AltWeeklies Wire
Iain M. Banks' Latest Won't Win Him New Convertsnew
His latest sci-fi epic, Matter, is dense, both in terms of weight and scope.
Baltimore City Paper |
Adrienne Martini |
04-08-2008 |
Fiction
'Animal's People' Takes on Corporate Responsiblitynew
The fictional town of Khaufpur is based on Bhopal, India, where a 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide chemical plant caused thousands of deaths and countless more injuries.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
04-03-2008 |
Fiction
'2012': Mark Your Calendarnew
Daniel Pinchbeck should have dabbled in facts more, drugs less.
Illinois Times |
Bob Ladendorf |
04-03-2008 |
Fiction
Richard Bruce Nugent's Outlaw Representationnew
Gentleman Jigger sprawls forward.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Kandia Crazy Horse |
04-02-2008 |
Fiction
'The Ten Year Nap': You Snooze, You Losenew
Meg Wolitzer explores the "Opt-Out Revolution" in novel form.
New Haven Advocate |
Jolisa Gracewood |
04-01-2008 |
Fiction
Stoned in the '60snew
This is a novel about true outsiders who went too far outside and could only come back in after being airlifted out of Altamont, while their creations turned out to be the stuff of fallen angels.
Shepherd Express |
Martin Jack Rosenblum |
03-28-2008 |
Fiction
Too Proud for a Negronew
It begins in the South in the 1950s, a time when protagonist Henry Walker is the resident "negro magician" at Jeremiah Musgrove's Chinese Circus.
Jackson Free Press |
Lindsey Maddox |
03-28-2008 |
Fiction
Edward Docx Could Take a Load Off, Chillaxnew
Pravda (or Self Help, as it is known in the UK) was long-listed for the 2007 Man Booker Prize, and I suppose it's understandable -- it's certainly not the sort of book I like reading, but it's enjoyable enough once you get past its wordy temper tantrums.
The Portland Mercury |
Courtney Ferguson |
03-27-2008 |
Fiction
It's Easy to Read Because It's Badnew
Even the most distracted bus rider won't fail to notice that The English American isn't easy to read because it's frivolous; it's easy to read because it's bad. Larkin's sentences unfold with such hackneyed predictability that reading each one in its entirety hardly seems necessary.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
03-27-2008 |
Fiction
Things Come Togethernew
Chinua Achebe's masterpiece is still the centerpiece of contemporary African literature.
Philadelphia City Paper |
Joel Tannenbaum |
03-25-2008 |
Fiction
Joseph Ferris' Novel Doesn't Live Up to the Hypenew
Make no mistake, Then We Came to the End is not without its merits -- but that's also part of its undoing.
The Portland Mercury |
Courtney Ferguson |
03-20-2008 |
Fiction
Ambition Achievednew
Richard Price betrays his cellular familiarity with the Lower East Side in Lush Life, his riveting eighth novel, without once sounding like he's broken a sweat.
The Portland Mercury |
Chas Bowie |
03-20-2008 |
Fiction
All 'Greek' to Younew
Collins' dry wit is explained by his influences, Anthony Trollope and Evelyn Waugh. He is sometimes compared to Jane Austen, with whom he shares insight into the mating rituals of the upper class.
C-Ville Weekly |
Elizabeth McCullough |
03-19-2008 |
Fiction
Scott Heim's Demonsnew
It's weird to imagine that a fucked-up novel like We Disappear could be partly autobiographical. The parts about holding a boy captive in the basement are not, thankfully.
The Portland Mercury |
Kevin Sampsell |
03-13-2008 |
Fiction
Hipsters Add John Brandon to Your Reading Listnew
His first book, Arkansas, has just been released by the McSweeney's Rectangulars imprint.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
03-13-2008 |
Fiction
