Books

Blister and Other Stories, published February 2024 by Obie Books.

Twenty-one stories that paint a portrait of a magical realist world that is both chaotic and corrupt. In "Blister" a young widow remains faithful to her wedding vows even after her husband's deception is revealed. The husband in "Others" is haunted by a picture from the sixteenth century that has seemingly come to life and threatens to destroy his marriage. The soldier in "A Soldier's Lament" refuses to order the execution of an enemy combatant with whom he has fallen in love. The teenage girl in "Skipping Stones" is troubled by her father's second marriage, resulting in an existential crisis.

"Brian Biswas is a literary mage. He can take the base materials of a historical romance, or a contemporary love affair, or a seagoing adventure, and make them dance in the fairy light of the Uncanny Valley. The titles of the stories in this, his newest collection, give you an idea of their eldritch intentions: "Julie's Murderer," "The House in the Forest," "The Town that Went to Sleep." These are modern folktales. The sheer variety in the book is astonishing, worthy of a Scheherazade, and, indeed, the master storyteller her-self is invoked in "Twelve Nights and a Night." The final story is a witty updating of Kafka, via Lewis Carroll. Storytelling is Biswas's calling card; he understands the power of Story, with a capital S. Read him because he is a master artificer, utilizing a prose that is both pellucid and shimmering." ~ Corey Mesler, author of Cock-a-Hoop, and The World is Neither Stacked for Nor Against You: Selected Short Stories

". . . each story compellingly puts its characters in tough spots that prove to be both gloomy and unexpected." ~ Kirkus Reviews

". . . inventive, genre-blending, briskly paced, tales with elements of the speculative, magical realism, and social critique . . . The best of Biswas's often fable-like tales achieve a thought-provoking depth." ~ Booklife

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The Astronomer, published March 2023 by Whisk(e)y Tit Press.

Franz Herbert suffers from epileptic seizures; are they a curse that takes him away from his wife, family, and friends, or a gift that allows him to explore the depths of the cosmos?

An exploration of a man's struggle with a neurological disease, the nature of reality, and the workings of his own mind, The Astronomer is both a love story and the tale of a man's journey to find his place in the universe.

"In Brian Biswas' new novel, The Astronomer, he has chosen to confound us frequently regarding how he and the main character regard reality, and we are often forced to think about our own ways of looking at the real and the fantastic, about fact and fiction... he also challenges us to think about whether or not the dreams and other mental wanderings of people who don't have "normal" mental lives constitute another reality as well." ~ Alice Whittenburg, Cafe Irreal

"Biswas' writing is remarkably expansive throughout, and readers will find it deeply impressive how he captures two distinct voices: one of prosaic reason and another of disordered brilliance. Overall, it's a fantastically strange novel that's as grippingly eccentric as the protagonist at its center." ~ Kirkus Reviews

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A Betrayal and Other Stories, published in 2018 by Rogue Star Press.

"A debut collection mixes horror and sci-fi short stories laden with bizarre creatures, life on other planets, and homicidal proclivities ... Consistently eerie tales that readers aren't likely to forget." ~ Kirkus Reviews

"The stories in this collection remind me of the work of Kafka or Rod Serling or have their own unique style. I find Biswas to be a writer of great descriptive skill and storytelling ability. His prose is lucid and straightforward and leaves vivid images that come back from time to time, long after I've finished reading, to remind me of these strange and well-written stories." ~ Alice Whittenburg, Cafe Irreal

"These are charming, wonderful, horrifying, funny and, most of all, well-crafted stories." ~ Matt Ward, editor Skive Magazine

"'The Crystal' is a story of loss and betrayal with that ethereal, otherworldly quality other stories strive after but fail to reach."~ Peter Tennant, UNHINGED

"'Barnegat Inn' is a sort of weird tale in the mode of that bygone zine, complete with spooky mysterious fog ... the sort of sufficiently advanced stuff that's indistinguishable from magic." ~ Lois Tilton, LOCUS

"'Worms of Titan' is a near perfect science fiction adventure in the classic '40s pulp vein."~ Sam Bellotto, editor Perihelion

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Available from Guide Dog Books The Irreal Reader collects the best fiction from The Cafe Irreal

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The Cafe Irreal: International Imagination publishes a type of fantastic fiction most often associated with writers such as Franz Kafka, Kobo Abe and Jorge Luis Borges. Its editors have been nominated for a World Fantasy Award and been named by Writer's Digest as one of the Top 30 Short Story Markets.

This anthology presents a selection of the fiction and essays from The Cafe Irreal. These include pieces by Diploma de Honor Konex winner Ana María Shua (Argentina), Michal Ajvaz (winner of the Magnesia Litera prize in the Czech Republic), Pulitzer Prize winner Charles Simic, and Pushcart Prize winners Bruce Holland Rogers and Caitlin Horrocks. My Pushcart-nominated short story "A Betrayal " is included.

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