This collection of articles by top-flight critics introduces deconstructive thinking in a wide range of fields or connections (deconstruction and politics, deconstruction and feminism, deconstruction and psychoanalysis, etc.) It is a very fine book and a paperback edition ought to be made available so that people could afford to buy it.

If you've always wondered what the hell "Deconstruction" is supposed to be about, look no further. Before you get too excited, I'm not going to claim that this is the best book on Derrida's work or necessarily even for every neophyte--it's not exactly a primer. However, Royle's collection sidesteps the problem that so many other books fall prey to by trying to explain deconstruction, instead these authors show deconstruction at work. The editor's intro--cleverly disguised as a complaint letter to a dictionary's head editor--amusingly and clearly explains what deconstruction is not, untangling many (frankly vulgar) confusions and reductions that have grown up around the term in the last twenty-odd years (e.g. Deconstruction is not a technique, strategy, or method. It is not "destruction."). The essays proper pair deconstruction with some expected terms: feminism, poetry, psychoanalysis (revealing in this last example some of the debt Derrida owes Freud while acknowledging his intellectual rivalry with Lacan)--to the surprising: drugs, love, weaving (weaving?). These authors show how deconstruction, from a Derridean rather than a Yale-ian perspective, "happens." It isn't applied, its effects are articulated; and the deconstructions that are part and parcel of texts and the way they mean, when articulated, have effects, create changes in the ways the texts, and discourses (for example on drugs) mean. If that last sentence didn't make sense to you, read a few of these gems and, I promise, it will become more meaningful.

Awesome collection of 25 short stories and essays about soccer. My favorites were Stephen Baxter's "Clods," Tim Pears' "Ebony International" Nicholas Lezards' "The Beautiful Game," Steve Grant's "Casuals," Geoff Nicholson's "The Winning Side," Mark Morris's "The Shirt," and Mark Timlin's "Wonder Boy." That said, almost every story has something worthwhile about it, and for a soccer fan, this is a must read.

This is one of the best short story collections I have read in a long time. Sharp, clear writing leads the reader into the heart of NY. A few misses, but more hits. The best stories seem to come at the end of the book, so if you don't like the first few -- keep reading. While all the stories are about or set in NY -- they offer up details of modern life that can be applied to any city anywhere. My only complaint is they haven't published a second volume.

This collection of John Burke's own stories should not be confused with a collection of other writers' stories edited by Burke called Tales of Unease (Pan Books, 1966). Unfortunately, many of these stories are rather undistinguished (which accounts for the 2-star rating above). Burke's collection of his own stories, which I haven't read, sounds much more intriguing.

John Burke is probably best known for the film novelisations he wrote in the 1960s including the Hammer Horror Film Omnibus (Volumes 1 & 2) and Dr Terror's House of Horrors. He was also the European story editor for Twentieth Century-Fox and wrote the screenplay for the 1967 Boris Karloff film "The Sorcerers". During his long career he has also written a number of short stories, 22 of which are collected here. Subtitled 'Tales of Unease', this is one of the latest collections by small press publisher Ash Tree, who have been responsible for reprinting some excellent (and some not-quite-so-excellent) collections over the past few years. Thankfully, this is one of their more worthwhile ventures, and there are quite a few gems to be discovered (or rediscovered) here. 'A Comedy of Terrors' is a snappy sick little satire of the 1960s British horror movie industry. 'For You, the Possessed' is the ultimate paranoia tale, and 'Collaboration' is a lovely story about a lady becoming a best-selling author with the help of her ghost-in-residence. The book is rounded off by 'And Cannot Come Again', written by Burke one clear sunny day in Prague. Like a couple of other stories in this collection, political machinations have a part to play in the themes of unease and desperation which develop as the story progresses. Another highly recommended collection from this particular publishing house.