The Infernal Republic by Marshall Moore

[reviews_and_ramblings]

While I first knew Marshall Moore for his An Ideal for Living, publisher with an LGBT press, this collection of short stories is not specifically LGBT, even if many of the characters are lesbian, bisexual or gay. The “extraordinariness” of these characters is not given by their sexuality, but lies on how much twisted they are. By the way, reading the blurb, I was expecting for this to be a collection of supernatural stories, but it’s actually a mix, and some of them are about the extraordinaire ordinariness of modern time. It’s difficult to explain, but it’s not something from outside that makes these men and women special, it’s all in them, in their mind, in their attitude: they stand apart, estranged from the contest where they are living.

And the contest is another important point: being it Portland, or Hong Kong, or San Francisco, the setting is at the same time outside frame and part of the story; Urban Reef would be not the same if not in Portland, and of course Marble Forest, Karstic Heart can be like that only in chaotic Hong Kong. In most of the stories, the cities blend with the characters, reflecting their own peculiarity, in some other stories, the setting is in stark contrast with the people (Urban Reef), making it the starting point of the narration.

The Infernal Republic is a far detour from my usual genre, similar experience I had with An Ideal for Living, but in both cases, I’m glad I gave a chance to this author, because for sure the esthetical beauty of his writings drew me all the same. I strongly suggest you to read him in the original English, but if you are not able to, and want to experience a little bit of what The Infernal Republic is, three of the stories are translated into Italian, ("Toast, Belladonna, and the Heat Death of the Universe", "Putting the Damage On", "The Infinite Monkey Theorem") and are available as “Il look del diavolo” from Signal 8 Press.

Amazon: The Infernal Republic
Amazon Kindle: The Infernal Republic
Paperback: 228 pages
Publisher: Signal 8 Press (February 14, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 9881516404
ISBN-13: 978-9881516404

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle