Hey, writers and writers-in-training! My LitReactor class on how to write fast-paced novels your readers won’t be able to put down is happening again on March 6th! Sign up today, learn valuable lessons, and most importantly, leave class with the opening pages of your novel written and critiqued!
Here’s the link: Writing Fast-Paced Novels with Nicholas Kaufmann
Nothing Is Everything by Simon Strantzas
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Simon Strantzas’s fifth collection brings together ten prime examples of why he’s considered one of the best authors of “strange stories” working today. He’s a master at building a sense of unease and keeping his readers off-balance. You won’t find explanations for supernatural occurrences in a Simon Strantzas story, but you will find yourself thinking about them long after you’ve read them. Among the strongest pieces in this collection, in my opinion, are the novella “All Reality Blossoms in Flames,” in which a group of anti-establishment artists take up a cause that turns out to be part of something much larger than they can control, and “The Terrific Mr. Toucan,” in which a cheap dinner-theater magic show goes hauntingly awry. But the strongest story in the collection, and my absolute favorite, is “Ghost Dogs,” which is an expert piece of dark science fiction that utilizes pitch-perfect voice and tone. An original story to the collection, “Ghost Dogs” is worth the cover price alone. Strantzas’s fiction continues to leave me in awe, and NOTHING IS EVERYTHING is a welcome addition to his growing body of work.
Rat Queens, Vol. 5: The Colossal Magic Nothing by Kurtis J. Wiebe
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Huh. That was weird. It definitely explained the time jump that confused and frustrated me in the previous volume, as well as answering my questions about whether the cliffhanger ending of volume 3 would ever be resolved. But I’m not sure I liked it.
Rat Queens, Vol. 4: High Fantasies by Kurtis J. Wiebe
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The Rat Queens are off on a new adventure, trying to make money by taking jobs from the local “quest board.” Some time has passed since the end of volume 3, and therein lies the main problem I had with this volume. The cliffhanger ending of volume 3, which saw Hannah imprisoned in an interdimensional jail and confronted with a literal demon from her past while the rest of the Rat Queens went their separate ways, remains unresolved. When volume 4 picks up, everyone is back together and all is apparently forgiven, leaving the reader with no idea what happened. Even Hannah’s father, Gerard, is out of prison now and living with them (which, incidentally, leads to one of the funniest sequences in the book). I found myself both confused and frustrated by this time jump. The characters, the D&D-on-crack world, and the snarky, raunchy dialogue remain as enjoyable and engrossing as ever, but my frustration lingered. Another issue I had was that Owen Gieni’s art just didn’t do it for me. His style is way too cartoonish for my taste, and I barely recognized some of the characters. I’m still enjoying the series, but I’m starting to worry that it’s all falling apart.
