I've never read any Darger and Surplus stories before this. It's a great introduction to the series and characters. The stories fun, quick reads. I really enjoyed reading this - highly recommended!

The stories of Darger and Surplus have always been favorites and I really enjoyed getting to read them all in order. I even found a couple I hadn't read before which was a treat. A must read for SF fans who have encountered the pair in various magazines and anthologies over the years

The Postutopian Adventures of Darger and Surplus is a collection of shorter fiction by Michael Swanwick. Released 30th April 2020 by Subterranean Press, it's 200 pages and available in limited edition (signed and numbered) hardcover, and ebook formats.

I've always had a particular fondness for collections/anthologies because short fiction is spare and technically challenging, so you get a better feel for an author's expertise with the form. Short fiction is less of a time commitment as well, so if one story is not working for you, there's another piece readily available in a few pages. This one is a sort of Fafhrd/Mouser homage (with a con man whose sidekick is an anthropomorphic canine - living and carrying out their confidence tricks in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world). There are 9 stories in all (5 novellas and 4 vignettes). All of them have a line from Mother Goose as titles, lending the whole an offbeat whimsical appeal.

The stories themselves are well written, but caveat emptor: the author never met a cheap pun or double entendre he didn't take home and write down. If sophomoric jokes make you groan and roll your eyes in irritation, this one probably won't be a good fit. On the other hand, the author's Hugo winning entry is reprinted here (The Dog Said Bow-Wow). Mr. Swanwick knows his way around narrative fiction. They're clever and funny and sometimes touching. I will admit that they're not everyone's cup of tea, but they were a definite treat to read. The book includes a lot of inside info and background provided by the author which is nearly always one of my favorite parts to read. Neil Gaiman is another author who provides really good information about characters' genesis and his story ideas, Ray Bradbury did, Asimov often did, and this author does as well.

Well written and diverting, this is one for speculative fiction fans. It'll sit very well with the steampunk and adventure folks.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

<I>Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

When I joined NetGalley about a month ago I went through hundreds of books on the site looking for things I wanted to read and of the 50 or so titles that I've requested this was the one I was the second most excited for. I had read one of the stories in the collection a few years ago and enjoyed it well enough, and Swanwick's <I>Stations of the Tide</I> is one of my top ten favorite SF novels of all time. Saying all that, I think you can imagine my disappointment that I am now sitting down to write this two star review.

Usually when I read an anthology I like to rate and review each individual story. I have chosen not to do that here as each review would be much the same since each story had the same problems.

"The Dog Said Bow-Wow" is by far the worst of the bunch, which is deeply unfortunate given that it is the first story in the collection. The time frame jumps wildly throughout the story, utterly ruining the pacing of the narrative and making it very difficult to know how much time has passed. The story read like the characters were there for no more than two days, but some of the random lines made it seem that it was closer to two weeks. These jumps lead into the second problem that the characters, in their introductory story, have zero development personally or with each other, but you're supposed to believe that they are already life long loyal crime partners. Last, some of the writing is excellent, but it is more often nonsensical, sloppy, and utterly juvenile.

These problems are in every single one of the stories, although I will say that the pacing issue does get progressively better with each story (which are here in publication order), but even the best story is only three stars. My biggest continual problem was that in every story there is an "impossibly beautifully woman" who, of course, throws herself at Darger or Surplus - or both - pretty much the second they meet. The peak of the "utterly juvenile" writing has to be when Swanwick actually writes the sentence "They began, of course, by doing it doggy-style."

Surplus is an anthropomorphized dog and this is the best Swanwick can do with that idea? Every story has some inane, crude sexual comment like this in it, usually more than once.

I was also deeply annoyed that Swanwick kept using Dionysus and Pan as two interchangeable names for the same god in "Girls and Boys, Come Out to Play." It is either a mistake that should have been caught in editing or intentional for no reason given in the story, which makes it appear as sloppy writing to any reader who knows even a little bit about Greek mythology.

I give this collection two stars because, as I said, some of the writing is good and the base ideas for each story are intriguing. However, the execution of every one of those ideas is "okay" at their absolute best. I would not recommend this book, but, given that I have really enjoyed Swanwick before, I do still plan on reading at least one of the novel length Darger and Surplus stories.

Enter the delightful world of the scoundrels Darger and Surplus. Contained in this slim but amazing volume is the collection of the short fiction featuring these tricksters .... all either award winners or nominees. The setting is post utopian future in which mankind has quashed a rebellion of it's artificial intelligence creations , with the serious consequences of loosing almost all electronic and mechanical technology. The engaging duo of trickers meet in a near future London and are instant friends. Aubrey Darger, a self acknowledged grifter, appears to be a rather nondescript, almost invisible, English gentleman while his soon to be partner is an American anthropomorphic dog ... a rather engaging person, especially endearing to women, and bit of a dandy. This scoundrel is referred to as "Surplus" ... but is full title is: Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux. We follow these partners in crime as they journey across the world, with their ultimate destination being Moscow. ( Swanwick has devoted an entire novel to their exploits in Moscow).
These confidence artists are out for the Big Score ... that will make them rich beyond anyone's dreams. Their scams never seem to fully materialize and we find them leaving down quickly to avoid the consequences of their schemes ... usually unintentionally unearthing dangerous revenants of the past age.and leaving others to deal with their mischief. They travel the world without any consideration to the morality of their actions and reeked consequences . Nonetheless, it's impossible not to enjoy their developing personalities and exploits.
Thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press (@SubPress) for supplying an electronic proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review. Excuse me ... while I go download Swanwick's two novels from this delightful universe. ( at. readersremains.com )

So since my last read left rather a bad taste in my mouth, I wanted something fun for a palate cleanser. A book featuring a series of vignettes about a pair of charming con artists, one of whom happens to be a genetically engineered anthropomorphic dog, seemed to be just about the perfect speed. And that’s more or less exactly what it was.

This book is set in the future, after civilization run by AIs collapsed when the AIs turned on humanity. For reference, there’s mention of the Eiffel Tower being built “in the early Utopian period.” There’s plenty of technology still around, if of a different sort than we’re used to, and a distinctly Steampunk feel to it.

Aubrey Darger and Sir Blackthorpe Ravenscairn de Plus Precieux (“Call me Sir Plus”... get it?) are a pair of friends making their way in the post-Utopian world, charming lovely women and greedy marks with equal enthusiasm. There are two novels that Swanwick has written starring the duo, which I’ve added to my list for when I need something fun in the future. There’s also places to read short stories - I had the nagging sense that I’d encountered the characters before while reading this, and it wasn’t until I came to a story set in New Orleans that I recognized as something I’d read out of the *Rogues* anthology. Further research also indicated that one of the stories is actually a Hugo winner, so it's got that going for it too.

The stories themselves are quick and fun. The obvious comparison whenever a con-artist duo comes up in fantasy is Locke & Jean, of course, but it’s not really a good comparison here. This isn’t about Darger and Surplus showing off their wit and cleverness - many of their schemes are fairly simple, and most of them are classic cons (the badger game, the black money game, etc). It’s not about the game - it’s about the entertaining duo at the heart of it. They might come off ahead in their game, or the cons might get conned themselves, but either way they roll with it and head on to their next destination (occasionally in a bit of a hurry).

My only real complaint is that both Surplus and Darger have a fair degree of success with the ladies, and as mentioned, Surplus is an anthropomorphic dog. There’s nothing like an explicit sex scene, but even the fairly general references to it leave me with a distinct, ahem, *furry* vibe. If that’s your thing, more power to you, but it isn’t mine. There’s also an anthropomorphic cat in one story, with similar undertones when she and Darger get involved. But that’s a minor complaint in an otherwise fun little book.

The Postutopian Adventures of Darger and Surplus by Michael Swanwick- The unusual tales of two con men(well one of them is a dog!) living in a world where the internet is full of demons and banned, civilization has stepped back to an era much like the late eighteen-hundreds, and strange creatures abound! Darger is an Englishman with roving eyes and knowing ways, while Surplus(Sir Plus, actually) is a reformed dog, who stands upright, always wears fine clothes, and can usually be found with a beautiful woman. This collection of adventures is whimsical and fun to read. It starts of with The Dog Said Bow-Wow, a Hugo winner, and continues with The Little Cat Laughed To See Such Sport, and Girls and Boys, Come Out To Play, Tawny Petticoats, and finally There Was an Old Woman. If you haven't read any Darger and Surplus stories, this is an excellent chance to get acquainted with these Postutopian rogues.