Lies
A Hyperfiction Story by Rick Pryll

The Book of Waste
Short experimental fiction imposed against a series of anonymous objects, buildings and animated landscapes. Wasted tales with full motion video backgrounds.

Six Sex Scenes
Adrienne Eisen's Six Sex Scenes is a wonderful piece of hypertext fiction that relies on the imagery of the writing, rather than awe-inspiring graphics or sound effects, to entice the audience. Six Sex Scenes presents a collection of memories of a young woman from her childhood to the present, in a series of short stories. As the title suggests, many of the stories concern sexual matters.

The author has used a simple design for the hypertext that suits the narrative style well, while also pointing to underlying narrative ironies. The pale pink background and hot pink headings are indicative of girlishness and innocence, while the font style of the headings is jagged and wild. This emphasizes the contrast between innocence and wild sexuality that is evident in the stories. The colour pink also makes it clear to readers from the first page that the stories are from a female perspective.

The layout/format of the hypertext itself also compliments the writing style. Rather than taking attention away from the textual strengths of the writing, the simple background and font allows readers to concentrate on the text and be swept away by the stories. This work is thus designed for an audience that is interested in reading a beautifully written piece, rather than becoming enthralled in an array of eye-grabbing graphics and amazing special effects.

Blindspot
Darcey Steinke's Blindspot takes you inside Emma's consciousness for one evening. She's home with the baby, while her husband, David, is out. She goes through the therapeutic rituals of feeding, bathing, and putting the baby to bed, while her mind ricochets, haunting her with painful memories and projected fears. Men and relationships figure prominently into the equation. The baby's world sucks you in, too -- it's fascinating in itself, but especially as it is circumscribed by adult perceptions. The interface plays right into Steinke's narrative. Various text formats, images and sounds combine to create a dynamic structure. The project is technically straightforward and easy to navigate, with each shift and digression enriching the whole. Underneath the exquisite language and form, however, Blindspot insinuates itself into your psyche. Try being Emma for a while. It's a little scary; it feels very real. Is it motherhood that's bringing out all this vulnerability and suspicion? The distorted peephole view is as objective as it ever gets.

The Eastgate Reading Room

Electronic Literature Collection - Volume I (October 2006)

Links to the Electronic Literature Organization--Hypertext Library