Review of Ash City Stomp by Richard Butner

Science Fiction Audiobooks - Ash City Stomp by Richard ButnerAsh City Stomp
By Richard Butner; Read by Richard Butner
1 MP3 File – 32 Minutes 17 Seconds [UNABRIDGED]
Publisher: Small Beer Press
Published: 2004
Themes: / Fantasy / The Devil / Drugs /

“The Devil was rail thin, wearing a too-large red union suit that had long since faded to pink. It draped over his caved-in chest in front and bagged down almost to his knees in the seat. A tattered red bath towel was tied around his neck, serving as a cape. He wore muddy red suede shoes that looked like they’d been part of a Christmas elf costume.”

The Small Beer Press website has posted an author- read downloadable MP3 of Richard Butner’s short story Ash City Stomp, taken from the anthology entitled Trampoline. You’ve likely read stories like this before. I’m not sure if it has a name (maybe slacker-zen would be a good one), but it is some kind of amalgam of the gen-x aesthetic with the fantastic element. Something like Neil Gaiman’s American Gods as written by Douglas Coupland. It’s not designed to leave you fully satisfied. Instead, its purpose is to show you the post-modern human dilemma for the educated class and their relationship to traditional fantasy elements. Butner’s stripped-down dialogue is rhythmically punctuated with curly-cues of ornate hyper-description. As a reader Butner doesn’t have much luck playing the female voice, but his crazy devil voice is loads of fun. The recording itself is clean, and includes an introductory hard rocking electric guitar riff. The free downloadable MP3 be found HERE.

Posted by Jesse Willis

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