Joe

Absolutely demented gothic sf of the highest order. Layers twist upon twist only for the floor to drop out at the last second. An ending that assures you, through gritted teeth, "don't worry, it was all a trick," while gesturing towards an even greater horror than the totally harrowing narrative you just experienced. Shudder to think what Tumblr would have done with Claudio had this come out in the 2010s.

Reading this after Babel-17 feels like seeing Delany go Super Saiyan. So much stranger, denser, and freer. Extremely moving.

In the "Atrophied Preface" that serves as an epilogue, Burroughs (stepping outside of presenting himself as his alter ego, William Lee) claims not to be an entertainer. This showcases that he's a fucking liar because he just spent this book doing vaudeville routines! Genuinely hysterical, horrifying, and obscene, a delirious hard boiled sci-fi haze.

Feels reductive to say since we're dealing with a genuinely off the map and overwhelming piece of writing here, but: this guy was writing gay cyberpunk body horror shit in 1961! Absolutely insane.

Read the novelette. Really cool stuff!