Strange Birds

Limited Edition of 1000. Paintings and sculpture by Lisa Snellings-Clark.

From the back cover: "Gene Wolfe presents two tales inspired by the engaging sculptures and paintings of Lisa Snellings-Clark. A collaboration characterized by the detail and mystery inherent in each of the artists' work, *Strange Birds* is a delight of imaginary beings and too-real people."

Includes the two stories, "On A Vacant Face A Bruise" and "Sob In The Silence."
Genres
Fantasy
Science Fiction
Horror
Short Stories
40 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2006

REVIEW from GoodReads:
This limited edition chapbook contains two excellent Gene Wolfe short stories, each inspired by artwork by Lisa Snellings-Clark. The first story is "On a Vacant Face a Bruise," a prequel of sorts to one of my favorite Gene Wolfe stories, "The Toy Theater." The story tells the tale of a boy who runs away and joins an interplanetary circus. It's a coming of age story that's told beautifully. What really got my heart pumping though was the fascinating backstory of the characters from "The Toy Theater" and learning more about their relationship. The second story is "Sob in the Silence," about a horror writer who plans to abduct a young woman and enslave her. Plans go awry as they often do, and the writer learns the real meaning of horror. This story is one of the creepiest stories I've ever read. I found it reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe at his best. Great stuff.