This novel is a satirical indictment of everything that is wrong with Hollywood.
Filip, young, gay and newly unattached, comes to Hollywood to be "a stThis novel is a satirical indictment of everything that is wrong with Hollywood.
Filip, young, gay and newly unattached, comes to Hollywood to be "a stylist to the stars." At first he thinks he may actually achieve his dream job. But he soon finds out the wisdom of the old saying: Be careful what you wish for.
Aging starlets are all dazzling smiles when the camera is turned their way. When it isn't, they live in careless squalour and indulge in fad diets. The sycophants who surround them will do anything--and I do mean anything--to get a piece of the pie, or perhaps I should say cash cow. There is a thriving gay culture, in which one would think Filip could find his place. But Hollywood gays are just as venal and vindictive as everyone else, as we see especially in the case of Derek and Hillary. The callous rich ignore or rebuff the more genuine poor. Even the tradespeople are crooked, seizing opportunities to take advantage and exacting revenge when they cannot.
Robert and Ján Bryndza have a sharp eye for detail and a sharp ear for dialogue. The evening at the Oscars is a devastingly hilarious example. But although this is a comedy about the sins of the shallow, the protagonist is likeable, and saves the novel from being as heartless as the milieu it satirizes. ...more
Although the humour about the Kennedy assassination is probably akin to jokes about Lincoln having a bad time at the theater, Raffin's political satirAlthough the humour about the Kennedy assassination is probably akin to jokes about Lincoln having a bad time at the theater, Raffin's political satire is mind-blowing. If I could rate the selections separately, "More Than One Day in the Life of Igor Igoravitch," originally from the book Rhyme or Treason, would get 4.5 stars out of 5. Some of the other selections did not amuse me as much and dimmed the brilliance of the sampler as a whole. However, it was free and I appreciated the opportunity to read it. ...more
Review copy kindly provided by editor and GR friend Arthur Graham.
Martin Gibbs' first story Voltaire's Adventures Before Candide, is loads of fun. ItReview copy kindly provided by editor and GR friend Arthur Graham.
Martin Gibbs' first story Voltaire's Adventures Before Candide, is loads of fun. It's a string of wacky adventures loaded with hilarious twists and turns and loops, like an intergalactic roller-coaster ride. You get off, and you say breathlessly: "Wowwee! That was fun! I want to go again! Can I, Mom, can I pleeeeeeeeease?"
This revised and expanded version allows you that second ride.
The new Adventures Before Candide has kept a lot of that whimsical, unpredictable quality of its earlier manifestation. But I found it also more engaging because there's more structure to it. Voltaire and some of the supporting cast are better developed. "Our heroic philosopher" actually has something to do besides evading space psychiatrists with devious intentions and a plot against the er, plutocracy.
Voltaire's freaky space-brides become more interesting, and have bigger roles. Several of Charlotte Brontë's more memorable characters are pulled off the Victorian bookshelf for an airing--or is that an eyring?
Here's a list of some of the things you will find:
Pop culture send-ups? Check.
A certain aura of verisimilitude? Well sort of. Okay, we'll give Gibbs that one. Check.
Literary resonances? Check.
Historical figures? Check.
Kick-ass hero? Check.
Sassy heroines? Well, that depends how you define heroines, but, Check.
Reluctant oddball sidekick? Check.
Heroic feats? See comment above for Sassy heroines. Check.
Silly puns? Why else do you think I read this thing? Check.
Violence? You betcha. Look at the cover. He's got a cleaver! Check.
Autographed review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Aberjhani.
This is Aberjhani's most recent volume of poetry. The poet explains how thAutographed review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Aberjhani.
This is Aberjhani's most recent volume of poetry. The poet explains how the present volume grew out of earlier works, and how the individual pieces were written as if by heavenly inspiration and sometimes by a sort of angelic possession. Thus, the theme which links the material is that of angels.
As I have read his first published work, I Made My Boy Out of Poetry, it may be helpful for me to compare and contrast the two books. They are both intense and packed with meaning. There is still a sense of being mystically connected to nature. The spirituality is still rooted in body, time, place and family, but manages to transcend them.
What I particularly noticed was the commentary on historical events, such as 9/11. There were also tributes to figures in American life past and present, figures as diverse as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Michael Jackson. There is also respectful and loving hommage to fellow poets and family members, such as his father and grandmother; in an age where the young increasingly take the older generations for granted, this is refreshing.
But there are also some differences between Aberjhani's two collections. Whereas the first volume contained a mixture of poetry and fiction, the last one is all verse; many of the poems are haikus. In the earlier book, his vision is expressed in a very raw, powerful way; one has the sense that he will do what is necessary to attract attention to his ideas, even if it involves shocking the reader. In the present book, there is still a sense of mission and urgency; inspired by angels (and let us remember that the word "angel" means "messenger"), Aberjhani still has a message to convey. That being said, the poetry has a more polished and mature feel to it.
Because this was a promotional copy, the print was quite small and squeezed into the centre of the pages. This was a little hard on my middle-aged vision. Thankfully however, readers who obtain a regular copy will find the print larger and easier on the eyes. ...more
Autographed review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Aberjhani.
This little volume, Aberjhani's first, is brash, bold and daring. The struAutographed review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Aberjhani.
This little volume, Aberjhani's first, is brash, bold and daring. The structure is, for me, unusual as it offers a mixture of genres. There are several clusters of poems, each dealing with certain themes and images. These are interspersed with short stories which are strange and mystical, tending toward the bizarre and sometimes even displaying a sort of--how shall I put this?--black humour.
The first poetry cluster deals with the body and with rivers, as well as the flow of language. The second cluster looks at the poet as a black man, rooted in a geographical location (Savannah, Georgia) and in the often turbulent history of his family. The third looks at the poet as connected to his nation, but also at his ties to both Europe and Africa. The fourth cluster seems dominated by light and the fifth looks at the poet as poet.
This is not to suggest that themes and motifs are limited to one particular section. The whole book (not just the poetry) is imbued with a powerful spirituality. This is expressed through nature, through light, through the body and through human sexuality.
The short stories seem to feature solitary people who are sometimes attached to one place (the narrator of "Company for Melissa") but more often wanderers (the protagonist of "Elijah's Skin"; Thorndeaux in "Shadows and Prayers and Light") . They have odd powers, and even when their intentions are good (which is not always the case), they can be dangerous. Though some are likeable and sympathetic, others are more abrasive in their dealings with those around them. Sometimes this effect is fully intended; other times it is not.
Finally, Aberjhani is a writer who takes his inspiration from various religions, cultures and writers. For example, one can sense the influence of American poets such as Walt Whitman and Langston Hughes. There is Christian imagery, but also a taste of Persian and Arab culture. And there are probably more influences which I haven't detected. Aberjhani's vivid style makes a powerful impression. But more importantly, he writes as one who is aware of where he comes from and of his function as a writer....more
Chris Laing, a former native of Hamilton, Ontario, is a long-time fan of the mystery genre. Growing up, he listened to mystery stories on the radio. LChris Laing, a former native of Hamilton, Ontario, is a long-time fan of the mystery genre. Growing up, he listened to mystery stories on the radio. Later he read mysteries and decided one day that he could do better than some of the books he'd been reading. So he took up writing as a hobby in his retirement. And as a result, we have his first mystery novel, A Private Man.
The story is set in Hamilton in 1947. Max Dexter, a wounded veteran traumatized by his experiences during World War II, has started a detective agency in a city which is a hotspot of mob activity. When he advertises for a secretary, he gets more than he bargained for in the person of Isabel O'Brien, an intelligent, attractive young redhead who becomes his partner in crime detection.
When a likeable yet rather reclusive accountant, Jake Benson, disappears and later turns up dead, Dexter is hired to uncover the circumstances that led to his demise. Isabel refuses to be left behind, and together they unravel a complicated web of criminal activity including, albeit tangentially, the infamous Evelyn Dick case.
In an interview with Bernadette Rule on her radio show Art Waves, Laing stated about his protagonist that he is not a "hard-boiled, dyed-in-the-wool detective in the noir tradition. He is a more thoughtful kind of guy, trying to do what's right, and sometimes he succeeds. I'd like to say that he's more of a medium-boiled gumshoe and a few shades lighter than the noir stuff."
Dexter is not only decent, he is aware (at least to some degree) of the prejudices of the 1940s. In a male-dominated society that dismisses women as "dames," he regrets that the female contribution to society is not more recognized. And in an anti-Semitic society where--even after the horrors of the Holocaust--Jews are looked down on, Dexter empathizes with them to a remarkable degree. Perhaps the detective is a touch too forward-thinking or "politically correct" for the era in which the novel is set. However, Laing manages to make these attitudes of Dexter's integral to the story, so that the hero's open-mindedness works to his advantage.
What I appreciate most of all about this novel is the research Laing has put into it. He has plundered newspaper articles, consulted archives and other sources, and worked in some of his own life experiences. A Private Man reproduces the postwar era with startling accuracy, down to the minutiae of social classes, local geography, street names, restaurants and dives, architecture, slang, sports teams, radio broadcasts and current fashions, not to mention actual historical figures. It is like experiencing an old detective film, a guided tour and a history lesson all rolled into one.
Bravo, Chris Laing!
By permission of my friend Bernadette Rule, I include here the link to the Art Waves interview:
Update, Nov. 2013: This novel has been short-listed for the Kerry Schooley Book Award, along with GR author Jeffrey Luscombe's Shirts and Skins and Rachael Preston's The Fishers of Paradise....more
Review copy kindly provided by GR author and friend Steven Manchester.
This book attempts a difficult feat: to portray a man's effort to face his mortReview copy kindly provided by GR author and friend Steven Manchester.
This book attempts a difficult feat: to portray a man's effort to face his mortality and find meaning in his life. It also shows how this struggle affects the people around him.
I wasn't sure what to make of this novel. The narrator, Don DiMarco, seemed too nice. Even though he finds out at the beginning of the story that he has a terminal illness, he seems quite well adjusted and carries on having interesting experiences, with at first only small reminders of his illness. He's accompanied by Bella, who for the most part is the ideal Supportive Wife: beautiful, kind and almost psychically attuned to her husband's thoughts and emotions.
So what saves this from being an inspirational "bucket list book" or a "fuzzy feel good" novel? Well, for one, the irreverent childhood memories. There's the story of how he and his brother faced up to the neighbourhood bully; I couldn't help but think of the similar adventure of little Ralphie in A Christmas Story. Then there's the account of Don's nightmare, which conveys his terror in a very visceral way. For Don DiMarco, unlike some of the characters from, say, Jan Karon's Mitford series, is deeply flawed and has been dealt some nasty blows by life--even before he faces his illness. He doesn't see eye-to-eye with his brother, has difficulty concealing his dislike of the self-centred neighbour, and more seriously, years after the event, is still dealing with the trauma of his participation in a war.
I read one review of this book which said that part of it read like a travelogue. And some of the episodes did in fact remind me of the idealized tales written by Steve Cohen's slick narrator Danny in Travel To the G-Spot -- The Guide Book. The subtle difference was that the DiMarcos react with compassion rather than cynicism to the people they meet along the way. And there are many hints of Don's growing illness to jolt the reader out of the illusion that everyone here is too happy.
This is a positive novel, which does not shy away from the fact that life is full of fear and even tragedy. But it is how we react in the face of these difficulties that matters. A simple truth which some might call a truism. But there you have it....more
When inmate James "Spider" Littleton finds himself miraculously freed from certain death in a maximum security state prison, he soon realizes that he When inmate James "Spider" Littleton finds himself miraculously freed from certain death in a maximum security state prison, he soon realizes that he must fend for himself. Little does he know that that the nearby town of Highland Valley, in imminent danger from the same act of God (?) that enabled his escape, is not quite as easy a target as he thought it was.
This short story, which may be read as a stand-alone, is related to the author's recently published post-apocalyptic novel Collapse. Somehow, it reminded me both of Stephen King's The Stand and John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men....more
This is a collection of short stories whose protagonists are all in very odd situations.
In the first story, a woman who has recently experienced sorrThis is a collection of short stories whose protagonists are all in very odd situations.
In the first story, a woman who has recently experienced sorrow goes to visit some unusual water creatures. Along the way, she learns about life, the universe and everything. Yes, you heard me. I couldn't help but think of Douglas Adams. But there are hints of utopian as well as dystopian literature.
The second tale features a man whose methods are questionable. However, his efforts to get his priorities straight finally bear fruit.
Have you ever seen people who rubbed you the wrong way and wished you could tell them exactly what you thought of them? The third story shows that honesty is not always the best policy.
The final piece gives us an indolent woman enjoying a long siesta when things suddenly turn sinister.
These stories have a fresh, vigorous quality to them. In each story we get a different narrator with his or her own unique voice. We also see the lighter and darker sides of life, conveyed with a humour that is sometimes whimsical and sometimes sharp and sarcastic. The basic ideas may not be entirely original, but the author reworks them in very memorable ways. ...more
THE PRE-POST-REVIEW Nate Dorr's innate natural ability to review novels has emanated a novel review of a novel kind of novel... kind of... novel... HasTHE PRE-POST-REVIEW Nate Dorr's innate natural ability to review novels has emanated a novel review of a novel kind of novel... kind of... novel... Has he opened a dorr door he cannot close? Have I deconstructed the deconstructivist construction of a review before I've even read the thing? And does that make it a pre-post-review reading or a pre-post-erous review reading, or... glurg!
Oops! Sorry, that was a little belch trying to escape.
Has MJ invented Belchin' literature (as opposed to Belgian literature, which has a long and venerable history behind it already)? Or has he just pre-vented the ventilation of something worse? What could be worse than a postmodern belch, you ask? How about fart for fart's sake?
PERUSAL COMMENCES Reading has begun. A series of impressionistic impressions will probably follow. At least that's the impression I get.
Day 1: Wow, they weren't kidding. This is so indescribably indescribable.
Day 5: Okay, I get it already! MJ is basically a kind of human puppy who thinks language is some sort of chew-toy.
Day 9: The real review will be up as soon as I can finish the book. That is, if I don't lose all sense of reality. I mean, now MJ and Greg are both giving me strong hints that they are not real. Some other reviewers are casting doubts on MJ's gender identity by referring to him as a woman, Mary Jane, I suppose. And no, that's not code for marijuana, although the theory is tempting... Good grief, I'm starting to ramble.
Day 12: p. 132: A footnote so large it takes up more than half the page. If I wanted this, I would go and read one of my Arden Shakespeares. And no one outfootnotes Susanna Clarke! Do you hear me? No one!
Day 14: A blank page. At first I rejoice. (Call you Calais!) A blank page, with nothing to interpret, puzzle over or pull out what little hair I have left over. Then I think to my self, "Self, that's exactly what the Author wants you to think."
Days 16--24: hiatushiatushiatushiatuswhyhateushiatushiatushiatushiatus
NEW YEAR'S EVE 2012: THE FINAL SHOWDOWN Day 25: I've got to finish this book before it finishes me. There's not enough room in this one-horse town for the two of us.
[Cue spaghetti western soundtrack.]
THE REVIEW Pirandello and Ionesco walk into a bar. Sartre is serving drinks and some very backward authors are waiting tables. A bald soprano is singing something sultry... Wait, that's not it at all. Let's try that again.
This author and these characters are involved in a situation. We don't know what the author looks like. The characters morph and we're not always sure about basic things like identity, purpose or function. There is Metatheory galore--in fact there is Meta-Everything galore--delivered in a delightfully offbeat way. Parodies. Self-conscious self-referentiality. Extremely weird, disturbing and impossible sex. Nothing happens. 126,727,828 times.
THE POST-POST-REVIEW And now for something completely different.
[Grumble. The video, now removed, contained an excerpt of an episode of The Simpsons, in which film critic Jay Sherman bests Homer in a belching contest. But why has it been removed? Am I guilty of moral burpitude for having placed it here in the first place?]
Review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Zanesh Catkin.
Some travel to find themselves-—I was travelling to get lost. Panga seemed a perfeReview copy kindly provided by author and GR friend, Zanesh Catkin.
Some travel to find themselves-—I was travelling to get lost. Panga seemed a perfect place to start.
Thus begins what could be an idyllic travelogue, an account of travels in an exotic foreign land whose inhabitants have quaint and curious customs.
It could be--but it isn't.
American travelling correspondent Francis Germaine isn't even through customs and he's already in trouble. For an eccentric African by the name of Easter has latched on to him and won't leave him in peace. And no sooner does the customs official open his suitcase, then he realizes it isn't his. Because the suitcase under examination is filled with... well, perhaps this isn't the place to go into details. But, trust me, it's something totally outrageous. So outrageous, in fact, that I wondered what kind of book I'd gotten myself tangled up with.
Follow Francis and Easter as they go in search of answers to the questions that are plaguing them. The journalist wants his suitcase back. And the African is trying to find the burial site of his ancestor, a pirate captain... What's that you say? Well why not? It worked in Blazing Saddles! No wait, that's wrong--he was a sheriff. But there is a Douglas Fairbanks film called The Black Pirate, although it doesn't have anything to do with this story.
In a plot that vaguely resembles an Indiana Jones film--why am I constantly mentioning movies?--Francis and Easter bumble their way through Pangan society, spreading um, Pangamonium wherever they go. In their search for clues, they encounter crime lords, a lovely librarian, a mysterious map, a love-starved soldier and a village without children. Unexpectedly they discover that some people conceal within themselves the worst kind of evil while others are overflowing with the milk of human kindness.
This novel contains much that is whimsical--including the bibliography. But good satire is all about social and/or political commentary, as I'm sure you'll agree. And that's true here as well. This novel discusses such things as capitalism, third world corruption and military coups. But there are also more positive things such as the importance of cross-cultural communication, friendship and trust....more
Review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend Christopher Conlon.
If, in an alternate universe, Edgar Allen Poe and Shirley Jackson were to meetReview copy kindly provided by author and GR friend Christopher Conlon.
If, in an alternate universe, Edgar Allen Poe and Shirley Jackson were to meet, marry and have a child, who would be packed off in infancy to learn his craft from H.G. Wells, that child would be Christopher Conlon. He inhabits a writer's no-man's-land where comedy, horror, satire, dystopia, melancholy and even gentle optimism blend into each other. The result is this package of bon-bons.
"What? A box of chocolates?" you exclaim eagerly. "Hand it over!" But it's not what you think. "A bon-bon," Conlon has one of his characters explain, "is a very short tale of fantasy with no rules or logic, or with dream logic, or the logic of the grave."
It would be true to say, however, that, even with this definition, "you never know what you're gonna get." Because hidden in the box of candy is a surprise consisting of a number of cold cuts. I know what you're thinking. "Candy and meat? How weird!" The author doesn't explain what a cold cut is, but since when is an author obligated to tell the reader everything?
Conlon's world is one where inexplicable things happen. The dead--or parts of them--rise and provide unusual advantages to the living. (Or maybe not.) Women and men acquire incredible abilities which are sometimes, but not always, to their advantage. A writer and a composer face off in a schoolyard and things get hairy. Poe's Raven gets his caw-muppance.
All these adventures and more await between the covers of this slim but fascinating volume of flash fiction.
Conlon is a master of style. His prose--okay, there's one tip of the hat to absurdist drama--is polished and lively. Some of the stories quite unabashedly hark back to the days of early science fiction.
But it's what he does with these tools that is amazing. He is a master at describing bizarre events as if they were commonplace; this can evoke a response ranging anywhere from amusement to shock. He takes tired truisms and gives them new life. He explores funny, sad and frightening facets of the human psyche. Above all, he makes you think....more
This work could be called a collection of short stories or a novella. Either label will work and Joe Owens obviously likes them both, which is why theThis work could be called a collection of short stories or a novella. Either label will work and Joe Owens obviously likes them both, which is why they have been smushed together in the book description.
The first story, "Contemptibly, A Hair," introduces us to Ben Palko, an overworked IT and data entry specialist with largish pores, as he faces the dilemmas of dealing with a less-than-ideal office job. He is observant, critical, sarcastic and sensitive to the ridiculous traits of his co-workers. Luckily for them, he is largely silent about what he observes. So much so that he can't tell the clueless and clumsy Kathy Adkins what he really thinks of her.
Having ushered his hero on to the stage, Owens hands the microphone over to Ben, as it were, and lets him speak for himself. The stories Ben proceeds to tell are about the little but memorable things in life: the weird shenanigans your dog, your neighbor and your landlady pull to complicate your existence; the argument about lasagna which is about so much more than noodles and cheese; a particularly challenging outdoors adventure. Though all the stories touch on serious issues, they are fairly light and comical in tone. And the last story starts on the same light note. But suddenly our hero faces some pretty serious problems when unexpected things happen, first to a family member and then to Ben himself.
Ben appears to be a quirky, goofy guy who cares about his family, wants what is best in life for his girlfriend Anna, and loves animals. Luckily for Anna, he's pretty good--despite some very male idiosyncrasies--at picking up on her signals. And luckily for the reader, his narration treads the fine line between humor, sentiment and pathos, without overdoing it on any of them. How could you not like this guy? ...more
In this book, Bernadette Rule offers us poems from four of her earlier volumes, some of which have gone outReview copy kindly provided by the author.
In this book, Bernadette Rule offers us poems from four of her earlier volumes, some of which have gone out of print. Whereas many of the previous books are paperback, this one is hardcover. Once again, it is liberally sprinkled with elegant and intense woodcuts by Wesley Bates.
The three selections from Frames of Mind are taken from nature. As we have come to expect from this poet, she takes common images and gives them unexpected twists. Here, for example, is the very first poem in the book, "Wishbone":
The moon gleams like an ancient bone in the cave of sky a skull in its fullness a rib when it wanes.
In a few lines, the clichéd idea of the moon as a human face is transformed into something quite different. The connection of a skull, (which one thinks of as empty) with the idea of fullness seems odd. So too does the connection between the night sky over the earth with a cave under the earth. The waning moon is often thought of as a crescent or a sickle, but rarely as a rib. The intention may be to suggest Biblical imagery (Eve's connection to the rib bone).
The other poems in this first section are similar, packing a lot of imagery into a few lines, and suggesting meanings that go far beyond the immediately obvious.
The poems in the next three sections are taken from books which I have already reviewed, so instead of offering detailed but redundant analysis, I will try to figure out why these poems were chosen for inclusion in what seems to be a "best of" volume.
Rule has dedicated this volume to her children. Perhaps this explains why many of the poems are connected to her family, her friends, and her own experiences as a child, an adolescent, an adult, and especially as a mother. I love the way in which she recalls with delight or nostalgia the growth of her own children.
Some poems were chosen, I think, because they discuss issues about which she feels strongly, others for their lyrical depiction of nature. And finally, there are some, such as "Hay Fever Blues" and "Shakespeare's Underwear," that have been included simply because they are funny. ...more
I have been familiar with the story for most of my life, but never read it until now.
Wilbur the pig is born a runt, and the farmer decides he must facI have been familiar with the story for most of my life, but never read it until now.
Wilbur the pig is born a runt, and the farmer decides he must face the axe. Kind-hearted little Fern intercedes and saves him. She cares for the undersized pig, who later goes to a nearby farm. Wilbur's life is nearly idyllic until he discovers the fate that has been woven for him: he will likely be the next Christmas ham. Horrified, he looks desperately for a door of escape. His pleas for help are overhead by a large grey spider who is almost invisible in the doorway. She decides to try to alter the thread by which his destiny is hanging, but will she succeed?
The barnyard animals, while displaying some human characteristics--Charlotte the spider can read and even has a smattering of Latin--behave like the animals they are. The geese are noisy and silly; the rat is sly and greedy; the pig is good-natured and always hungry; the spider, while kindly, is also an opportunistic and bloodthirsty killer
The story is one of friendship, loyalty, and self-sacrifice. While at times it threatens to cross over into a sort of Victorian sentimentality, it never quite does, because the author injects touches of humour and irony into the portrayal of both animal and human characters. ...more
The editor of this volume, Bernadette Rule, wears many hats. Aside from her career as a teacher of creative writing, she In the Wings: An Audio Review
The editor of this volume, Bernadette Rule, wears many hats. Aside from her career as a teacher of creative writing, she is the author of several volumes of poetry. Besides the present volume, she has edited the correspondence of Frederick Gower Turnbull.
But she also hosts a radio show called Art Waves, where she interviews many people with artistic gifts, including poets, novelists, painters, sculptors, wood engravers, singers, musicians, dancers, actors, book binders, storytellers and buskers. (This list, though long, is not exclusive.) The conversation covers any aspect of creativity that comes up, and usually winds down with a piece of music chosen by the interviewee of the evening. The broadcasts are eventually uploaded for fans and interested listeners to enjoy.
At some point, Bernadette conceived the idea of interviewing all the authors who have contributed stories to In the Wings: Stories of Forgotten Women. So, with her permission and encouragement, I offer below links to interviews with the authors.* All the podcasts are now available, thanks to Bernadette's tireless editing and uploading, which had to be squeezed in between all of her other functions and duties.
16. Waheed Rabbani, author of "The Rani of Jhansi, 'Bravest of the Rebels,'" a non-fiction biography of Rani Lakshmibai. Waheed is also a member of Goodreads. http://archive.org/details/WaheedRabb...
As an added bonus, here is the podcast of an interview with our friends from The Book Band, George and Trudi Down, who have done so much to help our book reach its audience. http://archive.org/details/G.w.TrudiD...
*Please note: Occasionally, the authors were interviewed in groups of two or three. In these cases, the appropriate link has been repeated after each author to avoid confusion.
**As an additional added bonus, I'm pleased to provide a link to an interview which took place about a month before the actual publication of In the Wings. The gracious and fun-loving hosts were my unofficial literary agent in the UK, the unique and irrepressible Mark Rice, and his good friend Deena Rae. The podcast may be accessed here: http://www.e-bookbuilders.com/2012/11...
Review copy kindly provided by co-author and GR friend, Darren Jacobs.
This novel is set in a distant post-apocalyptic future in which Anumals (a geneReview copy kindly provided by co-author and GR friend, Darren Jacobs.
This novel is set in a distant post-apocalyptic future in which Anumals (a genetic mix of human and animal) are the species at the top of the social ladder (if not the food chain) and human beings, now a race extinct, are little more than a myth.
Clinton Narfell, a lion whose father is a whiz at Lazarball (the national sport), is unable to live up to his father's reputation. Though he's about as good at the game as his dad, otherwise he is a bit of a cowardly lion. (That being said, I'd hate to meet this coward in a dark alley.)
The orphaned Clinton resorts to all kinds of means to provide for his younger brother and is constantly finding himself hunted by the long arm of the claw, er, law. While his modus operandi might not be squeaky clean, his heart is in the right place, and he refuses to tolerate the corruption perpetrated by the local gang of thugs, the ambitious mayor and his even more ambitious protegé, the psychopathic tiger, Dallas. Forced to flee in the aftermath of a bizarre confrontation with Dallas, he encounters extreme danger, but also grows in self-knowledge and self-respect.
This novel is written in a vivid style; the action is fast-paced and never lags. There are comic scenes here and there, such as the exchange between Arkie the gecko and Edna the alligator.
But just when you think you're reading a picaresque page-turner, sprinkled with eye-catching illustrations and populated by clearly delineated good guys and bad guys, a pleasant pot-pourri of Harry Potter, Star Wars, Planet of the Apes and The Island of Doctor Moreau, things suddenly become much more complex. The reader is no longer quite so confident as to which characters are on what side, or how they will end up.
Stay tuned for the sequel, said the reviewer hopefully.
Oct. 23, 2014. News flash: Volume 2 is nearly complete!...more
Review copy kindly provided by author and GR friend Alex M. Pruteanu.
2012 is definitely the year of reading dangerously. There was 1Q84, Absalom, AbsaReview copy kindly provided by author and GR friend Alex M. Pruteanu.
2012 is definitely the year of reading dangerously. There was 1Q84, Absalom, Absalom!, and Travel To the G-Spot -- The Guide Book! At least this one wasn't a sprawling epic novel like With Fire and Sword which I had to cram down in three weeks because I had it on inter-library loan. (The things I read for friends. Just kidding!) I read it in one sitting. But it has plenty of food for thought to sit down to.
First, the title. Short Lean Cuts. The cover illustration is the head of a pig (I cast thee out, William Golding!). So this suggests a lean cut of meat. Is it a book about food, like Babette's Feast? Well, it's rather short for that, because it's a novella. So did the author take short cuts when preparing this? That's usually dangerous to do whether you're cooking–especially when it comes to pork—or whether you're writing. A cut is by definition something dangerous. It can be a wound. Or a move in boxing. So is the reader being threatened? Hmmmmmmm...
Next, there are the instructions for reading. Trying to be a smart aleck, Alex? Or are you being a literary snob by imitating Calvino's trick of addressing the reader directly? Well? I'm waiting... Hey, what's this? You just said something funny but disturbing about the writing process! Significant? Maybe.
Then there's the table of contents. The chapter titles are in parentheses, almost as if the accumulation of chapters is what's important, but the content is incidental. Is it? Then why read any further? Well, if you want to find out, let's go. But, as Bette Davis said, "Fasten your seatbelts! It's going to be a bumpy night!"
Finally the text. We meet the narrator at last. He doesn't seem to have a name. Does that make him Everyman? Well, as a tip of the hat to Proust, whose narrator was named after the author, I will call our friend Aleck, to make sure he is linked to, but distinguished from the author. And because he really is a smart aleck.
Aleck is a recluse, as well as a narcissist. And he's full of cutting remarks about everybody and everything. He has flitted from place to place and job to job. In like manner, his thoughts seem to flit from topic to topic. There are flashbacks of his various jobs, dark hints of an unhappy childhood, conversations with people he's met, sexual fantasies, and some interactions with his case-worker.
Case worker? Uh oh! What does that mean? Should his neighbors be worried? I know that if I were in the apartment next to him, I would be.
But what does Aleck really want out of life?
To live out the American dream? Maybe, but his version of it doesn't make it seem all that desirable.
To be loved? When you're a narcissist, you're already in love with yourself, so he's got that covered. And if you read about his fantasies, well... perhaps the less said about that, the better!
To be rich? Getting warmer, but one shudders to think what Aleck would do with money if he had it. Besides, if you're as well versed in the art of the five-finger discount as he is, who needs money?
To be famous? Ah, now we're getting to the marrow of it. To grind things down to the essential, what he wants is the same thing Willy Loman wanted: Attention. And Aleck knows how to get people's attention when he feels like it. He fiddles with the films he projects, just to play with the innocent(?) viewers' minds. He tells his case worker what she wants to hear, just to string her along. And he laughs up his sleeve at the world the whole time. But that's not even the worst of it.
This novella is funny, dark and disturbing. Despite appearances to the contrary, it is intelligent, philosophical and well crafted. Alex Pruteanu has served up a biting indictment of the individualism, consumerism and narcissism that plague American society in particular and wider human society in general. ...more
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