Title: God Clown
Author: Carol Emshwiller
In: The Coyote Road (Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Comedy, Tricksters
Dates read: 24th September 2019
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Firebird Fantasy
Year: 2007
5th sentence, 74th page: I treat myself to more of his lemonade.
You would think that God is a trickster and maybe a bit of a clown… and, if this short story is anything to go by… you’d be right.
I’ve sometimes wondered if the world is run by clowns. Or something similar. After all, nothing really makes sense, everything is random, and whoever in charge probably has a sick sense of humour. Very sick. Sadistic even. Which is why I like the idea of a story which is based on the idea of a God Clown.
The idea of a clown running the world is kind of scary. But it’s also kind of fun. I’m pretty sure that the clown I’m imagining is the same as the one in IT because that’s where my brain tends to go… but that also somehow works into the entire ideal perfectly. If not in a way that made me want to stay up all night watching Disney movies…
One image that strongly sticks with me after turning the last page of this story was the image of the God Clown on the side of a mountain. That he is eventually replaced. And every decision made is about balance and future wellbeing. It’s not vicious and its not kind. But, rather, everything has to be in perfect balance to keep the world turning…
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