MINI REVIEW | Inherent Vice by Thomas Pynchon

Inherent Vice is Pynchon letting himself loose and just having a good time, which is exactly what you'll do when you read the story of Doc Sportello, would be PI, as he wanders around greater Los Angeles, usually stoned, on odd ball cases. Pynchon works in bad cops, even badder pimps, druggies, and ladies of the evening, but he makes it all feel appropriate with a levity few authors have mastered.

Doc is an immediately likable character and Pynchon has done his homework as he works in minuscule period references throughout the narrative. Nearly every chapter Pynchon squeezes in a song from the time, including the lyrics which was a bit overdone by the end especially since I knew so few of them. But the dialogue is what you'll crave as Sportello takes every opening to snake in a joke.

More and more cases fall into Doc's lap as the stakes keep getting more dangerous. Somehow most of the pieces fall together in the end yet somewhat haphazardly, but you'll be grinning all the way to the slightly lackluster ending. If anything the story suffers from Pynchon trying to squeeze too much in with aimless additions such as visiting relatives. Comparisons to The Big Lebowski are quite apt, but Doc is his own beast and is a much better detective than The Dude ever could be. I give Inherent Vice 7.5 out of 10 Hats. If you're in the mood to see LA ala Dragnet style from the hippie's point of view this is definitely worth the trip. I'd also venture to say that this is Pynchon's most accessible read ever and not only because of the trim page count.  Great vacation read material.


You Might Also Like:
REVIEW | The Fan Man by William Kotzwinkle
REVIEW | Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey
REVIEW | The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage

REVIEW | Survival by Storytelling - Issue One

A few months back I received review copies of two genre magazines thinking it would be good to start talking about them since I wanted to get into more short fiction.  After reading I didn't have a nice word to say about either so I was a bit trepidatious when Shawn Duke, the editor behind Survival by Storytelling sent me a review copy. My fears were unfounded as this collection was quite enjoyable and shows great promise.  

Survival by Storytelling is a collection of mostly short stories plus poetry and a little non-fiction all written by people 25 years old or younger.  The magazine is an extension of Your Writers Online.  Divided with non-fiction to start followed by fiction, an interview, and ending with poetry.  I think it would have been better to mix-up the sections a bit more with a poem mixed between the short stories instead of sectioned off as such, but that is a very trivial. That said the collection did flow well from one story to the next.  The interview with Paul Genesse was particularly interesting as was Genesse's article on crafting memorable characters, which offered some very sound advice such as writing your characters a bio.

The fiction section starts off strong with Chrysalis by Josh Roberts, which explores the loss of ones first love well.  It is still a bit depressing, but an honest look.  Honor Roll Bound by Dru Ervine stands out as the most memorable to me.  It involved a young woman struggling through school with the demands and stresses she goes through.  She meets someone who could be the love of her life and an angel.  The ending was very depressing, but it stays with you as she left it all behind for something different.  Dried Flowers by Adrienne Copeland is a world where plants are virtually unknown.  This is the story out of the whole collection that could be expanded upon the most and is also the closest to Sci-Fi.  I'd certainly welcome more from Copeland as it feels like she has more stories to tell about this strange future.  I was certainly surprised Copeland was one of the youngest contributors at 17 so we can only hope she continues on this path.

Survival by Storytelling is definitely worth checking out if you are a short story fan.  Themes of the dark side of love, loss, and stress are all in attendance throughout, which is something you expect from those under 25.  I would check out a second issue if it happens, but I do think a bridge idea that all the writers aim for would be good.  For a first effort this comes off better than most lit magazines I've read in recent years.

Survival by Storytelling can be purchased through Amazon, CreateSpace, or Lulu.


You Might Also Like:
REVIEW |  Paper Cities Edited by Ekaterina Sedia
REVIEW | The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage
GRAPHIC NOVEL REVIEW | 3 Story: The Secret History of the Giant Man by Matt Kindt

REVIEW | Going Bovine by Libba Bray (Delacorte)

Going Bovine is crazy in every way that is good. It is one of those books that as soon as you read the surreal plot you just have to check out.  Here is the part that cinched this as a must-read for me: 

With the help of a death-obsessed, video-gaming dwarf and a yard gnome, Cam sets off on the mother of all road trips through a twisted America into the heart of what matters most.

Going Bovine is Libba Bray's first standalone novel after the huge success of her Historical Young Adult Gemma Doyle trilogy, but this is quite different in that it is set in modern Texas yet still YA, although it more than passes as an adult novel.  Bovine centers on Cameron who is a 16 year-old coasting through life.  He is not really enjoying anything or anyone, especially when he is getting stoned just to numb him from life.  If anything he runs from the chance of having any semblance of life as he is his own worst enemy.

Than tragedy strikes as Cameron is mysteriously diagnosed with Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or better known as Mad Cow Disease and slowly starts to lose control of his body and mind.  Flashes of oddness happen to him including visions of Dulcie, a punk girl with wings who may or may not be a Guardian Angel.  As his disease worsens Cam ends up in the hospital where he is befriended by a fellow high schooler who also happens to be a hypochondriac dwarf named Gonzo.  Gonzo has some of the best dialogue as he is afraid of nearly everything from hotel rooms to diner food.

From the hospital Dulcie starts Cameron on an adventure to save the world, himself, and to get a life. With a whining Gonzo he travels from Texas to Florida in search of Dr. X who may have the answers to all of Cameron's problems, including the meaning of life.  Along the way they pick up a smart talking yard gnome who could be the Norse god Balder tricked by Loki into the gnome form.  Or Cam could just be crazy and think the gnome is talking to him. Either way this is a laugh riot with a surprisingly large amount of heart.  My only complaints are that the road trippers' time in The Big Easy was far too short and the ending felt a tad rushed.  It could be I didn't want the adventure to end.

I could not put Going Bovine down as it is one of the most unusual and funny books I've read this or any year. There are dollops of String Theory, Worm Holes, and an inter-dimensional time traveling Inuit rock band kind of like the Beatles all along the way, which should please most Sci-Fi fans who wouldn't normally read this type of book.  And Balder is a huge treat for Norse fans. I give Going Bovine 9.5 out of 10 Hats.  If you ever wanted to see what Douglas Adams could do with a story somewhat more grounded on Earth this is as close as you'll get.  Be sure to check out the video below of the author.  Who couldn't laugh at a woman willing to wear a cow costume on the streets of NYC.  She reminds me a lot of a female John Hodgman.



Book Link:  US Europe Canada

You Might Also Like:
B is for Beer by Tom Robbins
Un Lun Dun by China Mieville

Review copy provided by Delacorte Press

REVIEW | This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (Dutton)

This Is Where I Leave You is Jonathan Tropper's 5th book and my first taste of his style, but surely not last. Judd Foxman recently caught his wife in bed with his boss. He has also lost his father who had been ill for a year so it is no surprise but no less damaging. Judd feels like he has lost everything. That is when he and the rest of his family are called home to sit Shiva for their father for 7 days. If you're not familiar with the Jewish traditional of Shiva, in short it is kind of like a wake but the closest family members have to sit on short chairs for a week staring up at everyone's nostrils while they repeat the same things to everyone who visits.

This is a family comedy of errors as your learn who's sleeping with who, who has slept with who in the past, and who will be sleeping with who when all of this is over. There is a lot of sibling rivalry, but the love does show through despite most of the family's tough skin. The mother is especially entertaining and has a lot more depth than you would initially think at first with her augmented look, which leads to a lot of hilarious banter.  I'm sure I'd be just as embarrassed  if my mother got large breast implants late in life. 

The dialogue is what sets the book above most.  Even the jokes don't seem tacked on, but exactly what this sardonic lot would be thinking.  This is Where I Leave You is a very introspective look at what might have been as the characters run into people from their childhood.  There is one story in particular that gets alluded to throughout most of the book that is shockingly blasé.   The story flips between the Foxman's Shiva and Judd stumbling around, as he can't let go of his wife and former life despite the fact that he isn't sure he wants that life back.  Equipped with an impressive family of characters full of sexual indiscretions, in fighting, and great banter this will surely not disappoint most readers.

Deeply biting, emotional, and outrageously funny—you'll find yourself laughing on one page and tearing up on the next. This is Where I Leave You is book to keep handy for a rainy day and easily the best non-genre book I've read this year.  I have absolutely no complaints on this read though the somewhat up in the air ending, which seemed very fitting may bother some.  I give This Is Where I Leave You 9.5 out of 10 hats. I'll definitely check out Topper's work again as he has a bright future ahead of him. Topper could be the American Nick Hornby we have been looking for.

Book link: US Europe Canada

You Might Also Like:
The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage

REVIEW | The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage (Coffee House)

This one is a bit different from the typical book I would review here, but I think very highly of the author and many would enjoy Savage's stories as they involve the love of a literary life in some fashion. Sam Savage gained fame for Firmin: Adventures of a Metropolitan Lowlife, which was an endearingly sad tale about a rat born in a bookstore that is intelligent beyond his meager stature. Savage again takes up the reins of blending a love for the written word with a sad and lamentable character, but in the case of The Cry of the Sloth he has also created an ill-mannered logophile. Told through four months worth of letters written by the main character Andrew Whittaker, a small-time literary magazine Publisher and landlord of dilapidated apartments is a supreme ne'er-do-well. If Whittaker gets involved in anything it is sure to crumble to pieces. Whittaker is on a downward spiral into loneliness and madness as he laments where his life is while being chased by his tenants who are tired of apartments infested with rats and roofs caving in. It takes a few chapters/letters to get into the style of The Cry of the Sloth, as the tone and often the truthfulness of the letters is seemingly rambling or unrelated. Yet that is often the point and once you get into the meat all the pieces start falling together with cringing laughter. There is a surprising amount of action given the style, but Whittaker's run-in with the local literary community and his attempts at organizing a literary festival more than keep things going. His letters to the local paper were my favorite sections, especially the pseudonyms he created.

Often sad, yet humorous The Cry of the Sloth is one to pass on to friends. I give The Cry of the Sloth 9 out of 10 Hats. Savage has established himself an original niche of short but deep books for lovers of the written word that stay with you. Do yourself a favor and check out his Firmin or Sloth. In the end I did like Firmin more, but that mostly had to do with the character Firmin being so charming and it being set in a bookstore.

Book link: US Europe Canada