Zine Review: A Beginner’s Guide to Bizarro Fiction

A Beginner’s Guide to Bizarro Fiction
Ben Fitts
https://www.instagram.com/doom_goat_666/
doomgoat666@gmail.com

A Beginner’s Guide to Bizarro Fiction is a black and white half-fold zine introduction to bizarre fiction, authors in the genre, and recommended reads.

Well, zine friends, Ben found the right audience in me because I am, in fact, a beginner when it comes to this genre.

Beginner’s Guide opens with a short overview of bizarro fiction – what defines the genre and influences within it (from Kafka to Philip K Dick). I must admit that I felt a little lost at the start, but if you use ‘Kafka’ to illustrate what you’re trying to tell me, I will understand pretty quickly. (Some school required reads just stick with you.)

The bulk of the zine is made up of profiles for authors Ben recommends. Each page is dedicated to an author with their name, photo, and a brief introduction. Each profile also has ‘recommended reading’ as well. I quite liked that little addition because they can help you to narrow down where to start. A few even have, “If nothing else, try reading…” recommendations.

If you hadn’t picked up that I like recommendations, you will with the fact that I really liked how Ben wrapped up the zine with a couple lists of more books. I like that along with more bizarre titles, Ben also recommends books outside the genre that bizarro fans will enjoy.

If you like reading and want to broaden (or expand, if you already read these kind of books), check out this zine.