Today at CCLaP: Mark Hodder, master of steampunk, uncorks a ripping yarn full of airships, occultism, murder, and abduction in his latest installment of the Burton and Swinburne Adventures series, “The Secret of Abdu el Yezdi.” Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: The Secret of Abdu el Yezdi, by Mark Hodder
I’m heading to CONvergence in Bloomington, MN for the July 4th weekend and I joined the National Book Critics Circle. Continue reading Driftless Area Review Metapost: CONvergence is nigh and the National Book Critics Circle
This week, Karl Wolff returns to the NSFW Files to investigate “Naked Lunch,” by William S. Burroughs, the 1959 sensation that marked a watershed for free expression in literature and included Mugwumps, heroin, and lots and lots of sex. Continue reading The NSFW Files: Naked Lunch, by William S. Burroughs
This week at CCLaP, I review “Happy Talk” by Richard Melo, a novel set in 1950s Haiti about gun-toting student nurses, Baron Samedi, and UNESCO filmmakers. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Happy Talk, by Richard Melo
I interviewed Arthur J. Magida, author of the Nazi Seance, about a Jewish clairvoyant active in Nazi Germany. We discuss serendipity, critical reading, and sensationalism in the media. Continue reading The Arthur J. Magida Interview
Today at CCLaP, Karl Wolff reviews the “Nebula Awards Showcase 2013,” edited by Catherine Asaro, a solid anthology of mainstream science fiction and fantasy writing from Nebula winners and nominees; also “Sauerkraut Station” totally rocks and there’s some bathypunk. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Nebula Awards Showcase 2013, edited by Catherine Asaro
This week at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography, I review Our Lady of the Flowers, by Jean Genet, about a drag queen hanging around with criminals and murderers in pre-World War 2 Paris, along with being a classic of the Western Canon. Continue reading The NSFW Files: Our Lady of the Flowers, by Jean Genet
A general update on the business of the Driftless Area Review blog. Continue reading Driftless Area Review Metapost
Orphans, prodigies, larvae, and ghosts inhabit Antonio Tarbucchi’s short stories in his collection, The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: The Flying Creatures of Fra Angelico, by Antonio Tarbucchi
In this week’s installment of CCLaP’s “The NSFW Files,” Karl Wolff investigates the 1928 Georges Bataille shocker, “Story of the Eye,” a very early precursor to bizarro fiction. Continue reading The NSFW Files: The Story of the Eye, by Georges Bataille
The Driftless Area Review 