense of humor and outlook, he's right—this is an appropriate end to a collection you'll treasure and revisit often. I implore you to give this hugely talented writer the attention he deserves. This poignant collection, still available for hardy seekers, is a perfect introduction.
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