I find some of the editing in Eraserhead books to be a mess. Just appalling. But as I have learned more about the publisher and its imprints (and having sent several annoying e-mails to Carlton Mellick), I have come to understand that Eraserhead is sort of a new pulp, a small publisher taking chances on fringe literature on a shoestring. So while I will beat this drum to the end about how I want the editing to improve, I will also keep reading because I think the books are that important. But I seriously would edit any of them should anyone at an Eraserhead imprint ask to do so. :)

Sadly, Adolph passed away about two weeks after I posted this review. But there are nine others left here in Casa de los Gatos who are only too happy to take that ear scratching. Thanks so much for reading and seriously, if you read more bizarro, let me know that you think. I sincerely think this new genre is the best thing going on in non-traditional writing and I am so happy to see the genre grow and hope that as it grows, it just keeps improving.

I hadn’t read any bona fide bizarro fiction before (unless you count Lautréamont’s MALDOROR, presumably a 19th century predecessor of the genre), but Casteels’ haunting cover art plus the intriguing descriptions of Mellick’s book on Amazon led me to purchase SOTPC. This is one case where “judging a book by its cover” turned out to be a good idea! Immediately after finishing it — which took only two brief sittings for this slow reader — I checked out your review and realized that you’d expressed exactly what I was thinking when I read Mellick’s haunting prose poem of a story. Unique, melancholy, memorable…. a perfect blend of beauty and horror, as you so aptly described it.

Like you, I too was put off by the numerous typos, misspellings, and truly heinous proofreading fails (e.g., “thirteen years” for “thirty years”)…. Mellick’s hypnotically original work certainly didn’t deserve this shabby treatment from the publisher! When you wrote that you’d gladly have proofread this book gratis, I smiled because that’s exactly what I was thinking.

Anyway, give Adolph the Tripod a scratch behind the ears for me and keep writing those great reviews; I too read “odd books”, usually of somewhat different genres, but not exactly mainstream either. Please stay in touch via LibraryThing — I look forward to reading your future blog entries.

~ Jill ~

It’s shocking to me how many tripods are out there due to vaccine-related cancers. Thank god vets don’t give them on the back of the neck anymore. A cancer there like the one Adolph had on his leg is a death sentence. Much love to your tripod and may he have many more years of stomping!

A bit off topic but… it’s amazing how cats adapt. I also have a 3-legged badass kitty who lost his leg to vaccination-site sarcoma. That was 5 yrs ago and he is still going strong.