This is my book review of the Anthology, “Strange Attractor Journal Four.”
Strange Attractor Journal Four by Mark Pilkington
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I’ve always been the kind of person that loved learning. I’m the friend that enjoys sharing random “fun facts.” I’m also the friend that would rather launch into heady topics, leaping past small talk altogether.
I found “Strange Attractor Journal Four” sitting all by itself at a used book store. I’ll admit that I was drawn in by the name and the cover. I had no idea what it was about yet, except that it was an anthology of sorts, and I wanted it.
What I discovered were essays and anecdotes, which left me questioning the line between fact and fiction. Some essays pulled me in more than others. My advice is to press through the ones you don’t connect with and keep reading.
Even the ones that didn’t interest me were windows into the unknown. I learned about topics that I had never considered adding to my curriculum. Alternately, I found a few of the subjects so interesting that I ended up down an internet rabbit hole, eager to learn more.
The stories, while often focused on fantastic subjects, are scholarly in tone. Sometimes, I felt like it was required reading for a class that I never had the privilege of attending. And like most writing, they sometimes reveal more about the authors than the tales themselves. Opinions, cultural perspectives, and history weaving together in interesting ways.