Modern novels involving physical freakery

[Wookey]

Paul Magrs (pronounced 'Mars') wrote Marked For Life - a vomitous novel which explores gender switching, human fluids, an invisible man who has been tattooed from head to foot so people can see him. Magical, surreal, funny, and full of freaks. Just what you ordered Madam.

 

[marty21]

Spares - michael marshall smith - sci fi about farms for limbs and organs, rich people are able to buy replacement limbs, organs etc from special human farms - is that freakish enough?

 

[Jorum]

"blood music" by Greg Bear 1983.
A researcher injects himself with tiny biological cell "computers".
They evolve inside his body, become self aware and eventually convert him and pretty much most of north america into a single biological mass nano-scale civilisation.

 

[Poot]

John Irving: Prayer for Owen Meany.

Much more wholesome than Katherine Dunn, of course.

Pretty much any John Irving novel has at least some physical freakery about it. It's easy to read as well.

 

[bluestreak]

Angela Carter - "Nights at the Circus" - one of the main character has wings and another character was born without a mouth

Ooh yeah, good call, and a great book.

Many of Douglas Copeland's novels rely on humans with unlikely conditions - Girlfriend In A Coma; Miss Wyoming; Hey Nostradamus for a start.

Alisdair Grey - Lanark.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Alisdair Grey - Lanark.

Good call. And something very similar to dragonhide happens in Rod Liddle's interlinked short story collection Too Beautiful for You.

 

[Orang Utan]

The Giant O'Brien - Hilary Mantel - a fictional account of the giant who was pestered by the anatomist John Hunter for his skeleton on death, so Hunter could add to his gruesome collection - he desperately wanted to have a normal burial after being a professional freak all his life and had it stipulated in his will that he be buried at see in a lead lined coffin, so his body wouldn't be stolen. Hunter bribed the undertakers however and his bones still hang in the Royal College Of Surgeons - I saw them last year.

 

[May Kasahara]

That sounds interesting. I quite like a bit of Mantel, good and bleak

 

[Orang Utan]

That sounds interesting. I quite like a bit of Mantel, good and bleak

It's dead short n all

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

lots of stuff by William Burroughs. teh Naked Lunch probably having the most freakery

also not modern but absolutely essential is the Island of Doctor Moreau

Yes, the Mugwumps are great, amongst the other interesting characters like the man who teaches his ass to talk.

You might want to look at Freaks: We Who Are Not As Others by Daniel P. Mannix, published by Re:search - it's not fictional but its worth a read

 

[May Kasahara]

Aye, I was having a look at that on Amazon yesterday Paulie - looks good.

*scrapes pennies together*

There's a good collection of essays in my university library called 'Freakery' which got me thinking about the whole thing.

 

[quimcunx]

the something or other girls.... I can't remember the name, it had a richard and judy book club sticker on it and was about conjoined twins. I'll go look. lanford girls maybe. ?

 

[rekil]

Many of Douglas Copeland's novels rely on humans with unlikely conditions - Girlfriend In A Coma; Miss Wyoming; Hey Nostradamus for a start.

The Tetherballs Of Bougainville features a character who mutates into a bonobo chimp and bangs out novels under pseudonyms which are anagrams of hip american novelists (including yer man Coupland).

 

[mrsfran]

Pretty much any John Irving novel has at least some physical freakery about it. It's easy to read as well.

Agreed, especially Son of the Circus. Which, naturally, has circus freaks in it.

 

[mrsfran]

Incidentally, has anyone ever read a book with a major deaf character in it? I never have.

 

[mattie]

The Unusual Life of Tristan Smith - Peter Carey

 

[Fruitloop]

Lots of Peter Carey actually, the short stories would be a good place to start, can't remember exactly which ones.

JG Ballard - the atrocity exhibition has to be the ultimate.

 

[El Jefe]

Incidentally, has anyone ever read a book with a major deaf character in it? I never have.

The Heart Is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers - the 'main' character (kinda) is a deaf mute.

 

[mentalchik]

Spares - michael marshall smith - sci fi about farms for limbs and organs, rich people are able to buy replacement limbs, organs etc from special human farms - is that freakish enough?

Tis a good 'un..................love MMS !

 

[Paulie Tandoori]

Incidentally, has anyone ever read a book with a major deaf character in it? I never have.

Can't think of one of the top of my head, but James Kelman wrote How late it was, how late about a blind dude and that was fantastic imo, funny as fuck, very moving but most of all, very closed in and claustrophobic and it managed to portray Sammy's (the protagonist) life brilliantly. All written in vernacular as well. Recommended.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

the short stories would be a good place to start, can't remember exactly which ones.

.

Yes. The drug that turns people's hands blue, and the Tralfamadorians who offer a "swap". And the fat men.

 

[Maurice Picarda]

Incidentally, has anyone ever read a book with a major deaf character in it? I never have.

In This Sign - Joanne Greenberg. All the central characters are deaf or signing. It's rather good: especially disconcerting that "Hearing" is a catch-all term for the non-deaf, who need no further differentiation.