The Fish

Review in Matrix magazine's Hockey Issue (Issue 89)

2011-05-30T15:56:00.000-07:00

the fish

by Dean Garlick

Anteism

Read by Ian Orti

When Patrick Kaye is tossed off a cruise ship in Dean Garlick’s

the fish (Anteism), he wakes up in the belly of a giant fish; he is

not alone, and this is no ordinary fish. The fish is a psychedlic

underworld disguised as a hamlet inhabited by characters of

disparate centuries and social conditions. Kaye is immediately

aware that his surroundings do not adhere to natural law, and

his limited omniscience and the fallibility of the characters he

encounters keep the story from getting caught in the pedantic

snares that stories so easily fall into. Garlick may have taken

cues from masters of magic realism but he is far grittier. It takes

a second drowning death to awaken Kaye to the punishing

realities inside the fish. This may be a place where time is turned

on its head but the forces which drive life outside the fish are at

play with greater ferocity inside it. Garlick studs his underwater

pastoral setting with music, booze, cocaine and motherboards

and the deeper we go into the fish the deeper we find ourselves

in the wreckage of modern western civilization, where characters

scramble for computer parts among the corpses of slaves in a

place called ‘the pile.’ Unlike the biblical whale which returns its

captor after three days, Garlick’s fish is a middle-Hell, a place

where souls are trapped indefinitely but not entirely against

their will. Garlick’s protagonist emerges from the fish by the

end but he does not return alone. Anteism has devoted itself

to artful books and the fish is no exception. It is accompanied

with lovely full-page illustrations by Erik Volet but it’s Garlick’s

visually stunning prose and dutiful attention to detail that make

the fish a wild ride.

Book Launches!

2010-06-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

I am happy to announce two upcoming book launches for The Fish: Thursday, June 10th, at 7:00 at Collected Works Bookstore in Ottawa, and Saturday, June 19th, at 8:00 at the East Village Arts Collective (EVAC), in London, Ontario. Come on out for free wine, and to hear me read from the book. I may even sing a song if I'm drunk enough! Hope one and all can make it. The Toronto launch is forthcoming; stay tuned!! d n

The Fish at the Anarchist's Bookfair--Montreal

2010-05-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

It was a great day at the Anarchist's Book Fair here in Montreal. Met some like-minded souls, and all variety people getting the word out about their causes and concerns. These venues become increasingly important in a world inundated by the soul-sucking homogeneity that rules consumer media and culture. Anteism's small-scale, localized distribution model made it a good fit, and people showed interest in the world of The Fish, and the politics that rule it, especially what they have to say about the control of information as a means of mass manipulation, as well as fear-based mechanisms of dominance. After a few of these conversations I started to wonder if I didn't have a bit of the anarchist in me as well. But I think any sentient being would have a healthy dose of outrage at our times.
Keep posted on The Fish's Ontario Journey this June. On the 11th, we'll be in Ottawa, at Collected Works between 7:30-9:00. Also, we have a confirmation for EVAC (East Village Arts Collective) in London on Saturday, June 20th. Thanks everyone for all the interest and support. Hope to see you along the way! d n

Launch Pics and Songs!

2010-03-16T14:33:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all who could make it to the launch; it was a success in almost every conceivable way! Lots of great people came out, the readings went smoothly, the wine flowed for all, Erin Lang and the Foundlings added just the right ambiance to the evening, and I even pulled off the songs I wrote for the book! I'd like to thank Drawn and Quarterly for hosting, Erin Lang and the Foundlings for offering their time and talents, and Ryan Thompson and Harley (Anteism) for making the book possible to begin with. This was an auspicious beginning to the journey of The Fish! Enjoy the pictures and video. More to come concerning an Ontario book tour this summer...

Countdown to Launch Date!

2010-03-10T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone. Feeling a bit under the weather today, but I thought I'd add a post to let you know that Anteism has posted the first chapter of the book on their website, for your reading/viewing pleasure. If you are curious as to how the book will look, you can virtually flip through the pages and check it out! Please do, and post some comments to let me know what you think. (http://anteism.com/home/2010/03/05/the-fish-by-dean-garlick-free-chapter/)
I must say I'm excited about this coming Monday. I got together with Erin Lang last weekend, and we worked out the songs for ukulele. She's a great musician, and was able to play them after me singing them only a couple times! The posters are up around town, and I've been getting lots of encouragement from friends and co-workers alike. All in all, it should be a hell of an evening, and I hope to see you there!

Illustration #4

2010-02-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

Good day fellow inhabitants of The Fish. I hope your sub-oceanic voyage has brought you to a keener appreciation of the world above! I know I will never take the sky for granted again.
Included in this entry is Erik Volet's illustration of Edward Heatherton III, another of the fish's residents; you've probably seen him at the local pub, The Bogwater. Edward, a British industrialist, entered the fish in 1915 during the sinking of the Lusitania off the coast of Ireland. He's the first person Patrick Kaye meets upon his own ingestion into the fish, and becomes an important friend and guide. Living in the fish requires the ability to entertain oneself, and Edward is no exception; besides crafting meticulous ships in bottles and amassing a library of obscure and rare titles, he searches the pile for bottles of port for his coveted collection. He sees no point in returning to the world above, as his dear wife perished in the sinking, and he has quite enough to do to keep himself busy in the fish, thank-you very much.
As mentioned below, the launch date is set for March 15th, at the Drawn and Quarterly on Bernard. The evening will run from 7:00 to 10:00, and will include the musical talents of Erin Lang and the Foundlings. I hope you can make it if you happen to be in town! In the next week or two, I will include the first chapter of the book on the blog for your reading enjoyment, and perhaps a few more illustrations. Until then, happy travels...

Launch Date is Set!

2010-02-15T15:43:00.000-08:00

The launch date is set for March 15th, 2010 at the Drawn and Quarterly, 211 Bernard St, Montreal. Come and enjoy wine, readings, and the musical musings of Erin Lang and the Foundlings, along with myself crooning a few tunes I wrote for the book. (Keep your expectations low, please!) Included above is a picture of the screen print Anteism will generously include with the initial run, signed by Erik Volet. I hope one and all can come out and help celebrate the publication of my first novel; it should be a memorable evening!

Illustration #3

2010-02-10T17:51:00.000-08:00

This is an illustration of Tommy Ho; he's a Chinese American stock market savant with an unfortunate affinity for a certain white powder. Since his arrival in the fish in the late 90s, he's developed a complex computer software system which allows him to profit from the fish's temporal displacement from the real world. As well, he has an extensive surveillance system set up to keep an eye on the other residents, mainly for entertainment purposes. He spends a lot of his time in the pile, (one of the three geographical zones of the fish), searching for computer components and conspicuous packages. As the story progresses, he becomes a close friend to Patrick Kaye, and a significant character. Thanks to Erik Volet once again for the great illustrations. I attempted to include the text with the character description, but Blogger wouldn't allow me for coding reasons.
Still no word from Drawn and Quarterly on a launch date, but I will keep you posted...

Illustration #2

2010-02-03T17:23:00.001-08:00

This illustration is of Althaia as she attempts to capture the Dodo that inhabits the fish. Unfortunately, as we all know, it doesn't end well for the Dodo. I think Erik did an amazing job of providing a parallel narrative to the story, one which doesn't necessarily always correspond directly, but which expresses the dreamlike quality perfectly. Thank-you, Erik. Stay tuned for info. on the launch. Press releases come out this week, and we're waiting to hear back from Drawn and Quarterly on a date some time in March. As well, I've been in touch with Erin Lang, and possibly Elfin Saddle as musical guests!

Illustration #1

2010-01-26T17:05:00.000-08:00

One of my favourite illustrations of Erik's; this is Patrick Kaye playing the oud. I think it fits the whimsical tone of the writing perfectly. Anteism will include a silkscreen print of this with the book in the initial print run (thank-you Ryan!).

Cover Image

2010-01-19T14:07:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak preview of the cover for the book. French flaps allow the image of the fish to wrap around its entire length. I will post more of Erik Volet's Illustrations in the coming weeks running up to the launch. Enjoy!

The Fish

2009-12-27T17:52:00.000-08:00

The Fish—a novel by Dean Garlick, illustrated by Erik Volet—will be released by Anteism Publishing in spring of 2010. We will establish a launch date as soon as press releases have been sent out, and a site has been established for the event. Please stay posted for further information!