Cosmocopia
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An insane, broken pulp-art painter gets chance at redemption in a phantasmagoric science fiction wonder from a true master of the weird Before his stroke and the onset of old age, Frank Lazorg was the king of the fantasy illustrators—with an ego to match. But he can paint no more. That is, until he starts taking a bizarre new drug that promises to restore his creative powers. Unfortunately, artistic reinvigoration comes with a steep price tag: addiction and madness. With his rage and jealousy unleashed and his grasp of reality severely compromised, Lazorg is led to commit an unspeakable act, and, in turn, is led . . . somewhere else. Suddenly naked and helpless, the artist finds himself in a world of abiding strangeness, filled with monstrous things that seem to mock, yet oddly mirror, Lazorg’s previous reality. And here is Crutchsump, a remarkable creature possessing great love and rare compassion, who could possibly aid in Lazorg’s ultimate salvation as he spirals downward through the Cosmocopia and ever-closer to the Conceptus. Arguably the most inventive force in science fiction since Philip K. Dick in his heyday, Paul Di Filippo outdoes even Paul Di Filippo with his remarkable Cosmocopia. Outrageous, ingenious, nightmarish, funny, provocative, and utterly unforgettable, this is a glittering testament to the towering heights science fiction can achieve.
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3.5 stars
After a stroke, an aging painter finds his creative energy faded.The arrival of a mysterious new pigment base launches him on a bizarre journey.
Cosmocopia is at once strikingly original and faintly familiar. I don't recall reading anything else by Di Filippo, and this book was originally published in 2008. I can't pin down another story along these lines, so the familiarity is a mystery. The more I think about it, the more I think I've read something similar, though.
Our painter-protagonist travels to another universe, and Di Filippo does a great job of establishing a world that's just similar enough to be a credible next-door dimension, but just distant enough to be bizarre and curious. He establishes the environment beautifully, making weird creatures and culture credible and suggesting a fully realized background. It works perfectly for his story, the bulk of which takes place in this secondary world.
The ending of the book is weaker. While the final segment starts out well, it devolves into a an ending that doesn't make a great deal of sense, and hints at a cop-out. Di Filippo finesses this a bit by focusing more on the characters than on the grand mystery the story presents, but I still found the resolution to be a let down.
All in all, an original and interesting story well worth a read.
NB: Received free copy from Net Galley.
