Welcome back to Bookstr’s Crazy Book Genre, the series where we highlight a wild, out-of-the-box subgenre that you might not have even heard of! This week, we’re taking a look into the strange world of bizarro fiction. From human mutations to terrifying tooth faeries, this genre is packed with oddities and twists on the familiar. Buckle up for a weird ride!
Bizarro fiction is a genre combining elements of the strange and unnatural, the absurd, the grotesque, uncanny, and downright weird. It has much in common with speculative fiction, as well as some similarities to surrealism. Characterized by weirdness, pop-surrealism, absurdism, and thought-provoking entertainment. It is often a combination of science-fiction, fantasy, and elements of the grotesque. Basically, if an audience likes something because it’s weird or strange, it’s bizarro. This does not have to be the work’s only notable theme or feature, but it is likely the main one.
History
Originally, the genre was described as “real” or “new-absurdism,” but the words did not catch on or stick. The term can be traced back to the foundation of Eraserhead Press in 1999, but the term “bizarro” is a recent development, adopted in 2005 by several independent publishing companies. A few of these companies remain figureheads of bizarro fiction, like Eraserhead Press, Grindhouse Press, and Raw Dog Screaming Press.
The exact origin of the bizarro genre beyond the 2005 coining of the term is difficult to pinpoint since it was considered a tangent of horror or sci-fi for so long. But it’s easy to say that since then, the genre has experienced a massive popularity boom thanks to dedicated readers and publishers.
Genre Fiction
Bizarro writers play on and often hyperbolize themes and tropes of conventional genres to extreme effects that lend themselves to the zaniness of the universe they’re creating. Whether they play on sci-fi, fantasy, historical fiction, westerns, romance, or any other of the traditional genres, it will certainly be in a way that translates the familiar genre into something warped and wild.
Absurdism
Absurdism in literature draws on the philosophical theory that the universe is random and that trying to discern meaning makes our relationship with reality even more challenging to understand. Bizarro writers utilize absurdism by throwing their characters into incomprehensible situations where they often decide to go with the flow and subject themselves to the whims of the world they inhabit. This choice often emphasizes the characters’ lack of control over an ever-shifting and fickle world and contributes to the humorous elements of the story as characters are thrust into unbelievable situations.
Satire
Satire is the intentional and considerate mocking of a societal trend or social phenomenon. Bizarro fiction uses satire in combination with other literary elements, like the grotesque or the weird to create a sense of disassociation within readers so they can, whether they realize it or not, begin to consider their attachment to these social conventions and the way they reflect in their own lives. Disassociation is a magnificent tool to point apt readers down a conceptual path of consideration.
All of these manipulations provoke thought in the reader, making them consider their own relationship and interpretation of the story while not diving too deep into everything. Sometimes, you have to be like the main character and just accept the world for what it is. This works because, like all avid fantasy/sci-fi readers know, if an author makes rules for their world and sticks with them, we’ll take it for what it is. Because that’s how it works! Readers can usually accept a downright crazy magic system as long as the author knows how it works, makes it (at least somewhat) clear to the reader, and sticks with the rules they’ve laid out.
Bizarro Book Recs
They Had Goat Heads by D. Harlan Wilson
In this imaginative, mind-bending collection of short stories, Wilson takes readers on a journey through the experience of life as we know it, but shows us a peek through a lens that warps and mutates reality.
Glass Children by Carlton Mellick III
Humanity’s unexplainable mutation that caused a whole generation of children to be born made of glass affected more than just their bodies. The glass generation is spoiled, entitled, bratty and coddled. But what else could their parents do, when even a strong hug will fracture their delicate frames?
Jurassichrist by Michael Allen Rose
It’s time for the second coming of Jesus. There’s just one problem, linear time doesn’t apply here. When JC finds himself in the body of a T-Rex, he not only needs to grapple with how to communicate with this new population, but how to deal with the disgusting mammals that are evolving way too quickly.
Kingdom of Teeth by Michelle Garza, Melissa Lason
Molarus is home to a disturbing race of creatures whose teeth grow outside their mouths and all over the rest of their bodies. Their queen, known to us humans as the Tooth Fairy, is desperate to save her people from a magical plague that’s causing her people to rot while they’re still alive. Can their unlikely hero, a dental school dropout, defeat the demon and save her people?
The Magazine of Bizarro Fiction Issue 1 by Andersen Prunty et al.
If you’re looking for an intro to bizarro fiction, this is it. Featuring short novellas like The Sex Beast of Scurvy Island, as well as short fiction and comics spanning the genre. This magazine is still being published today and is a thorough collection of all things bizarro!
Well, there you have it. Bizarro fiction is a truly entertaining, though graphic and uncanny genre that’s almost incapable of not leaving readers thinking more than they probably meant to. What did you think? Would you give Bizarro a shot? Let us know on our socials!
Can’t get enough of crazy book genres? Check out last week’s post about Astrology Fiction here!
Looking for more spooky recs from the Bookstr team? Click here to check out our horror/thriller bookshelf!
