By turns absurd and surreal, dark and challenging, Pseudo-City exposes what waits in the bathroom stall, under the manhole cover and in the corporate boardroom, all in a way that can only be described as mind-bogglingly irreal.

What People Are Saying About Pseudo-City:

“Think Terry Pratchett for the de Sade set, Douglas Adams with a hairball of Krafft-Ebing, or William Gibson bent over and buggered by Sergeant Bertrand. This is postmodern science fiction that takes more from William Burroughs than it gives away in free moustaches. Speculative fiction with a speculum for a bookmark…Not since Mark Leyner has there been such an able fusion of fantasy and satire.”
—The Absinthe Literary Review

“ Wilson’s stories defy understanding, deny the validity of the reader’s attempts at it…sometimes shocking and violent, sometimes laugh-out-loud funny.”
—Kaleidotrope

"Pseudo-City is surreal, bizarre, funny, violent, at times scary, and best of all, very well written. Take one part Eraserhead, one part Brazil, a quarter Class of 1984, a dash of Liquid Sky and melt a few pages from the best of Burroughs and Leyner, and perhaps you'd be able to picture what's in store here. If you're looking for something unique, look no further."
—The Horror Fiction Review

"This book is not fantasy, horror or science fiction; it is, however, consistent with mental illness…Whether imaginary or personal commentary, Pseudo-City is disturbing."
—The Illuminata

"He's been around the block, his mental tapestry, body of work, and literary skill makes him a visionary, and readers who enjoy a good fix of great entertainment beyond conventional storytelling are in for a treat that doesn't bombard your head with laundered story formulations and the same-old-same-old. D. Harlan Wilson, you've won yet another fan!"
—Downwarden

"In all, though, it's a wonderful escape from reality as you know it. Reading Pseudo-City was like a breath of fresh air…A sense of fun, wit, humour and an extraordinary imagination, Pseudo-City is something that needs to be read to believe in."
—Hentracks

"Pseudo-City is a wonderful ride on the wild side, filled with biting political, social and religious commentary. It touches on the insanity of urban life in general and of the individual in particular, and does so in an often disturbing or silly way that keeps the reader coming back for more. Each tale is a gem worth savoring."
—SFReader

"Orwellian at times, Barrett-esque at others, Pseudo-City is provocative, hilarious, infuriating, debilitating, ahead of its time—a grand work that pushes the boundaries of fiction, irreal or otherwise."
—Vertigo Alley

"Pseudo-City is silly, bizarre, and completely over the top. Much of the book takes a slice of our own world, distorts it almost beyond recognition, and then creates a clever sarcastic spin on the story by having some extremely wacky characters play out the situation. No issue is taboo in this book. Topics about career, education, government, legal matters, love, sex, and death are all mutilated, turned upside down, and made into extremely ridiculous stories reflecting the distinctive and very creative oddness of this town. This book reads like a deeply sarcastic stand up comedy act."
—Blether

"Pseudo-City is a book for people who enjoy dreaming, whether they dream darkly lit nightmares or fractured surreal romps that they struggle to remember upon waking. It is a book for those who are acutely aware of the absurd and find a perverse consolation in its existence."
—J.L. Navarro

"Only D. Harlan Wilson could make a stick figure more entertaining than most human beings. I haven't read a Wilson story I didn't go bug-eyes over—Wilson delivers the surreal like no other writer working today, and his latest book is the master surrealist at his best. Pseudo-City is an ingenious subversion—the sort of book that has the power to change your entire perception of the everyday world. You'll be laughing when you read it -- but the sort of laughter that gets you wondering if you've just tipped over into madness. But you won't care because it feels so damned good. Enjoy the vertigo, folks!"
—Michael Arnzen, author of Freakcidents and Play Dead

"These intermeshed parables of madness and disjunction are funny the way that fever-dream of the naked fetuses squirming silently on a sidewalk you had last night is funny…when you think back on it sometime around noon today. At the brain stem of this impressive, relentless, heterologic schizopolis crouches a reptilian complex that would make Kafka, Burroughs, Bataille, and Leyner grin in recognition and admiration."
—Lance Olsen, author of Hideous Beauties

Portrait of D. Harlan Wilson by Simon Duric

About the Cover Artist

The devil is in the details, and Brandon Duncan is not afraid of the devil. From the first time he picked up a crayon and drew a shark attacking a helpless recreational swimmer, Duncan knew what he wanted to do with his life. Over time his focus has shifted into many different genres, but his overall drive to create something new has stayed the same.

Currently studying Graphic Design at Fort Hays State University, he finds pleasure working in a rural location that most people are so anxious to escape. To him, it's the little things that count the most. His ultimate goal with his design is to combat everything he is against with strong conceptual substance and visual impact. If he can reach one person and make them take action, think twice or simply crack a smile, then he has done his part for the betterment of society.

To see what Brandon Duncan is up to these days, check out his website at corporatedemon.com