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Secret Life
Secret Life is the definitive collection by a young writer widely regarded as one of the best fantasists in the world. Jeff VanderMeer has handpicked these 23 stories (three written exclusively for this collection), which reflect a diversity of approaches to key questions about the human condition: mortality, love, obsession and creativity -- all shot through with dark humor and irony. Secret Life represents the author's continuing effort to stretch the narrative boundaries of fiction while still entertaining the reader. Yet all of these stories are related thematically: transformation and what it means to be human -- and the reader too will be transformed, into one of the faithful, a confirmed believer in the short fiction of Jeff VanderMeer.
284 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2004
7 people are currently reading
642 people want to read
About the author
Jeff Vandermeer
243 books16.7k followersNYT bestselling writer Jeff VanderMeer has been called “the weird Thoreau” by the New Yorker for his engagement with ecological issues. His most recent novel, the national bestseller Borne, received wide-spread critical acclaim and his prior novels include the Southern Reach trilogy (Annihilation, Authority, and Acceptance). Annihilation won the Nebula and Shirley Jackson Awards, has been translated into 35 languages, and was made into a film from Paramount Pictures directed by Alex Garland. His nonfiction has appeared in New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Atlantic, Slate, Salon, and the Washington Post. He has coedited several iconic anthologies with his wife, the Hugo Award winning editor. Other titles include Wonderbook, the world’s first fully illustrated creative writing guide. VanderMeer served as the 2016-2017 Trias Writer in Residence at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. He has spoken at the Guggenheim, the Library of Congress, and the Arthur C. Clarke Center for the Human Imagination.
VanderMeer was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, but spent much of his childhood in the Fiji Islands, where his parents worked for the Peace Corps. This experience, and the resulting trip back to the United States through Asia, Africa, and Europe, deeply influenced him.
Jeff is married to Ann VanderMeer, who is currently an acquiring editor at Tor.com and has won the Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award for her editing of magazines and anthologies. They live in Tallahassee, Florida, with two cats and thousands of books.
VanderMeer was born in Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, but spent much of his childhood in the Fiji Islands, where his parents worked for the Peace Corps. This experience, and the resulting trip back to the United States through Asia, Africa, and Europe, deeply influenced him.
Jeff is married to Ann VanderMeer, who is currently an acquiring editor at Tor.com and has won the Hugo Award and World Fantasy Award for her editing of magazines and anthologies. They live in Tallahassee, Florida, with two cats and thousands of books.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 12, 2016
[Note that the paperback version is different than the hardcover. I read the paperback: the Select Fire Remix version.]
This is a weird book. If that sounded like a criticism to you, then this book is not for you. Stop now: there's no need to bother with the rest of this review. It is not especially weirder than VanderMeer's other books, but I was happy that it was not especially more normal either. Do you remember concept albums? You'd listen to the lyrics and study the cover jacket and liner and find links between the songs and the pictures. It was all one big groovy scary deep thing. This felt like a concept book. It’s the kind of book, for instance, where the story "Secret Life" is interspersed in a little bits and pieces between all the other stories. Of course, you don't know that at first. You just see a story called Secret Life which is odd and short and makes little sense and then ends. And then later, there's another bit. On the pages where that sub-story appears, the book title printed at the top of the page reads Select Fire instead of Secret Life. Little details. Little gifts.
What are the stories about? Giant flesh dogs with stolen human faces, detectives with flying manta-ray familiars attached to their necks with umbilical cords, office buildings taken over by insanity and vines, despair, disgust, heartbreak, that kind of thing. And of course, mushrooms - although not as many as I expected. Not a very cheerful read, now that I think back. The book is challenging to read in places. Again, if that sounded like a criticism, you will not like this book. There were several times -- almost constantly, really -- where I had only a tenuous grasp on what was happening and had to just keep absorbing words and hope it would become clear later. Mostly it did. Then there were stories that seemed mundane, almost boring, but even those got weird, so I liked that. Some of the stories were very intense, some were slow, some made me squeamish. It's a range. All of them are immensely imaginative. My experience with reading VanderMeer is one long self-abusing doubt that my own work could ever be a tenth as creative. But love is like that.
On my first read, I found the quality of the stories uneven. Some immediately struck me as excellent, some as good, some seemed weak but got better. One, I didn't care for. I won't say which one; the one you don't like will probably be different. Let's agree to disagree. I wonder, though, if I were to read this book again, whether I'd see more connections than before, and find more beauty and power and pulsing guts in the ones I didn't like as much this time. I suspect so.
Several of these stories are set in the same worlds as other VanderMeer books, and made more sense to me because I'd read those first. As much as I enjoyed (most) of this book, I would not recommend it as an introduction to this author. Read _City of Saints and Madmen_ and _Veniss Underground_ first. If you don't like those, don’t read this one.
This is a weird book. If that sounded like a criticism to you, then this book is not for you. Stop now: there's no need to bother with the rest of this review. It is not especially weirder than VanderMeer's other books, but I was happy that it was not especially more normal either. Do you remember concept albums? You'd listen to the lyrics and study the cover jacket and liner and find links between the songs and the pictures. It was all one big groovy scary deep thing. This felt like a concept book. It’s the kind of book, for instance, where the story "Secret Life" is interspersed in a little bits and pieces between all the other stories. Of course, you don't know that at first. You just see a story called Secret Life which is odd and short and makes little sense and then ends. And then later, there's another bit. On the pages where that sub-story appears, the book title printed at the top of the page reads Select Fire instead of Secret Life. Little details. Little gifts.
What are the stories about? Giant flesh dogs with stolen human faces, detectives with flying manta-ray familiars attached to their necks with umbilical cords, office buildings taken over by insanity and vines, despair, disgust, heartbreak, that kind of thing. And of course, mushrooms - although not as many as I expected. Not a very cheerful read, now that I think back. The book is challenging to read in places. Again, if that sounded like a criticism, you will not like this book. There were several times -- almost constantly, really -- where I had only a tenuous grasp on what was happening and had to just keep absorbing words and hope it would become clear later. Mostly it did. Then there were stories that seemed mundane, almost boring, but even those got weird, so I liked that. Some of the stories were very intense, some were slow, some made me squeamish. It's a range. All of them are immensely imaginative. My experience with reading VanderMeer is one long self-abusing doubt that my own work could ever be a tenth as creative. But love is like that.
On my first read, I found the quality of the stories uneven. Some immediately struck me as excellent, some as good, some seemed weak but got better. One, I didn't care for. I won't say which one; the one you don't like will probably be different. Let's agree to disagree. I wonder, though, if I were to read this book again, whether I'd see more connections than before, and find more beauty and power and pulsing guts in the ones I didn't like as much this time. I suspect so.
Several of these stories are set in the same worlds as other VanderMeer books, and made more sense to me because I'd read those first. As much as I enjoyed (most) of this book, I would not recommend it as an introduction to this author. Read _City of Saints and Madmen_ and _Veniss Underground_ first. If you don't like those, don’t read this one.
November 13, 2010
Many of the stories collected in 'Secret Life' take place within settings already established by Vandermeer elsewhere. For instance, there are a number set in Ambergris (of 'City of Saints and Madmen') and several set in and around the city of Veniss (of 'Veniss Underground'), with a few even set during the far flung future of the twisted city. There stories were, of course, absolutely amazing. The titular story was similarly astounding. It reminded me heavily of Vandermeer's other short story/novella 'The Situation', and that is a very good thing for it to do.
There is another collected set of stories presented in 'Secret Life', outcroppings of which I've not encountered (or perhaps not recognized) in any of Vandermeer's other works. This other collection is set during the Spanish invasion of the Incas and deals loosely with the events and experiences surrounding the last Incan emperor, Tupac Amaru. At first I was disinterested in this set which seemed comparatively mundane by Vandermeer standards, but as I recognized the cycle of stories for what they were by their interrelation, I couldn't help but become engaged by them. Perhaps I had prematurely judged them mundane because they're simply set in a real time and place, but by even the second story Vandermeer's trademark absurdity shone through the facade of the normal and I basked in its hearty glow.
I wouldn't suggest this collection as an introduction to Vandermeer's work. I actually enjoyed starting each story not knowing where (or when) it was set, and gradually collecting clues throughout the narrative as to which of Vandermeer's cycles it belongs, and obviously someone new to his works would be robbed of this experience.
So, contrariwise, I WOULD suggest 'Secret Life' to those who have read and enjoyed at least 'City of Saints and Madmen' and 'Veniss Underground'.
There is another collected set of stories presented in 'Secret Life', outcroppings of which I've not encountered (or perhaps not recognized) in any of Vandermeer's other works. This other collection is set during the Spanish invasion of the Incas and deals loosely with the events and experiences surrounding the last Incan emperor, Tupac Amaru. At first I was disinterested in this set which seemed comparatively mundane by Vandermeer standards, but as I recognized the cycle of stories for what they were by their interrelation, I couldn't help but become engaged by them. Perhaps I had prematurely judged them mundane because they're simply set in a real time and place, but by even the second story Vandermeer's trademark absurdity shone through the facade of the normal and I basked in its hearty glow.
I wouldn't suggest this collection as an introduction to Vandermeer's work. I actually enjoyed starting each story not knowing where (or when) it was set, and gradually collecting clues throughout the narrative as to which of Vandermeer's cycles it belongs, and obviously someone new to his works would be robbed of this experience.
So, contrariwise, I WOULD suggest 'Secret Life' to those who have read and enjoyed at least 'City of Saints and Madmen' and 'Veniss Underground'.
January 29, 2011
I would give this five stars just for the story "Secret Life" alone.
April 8, 2024
I was leaning towards this being a 3 star review, but Balzac’s War and Secret Life in particular were just so good I had to give it 4.
I read the Select Fire Remix paperback version which I know is a bit different from the original hardcover. If I ever find the HC I’ll definitely have to snag it so I can compare the two.
This is likely my least favorite of the 11 VanderMeer books I’ve read but it’s still something completely unique and enjoyable
I read the Select Fire Remix paperback version which I know is a bit different from the original hardcover. If I ever find the HC I’ll definitely have to snag it so I can compare the two.
This is likely my least favorite of the 11 VanderMeer books I’ve read but it’s still something completely unique and enjoyable
October 15, 2018
Another great collection of short stories by the most exciting writer of the moment.
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October 29, 2023I didnt read these book.but i read to Jef many short story some here.i cant breath after every one.its not tragdy its contino life we live it.its more fic thant just sci fic.its life love prison animal sister love adv many and many myth.Mahout talk about eliphant how killed someone and they killed her.mary didnt hurt anybody befor.Flight is for those who have not yet crossed over.that make me cry.and search also is there will be Gaza children free from there pirsoner and death and bomb and blood and just play and dream.aheart to lucrita.quins shanghi cross.thre night in border.its gd to read.
April 13, 2012
First off, I read the "Select Fire Remix" of this short story collection and the "Select Fire Remix" is not a short story collection, it is a terrible novel that drags you through all sorts of scary things and then leaves you cowering in a mess of story notes that do not reassure you in anyway at all. I don't mean terrible in the modern sense, I mean it the way the OED means it:
1. Causing or fit to cause terror; inspiring great fear or dread. Also: awe-inspiring, awesome.
As someone who has never read any other Jeff VanderMeer novel and is actually only reading this one for class AND EVEN THEN had a different edition from the professor and one other student, effectively destroying the professor's lesson plans and the syllabus for the week and also our sanity as well as we tried to figure out how the Vandermeer got from Secret Life to Secret Life The Select Fire Remix, I must say this book made me very nervous. If were a short story collection, it would make sense, but I cannot bring myself to look at this book, in its current format, as a short story collection. It isn't! It all runs together too well. I really do feel like I have been dragged by something, possibly by a flesh dog or a familiar, through several different lives and several different worlds and all the worlds and lives are connected but I don't know how and never will. If this were a short story collection, I could pick and choose and say well, this story is better executed than this or that story falls apart at such and such scene. And then I could say, that's why I feel so disconcerted and nervous right now, because some of the stories did not hold together for me and contained things I didn't like very much. But I can't, because this isn't a short story collection anymore.
If Twin Peaks is a place both wonderful and strange, than Secret Life The Remix is a book both terrible and strange. That's basically all I've got.
As a side note, Jeff VanderMeer makes me very nervous as an author too, but for different reasons. The remix of his short story collection makes it clear to me that he is the sort of author who is dangerous not for his politics but for his content. His ability to create a world and whisk it away in the very next sentences, leaving you wondering what the hell just happened to you, is well-honed and sharp. That's scary. God knows what he might do in meatspace. I am excited but also very nervous about reading his other books.
Also, why the hell is the hardcover edition of this book still in print but not the paperback? Quite aside from ruining my professor's week, it is strange that the older edition is available and the newer one not. I picked this edition up on accident, bought it second-hand on Amazon.
1. Causing or fit to cause terror; inspiring great fear or dread. Also: awe-inspiring, awesome.
As someone who has never read any other Jeff VanderMeer novel and is actually only reading this one for class AND EVEN THEN had a different edition from the professor and one other student, effectively destroying the professor's lesson plans and the syllabus for the week and also our sanity as well as we tried to figure out how the Vandermeer got from Secret Life to Secret Life The Select Fire Remix, I must say this book made me very nervous. If were a short story collection, it would make sense, but I cannot bring myself to look at this book, in its current format, as a short story collection. It isn't! It all runs together too well. I really do feel like I have been dragged by something, possibly by a flesh dog or a familiar, through several different lives and several different worlds and all the worlds and lives are connected but I don't know how and never will. If this were a short story collection, I could pick and choose and say well, this story is better executed than this or that story falls apart at such and such scene. And then I could say, that's why I feel so disconcerted and nervous right now, because some of the stories did not hold together for me and contained things I didn't like very much. But I can't, because this isn't a short story collection anymore.
If Twin Peaks is a place both wonderful and strange, than Secret Life The Remix is a book both terrible and strange. That's basically all I've got.
As a side note, Jeff VanderMeer makes me very nervous as an author too, but for different reasons. The remix of his short story collection makes it clear to me that he is the sort of author who is dangerous not for his politics but for his content. His ability to create a world and whisk it away in the very next sentences, leaving you wondering what the hell just happened to you, is well-honed and sharp. That's scary. God knows what he might do in meatspace. I am excited but also very nervous about reading his other books.
Also, why the hell is the hardcover edition of this book still in print but not the paperback? Quite aside from ruining my professor's week, it is strange that the older edition is available and the newer one not. I picked this edition up on accident, bought it second-hand on Amazon.
June 8, 2009
i dont like this book right now. i am laboring through it. i "finished" it today. really i skipped the last few stories, because it was so bad. it might have been okay if the stories were organized. as it was, the stories were all broken up and randomly placed around the book. so you would read a few pages of one story and then switch to a different story that you had been reading 50 pages ago. it was annoying and really hurt being able to get into any story of the book.
the few that were all together were pretty bad. the story i did like was "the vine" and i read all of those "chapters" and skipped the rest at the end.
the few that were all together were pretty bad. the story i did like was "the vine" and i read all of those "chapters" and skipped the rest at the end.
March 13, 2008
I keep telling myself I'm gonna finish at least one of my current books before I start another one, but a box full of signed books from Jeff Vandermeer showed on my doorstep yesterday. Oh well, I'm just reading short stories and non-fiction right now; its not like I'm stopping in the middle of a novel.
February 14, 2016
I read the remixed version. Soothing, powerful short stories. Some made me cry. The overgrown bureaucracy interludes throughout the collection tied it together and kept me going. Some stories I wasn't the biggest fan of, but everything else was great. I dunno what else to say.
July 13, 2008
Largely a book of juvenilia. Probably more of interest to the super-hard-core fan or someone writing a thesis on the author.
February 21, 2009
Vandermeer's short story "Balzac's War" is a must read. This whole book is full of fascinating, twisted tales, poems, and musings.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews