Steve Erickson
Steve Erickson is an American novelist, essayist, and critic known for his surreal and experimental writing style. He has authored several critically acclaimed novels and has contributed to various literary and cultural publications.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
-
1. Tours of the Black Clock
"Tours of the Black Clock" is a complex and surreal novel that blends historical events and fantasy. The narrative follows the life of Banning Jainlight, an infamous erotic novelist hired by Adolf Hitler to write his sexual biography, as well as the lives of several other characters across different time periods and locations. The story explores themes of time, identity, and the power of storytelling, weaving together the disparate threads of the characters' lives in unexpected ways.
The 17010th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Amazon -
2. The Sea Came In At Midnight
Set against the backdrop of a world teetering on the brink of the millennium, this novel weaves together the lives of disparate characters whose paths intersect in unexpected ways. A young woman, fleeing a traumatic past, becomes entwined with a mysterious man obsessed with documenting the end of the century. As their stories unfold, the narrative explores themes of time, memory, and the search for meaning in a chaotic world. With its dreamlike prose and intricate structure, the book offers a haunting meditation on the human condition and the relentless passage of time.
The 17010th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
3. Our Ecstatic Days
Set in a surreal, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles, the narrative follows a mother named Lauren and her son, who find themselves in a world transformed by a mysterious, ever-expanding lake that has submerged much of the city. As Lauren navigates this altered landscape, she grapples with the haunting memories of her past and the enigmatic forces that seem to dictate her present. The story weaves together themes of memory, identity, and the fluid nature of reality, creating a dreamlike exploration of a world on the brink of transformation.
The 17010th Greatest Book of All TimePurchase from Bookshop.org -
4. Zeroville
The novel follows the journey of Vikar Jerome, a film-obsessed architecture student who arrives in Hollywood in the late 1960s, driven by his passion for cinema. With a tattoo of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor from "A Place in the Sun" on his shaved head, Vikar becomes immersed in the film industry, navigating its eccentricities and dark undercurrents. As he works as a film editor, he encounters a series of enigmatic characters and experiences a surreal blend of reality and film, reflecting on the transformative power of movies and the blurred lines between life and art. Throughout his journey, Vikar grapples with themes of obsession, identity, and the search for meaning in a rapidly changing world.
-
5. Rubicon Beach
Set in a dystopian future, the narrative weaves together the lives of three disparate characters navigating a surreal and fragmented Los Angeles. As they grapple with their own personal quests and the haunting specters of their pasts, the city itself becomes a character, a labyrinth of dreams and nightmares. The story explores themes of identity, memory, and the blurred lines between reality and illusion, all while painting a vivid picture of a world teetering on the brink of chaos and transformation.
Purchase from Bookshop.org -
Purchase from Bookshop.org
-
7. Days Between Stations
A haunting, dreamlike novel about two former lovers who reconnect and become entangled in a surreal, apocalyptic sequence of events involving experimental machines and enigmatic figures; the narrative drifts through media-saturated urban landscapes and European interludes, blending erotic obsession, fractured memory and mythic visions as personal histories and reality itself begin to dissolve.
Purchase from Bookshop.org -
8. Amnesiascope
Amnesiascope is a 1996 novel by Steve Erickson. Set in Los Angeles after a cataclysmic earthquake, the novel incorporates elements of other novels that Erickson had published, such as the silent film from his first novel, Days Between Stations. Though not a genre novel, it was a finalist for the British Fantasy Award.
Purchase from Bookshop.org
