D. Harlan Wilson Book order

Exploring Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche's overlooked Native American heritage, D. Harlan Wilson challenges traditional perceptions of the philosopher by presenting him as a person of color and a "gay scientist." Drawing from extensive research, this work reframes Nietzsche's identity, emphasizing his Cherokee roots and early-American lineage while sidelining his struggles with mental health and Christian morality. This provocative examination promises to reshape Nietzsche Studies, offering a bold and transformative perspective on a figure often confined to conventional narratives.

In his study of "The Stars My Destination," D. Harlan Wilson argues for the enduring relevance of Alfred Bester’s work, analyzing its style, influences, and metafictional elements. He portrays Bester as both a product and innovator of the genre, emphasizing psychological depth and literary experimentation. Wilson links Bester's vision to contemporary issues in science fiction.

The collection features D. Harlan Wilson's unique blend of dark humor and surrealism, showcasing his latest dramatic works. In "Jackanape," a murderous dinner jacket disrupts a community of narcissists navigating life's challenges. "The Fingermen" presents a support group for individuals who have lost an index finger, revealing their insecurities amidst absurdity. Wilson's sharp satire explores themes of self-delusion and insanity, oscillating between hilarity and solemnity, prompting audiences to reflect on contemporary existence.

Set in a future dominated by cinema, an aging movie star undergoes a radical transformation by growing the flesh of a kaiju onto his body. As he grapples with this physical change, he is also haunted by the characters he has portrayed, which clash for dominance over his identity. Amidst this turmoil, he faces the destructive forces of alcoholism, ultraviolence, and psychosis, all while being targeted by media agents. The narrative explores themes of identity, reality versus illusion, and the dark side of fame, culminating in the tantalizing promise of eternal life.

Prophetic short stories and apocalyptic novels like The Crystal World made J. G. Ballard a foundational figure in the British New Wave. Rejecting the science fiction of rockets and aliens, he explored an inner space of humanity informed by psychiatry and biology and shaped by Surrealism. Later in his career, Ballard's combustible plots and violent imagery spurred controversy--even legal action--while his autobiographical 1984 war novel Empire of the Sun brought him fame. D. Harlan Wilson offers the first career-spanning analysis of an author who helped steer SF in new, if startling, directions. Here was a writer committed to moral ambiguity, one who drowned the world and erected a London high-rise doomed to descend into savagery--and coolly picked apart the characters trapped within each story. Wilson also examines Ballard's methods, his influence on cyberpunk, and the ways his fiction operates within the sphere of our larger culture and within SF itself.