Its first page is numbered 183, and it descends from there, 182, 181, 180, on and on, a timer that makes this novel feel like an unusually rigid experience, temporally. And when we realize that with each page turned inside this book the. Both htmlgiant and the rumpus gave the book and its author, shane jones. I like that crystal eaters was released via a small indie press like two dollar radio and not penguin books. Shane jones writing does not fit into any of those easy though perhaps mistaken genres by which we categorize books and sort them on our shelves. Crystal eaters is full of sentences that jump at you like a popup book, painting a world that is at some times painfully real, and at others an exercise in vivid hallucinations. The first half of 2019 brings new books from millions contributing editor chigozie obioma, and luminaries. Shane jones is the author of the novels light boxes which has been translated in eight languages and was named an npr best book of the year 2010 crystal eaters, daniel fights a hurricane, and the failure six, as well as the short story collection i will unfold you with my hairy hands and the poetry collections a cake appeared and paper champion. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. Crystal eaters by shane jones two dollar radio, 2014. As the city encroaches, one village girl watches her mothers crystal count disintegrate as her activist brother attempts to break out of jail. Crystal eaters, the latest novel by shane jones, is not about people. Crystal eaters, joness third, and latest, novel, combines the manichean appeal of light boxes with the psychological insight of daniel while introducing new themes both playful and sinister that showcase his increasing breadth as a writer.
The chapter numbers start at 40 and irregularly drop to zero by the books end. His first novel, light boxes, was originally published by publishing genius press in a print run of 500 copies in 2009. Shane jones is a writer living in upstate new york. Reviews one of the best books of 2014 flavorwire, entropy magazine, esoterrorist crystal eaters is a dense, highenergy read, despite being fairly short.
With each release, jones crafts maps to new worlds. In the world of crystal eaters, it is believed each person is born with 100 crystals inside of. Crystal eaters, published under the indie darlings at two dollar radio, is built around a world where crystal counts determine longevity and magical intricacies define its rampant mining town. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading crystal eaters. As a bookshop affiliate and an amazon associate, the rumpus earns a percentage from qualifying purchases.
The first, most obvious observation to make about shane jones crystal eaters is that it begins with a countdown. Clocking in at more than 120 books, it is quite simply, too long. The following year was a brutal time of stagnationemails to my agent on where to submit next that went. It follows the surrealist tale of a small towns war. Like light boxes, shane joness newest novel, crystal eaters two dollar radio, june 2014, features a victimized town, but this time the forces of evil are heat and urban sprawl. Its first page is numbered 183, and it descends from there, 182, 181, 180, on and on, a timer that makes this novel. It was a knockout, with writing both aggressive and poetic, grounded yet surreal. Author shane jones opens up about death and his dark new novel in crystal eaters, jones creates an outlandish world that reflects his own realizations about parenthoodand where, yes. The book is fantastical in nature, but in practice it forgets the shane jones spins exuberant tales that define human emotions in ways im incredibly fond of. Crystal eaters is easily his most ambitious work to date. Vice says jones demonstrates a tightropelike eye for finagling between pynchonesque quasisciencefictional feels and the books physics, allowing almost anything to happen at any time, wrapped in a wallacelike grip of childlike awe. Jones recently spoke about the challenge of plot and character development.
Jul 01, 2014 shane jones writing does not fit into any of those easy though perhaps mistaken genres by which we categorize books and sort them on our shelves. Episode 301 shane jones from otherppl with brad listi on podchaser, aired wednesday, 6th august 2014. Crystal eaters is a dense, highenergy read, despite being fairly short. Shop amongst our popular books, including 7, light boxes, crystal eaters and more from shane jones. Jones s most recent novel, crystal eaters, was released on june 9, 2014. His next novel, crystal eaters, will be published by two dollar radio in june of 2014. Shane jones remy is a young girl living in a town that believes in crystal count you are born with one hundred crystals inside.
If i were still the editor and he were still the publisher, beloved site founder c. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Crystal eaters by shane jones overdrive rakuten overdrive. And, as in light boxes, the problem boils down to mortality, and how we rail against a totally inevitable demise, our varied coping strategies, the forms our.
Vice says jones demonstrates a tightropelike eye for finagling between pynchonesque quasis. Our math formulas are supposed to be amusing anecdotes, similar to shelftalkers in bookstores that say if you like x, you might enjoy y, or this book is like cormac mccarthy writing an episode of saved by the bell with a soundtrack by philip glass. Crystal eaters, shane joness beautiful new novel, marks his return to the indie presses, this time with the excellent ohiobased two dollar radio. Jul 02, 2014 shane jones s latest novel, crystal eaters, is one of those novels that defy easy description. While shane jones doesnt name the settings featured in his novels, when i read his work, i picture upstate new york, not far from albany. On february 4, 2014, buzzfeed books listed crystal eaters as one of the most highly anticipated books of the year. It is listed as an allegory, fable, touching family saga, and poetic scifi adventure which sounded very interesting so i picked it up.
Author shane jones opens up about death and his dark new novel. On violence and the super bowl january 31, 2014 by shane jones leave a comment. Joness most recent novel, crystal eaters, was released on june 9, 2014. Remy is a young girl who lives in a town that believes in crystal count. The books primary setting is a village where the residents believe that everyone is born with. Oct 22, 2019 joness phenomenal third novel, crystal eaters, published under the indie darlings at two dollar radio, is built around a world where crystal counts determine longevity and magical intricacies define its rampant mining town. Jones demonstrates a tightropelike eye for finagling between pynchonesque quasisciencefictional feels and the books physics, allowing almost anything to happen at any time, wrapped in a wallacelike grip of childlike awe. An artistcumbureaucrat gets his wife back or a version of her in jones crystal eaters, 2014, etc. The narrator of joness uneven novel after crystal eaters, an everyman named vincent, is pushing 40 and nine years into a mindnumbing state job that will yield an exceptional retirement package as long as he stays for 30 years. The sky is laced with turquoise worms, and where the sun normally is theres two red lips, a.
Crystal eaters differs processwise very differently because before i really prided myself on fastdrafts and time restricted editing. Shane jones, author of the novels light boxes, the failure six, and daniel fights a hurricane, as well as several story collections, chapbooks, and poetry volumes plot in a box. His latest novel, crystal eaters, is now available from two dollar radio. Publishing genius published his first novel, light boxes, in 2009. It feels good to believe in one hundred, remy tells us in the storys first line. While the most preposterous essay about books of this year published less than a month. Remy is a young girl who lives in a town that believes in crystal co. This crystal mining country is jones s own yoknapatawpha county, a town with its own peculiar inhabitants and notions and.
Shane jones has a long history of working with indie presses. Jones is pushing genres here, not unlike george saunders or karen russell, but using a harsher lens. Shane jones is a wellknown name due to the success and controversy of his debut novel, light boxes, released in 2010 by penguin books. The book focuses on a family a mother, a father, a son, and a daughter that in some. It is a novel of growing up, but no, thats not really it, as the focus is not on increases but decreases, as the chapter and page numbers illustrate. Jones is pushing genres here, not unlike george saunders or karen russell. But this overabundance means blessings for all of us as. The sky is laced with turquoise worms, and where the sun normally is theres two red lips, a parting mouth with clouds for teeth.
The world is segregated into the city that seems to grow on its own, faster each day, and the villagers who measure their lives by crystals. Get the free otherppl app support the show at patreonor via paypal. Am magazine published the second most preposterous essay about books of this year. Shane jones is currently considered a single author. This crystal mining country is joness own yoknapatawpha county, a town with its own peculiar inhabitants and notions and. The following is an exclusive chapter excerpted from crystal eaters, edited for thought catalog. Crystal eaters is full of the expectation of death. Two dollar radio released his third novel, crystal eaters, and now tyrant books has published his fourth. Crystal eaters is splattered with technicolor crystal vomit and eye goo, with bodies leaking red, yellow, and blue. Joness writing is simultaneously lyrical and blunt. Htmlgiant blog archive crystal eaters by shane jones.
He is the author of light boxes, daniel fights a hurricane, crystal eaters, and vincent and alice and alice. Hes recently divorced from his wife, alice, an idealistic nonprofit worker who could no longer stand the banalities of their life. An allegory, fable, touching family saga, and poetic scifi adventure, shane jones underlines his reputation as an inspired and unique visionary. Jun 09, 2014 shane jones, author of the novels light boxes, the failure six, and daniel fights a hurricane, as well as several story collections, chapbooks, and poetry volumes. Just thinking about it makes me sick to my stomach and a certain drained feeling, which i think is good. We drove to albany to talk to novelist shane jones about. May 25, 2010 discover book depositorys huge selection of shane jones books online. Crystal eaters really, is shane jones giant middle finger to the publishing industry and i love it. Shane jones is the author of four novels, one novella, one collection of poetry and fables, one poetryillustration hybrid, and numerous chapbooks. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. From the second characters in shane joness crystal eaters are born, theyre losing crystals. As these books were being scrapped and before vaaaa was eventually picked up.
After publishing two novels with penguin i was told by my editor that if sales didnt increase it would be difficult to proceed with a third book. A small mining village is threatened by the constant expansion of a city on the horizon. Shane jones, the author of crystal eaters, published in june by two dollar radio. Crystal eaters is the rarest of kinds of objects, one that replenishes its readers crystal counts by simply being read. Shane joness latest novel, crystal eaters, is one of those novels that defy easy description.
It is a summer of thunderstorms and xenophobic unrest in aville, but vincent, a former painter who works for the state, hardly notices. That is, unless you have a bookshelf specifically for weird, delightful, and sometimes painful, where this book might just fit in next to the orange eats creeps and the soft machine. On the cowardice of literary omphaloskepsis reluctant habits. Jun 30, 2014 crystal eaters, joness third, and latest, novel, combines the manichean appeal of light boxes with the psychological insight of daniel while introducing new themes both playful and sinister that showcase his increasing breadth as a writer. Its his strongest work to date, an impressive evolution of the fabulist style readers first connected with in his acclaimed debut novel, light boxes. Episode 301 shane jones by otherppl with brad listi podchaser. Vincent and alice and alice by shane jones, paperback. The narrator of joness uneven novel after crystal eaters, an everyman named vincent, is pushing 40 and nine years into a mindnumbing state job that will yield an exceptional retirement pa. Everyday low prices on a huge range of new releases and classic fiction. Shane jones born february 22, 1980 is an american novelist, short story writer, essayist, and. Crystal eaters, daniel fights a hurricane, light boxes, shane jones. An allegory, fable, touching family saga and poetic scifi adventure, shane jones underlines his reputation as an inspired and unique visionary.
He first appeared in episode 301 on august 6, 2014. I spent more time working on crystal eaters than all the previous books combined. Crystal eaters by shane jones in most cases, none of these writers endorse this book. Discover book depositorys huge selection of shane jones books online. A few months ago, i began to hear murmurings of a novel called crystal eaters. Jun 18, 2014 author shane jones opens up about death and his dark new novel in crystal eaters, jones creates an outlandish world that reflects his own realizations about parenthoodand where, yes, characters. Episode 301 shane jones by otherppl with brad listi. I read crystal eaters after being told there was a part where everything gets too confusing to keep going.
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