Super Cell Anemia by duncan b. barlow

If you know me, you know I like it bizarro. I haven't read any of Barlow's stuff previously so it was refreshing to dive into a big bizarro work without being familiar with the author's style. Within the first five pages I was struck by an odd revelation. Now, Anemia was released by Afterbirth (one of the big four, tight-knit bizarro publishers). I've never laid hands on one of there's before either, but I took it for granted that there wouldn't exist too much of a difference from one press to the other.
However, from the beginning, you can spot a distinctly different style than the other bizarro writers. Anemia has, from a bizarro point of view, a very conservative narrative. The progression of action is paced out slower, which is by no means the norm. There is a steady character development and evolution of plot. Things unfold more or less naturally, rather than the hyper-rants I've come to expect from the genre. This was, to say the least, unnerving. I was waiting for things to break loose and run rampant across the page. But the story never did. It held back until the right moment, and then let you have what you had earned.
That said, Mr.Barlow holds a PhD in the craft, and you can see this influence heavy in his stroke. He has a patients that most writers in the genre lack. Mellick3 said if he knew where his story was going it became boring to him and he was less likely to enjoy completing the piece. Barlow had a full concept in his mind, perhaps not from the beginning, but before the novel was near completion.
All of this frightened me, and still does to an extent. Though Barlow has seamless fades into hallucinatory dreams that disturb, they are still dreams, and disturb the protagonist far more than the reader. They are devices, though this is not bad. Barlow, unlike most bizarros screaming at the top of their lungs from a tower that the almighty will corrupt us all, seems to contemplate subjects in a serious manner. This all coming from a experienced punk musician.
In the end, the novel really shines a light on the subject of trust. Once all is revealed, the full extent of the intended attacks on the protagonist are not known. We find out who is responsible, but the protagonist lashes out based on his on theories and assumptions. In that lies the messages, when we know the truth, we still operate on our own assumptions, no matter what. It's our nature, but is the right way to operate. With his ending, Barlow lets the reader decide, a refreshing twist within itself.
A good read, especially for those uninitiated.

-jldale