This week at CCLaP I review “In Thunder Forged: Iron Kingdom Chronicles (The Fall of Llael: Book One),” by Ari Marmell, an exciting RPG tie-in novel full of intrigue, set-piece battles, and steampunk mecha. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: In Thunder Forged: Iron Kingdom Chronicles (The Fall of Llael: Book One), by Ari Marmell
The Megapolitan Flâneur is a series of short travel essays. These essays will focus on my trip to Chicago – September 4 – 6, 2013 – and what I experienced. Neither chronology or inventory, the essays will be reflective, free associative, and impressionistic. Continue reading The Megapolitan Flaneur: Part 1: Making the Literary Scene @ Quimby’s (9/5/13)
At the New York Journal of Books I describe Dara Horn’s newest novel, A Guide for the Perplexed as “. . . a nerve-wracking international thriller and a group portrait of individuals dealing with circumstances beyond their control.” Continue reading A Guide for the Perplexed: A Novel, by Dara Horn @ NYJB
I review Zbig, an anthology about Jimmy Carter’s national security advisor, and Trade, a dystopian novel about the commodification of sex. Continue reading Week in Reviews: Zbig @ NYJB and Trade @ CCLaP
This week I continue my ongoing essay series, The NSFW Files, with the controversial classic, The Story of O, by Pauline Reage, about a woman who desires to be dominated. Continue reading The NSFW Files: Story of O, by Pauline Reage
“Tyrant Banderas” is a campy and hallucinatory novel that is also accessible to mainstream readers. Continue reading Translation Tuesdays: Tyrant Banderas, by Ramón del Valle-Inclán
This week I review Island of the White Rose, by R. Ira Harris, about a disillusioned Cuban priest struggling with his moral and political convictions amidst the Batista dictatorship. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Island of the White Rose, by R. Ira Harris
An excerpt from Sam Beckett’s tragicomedy, Waiting for Godot. Continue reading Commonplace Book: Waiting for Godot, by Samuel Beckett
In Pyramid of Skulls: A Novel of Timur, Warrior and Emperor, David is Timur’s court doctor and vizier, who witnesses the intrigues of court and the carnage of the battlefield. While ostensibly a historical novel, I found reading Pyramid of Skulls akin to reading a Warhammer 40K novel or a book from R. Scott Bakker’s epic fantasy series. Continue reading CCLaP Mini-review: Pyramid of Skulls, by Martin Fruchtman
Over at CCLaP I review “Among the Bloodpeople: Politics and Flesh,” by Thomas Glave, a new anthology of fiction and non-fiction works about prejudice, sexuality, and diaspora. Continue reading CCLaP Fridays: Among the Bloodpeople: Politics and Flesh, by Thomas Glave
The Driftless Area Review 