Reviews
"A fine introduction to one of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic." -- Publishers Weekly, "A fine introduction to one of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic." —Publishers Weekly, "A fine introduction to one of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic." — Publishers Weekly, 'I think the need for me to stop reading shows exactly how good Jeff is as a writer. I encourage everyone to give this a go, whether you read it one story at a time with long intervals between each one (like me), or have the stomach to read it all in one go (I applaud you for doing so!). It's very well written, engages the readers imagination, and will make you think about the stories long after you've read them.' - Nayu's Reading Corner blogspot January 2011, "Jeff Vandermeer is not to be trusted. He hypnotizes with shiny objects, bizarrely beautiful shapes and phrases, then (more often than not) gently drifts you into very dark places. You won't know where you're going till you get there and then, of course, it's too late." —Mike Mignola, creator, Hellboy, "One of the things that sets VanderMeer apart is his embrace of technology and media. His online presence is considerable and includes a number of web sites, frequent blogging, a short film adaptation of his novel Shriek (including collaboration with pop rock band The Church), his Alien Baby photo project and even a project involving animation via Sony Playstation." -Wired.com, "Fascinating . . . the harmonics between the stories cross all sorts of boundaries." —Locus Magazine, "Jeff VanderMeer is an extraordinary writer . . . passionate, beautiful, complex, terrifying." —Tamar Yellin, author, The Genizah at the House of Shepher, "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." —Peter Straub, author, The Talisman, "These 15 elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill . . . calls to mind the works of Borges, Kafka, and Lem." —Library Journal, Starred Review, "Fascinating . . . the harmonics between the stories cross all sorts of boundaries." --Locus Magazine, "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." -Peter Straub, author,The Talisman, "These 15 elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill . . . calls to mind the works of Borges, Kafka, and Lem." — Library Journal , Starred Review, Elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill at telling tales of wonder in language that enhances the reading experience" — Library Journal , starred review One of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic...superb prose, overwhelmingly odd situations, and fascinating, eccentric characters." — Publishers Weekly , starred review Jeff VanderMeer is not to be trusted. He hypnotizes with shiny objects, bizarrely beautiful shapes and phrases, then (more often than not) gently drifts you into very dark places. You won't know where you're going till you get there and then, of course, it's too late." —Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." --Peter Straub, author, The Talisman Cunningly crafted stories full of wonder and intelligence.... VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." —Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Vandermeer's stories hit one's hindbrain slantwise—they offer no easy answers and no comfort. Rather they are hard, brilliant gems meant to cut and shine—these are some of the most beautiful, upsetting, and accomplished tales I have ever read." —Catherynne M. Valente, author of The Orphan's Tales The Third Bear contains some of my favorite stories of recent years. There's the meticulous workplace surrealism of ‘The Situation,' the remorseless multiworld cataclysms of ‘The Goat Variations,' the beautiful eldritch heartsickness of ‘The Surgeon's Tale.' Jeff VanderMeer is one of the very best." —Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Brief History of the Dead Annexing the weird half-lit spaces between genres, these stories lean sometimes into fantasy and SF, sometimes into metafiction, but are always deft and pleasurable reads. VanderMeer is one of the few writers out there able to coax something startling and necessary from anything...a very strong collection." —Brian Evenson, author of Last Days The stories in this collection are smart, gorgeous, allusive, and tricky. VanderMeer is a fantasist extraordinaire." —Jack O'Connell, author of The Resurrectionist Jeff VanderMeer's work is subversive and disquieting, possessed of an almost kinetic force in its impact upon the mind. Body horror gone viral, fairy tales wrapped in their own entrails, and metafictional murder; these and other images herein are sure to leave their mark and fester in the subconscious. Already a well-regarded fantasist, The Third Bear reveals VanderMeer at his most fearsome." —Laird Barron, author of The Imago Sequence and Other Stories One of the leading fantasists of this generation, Jeff VanderMeer's new collection is a must-have for any discerning reader." —Rick Klaw, editor of The Apes of Wrath Reminiscent of Japanese surrealist author Haruki Murakami...VanderMeer's stories are provocative marvels." — Sacramento Book Review ...Crisp, elegant slightly detached prose and stories...much to admire and enjoy." — Fantasy-Magazine.com When you add all these [stories] together, what you have is a collection that the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson might have written if they really wanted to mess with the heads of small children.... Ten out of ten." — Graeme's Fantasy Book Review, "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." --Peter Straub, author, The Talisman, "Reminiscent of Japanese surrealist author Haruki Murakami . . . VanderMeer's stories are provocative marvels." —Sacramento Book Review, "Elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill at telling tales of wonder in language that enhances the reading experience" -- Library Journal , starred review "One of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic...superb prose, overwhelmingly odd situations, and fascinating, eccentric characters." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review "Jeff VanderMeer is not to be trusted. He hypnotizes with shiny objects, bizarrely beautiful shapes and phrases, then (more often than not) gently drifts you into very dark places. You won't know where you're going till you get there and then, of course, it's too late." --Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." --Peter Straub, author, The Talisman "Cunningly crafted stories full of wonder and intelligence.... VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." --Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao "Vandermeer's stories hit one's hindbrain slantwise--they offer no easy answers and no comfort. Rather they are hard, brilliant gems meant to cut and shine--these are some of the most beautiful, upsetting, and accomplished tales I have ever read." --Catherynne M. Valente, author of The Orphan's Tales " The Third Bear contains some of my favorite stories of recent years. There's the meticulous workplace surrealism of ''The Situation,' the remorseless multiworld cataclysms of ''The Goat Variations,' the beautiful eldritch heartsickness of ''The Surgeon's Tale.' Jeff VanderMeer is one of the very best." --Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Brief History of the Dead "Annexing the weird half-lit spaces between genres, these stories lean sometimes into fantasy and SF, sometimes into metafiction, but are always deft and pleasurable reads. VanderMeer is one of the few writers out there able to coax something startling and necessary from anything...a very strong collection." --Brian Evenson, author of Last Days "The stories in this collection are smart, gorgeous, allusive, and tricky. VanderMeer is a fantasist extraordinaire." --Jack O'Connell, author of The Resurrectionist "Jeff VanderMeer's work is subversive and disquieting, possessed of an almost kinetic force in its impact upon the mind. Body horror gone viral, fairy tales wrapped in their own entrails, and metafictional murder; these and other images herein are sure to leave their mark and fester in the subconscious. Already a well-regarded fantasist, The Third Bear reveals VanderMeer at his most fearsome." --Laird Barron, author of The Imago Sequence and Other Stories "One of the leading fantasists of this generation, Jeff VanderMeer's new collection is a must-have for any discerning reader." --Rick Klaw, editor of The Apes of Wrath "Reminiscent of Japanese surrealist author Haruki Murakami...VanderMeer's stories are provocative marvels." -- Sacramento Book Review "...Crisp, elegant slightly detached prose and stories...much to admire and enjoy." -- Fantasy-Magazine.com "When you add all these [stories] together, what you have is a collection that the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson might have written if they really wanted to mess with the heads of small children.... Ten out of ten." -- Graeme's Fantasy Book Review, "VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." —Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, "One of the most literary fantasy writers or fantastic literary writers we've got working these days, take your pick." -Ron Hogan, Mediabistro's GalleyCat, "These 15 elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill . . . calls to mind the works of Borges, Kafka, and Lem." -- Library Journal , Starred Review, "Elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill at telling tales of wonder in language that enhances the reading experience" -- Library Journal , starred review "One of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic . . . superb prose, overwhelmingly odd situations, and fascinating, eccentric characters." -- Publishers Weekly , starred review "Jeff VanderMeer is not to be trusted. He hypnotizes with shiny objects, bizarrely beautiful shapes and phrases, then (more often than not) gently drifts you into very dark places. You won't know where you're going till you get there and then, of course, it's too late." --Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy "Cunningly crafted stories full of wonder and intelligence. VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." --Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao "Vandermeer's stories hit one's hindbrain slantwise--they offer no easy answers and no comfort. Rather they are hard, brilliant gems meant to cut and shine--these are some of the most beautiful, upsetting, and accomplished tales I have ever read." --Catherynne M. Valente, author of The Orphan's Tales "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." --Peter Straub, author of The Talisman The Third Bear contains some of my favorite stories of recent years. There's the meticulous workplace surrealism of 'The Situation,' the remorseless multiworld cataclysms of 'The Goat Variations,' the beautiful eldritch heartsickness of 'The Surgeon's Tale.' Jeff VanderMeer is one of the very best." --Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Brief History of the Dead "Annexing the weird half-lit spaces between genres, these stories lean sometimes into fantasy and SF, sometimes into metafiction, but are always deft and pleasurable reads. VanderMeer is one of the few writers out there able to coax something startling and necessary from anything." --Brian Evenson, author of Last Days "The stories in this collection are smart, gorgeous, allusive, and tricky. VanderMeer is a fantasist extraordinaire." --Jack O'Connell, author of The Resurrectionist "Jeff VanderMeer's work is subversive and disquieting, possessed of an almost kinetic force in its impact upon the mind. Body horror gone viral, fairy tales wrapped in their own entrails, and metafictional murder; these and other images herein are sure to leave their mark and fester in the subconscious. Already a well-regarded fantasist, The Third Bear reveals VanderMeer at his most fearsome." --Laird Barron, author of The Imago Sequence and Other Stories "One of the leading fantasists of this generation, Jeff VanderMeer's new collection is a must-have for any discerning reader." --Rick Klaw, editor of The Apes of Wrath "Reminiscent of Japanese surrealist author Haruki Murakami . . . VanderMeer's stories are provocative marvels." -- Sacramento Book Review "When you add all these [stories] together, what you have is a collection that the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson might have written if they really wanted to mess with the heads of small children (10/10)." -- Graeme's Fantasy Book Review, Elegantly crafted stories ably demonstrate VanderMeer's skill at telling tales of wonder in language that enhances the reading experience" — Library Journal , starred review One of our very best contemporary practitioners of the fantastic...superb prose, overwhelmingly odd situations, and fascinating, eccentric characters." — Publishers Weekly , starred review Jeff VanderMeer is not to be trusted. He hypnotizes with shiny objects, bizarrely beautiful shapes and phrases, then (more often than not) gently drifts you into very dark places. You won't know where you're going till you get there and then, of course, it's too late." —Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy "In the hands of a brilliant writer like Jeff VanderMeer, writing fantasy can be a means of serious artistic expression. . . . It is also playful, poignant, and utterly, wildly imaginative." --Peter Straub, author, The Talisman Cunningly crafted stories full of wonder and intelligence.... VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." —Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize--winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao Vandermeer's stories hit one's hindbrain slantwise—they offer no easy answers and no comfort. Rather they are hard, brilliant gems meant to cut and shine—these are some of the most beautiful, upsetting, and accomplished tales I have ever read." —Catherynne M. Valente, author of The Orphan's Tales The Third Bear contains some of my favorite stories of recent years. There's the meticulous workplace surrealism of #145;The Situation,' the remorseless multiworld cataclysms of #145;The Goat Variations,' the beautiful eldritch heartsickness of #145;The Surgeon's Tale.' Jeff VanderMeer is one of the very best." —Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Brief History of the Dead Annexing the weird half-lit spaces between genres, these stories lean sometimes into fantasy and SF, sometimes into metafiction, but are always deft and pleasurable reads. VanderMeer is one of the few writers out there able to coax something startling and necessary from anything...a very strong collection." —Brian Evenson, author of Last Days The stories in this collection are smart, gorgeous, allusive, and tricky. VanderMeer is a fantasist extraordinaire." —Jack O'Connell, author of The Resurrectionist Jeff VanderMeer's work is subversive and disquieting, possessed of an almost kinetic force in its impact upon the mind. Body horror gone viral, fairy tales wrapped in their own entrails, and metafictional murder; these and other images herein are sure to leave their mark and fester in the subconscious. Already a well-regarded fantasist, The Third Bear reveals VanderMeer at his most fearsome." —Laird Barron, author of The Imago Sequence and Other Stories One of the leading fantasists of this generation, Jeff VanderMeer's new collection is a must-have for any discerning reader." —Rick Klaw, editor of The Apes of Wrath Reminiscent of Japanese surrealist author Haruki Murakami...VanderMeer's stories are provocative marvels." — Sacramento Book Review ...Crisp, elegant slightly detached prose and stories...much to admire and enjoy." — Fantasy-Magazine.com When you add all these [stories] together, what you have is a collection that the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Anderson might have written if they really wanted to mess with the heads of small children.... Ten out of ten." — Graeme's Fantasy Book Review, One of the things that sets VanderMeer apart is his embrace of technology and media. His online presence is considerable and includes a number of web sites, frequent blogging, a short film adaptation of his novel Shriek (including collaboration with pop rock band The Church), his Alien Baby photo project and even a project involving animation via Sony Playstation." —Wired.com, "VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." —Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author,The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, "Jeff VanderMeer is an extraordinary writer . . . passionate, beautiful, complex, terrifying." --Tamar Yellin, author, The Genizah at the House of Shepher, "VanderMeer proves again why he is so essential and why everybody should be reading him." --Junot Diaz, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, "Jeff VanderMeer is an extraordinary writer . . . passionate, beautiful, complex, terrifying." -Tamar Yellin, author,The Genizah at the House of Shepher, "One of the things that sets VanderMeer apart is his embrace of technology and media. His online presence is considerable and includes a number of web sites, frequent blogging, a short film adaptation of his novel Shriek (including collaboration with pop rock band The Church), his Alien Baby photo project and even a project involving animation via Sony Playstation." --Wired.com, "Jeff Vandermeer is not to be trusted. He hypnotizes with shiny objects, bizarrely beautiful shapes and phrases, then (more often than not) gently drifts you into very dark places. You won't know where you're going till you get there and then, of course, it's too late." --Mike Mignola, creator, Hellboy