Old Firehouse Books suggests some offbeat fiction — and Kafkaesque tales

Each week as part of SunLit — The Sun’s literature section — we feature staff recommendations from book stores across Colorado. This week, the staff from Old Firehouse Books in Fort Collins recommends some laid-back sci-fi, a fashion misadventure and a nod to Kafka.

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From the publisher: After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home. They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe. Becky Chambers’ new series continues to ask: in a world where people have what they want, does having more even matter?

From Simon, bookseller: Autumn approaches! If you’re picturing yourself sipping tea in a bay window while the leaves drift aesthetically downward, this is the book that should be in your hand. Wholesome, cozy, blisspunk sci-fi that ventures to ask, “What if you just calmed down for once?” Technically a sequel to “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” if you want more context, but they can be enjoyed out of order.

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From the publisher: Thrift fashionista Dez Lane doesn’t want to date Patrick Ruskin; she just wants to meet his mother, the editor-in-chief of Nouveau magazine. When he invites her to his family’s big Easter reunion at their ancestral home, she’s certain she can put up with his arrogance and fend off his advances long enough to ask Marie Caulfield-Ruskin for an internship someone with her pedigree could never nab through the regular submission route.

When they arrive at the enormous island mansion, Dez is floored—she’s never witnessed how the 1% lives before in all their ridiculous, unnecessary luxury. But once all the family members are on the island and the ferry has departed, things take a dark turn. For decades, the Ruskins have made their servants sign contracts that are basically indentured servitude, and with nothing to lose, the servants have decided their only route to freedom is to get rid of the Ruskins for good…

From Teresa, bookseller: First time reading Delilah S. Dawson and it definitely won’t be my last! I loved this book so much…it was pitched really well as “The Menu” meets “Ready or Not” (two of my favorite movies) and it did not disappoint. Dez is just looking for a leg up in the fashion world, being a scholarship student with no connections; so when Patrick Ruskin (creep extraordinaire) shows interest in her simply because of her looks, Dez weighs whether it’s worth it to meet his mother, her idol and head of the fashion magazine. She decides it is and gets whisked away to the Ruskin private island, where everything is messed up right from the beginning — and it only gets worse. This book has plenty of trigger warnings, so be kind to yourself.

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From the publisher: What happens when Kafka’s idiosyncratic imagination meets some of the greatest literary minds writing in English across the globe today? Find out in this anthology of brand-new Kafka-inspired short stories by prizewinning, bestselling writers.

Franz Kafka is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most enigmatic geniuses of European literature. He’s been hailed a prophet and a diagnostician, and a century after his death, his unique perspective on the anxieties, injustices, and rapidly shifting belief systems of the modern world continues to speak to our contemporary moment. 

From Dany, bookseller: From some of the most prolific authors of this generation including Tommy Orange, Elif Batuman, Charlie Kaufman, and Yiyun Li comes 10 original stories in the style of Franz Kafka. Now I am not the most read of Kafka with the usual exception of “Metamorphosis” and a few short stories here and there, but this collection of short stories is like an itch in search of a scratch. Each author masterfully captured a particular element of Kafka’s prose that is claustrophobic, horrifying, and hilarious. With a poignant introduction from my homegirl Becca Rothfeld, this collection is the perfect selection for Kafka enthusiasts and the like!

Type of Story: Review

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