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{{Short description|2006 novel by Jeff VanderMeer}}
'''''Shriek: An Afterword''''' is a 2006 [[novel]] by [[Jeff VanderMeer]]. ''Shriek'' is set in the fictional city of Ambergris, a recurring setting in VanderMeer's work. The novel was written over a period of eight years, owing in part to "[some scenes that are] very personal."
{{Infobox book
|name=Shriek: An Afterword
|image=Shriekus.jpg
|caption= Hardcover edition (U.S.)
|author=[[Jeff VanderMeer]]
|genre=[[Fantasy literature|Fantasy]]
|country=[[United States]]
|series=Ambergris
|language=[[English language|English]]
|media_type=Print, e-book
|publisher=[[Tor Books]]
|published=2006
|isbn=978-0765314666
|pages=352
}}


'''''Shriek: An Afterword''''' is a [[fantasy literature|fantasy]] novel by American writer [[Jeff VanderMeer]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Shriek: An Afterword (Ambergris #2)|url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/230855.Shriek|website=[[Goodreads]]|publisher=goodreads.com|accessdate=26 June 2017}}</ref><ref>[http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/313.html Review of Shriek: An Afterword at SFFWorld.com]</ref> Published in 2006, ''Shriek'' is set in the fictional city of Ambergris, a recurring setting in VanderMeer's work. The novel was written over a period of eight years, owing in part to what the author said, "[some scenes that are] very personal."{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
[[Image:Shriekus.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Tor Hardcover (U.S.)]]

[[Image:Shriekuk.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Macmillan Paperback (U.K.)]]


== Plot introduction ==
== Plot introduction ==
Ambergris, named for "the most secret and valued part of the whale," is a fantastical [[Urban area|urban]] milieu, explicitly modern and apparently pre-industrial (despite the presence of guns, bombs, and motor vehicles). Ambergris is characterized by grocery stores, post offices, cafés, and vendors (The "[[Borges]] Bookstore" bears note). The city was built over the land (and quiet protests) of the fungally-adept "graycaps," humanoids of uncertain disposition. The inhabitants of Ambergris enjoy a fascination with [[squid]], and celebrate an anarchic annual Festival of the Freshwater Squid.
Ambergris, named for "the most secret and valued part of the whale", is a fantastical [[Urban area|urban]] milieu, explicitly modern and apparently pre-industrial (despite the presence of guns, bombs, and motor vehicles). Ambergris is characterized by grocery stores, post offices, cafés, and vendors (The "[[Borges]] Bookstore" bears note). The city was built over the land (and quiet protests) of the fungally-adept "graycaps", humanoids of uncertain disposition. The inhabitants of Ambergris enjoy a fascination with [[squid]], and celebrate an anarchic annual Festival of the Freshwater Squid.


== Characters ==
== Characters ==
''Shriek: An Afterword'' deals principally with two siblings of the same name, Janice and Duncan Shriek. Janice, an ex-society figure and art critic, narrates with great and sometimes dark flamboyance. Duncan, a historian of note, entertains twin obsessions: rival historian Mary Sabon and the mysterious graycaps. The Shrieks figure rather prominently in VanderMeer's collection of Ambergris novellas and short stories ''[[City of Saints and Madmen]]'': Duncan narrates the novella "The Early History of Ambergris", while Janice's art criticism figures into the [[World Fantasy Award]]-winning novella "The Transformation of Martin Lake".
''Shriek: An Afterword'' deals principally with two eponymous siblings, Janice and Duncan Shriek. Janice, an ex-society figure and art critic, narrates with great and sometimes dark flamboyance. Duncan, a historian of note, entertains twin obsessions: rival historian Mary Sabon and the mysterious graycaps. The Shrieks figure rather prominently in VanderMeer's collection of Ambergris novellas and short stories ''[[City of Saints and Madmen]]'': Duncan narrates the novella "The Early History of Ambergris", while Janice's art criticism figures into the [[World Fantasy Award]]-winning novella "The Transformation of Martin Lake".

==Critical notes==
Reviewer of ''[[The Believer (magazine)|The Believer]]'' noted "It's not clear what obsesses Jeff VanderMeer more, mushrooms or books. Both appear on almost every page of his new novel Shriek: An Afterword, in which disgraced historian Duncan Shriek seeks to uncover the mystery of a race of mushroom people with mysterious fungal plans, who lurk below the surface of the moss-covered city of Ambergris. VanderMeer's previous novels are part of a fantasy subgenre, often categorized as the New Weird. While Shriek certainly contains fantasy elements, it doesn’t fit into any strictly delineated genre. There are more ideas here than flights of fancy; VanderMeer owes more to [[Jorge Borges|Borges]] than Tolkien."<ref>{{cite web|title=SHRIEK: AN AFTERWORD BY JEFF VANDERMEER|url=http://www.believermag.com/issues/200609/?read=review_vandermeer |website=Believer |publisher=believermag.com |accessdate=26 June 2017|date=September 2006}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
*[http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12521 Commentary from VanderMeer on "Forbidden Planet"]
*[http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=12521 Commentary from VanderMeer on "Forbidden Planet"]
* [http://www.sffworld.com/brevoff/313.html Review of Shriek: An Afterword] at [http://www.sffworld.com SFFWorld.com]
*[http://www.sfsite.com/02b/sh218.htm Excerpt on "SF Site Fiction"]
*[http://www.sfsite.com/02b/sh218.htm Excerpt on "SF Site Fiction"]
*[http://vanderworld.blogspot.com/ VanderWorld: VanderMeer's personal blog]
*[http://vanderworld.blogspot.com/ VanderWorld: VanderMeer's personal blog]


{{Jeff VanderMeer}}
[[Category:2006 novels]]

[[Category:Fantasy novels]]
[[Category:2006 American novels]]
[[Category:American fantasy novels]]
[[Category:English-language novels]]
[[Category:Fictional fungi]]

Latest revision as of 08:02, 4 November 2022

Shriek: An Afterword
Hardcover edition (U.S.)
AuthorJeff VanderMeer
LanguageEnglish
SeriesAmbergris
GenreFantasy
Published2006
PublisherTor Books
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint, e-book
Pages352
ISBN978-0765314666

Shriek: An Afterword is a fantasy novel by American writer Jeff VanderMeer.[1][2] Published in 2006, Shriek is set in the fictional city of Ambergris, a recurring setting in VanderMeer's work. The novel was written over a period of eight years, owing in part to what the author said, "[some scenes that are] very personal."[citation needed]

Plot introduction

[edit]

Ambergris, named for "the most secret and valued part of the whale", is a fantastical urban milieu, explicitly modern and apparently pre-industrial (despite the presence of guns, bombs, and motor vehicles). Ambergris is characterized by grocery stores, post offices, cafés, and vendors (The "Borges Bookstore" bears note). The city was built over the land (and quiet protests) of the fungally-adept "graycaps", humanoids of uncertain disposition. The inhabitants of Ambergris enjoy a fascination with squid, and celebrate an anarchic annual Festival of the Freshwater Squid.

Characters

[edit]

Shriek: An Afterword deals principally with two eponymous siblings, Janice and Duncan Shriek. Janice, an ex-society figure and art critic, narrates with great and sometimes dark flamboyance. Duncan, a historian of note, entertains twin obsessions: rival historian Mary Sabon and the mysterious graycaps. The Shrieks figure rather prominently in VanderMeer's collection of Ambergris novellas and short stories City of Saints and Madmen: Duncan narrates the novella "The Early History of Ambergris", while Janice's art criticism figures into the World Fantasy Award-winning novella "The Transformation of Martin Lake".

Critical notes

[edit]

Reviewer of The Believer noted "It's not clear what obsesses Jeff VanderMeer more, mushrooms or books. Both appear on almost every page of his new novel Shriek: An Afterword, in which disgraced historian Duncan Shriek seeks to uncover the mystery of a race of mushroom people with mysterious fungal plans, who lurk below the surface of the moss-covered city of Ambergris. VanderMeer's previous novels are part of a fantasy subgenre, often categorized as the New Weird. While Shriek certainly contains fantasy elements, it doesn’t fit into any strictly delineated genre. There are more ideas here than flights of fancy; VanderMeer owes more to Borges than Tolkien."[3]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Shriek: An Afterword (Ambergris #2)". Goodreads. goodreads.com. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  2. ^ Review of Shriek: An Afterword at SFFWorld.com
  3. ^ "SHRIEK: AN AFTERWORD BY JEFF VANDERMEER". Believer. believermag.com. September 2006. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
[edit]