Afraid of clowns? Those gruesome, bloody smiles, the corpse-white flesh, bulbous noses and feet… (Not to mention those treacherous daisies!) Worse yet, the mimes whose silence mocks while their lips form circles of feigned surprise, and whose actions imply worlds beyond our senses. Face your fears head-on with this collection of twenty-two short tales, taking on clowns in their myriad forms. Some clowns match wits with Death, with invading aliens, and with God’s Law, while others write their own laws. Meet clowns who suffer for our sins, and clowns who turn that suffering upon their victims.
Unlikely Story invites you to enter the big top with authors Mari Ness, Carlie St. George, Cate Gardner, Karlo Yeager-Rodriguez, Cassandra Khaw, Evan Dicken, Chris Kuriata, and many more. But wait! There’s more! Buy now, and we’ll include not one, not two, but twenty-three illustrations by Bryan Prindiville, as well as an introduction by Robin Blyn. So slap on your greasepaint, grab your cotton candy and peanuts, slip on your wig of many colors and your most comfortable floppy shoes. It’s time to run away and join the circus. (Or to run away from those who’ve joined the circus; we don’t judge.) Don’t be shy. There’s room for everyone inside the clown car.
Innehållsförteckning
Introduction by Robin Blyn
Five Things Every Successful Clown Must Do by Derek Manuel
Gags, Bits, and Business by T. Jane Berry
Mr. Boingo Saves the World by J.H. Pell
An Argument for Clowning on the Sabbath by Jeff Wolf
’Thou Antic Death’ by Kristen Roupenian
Everyone’s a Clown by Caroline M. Yoachim
The Game by Mari Ness
Melpomene’s Heirs by Evan Dicken
Break the Face in the Jar by the Door by Carlie St. George
Stilts by Line Henriksen
A Million Tiny Ropes by Virginia M. Mohlere
Queen and Fool by Dayle A. Dermatis
God’s Children by Jason Arias
Clown’s Syndrome by Joe Nazare
Clown Car, Driven Once, Never Emptied by Karlo Yeager-Rodriguez
Perfect Mime by Sara K. Mc Neilly
Whaling With Clowns by Chris Kuriata
Clown Shoes by Cassandra Khaw
A Silent Comedy by Cate Gardner
Pushpin and Pullpin by Charles Payseur
Clowns of the Creosote Plains by Chillbear Latrigue
A Distant Honk by Holly Schofield