Absolutely incredible work. I'm blown away by the story and writing style. near genius level terror that is relentless and extremely disorientating. This makes other 5 star books pale in comparison. READ THIS AND/OR GO MAD. Everything is silver......

At least as good as [b:The Cipher|341930|The Cipher|Kathe Koja|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566122945l/341930._SY75_.jpg|332292], and very similar. Both books are concerned with an isolated male protagonist on the verge of some major transformation. Both books are very atmospheric and full of dense, impressionistic prose with an odd mash-up of grotesque and beautiful imagery. Both books are also more concerned with the social and psychological dysfunction of the grungy 90s characters than the plot, which is repetitive and meandering. I wish Koja was more interested in the plot, because she had such incredibly provocative material to work with - what exactly is in the 'funhole' in [b:The Cipher|341930|The Cipher|Kathe Koja|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566122945l/341930._SY75_.jpg|332292], and what is the mystery illness in [b:Bad Brains|341941|Bad Brains|Kathe Koja|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297032583l/341941._SY75_.jpg|2038474]? Still, they are both memorable reads, and very unique (outside of Koja's catalogue, that is!).

[b:The Cipher|341930|The Cipher|Kathe Koja|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566122945l/341930._SY75_.jpg|332292] and [b:Bad Brains|341941|Bad Brains|Kathe Koja|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1297032583l/341941._SY75_.jpg|2038474] were both published as part of the Dell Abyss line, and they're presented as pulp horror paperbacks, but they're not really that. They are, I guess, psychological weird fiction. They're not concerned with the standard menagerie of ghosts and ghoulies, but the odd mirroring and blending between the interior and the exterior - between the world inside your head and the world beyond. In each case, the isolated protagonist is a kind of mystic at the edge of the world who unwittingly, inevitably works to achieve a very intimate form of communion with a menacing, radically other being. Instead of prayer or meditation, he uses art and abject behaviour - alcohol abuse, indiscriminate violence, meaningless sex - to hollow himself out and prepare for the coming transformation.

Koja's novels are immersive experiences. Like the silver in Bad Brains, her writing refuses to leave the reader untouched. She draws from a variety of artistic medium in her prose, themes, and imagery, and wears it on her sleeve. I cannot recommend her novels enough. They are absolutely brilliant.

Very impressive writing, in the same kaleidoscopic stream-of-consciousness style as Cipher, though I may have liked that one a little better. Still, it's rare to see a novelist sustain this kind of darkly poetic language over such length.

After an accident, a lapsed artist finds himself plagued by seizures and increasingly alarming hallucinations. Koja's early work has a distinct vibe, abrupt & fragmented sentences, dirty settings & dirtbag characters. It's an acquired taste but weirdly hypnotic. And a good thing, too, because this has a slow start. It's to some extent necessary, as grappling with a chronic condition is as important, early on, as the burgeoning speculative element; but it's a lot of time spent meandering aimlessly with unlikeable characters. The climax is comparatively hectic, and leans hard into tortured artist tropes--another Koja staple, but better handled elsewhere (namely Skin) where the artists are more motivated & the tropes are therefore more at home. So this is probably my least favorite of this era of Koja, and I'd recommend The Cipher or Skin in its place; but I still liked it fine--mostly by dint of: wanted more Koja, sure did read more Koja.