FEBRUARY FEATURE #3: Pandemonium by Daryl Gregory

[paulgoatallen]

I talk with a lot of "publishing" people – writers, publicists, editorial directors, etc. – so when I hear raves about a book, I usually don't pay too much attention. But during the latter half of '08, one book kept on coming up again and again in conversation – the debut from Daryl Gregory entitled Pandemonium.

One editor I know called it "the best debut" he'd ever read. One of my avorite writers, Paul Witcover, described it as: "...an unusually strong debut, a quirky fantasy whose Pynchonesque elements are more statisfying than the plot to which they are harnessed. That plot, ar at any rate its resolution, draws too heavily on Twilight Zone tropes and a classic Harlan Ellison story whose title alone would qualify as a major spoiler. But the novel transcends its debt to these sources thanks to a vivid narrative voice, an oddball cast of characters, and a pervasive sense of anarchy that seems perpetually on the verge of spinning out of control."

I'm reading this book right now so I'll post my comments in a day or so. My biggest question to those of you who have read it is: what genre, if any, is Pandemonium? And does it even matter?

Paul 

[Ryan_G]

I will be buying this book over next weekend.  I'm really looking forward to it.

[Nadine]

Pandemonioum by Daryl Gregory.

[Daryl-Gregory]

Hi folks,

I'm going to hang back and let y'all discuss away, but later on if you have any specific questions (for example, What the hell was he thinking?), I'll be standing by. 

I will say this, though -- Paul's opening question goes straight to some of the questions I was asking myself throughout the writing of the book.  I'm already having fun here!

Enjoy,

Daryl

[Nelsmom]

I'm still trying to convince the library that this book is worth buying but so far I have not heard if they are getting it and all of this months books I have to get through the library because my budget just won't allow me to buy any.  But I really want to read it. So Maybe if I keep after them they will.

Toni

[Daryl-Gregory]

Hi Toni,

Maybe tell them that Library Journal gave it a starred review -- and they HAVE to obey the Library Journal. 

http://www.libraryjournal.com/article/CA6586263.html

--d

[Nelsmom]

Thanks Daryl I will tell them that and see if it helps.

Toni

[paulgoatallen]

Man. I just finished Pandemonium and, wow. It was like nothing I've ever read before. Equal parts dark fantasy, horror, apocalyptic thriller, and yes, maybe even a little  literary fiction, this book was a rollercoaster ride from the first page to the last. I honestly had no idea what was going to happen next (and that's a glorious thing!). Daryl threw in all kinds of narrative elements – demon possession, comic book and comic book heroes, references to A.E. van Vogt (Slan) and Philip K. Dick, Lovecraftian monsters, even O.J. Simpson!

There's no way to accurately categorize this book – I'd just throw it in fiction and call it a day.  

I particularly loved Daryl's usage of PKD's essay "My Definition of Science Fiction" – which I'm going to post momentarily because it's that good.

I guess my first question to Mr. Gregory is "How in the freaking world did you come up with the storyline to Pandemonium?"  

Paul 

[Nelsmom]

I finally got the book today and have read the first couple of chapters and am finding it very interesting and it is holding my attention.  Not exactly what I'm used to reading but enjoying it anyway.  Will post more when I finish it.

Toni

[Nelsmom]

Daryl,

Congratulations on winning the Crawford Fantasy Award for this book.  I think that is fantastic.

Toni

[Daryl-Gregory]

---

paulgoatallen wrote:

I guess my first question to Mr. Gregory is "How in the freaking world did you come up with the storyline to Pandemonium?"  

Paul 

---

First of all, call me Daryl.

Second of all, it's a bit of a mystery to me where all the ideas came from, but the root of the storyline was to do a tour of the pop culture I loved. I tried to take bits of pieces of sf, comic books, pulp, history, and general Americana -- the contents of my brain, basically -- and tie them to the story of a character with a big problem.

I wanted to delay as long as possible any conclusions about what was causing the possessions, because the cause would determine the genre. You pointed out the information I included from the PKD essay. That's because I wanted both Del _and_ the reader to not know what kind of story they were in. At some point during the writing I discovered audio mash-ups, and that became the metaphor I ran with.

I'll be more specific when more folks have finished reading!

--d

[Daryl-Gregory]

Thanks for the congrats, Toni! I'm excited that I now have an excuse to go to Orlando in March.

--d

[paulgoatallen]

For those of you who aren't familar with the Crawford Award, it's a literary award given to a writer whose debut fantasy novel was published during the preceding 18 months. It's presented by the IAFA (International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts) and the previous winners of this award are some of the best and brightest "literary" fantasy writers out there: Charles de Lint won it in 1985, Sharon Shinn in '96, David Coe in '99, Anne Bishop in 2000, Jasper Fforde in '02, Steph Swainston in '05 (she is AWESOME!), and Stephen King's son Joe Hill in '06.

Congrats, Daryl!

Paul 

[paulgoatallen]

Okay, here's the excerpt that Daryl used from the Philip K. Dick essay "My Definition of Science Fiction" – I highly suggest those interested in this topic to seek out The Shifting Realities of Philip K. Dick, Selected Literary and Philosophical Writing,edited by Lawrence Sutin.

Here's the excerpt:

    "But you cannot separate science fiction from fantasy," Valis said, "and a moment's thought will show why. Take psionics; take mutants such as we find in More Than Human. If the reader believes that such mutants could exist, then he will view Sturgeon's novel as science fiction. If, however, he believes that such mutants are, like wizards and dragons, not possible, nor will ever be possible, then he is reading a fantasy novel. Fantasy involves that which general opinion regards as impossible; science fiction involves that which general opinion regards as possible under the right circumstances. This is in essence a judgment call, since what is possible and what is not cannot be objectively known but is, rather, a subjective belief on the part of the reader."

I also loved this excerpt: "As soon as you introduce destiny, you're in a fantasy, even if you dress it up as The Matrix or Star Wars." 

What do you guys think about these statements? True?

Paul 

Message Edited by paulgoatallen on 02-06-2009 07:38 PM

[Nelsmom]

I just finished the book and liked it very much.  Not my usual type but an excellent book.  I got the feeling that he had two stories going on Del's and The Hellion's.  Because of the shift in outlook.  Daryl did it very smoothly without breaking the thread of the story.  I don't want to say much more and spoil it for others that might read it.  Pandemonium rocks.

Toni

[paulgoatallen]

Here's a weird question for Daryl – if you had to pick a demonic archetype to be possessed by, which one would it be? The Captain? The Truth? Hellion? The Kamikaze?

Paul 

[Daryl-Gregory]

Paul, what an impossible question! It's like trying to choose what terminal disease I'd prefer to die from. Some are not immediately fatal, like the Painter or the Piper or the Shug, but others will kill you pretty quickly. Being possessed by the Truth or the Captain can make for a very short day. And the Kamikaze? No explanations necessary.

So let me think a little harder. 

--d

[Raven_Lunatic]

I have a question for Daryl- where did the Truth, Smokestack Johnny, and the others get their costumes from? I mean, did they materialize from thin air, or did the posessed people happen to have trenchcoats and spandex at home in their closets?

Message Edited by Raven_Lunatic on 02-08-2009 10:44 AM

[paulgoatallen]

Raven:

Great question – I loved Smokestack Johnny, by the way. Every sequence he was in was fantastic!

Paul 

[Raven_Lunatic]

Also, where did the Kamikaze get his vintage airplane from?