"The Virtual Menagerie" was my first collection of short fiction and was published by Elastic Press in November 2002.
UPDATE: Now on Kindle for only £1.83.
In 2003 it was short-listed for a British Fantasy Society Award for best collection, alongside works by Steven King, Ursula Le Guin, Clark Ashton Smith, and Ramsey Campbell (who claimed the award).
"The Virtual Menagerie" contained 19 slipstream stories, of which 17 had been previously published.
The back cover blurb stated:
"In this collection of 19 surreal stories Andrew Hook rides the slipstream through a series of fantastic yet familiar scenarios which, despite their peculiarities, are often only one step removed from reality. Weaving life into death and death into life he skates the twilight zone of our imaginations.
"His skewed images are both disturbing and vibrant: a daffodil is inserted into an open wound, a giant beaver rampages through a small town, a boy's coming of age is reflected through schlock horror vignettes, and the planet's Eco-system is downloaded on computer disk."
Here are some sample reviews:
"The best stories here are among the finest that the independent press has to offer." Pete Tennant, The Third Alternative
"A collection that is enigmatic, dark, occasionally amusing, occasionally sad, quite often infuriating, but always classy." Dave Price
"A strong collection." Time Out
The contents were as follows:
The Virtual Menagerie
The In-Between Days
Slender Lois, Slow Doris
The Illusion of Life
Spilt Beaver
One Day, All This Will Be Fields
The Release
Monochrome Tiger
Wreckage
The Honey Badger's Child
Baby
The Girl Who Ran And Ran And Ended Up In A Bed In A Strange Inn
Awkward Scenes With Girls
Cats' Teeth
The Chair
Delight In Living Things
Man Was In The Forest
April Syrup
Pussycat
This book is now out of print.
