 | |
| Author | Daryl Gregory |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subjects | Psychic Powers |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Knopf |
Publication date | 2017 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback) |
| Pages | 416 |
| ISBN | 978-1-524-73182-3 |
Spoonbenders is a fantasy novel by American writer Daryl Gregory, published in 2017 by Knopf. It follows the rise and fall of the Telemachus family as its members, each with his or her own unique telekinetic or clairvoyant ability, navigate lives filled with frustrations, hilarity and intrigue.
Spoonbenders is Daryl Gregory's seventh novel [1] and was inspired by Uri Geller and others who, in the 1970s, appeared on popular television shows claiming to have psychic powers. The title of the book comes from Geller's stage trick of bending spoons. [2] Gregory, who grew up in Chicago, Illinois and now lives in Oakland, California, wanted to write a book that was neither science fiction or fantasy like his previous books. [3] To research the book, Gregory participated in a spoon bending seminar in Los Angeles, California. He attributed the bending more to strength than psychic ability. [3] "It just struck me that it's the saddest of the psychic powers. Does anyone really need bent cutlery? There's something about the small scale of it. They're not changing the world. They're just bending spoons." [3] Still, he told a reporter of Californian newspaper The Mercury News of his writing process, "I'm never really happy until something weird intrudes". [3] Gregory, describes himself as "really boring and a skeptic about this stuff". [3] He reminds readers at the end of Spoonbenders that "None of it's real, folks." [4]
Spoonbenders follows the lives of a "somewhat dysfunctional and often hilarious" Telemachus family. [2] The main characters include: Teddy Telemachus, the patriarch (a con man); Maureen, his wife (a powerful psychic); their three children Irene (a human lie detector), Frankie (a telekinetic), and Buddy (a person who can foretell the future); and Matty, Irene's son who can travel outside his body when sexually aroused by thoughts of his cousin Mary Alice (nicknamed Malice). [3] [5] [4]
The story line of Spoonbenders moves back and forth between the 1960s, when Teddy and Maureen meet in a classified ESP study, [6] and the 1990s, when their three children are coping with life and the death of their mother. In the early days, the Telemachus family toured as a group showing off their superpowers. This early success is thwarted when they participate on a television show and are debunked, James Randi style, and discredited. [2] As adult children, Irene, Frankie, and Buddy are struggling to cope. Irene's lie detecting abilities have ruined her relationships, Frankie's telekinesis, rather than help him, has gotten him in trouble with the mob with a get rich scheme, and Buddy's "memory of the future" has left him verbally paralyzed (he does not want to upset the future) and digging holes in his father's backyard. Irene's 14-year-old son, Matty, too, develops out-of-body experiences while spying on his step-cousin, Mary Alice, and masturbating. [7] Along with threats from the mob, the family is being investigated by a government agent who had worked with Maureen years earlier. [2] [5] [8] [4]
The novel was nominated for the 2018 Nebula award. [9]
Spoonbenders has received positive reviews from critics who describe it as an unexpectedly funny, charming, touching, and "fascinating glimpse" into the lives of people who believe they have psychic powers: [1] [3] [5] a magical magic trick of sorts. [5] [4]
Gary K. Wolfe, of the Chicago Tribune , wrote: "Gregory makes excellent use of the comic potential of hapless superpowers and sets up some intriguing mysteries, but mostly the novel is a celebration of family love and self-protection." [2]
The New York Times reviewer, Manual Gonzales, while favorable to the book overall, found the story lacking in a few places when Gregory "sped through moments that should linger" and "left loose ends untied". He noted that Maureen McKinnon's storyline could have been developed further. While Amal El-Mohtar of NPR found Matty's behavior toward his step-cousin "sleazy and not endearing", [7] Gonzales mentioned that Mary Alice (Malice), "spends most of the novel gothy and removed" and then shows up in the final act of the book sympathetic, forgiving, and willing to "help Matty project". [4]
As of September 2019 [update] , You're the Worst showrunner Stephen Falk has been developing a pilot development for Showtime. [10]
James Randi was a Canadian-American stage magician, author, and scientific skeptic who extensively challenged paranormal and pseudoscientific claims. He was the co-founder of the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), and founder of the James Randi Educational Foundation (JREF). Randi began his career as a magician under the stage name The Amazing Randi and later chose to devote most of his time to investigating paranormal, occult, and supernatural claims. Randi retired from practicing magic at age 60, and from his foundation at 87.
Uri Geller is an Israeli-British illusionist, magician, television personality, and self-proclaimed psychic. He is known for his trademark television performances of spoon bending and other illusions. Geller uses conjuring tricks to simulate the effects of psychokinesis and telepathy. Geller's career as an entertainer has spanned more than four decades, with television shows and appearances in many countries. Magicians have called Geller a fraud because of his claims of possessing psychic powers.
Edgar Lee Masters was an American attorney, poet, biographer, and dramatist. He is the author of Spoon River Anthology, The New Star Chamber and Other Essays, Songs and Satires, The Great Valley, The Serpent in the Wilderness, An Obscure Tale, The Spleen, Mark Twain: A Portrait, Lincoln: The Man, and Illinois Poems. In all, Masters published twelve plays, twenty-one books of poetry, six novels and six biographies, including those of Abraham Lincoln, Mark Twain, Vachel Lindsay, and Walt Whitman.
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Spoon bending is the deformation of objects, especially metal cutlery, purportedly by paranormal means. It is a common theme for magic tricks, which use a variety of methods to produce the effect. Performers commonly use misdirection to draw their audience's attention away while the spoon is manually bent. Another method uses a metal spoon that has been prepared by repeatedly bending the spoon back and forth, weakening the material. Applying light pressure will then cause it to bend or break.
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The Truth About Uri Geller, originally published as The Magic of Uri Geller in 1975, is a 1982 book by magician and skeptic James Randi about alleged psychic Uri Geller.
"Secrets of the Psychics" is a 1993 episode of the PBS series NOVA, presented by retired illusionist and paranormal investigator James Randi. Also appearing in stock footage are Peter Popoff, Uri Geller, and many others. It contains historical footage of Randi's 25 years of testing claims of supernatural powers, as well as more current footage of his trip to Russia to investigate the people making paranormal claims there. Belief in the paranormal has thrived in Russia since the dissolution of the USSR.
Escape to Witch Mountain is a 1975 American fantasy science-fiction film, based on Alexander H. Key's 1968 novel of the same name and directed by John Hough. It was released on March 21, 1975 by Walt Disney Productions and Buena Vista Distribution Company. It is the first film of the Witch Mountain series.
Banachek is an English mentalist, magician, and "thought reader".
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Guy Bavli is an Israeli mentalist, illusionist, actor and lecturer. He is known for being the first Israeli citizen to win an international magic competition in the United States. He owns the entertainment company "Master of the Mind", based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Alain Nu is an American mentalist, illusionist, television personality, author, and speaker. He is known for stage tricks which appear to be demonstrations of ESP, mind reading, telekinesis, metal bending, and illusions. Nu's career as an entertainer has spanned more than three decades, with performances and appearances in many countries. Nu's trademarked brand is "The Man Who Knows."
Ella, or Ella: A Psychic Thriller, is a science fiction novel by Israeli illusionist and self-proclaimed psychic Uri Geller, first published in 1998. The novel tells the story of Ella Wallis, an abused 14-year-old girl living in Bristol, England, who develops telekinesis, levitation, and other psychic powers and achieves fame while at the midst of a power struggle between adults who want to control her.
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The City Beautiful is a young adult, historical fantasy novel by Aden Polydoros, about a gay Jewish teenager in 19th century Chicago who is possessed by a dybbuk seeking revenge for its murder. The novel won the Sydney Taylor Book Award, and was nominated for the National Jewish Book Award, the Lambda Literary Award, and the World Fantasy Award.