I guess this may be the strangest entry of Free Fiction Friday to date because neither of the offerings are fiction (in fact, one has nothing to do with reading at all).  I think the pairing of suggestions complement each other in such an obvious and profound way that I couldn’t help but share them with you.  On one hand we have a man (or a God or Satan, depends on who you ask) who seems to be in the “Autumn” of his life as he grapples with his own mortality in a very real and genuine way.  Conversely, we have a 16 year old who is just discovering love and angst and is turning that into some amazing music.  Together these two pieces can be strung together to illustrate the sheer beauty of possibilities that life has to offer.  I don’t want to get too dramatic, so I’ll stop now and present to you this week’s installment of Free Fiction Friday.

First off we have a piece by Brian Keene.  This is a throwback to an old blog that Brian used to keep called Hail Saten.  Hail Saten was an amazing place to read about the inner working of the industry and Brian masterfully scoured his foes and celebrated his comrades.  It was written with a take-no-prisoners attitude that few could ever hope to pull off.  Today, Brian is posting a piece that is very similar in style to the Hail Saten stuff.  It is very personal but even non-Keene fans will appreciate the heart and soul found in every word.  Take a moment to check it out.

Read Brian Keene’s “The Apathy of Autumn” here

Now for something a little more unorthodox – I stumbled upon a musician who goes by the name of Zoo Kid.  Zoo Kid is a 17 year old from London who is making some of the most interesting music I’ve heard in a long time.  He combines some the lo-fi sounds, blips and glitches commonly associated with New Wave to create one of the most unique sounds I’ve heard in a while.  Now, I’m sure you’re asking why I would even bring this up in a literature review site, right? Well, Zoo Kid’s lyrics and music lend themselves very well to reading.  In fact, the last two books that I’ve read have had Zoo Kid as their soundtrack.  I encourage all of you to take a listen and hear for yourself.

It still blows my mind that this EP was released when he was only 16!

Check out zookid.bandcamp.com for more.