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The Emperor Of Gondwanaland And Other Stories by Philip Di Filippo
01/08/2005 . Source: Laura Kayne 
pub: Thunder's Mouth Press. 370 page enlarged paperback. Price: $16.95 (US). ISBN: 1-56025-665-6. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.avalonpub.com
The latest collection from Nebula Award nominee Paul Di Filippo is 'The Emperor Of Gondwanaland', eighteen short stories arranged in varying genres from space travel to alternative histories, from cyberpunk to surreal fantasy. Intelligent machines, aliens, time travel and fantasy worlds all have their place within this eclectic anthology.
The title story is an interesting mixture of cyberpunk and alternative world fantasy. Gondwanaland is the name given to the continent of land that existed millions of years ago before splitting to form the land masses we see today. In a busy metropolitan office, a bored assistant editor comes across an online community based around Gondwanaland. He gradually becomes obsessed with the virtual world, spending more time in it than the real one. As he grows closer to one of the inhabitants of Gondwanaland, he begins to think there may be more to it than he first realised. Either that or he's going mad or they are. This is an interesting piece regarding what is real and what isn't and how the line between can become very blurred. Although the ending may be somewhat predicable, it is an enjoyable read with very human characters.
'The Emperor Of Gondwanaland' appears in a section of the book entitled 'Adventures Of A Restless Mind', comprising of four tales which tend to cross genres and, as Di Filippo puts it, 'dabble(ing) in realism, fabulism, ribofunk, horsepowerpunk and what might be called "galactic core values"'.
The section 'Two Plus Two Equals Infinity' contains two co-written stories. 'Your Gold Teeth, Part 2', co-written with Don Webb, is an artificial intelligence story, written in a rather confusing, non-linear way in order to leave the reader as muddled as the narrator, reaching a conclusion with him and not before. If nothing else the first line is bound to inspire further reading: 'The Nepthys was leaking brains'! 'Beyond Mao', written in collaboration with Barry Malzberg, is a space-travel tale which leaves the reader with an uncertainty as to the hero's fate and whether he really chose the right path to explore. Both are enjoyable and rich reads, giving an interesting difference in style when Di Filippo's writing is mixed with someone else's.
The third part of the collection, 'Children Of Andre Breton', is comprised of surrealist pieces. This includes the humorous 'Time Travel Blasphemies I And II', dealing with the necessary time travel paradox adventure and a peak into a future that isn't exactly what a woman from the present expects. 'Pulp Alibis' is a whirlwind trip through alternative narrations on the OJ Simpson case, while 'Science Fiction' returns to the blurred lines between reality and fiction.
'Counterfactual Curiosities' is perhaps the most interesting and thought-provoking of the different segments of the book, dealing as it does with alternative histories/universes. 'Shake It To The West' is a clever and serious piece wherein history branches when the Ku Klux Klan and the United Negro Improvement Association work together in the 1920s to rid the United States of all Negro inhabitants. This leads to the birth of the Pan-Africa nation. Sixty years later, a ship of Pan-Africans become the first representatives to return to the USA, wondering if tales of the great land of their ancestors are true. The first sight that grates them is a headless Statue of Liberty, 'spattered with faded paint, and garlanded with a noose made from a ship's hawser... (she) seemed to crouch in shame beneath the blue August skies. Her up-raised aim, jaggedly truncated and blackened by an apparent explosion, gaped like her neck, open to the elements. Her hand and torch, flame downward, lay below, embedded in the soil beyond the base's perimeter.' This image becomes iconic of Di Filippo's alterative United States, where Pan-Africa is wealthy and multi-cultural and America reflects the starving, third-world Africa we know.
'Sisyphus And The Stranger' places France in the usual position of the United States in the 1950s. Albert Camus struggles to find meaning in his existence as a cog in the wheel of the French Empire, something which came about due to the discovery of N-Rays in 1914 and the winning of the 'Abortive Great War' within months by France. The third story in this section, 'A Monument To After-Thought Unveiled' concerns a Robert Frost, who, after a personal tragedy, becomes a horror writer instead of a poet.
The final part of the book, 'Gonzo Science' returns to themes of technology and artificial intelligence. 'And the Dish Run Away With The Spoon' is probably the most entertaining of the three stories here, if slightly disturbing as well. It describes the possibility of household objects - chairs, vacuum cleaners, ipods - being so technologically developed that they become sentient. It certainly makes life easier, but the real trouble begins when the hero of the tale gains a rival for his girlfriend in the form of an intelligent chair! It is very humorous but the moral is also there: not to become too dependent on advancement and technology.
Overall, this is an enjoyable, well-written and entertaining collection. The mix of topics and genres mean that there should be something to appeal to almost any Science Fiction or fantasy reader. There are insightful, short introductions to each story and each separate part of the volume, showing Di Filippo's intentions and influences. His worlds and characters are human in their perspectives, flaws and curiosity, despite their something alien setting or appearance. His themes and ideas are intriguing and interesting. Fans of Di Filippo should enjoyable this rich and varied helping of his work, while newcomers can gain a well-rounded journey into his writing.
Laura Kayne
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