The Velocity Gospel by Steve Aylett

The Velocity Gospel

Steve Aylett

Where to begin? Mervyn Peake meets William Burroughs? Is this gibberish or genius? I can't make my mind up, so you decide. I dare you!

Extract
Ahead of her, a ribcaged car exploded through the display window of the Shop of a Thousand Spiders in a garish spray of interface medicine, dreamspore, thaumaturgical artefacts and activans. Baulking to a halt and standing in a slow leak of benthic steam, the car stood striped with crash tar, a rear bumper sticker reading I BRAKE FOR HADES. The bodywork had acquired a dark coating of burnt nerve tissue and now cracked open, muffled hilarity turning fully audible as a door bust to earth with Barney upon it, weeping with laughter. Everyone piled out, gobs distorted by speed and dementia.
'Wow that was so cool', said Fang.

Parallels
  • Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
  • Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
  • The Naked Lunch by William Burroughs