科幻國協毒瘤在臺病灶: Magic for Beginners (2005) by Kelly Link

或許我對科幻作品仍帶有部分對傳統的依戀，然而就奇幻而言，愈奇特怪異我愈喜歡哪。

Link 的風格，人稱 kitchen-sink magical realism，隨想隨寫、天馬行空，過程出人意表，然而隱約自成一套獨特的道理與邏輯。第一次接觸時還真有可能深陷其中，不知從何下手。這種寫法有點像科幻大師 A. E. van Vogt 當年提出的 pulp sf 寫法：以八百字為單位，變換寫作的焦點。還好 Link 的文字很平易近人，只要放鬆心情，將閱讀的主觀意識放在一邊，任憑作者帶往各個現實中的魔幻境地，基本上就可以享受故事。據灰鷹說， Link 的前一本短篇集 Stranger Things Happen (2001) 他有一半看不懂，看來她這一本收斂不少，也可親許多。只是這樣的閱讀策略完全將樂趣托付給作者，萬一不喜歡故事走向的話，也只能徒呼負負，沒辦法自己另外思索更「好」的走法。

拿下各大小獎項的同名中篇和位於卷首，同樣勇奪各大獎項的 "The Faery Handbag"，水準自然不在話下。我卻更愛 "The Hortak" 的怪怪便利商店和 "The Cannon" 的大砲愛情經驗談。"Stone Animals" 那棟充滿兔患的新房子以及 "Some Zombie Contingency Plans" 那位一天到晚杞人憂屍的主角也很有意思，只是結局不太喜歡。"Catskin" 這篇偽‧童話和 "The Great Divorce" 的人鬼離婚案倒沒那麼精彩。至於最後一篇 "Lull"，我在 Conjunctions 39: The New Wave Fabulists (2002) 就讀過，此番重讀，或許在主角眾人與 0204 電話妹的對話中「參透」了 Kelly Link 的創作思維：

Ed says, "So are you going to tell me a story?"
Starlight says, "That's what I'm here for. But usually the guy wants to know what I'm wearing."
Ed says, "I want to hear a story about a cheerleader and the Devil."
Bones says, "So what's she wearing?"
Pete says, "Make it a story that goes backwards."
Jeff says, "Put something scary in it."
Alibi says, "Sexy."
Brenner says, "I want it to be about good and evil and true love, and it should also be funny. No talking animals. Not too much fooling around with the narrative structure. The ending should be happy but still realistic, believable, you know, and there shouldn't be a moral although we should be able to think back later and have some sort of revelation. No and suddenly they woke up and discovered that it was all a dream. Got that?"
Starlight says, "Okay. The Devil and a cheerleader. Got it. Okay."