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Pixel Juice (1998)

by Jeff Noon(Favorite Author)

3.93 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

self published - Smashwords

review 1: This is one of my all time ever favourite books. I must have bought it at least four times, because I have this terrible tendency to give it away to amazing people that I think will appreciate it. In fact, right now there are two copies on my bookshelf sitting next to each other because I couldn't resist buying it in the library (for twenty pence!) just in preparation for when I meet someone else who really should read this. In fact, thinking about it, I think I know who my second copy should go to.Anyway: the book itself is incredible. It's a hyper-modern, hyper-real, hyper-active whirlwind of drugs, music and glimpses into our strangely discordant future. Set in Manchester (of course!), Noon's stories, poems and intricate word-play are all incredibly inventive and innova... moretive. He crams more ideas into some of his stories than you find in other writers entire novels. These modern day fairytales are often bleak but are always enthralling.I would recommended someone new to Jeff Noon to start with these short stories. I do enjoy his books too, but for me these short stories are his pinnacle.
review 2: While I am not normally a fan of short stories, I absolutely loved the tales presented in Pixel Juice. [return][return]Pixel Juice takes place in Jeff Noon's Manchester universe and contains stories touching upon the characters/plot from his other works therein. While each story is self-contained, there is an underlying coherence to Pixel Juice that ties together aspect of Noon's other works (i.e. 'Vurt', 'Pollen', 'Automated Alice', 'Nymphomation' and 'Needle in the Groove').[return][return]What I like about these short stories is that they take a single, interesting idea and explore a consequence of that idea. Noon doesn't fall into the trap of trying to write a very short novel and pass it off as a short story. The emphasis isn't on plot or characters, it's on ideas that have impact in Noon's universe and have consequently helped form the background mythology of his Manchester/Vurt setting. As a result, the stories are typically short with a very directed focus, giving them more 'staying power' with me as a reader (as opposed to other short stories). [return][return]Another interesting aspect to these stories is that Noon bounces in perspective and between first and third person views. His prose ranges from pretentious academic, to drugged-out stream of consciousness; and it's all very convincing. Noon is a true wordsmith and Pixel Juice conveys that beautifully.[return][return]If you are a fan of Noon's other works, then reading Pixel Juice is a must. While Pixel Juice can be read without reading any other book taking place in the Vurt universe, much of the subtle relevance of the stories will be lost. Overall, it's a wonderful collection full of interesting ideas and tie-ins to the Vurt universe. less

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