Richard Bowes (1944–2023)

Written with a bizarre, plodding simplicity that made it incomprehensible at times and always a slog. By the end, I was reading it in Wesley Willis' voice.

A shame, because the universe was kind of interesting.

The writing was much better than in the first one, although it still occasionally slipped back into the clunky style that made the first one unbearable.

The style is still needlessly slippery, however, and the characters not rich enough to support the abstractions, weirdness and ideas (all of which are almost compelling).

I am lousy at reviewing. All I can think of to say is that this is a very enjoyable collection, and you should read it. I particularly enjoyed The Lady of Wands and The Margay's Children.

Liked so much of it, though it's a little too navel-gazing, perhaps I'd get more from it if I had lived in Greenwich Village during the 70s? Too specific, without exploring it with us readers. However, the more modern parts were lovely, so I imagine the other parts would be wonderful for someone who'd been there, too.