Reviewed by: Kris

Written By: Matthew Good

Titled: At Last There Is Nothing Left To Say

This is the landscape of At Last There Is Nothing Left To Say, Matthew Good's debut book of stories. Taking the form of an artist's journal, Good's tales grind through dark, often violent places animated by voices warped by hallucination and flesh chafed by reality. From the ramblings of an opium-riddled adventurer to treatises on life from a mind rattled by the world; from the tragic end of a teen queen to a day in the life of a rock star; from the execution of the Self by the Other to the pull between rules and freedom, this is a landscape located halfway between imagination and reality, a world that rocks between imagination and reality, a world that rocks between sleep and wakefulness, sanity and insanity, sobriety and inebriation.

Where to start, where to start. This is an interesting read I can tell you that much. This is just a collection of Matthew Good’s manifestos put into one volume. The manifestos were a monthly occurrence and originally appeared on the Matthew Good Band website between October 1997 and late 2000. I had never heard of MG back then, and I wish I would have because then I could have seen the manifestos in their original form.

This is probably the most interesting and bizarre collection of short stories I have ever read, and I have read many, many things. Drugs, sex, and death are just a few of the common themes of the stories. There are little sidebar stories in the margins, which are usually great little comments on different things. A lot of the time I had no idea what the heck Matt was talking about in the stories, but I just let it flow.

A few of my favorite stories in this book are: The Magic Goats of Presto Island, Should’ve Been A Super Villain, Porno Safari, Television, and The Ditches On A Long Road Home. Granted, these are some of the stranger stories in the collection, but that makes the great. I actually have another favorite story but the title is way too long, so I won’t tell you what that one is. Those stories that I named above are also the stories most people say they enjoy as well, so I’m not the only crazy person in the world.

This is a book made for people who like to read things that appear schizophrenic. This book jumps around from theme to theme, but it is something that you should give a try if it sounds interesting. It’s funny and weird and enjoyable. If you’re like me, then you will enjoy it. A must for any MG fan.