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.
I want to give this 5 stars, but I really can't. I devoured this while waiting for "Vurt" to come in the mail and loved (almost) every minute of it, except for a few scattered duds (Junior Pimp, most of Part 4). When I finished the last page, I flipped back to find which of the stories I thought were the real gems to share them with friends, only to find that on second thought none of them really jumped out at me. Solace and Cloudwalkers, maybe, but even those didn't capture the general excitement I felt reading it. The trippy robot DJ sequences were really fun to read once I got into them, but I didn't want to revisit them. Then I realized that that's just it -- reading this book is a wonderful whirlwind of crazy dreams and awesomely nonsensical images, but once you've read it, the candy is gone and only the wrapper is left. Or at least, that's how it feels to me.
What do You think about Pixel Juice (2012)?
Odd, enjoyable collection of fifty short, somewhat related, tales of worlds where feathers are drugs, robots are sexy, and Disc Jockeys spin ancient records with hands made of butterflies. The fiction is drowning in surrealism, which is usually a good thing. The array of styles on display here can best be described as indescribable. The best pieces are the ones that manage to weave in at least a smidgen of human feelings into the ebb and flow of the usual strangeness. This is the first book of Noon's that I have read. I liked it enough to move onto Vurt - which I have heard very good things about.
—Bill Chance
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 innovative. 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.
—Amy
