Alexander Zelenyj is one of the finest and most talented authors of literary speculative fiction and strange fiction I have ever come across. I find his stories utterly compelling and highly original. After reading this new collection, I can say that I consider him to be the best writer of modern weird fiction, because his stories are so creative, intelligent, imaginative, unflinching and unsettling that nobody else is a match to him.
Alexander Zelenyj's fiction is not easy to classify in merely one genre, because his stories are vastly different from each other and encompass elements ranging from fantasy and horror to science fiction and literary fiction. What unites his stories is his elegant, intelligent and thought-provoking prose that resonates with the reader on a deep level. His singular ability to convey a tintillating sense of unease and wonder to the reader is stunningly effective. There is a distinct sense of strangeness to his fiction that I find highly compelling, because he avoids easy resolutions and boldly explores the boundaries of weird fiction and even pushes them to new and exciting directions.
One of the best things about the author's stories is that he is capable of creating deep characters that feel alive and realistic. His characters have their own dreams, hopes, problems and lives that make them compelling and humane. Reading about their lives and feelings is fascinating and rewarding.
The author also delves into combining the mundane with the strange in a highly unique, unpredictable and original way that seduces the reader. His ability to combine various elements to create imaginative stories is impressive, because he is not afraid of writing his own kind of stories.
Beware Us Flowers of the Annihilator demonstrates how much Alexander Zelenyj has developed as a writer over the years. He has always been an excellent writer, but now his stories feel even more polished and stylistic than before, and there is a stingingly sharp and unyielding edge to some of them that adds a definite touch of finesse to them. In my opinion, this book is his strongest and most powerful collection to date.
The stories in this collection are deep, intelligent and thought-provoking in the best possible way. Reading them is both rewarding and satisfying, because you never know what you may find in them or what will happen to the protagonists. Anything is possible in these stories. The author delivers such amazing sights, captivating events and terrifying visions that you will be utterly impressed and spellbound by his stories and their contents.
This new collection of stories is a welcome sight to everybody who loves the stranger side of literary speculative fiction and modern weird fiction. You will not be disappointed by this collection and its diversity.
The following stories can be found in this collection:
- Peacekeeper and the War-Mouth
- The Deathwish of Valerie Vulture
- Maleficia Falling
- Houses Within Houses Within Houses Within
- Silver the Starfallen
- Young, But Tomorrow
- Little Boys
- Peace Machines
- Oppenheimer's Door
- The Threat from Earth
- The Electric Voice of Summer
- Bright Sons of the Morning
- Spiders in the Temple
- Love-Goggles 1966
- Laundromatricide and the Wrath
- Gods Great and Gods Small
- Wild Animals at Play
- People-Eater & The Wolf Inside
- Sister-Biter
- Rat-Eaters in Lucifer’s Land
- A Savage Path
- Cry For Mother
- We Are Alone
- The Punished World
- Roads of Peace
These stories form a collection that is unlike anything I have ever read. It is similar to the author's previous collections, but also different from them. If you are familiar with the author's previous collections, you will love these diverse stories, because they will astound you and leave you wanting more.
This collection has a feel of distinct darkness to it that I find captivating. Because I have always loved dark and disquieting stories, I was impressed by the dark stories and their atmosphere.
Here is a bit of information about the stories and my thoughts about them:
Peacekeeper and the War-Mouth:
- In this opening story, Peter - a descendant of Czech immigrants - is being constantly bullied at school by Darren. Peter has noticed that a deformity has appeared on his body. It has kept on growing and has developed into a mouth.
- I find this story excellent, because the author writes well about how it feels to be bullied and what happens when the bullied person defends himself.
- The brutal ending of this story feels fully satisfying, because it is a combination of self preservation, vengeance and victory with a strong dash of hope for a better tomorrow.
The Deathwish of Valerie Vulture:
- In this story, Thomas is a cartoonist who has taken over the Valerie Vulture comic strip after its creator has died. Valerie Vulture is a popular comic strip and it has made Thomas rich and famous. Thomas is surprised to find out that he meets Valerie in person and she desperately needs his help to kill her.
- I was impressed by how realistic Valerie felt to me when I read the story. Her desperation feels convincing.
- This story is a wonderful example of the author's imagination, because it is wholly different from the other stories, but just as amazing and captivating as them.
Maleficia Falling:
- A story about Emperor Hadrian and his quaestor Casteleo, who appraise sculptures that are different incarnations of God.
- I enjoyed this story a lot and was fascinated by it, because the protagonists wonder about the meaning of the sculptures, because they are blasphemous and they seem to contain some kind of a secret.
- I think that readers will find this story especially intriguing, because it is boldly different from the other stories.
Houses Within Houses Within Houses Within:
- In this story, Peter and Audrey have an ancient alien presense in their house. The being is intrigued about the house Peter has built and gives him an ultimatum.
- The author writes excellently about how Peter and Audrey interact with the being and how they deal with what being wants them to do.
- I was deeply captivated by this story, because it is something different. I don't recall reading anything quite like this before.
- This story is an astonishing combination of weird fiction and science fiction with a strong dash of apocalyptic elements.
Silver the Starfallen:
- An excellent story about a Dane chieftain Heimdall and his warriors who have been separated from the main body of the army after a defeat during a battle. They have a small child-like warrior, Silver, among them who is different from the rest of them.
- This historical fantasy story is delightfully different and thought-provoking. It is fascinating in its depiction of skirmish between the Saxons and the Heathen, and it does not shy away from visceral descriptions about what men have done to the wyrmkind. It can be seen as a tale of honour and vengeance, but it also has elements of longing.
- The conversation between Silver and the Ultek, the great wyrm, is well fantastic as it portrays how the wyrm feels about what has been done to his tribe by unhonorable men.
- There is something in this story that vaguely reminds me of classic fantasy pulp fiction, especially Robert E. Howard.
Young, But Tomorrow:
- A story about Chuck who is a loner and lives in poverty. Chuck can see a floating skull outside his apartment window.
- This is a fascinating exploration of social isolation, loneliness and poverty with a distinct touch of strangeness.
- I honestly think that this story is one of the best examples of modern weirdness that I have read recently, because it is boldly original and compellingly strange.
Little Boys:
- Colonel Paul Tibbets is about to leave on a plane to Japan towards Hiroshima and admires the vast Pacific Ocean ahead of him. There is a strange flower in the cockpit which unsettles him. Soon, something weird happens and the members of the crew find themselves in a very strange predicament.
- This is one of the most memorable WWII tales about Enola Gay and Little Boy that I have ever read, because it differs vastly from other stories by incorporating elements of weirdness to the story arc and making the whole scenario intriguingly strange.
- In this story, the author offers the reader such amazing and stunning vistas that you will be impressed by his writing skills.
- I liked the ending very much, because it fits the story perfectly.
- This is one of the best stories in this collection.
Peace Machines:
- In this science fiction tale, Bin is a feeder - a Ridder - who works at the ridding pits where enemies are being fed to. He is a servant of the Ganshars and he does his brutal work for the greater good.
- I am honestly amazed at the author's writing skills, because he writes excellent science fiction with visceral and thought-provoking elements.
- One of the best things about this story is that the author describes how Bin and his partner, Lolisr, survive in their world and how they are looking forward to retiring, because amidst all brutality there is life and hope.
- This hard-hitting science fiction tale will stick to your mind with its savage imagery and brilliant ending.
Oppenheimer's Door:
- A short story about Leo Green, who is a sole survivor of an apocalyptic event that has rendered the landscape vastly different and devoid of people.
- I consider this story to be a wonderful slice of dark science fiction, because it has a mesmerisingly strange allure to it.
- This is a memorable vision about the end of the world, and the ending is perfectly disquieting.
The Threat from Earth:
- Brent and Patrick are talking about things and hiding in their foxhole while shooting birds.
- This story has a nostalgic feel to it, because the boys are spending the summer together and create their own private space where they hide without being seen.
- An excellent and captivating story.
The Electric Voice of Summer:
- In this story, a bunch of children arrive at Camp Chipmunk for the summer. One of them is Jane who has to share the bunk bed with another girl, Lila. The cicadas make a lot of noise with their loud singing in the camp area.
- This is an excellent portrayal of friendship between two girls who are spending the summer at camp. Both girls have their own problems and the author writes about what their lives are like in a touching way that lends the story a sorrowful edge.
- This story has an interesting element of haunting to it, but in fear of revealing too much about the story, I'll only mention that it is handled well.
- Just like the previous story, this story also has a nostalgic and atmospheric feel to it that I find captivating.
Bright Sons of the Morning:
- This is a story about Mackey and Cerberus, a military police investigator and his dog, who are searching for an ancient evil in the Iraqi desert and discover that what they are searching for is something far worse that they could have possibly imagined.
- I find this story excellent, because the author masterfully evokes a sense of great evil awaiting the man as the events unfold and things are revealed about the man's life and his past.
- I like the way the author writes about the man's bond with the dog, because it feels realistic.
- This is an effective and well written story that will stick to your mind with its weirdness and unsettling ending.
- There is something about this story that is vaguely reminiscent of Laird Barron and Clive Barker.
- One of the longest and also one of the best stories in this collection.
Spiders in the Temple:
- In this story, and old man called Patrick is making his way towards a bench in the park that he considers to be his own bench. When he arrives there, the bench is occupied by the kind of a person that he hates. Suddenly, something happens and he sees something deeply unsettling.
- The author's observations about the human condition are spot-on in this story. His descriptions about the protagonist and his feelings are fascinating.
Love-Goggles 1966:
- This story tells of Stanley who is Christmas shopping. After being surprised by a salesman, he buys glasses that are very different from ordinary glasses, because they alter their wearer's vision in a unique way.
- I find this story fascinating, because it is something different and entertaining, but offers food for thoughts.
- The childhood memories of the protagonist add compelling nostalgia to the story.
Laundromatricide and the Wrath:
- This is a brilliantly disturbing and memorable story about the Great Cleanser and his followers who sacrifice women for the greater good. Their purpose is to cease life.
- I think that many readers will find this story and its imagery memorable.
- This story is a marvellous example of original and thought-provoking modern strange fiction that has an unyielding edge to it.
- There is something about this story vaguely reminds me of films directed by David Cronenberg.
Gods Great and Gods Small:
- The events in this story take place in ancient Rome.
- In this story, a shaken farm boy who has witnessed mindless death and destruction meets another traveler, a decapitated Saint.
- I find the depiction of Nero's Rome intriguingly brutal and unnerving, because the author writes unflinchingly about the persecution of Christians by Roman soldiers.
Wild Animals at Play:
- A story about Mark Shadley who observes a group of children. The children are gathered around a girl and are mercilessly and violently beating her, not caring about her health.
- This is a tale about feral-like boys who treat others in an animalistic way. Their behaviour is clearly disturbing and they only care about themselves.
- A hard-hitting story with elements of violence, survival and the law of the wild.
- This story will surely stick to your mind, because it is brutal and unyielding in every regard.
People-Eater & The Wolf Inside:
- In this story, a man and a woman are gathered around a campfire in the woods. They call themselves People-Eater and The Wolf Inside.
- The relationship between the protagonists is described remarkarbly well, because both of them are old souls and different from other people. They have found each other the old-fashioned way.
- Without giving away any further details about the story, I can mention that this story is simply excellent, because what is revealed about the protatonists is surprising and unsettling. The author excels at writing about what happens between the protagonists.
- Despite the story being unsettling and strange, there is a captivating feel to the twisted relationship between the man and the woman. This is quite an achievement, because not many authors can write something like this.
- I think that many readers will find themselves thinking about the contents of this story, because it offers its readers an exceptional glimpse into a different kind of a relationship.
Sister-Biter:
- In this story, Julie has a brother, Stanley, who bites her. Stanley's behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing as he and his sister grow older. Stanley firmly believes that his sister is evil.
- I was wholly captivated by this story, because it tells about a sister and a brother whose relationship is not normal.
- As the Brother-Sister War escalates into a terrifying confrontation and certain things revealed, the reader is rewarded with a memorable story arc that has a perfect and satisfying ending.
- This story is one of my personal favourites, because it has a subtle feel of cosmic strangeness to it. It's one of the most intriguing modern weird fiction stories I've ever had the pleasure of reading.
Rat-Eaters in Lucifer's Land:
- This story begins with Captain Patrick Denning dreams about a field strewn with dead and hears a crunching and chewing sound that comes from something eating the dead. Then the focus shifts to the war and the desperate situation of the soldiers who are the last remnants of the company known as the Death Angels.
- The author creates a stunningly effective and feverish vision of World War II in this story as he tells of how the men survive in the trenches and how bleak their survival may be, because their enemy is approaching them.
- I was impressed by this story, because the author's unyielding way of writing about the savage and unexpected horrors or war is approriately terrifying and memorable. I have read a few weird fiction stories that take place during World War II, but none of them has left such an everlasting impression on me as this story.
- This story has a harsh bleakness to it which I find thrilling.
A Savage Path:
- In this story, Abigail is reading a manuscript, which is to be her final book.
- The author writes excellently about Abigail and what she decides to do after she has finished the manuscript.
- This brief story feels thrillingly brutal and has a fitting ending.
Cry For Mother:
- In this story, Audrey wakes up in the middle of the night. When she sees the note from her daughter on the freezer door and an old pain grows inside her again...
- This brilliant story is told from the perspectives of the mother and the daughter (and his brother) in an impressive way.
We Are Alone:
- A story about Bradley who watches a video about his father announcing that he has done something and explains what has happened...
- I find this story compelling due to Bradley's father experimenting with a new technology that has not yet been tested and the results are surprising.
- An excellent science fiction story with fascinating undertones of environmental pollution and humankind's place in the universe.
The Punished World:
- A well written, impressive and thought-provoking poem.
- In this short poem, the author packs a lot of elements into a few stanzas.
Roads of Peace:
- In this short story, the world is desolate and devoid of life, but new life awaits its turn to spring forth.
- A rewarding and beautifully written final story.
The cover image design by David Rix looks beautiful. The use of the paintings by Carl Lavoie ("Night" and "Dusk") adds a distinct touch of style to the cover art, because the paintings are darkly beautiful and atmospheric. I like the artist's way of using colours.
Alexander Zelenyj's Beware Us Flowers of the Annihilator is a masterpiece of modern literary weird fiction. It is a memorable reading experience that rewards the reader with satistyingly strange and compellingly unsettling stories that sparkle with imagination, wonder and striking prose.
Very highly recommended!
