Jason Sanford

The Liar's Review of James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning

Monsters and Critics has published my new essay "The Liar's Review of James Frey's Bright Shiny Morning." As you may remember, Frey's best-selling memoir A Million Little Pieces turned out to be a million little lies. So what's a book reviewer to do when reviewing the novel of an author with a well-known aversion to the truth? Why the reviewer should do just like Frey did in his "memoir" and lie.

And just in case Frey hasn't irritated everyone in America, he's now thrown down the gauntlet to his fellow writers by stating that "Writer's block is for chumps." Charming guy.

Review of Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, edited by John Joseph Adams

A few minutes ago Monsters and Critics published my review of the short story anthology Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse, edited by John Joseph Adams. I'm probably the last person on earth to review this wonderful book, which fits nicely since these this is a collection of the best end-of-the-world stories from recent years. The long and short of my review is that I really enjoyed the stories in this anthology. However, I also wonder (and explore in the review) if the recent surge of post apocalyptic stories might now have passed its high water mark.

"Do Not Hate Them Very Much" by Matthew M. Quick

I am continuing to read through the list of Million Writers Award notable stories of 2007. Another story which has seared its way into my mind is "Do Not Hate Them Very Much" by Matthew M. Quick. Published in AGNI online, this strong slice-of-life story is a gripping examination of the cross-cultural conflicts and communications surrounding a traffic accident in war-torn Iraq. The writing is extremely strong, with the main character crafted into life as only the best authors can do. What I particularly like is that this story doesn't present easy answers to the conflict and situation. The U.S. soldiers, the Pakistani drivers, the Indian narrator--everyone here exists as fully realized people trying to do their best in a difficult situation.
 

"Small Pale Humans" by Daniel Spinks

As I read through the Million Writers Award notable stories of 2007, one thought that kept returning to me is that there are a lot of sick puppies writing fiction. I mean, I couldn't even begin to count how many stories in this list deal with murder, sex, torture, insanity--and murderous sex while torturing someone with an insane rubber chicken (okay, I made that last one up).

Seriously, if there is one constant in the realm of fiction, it is that authors will turn time and again to stories about extreme people exploring the extremes of human nature. One story from the list that captures this aspect of humanity in a good way is "Small Pale Humans" by Daniel Spinks. Published in Bear Parade, the story follows a seriously crazy individual as he goes through the endless repetitions of his life. As Einstein is believed to have said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results." In "Small Pale Humans," you can easily see why this is a valid definition of insanity. I especially liked the format of the story, which is spread over 16 small chapters. This forces people to click through the chapters as they read them, giving a circular nature to the story which fits in well with its repetition theme. Spinks' writing is also top-notch.

Million Writers Award update

I'm now reading through the Million Writers Award notable stories of 2007. There are a ton of great stories in the list this year, which will make selecting the top ten finalists extremely hard. I'm still aiming for having these story selections up by the last week of May. Until then, I'll post comments on this blog about stories I really like (although this doesn't mean I'll pick these stories for the top ten).

I should also note that in response to my previous post about some minor screw-ups in the list of notable stories--and the resulting tempest in a teapot from some writers and fans of flash fiction--it appears no one will take me up on my offer to remove their name from consideration for the award. I guess this means these mistakes didn't truly undermined the award's credibility, despite claims to the contrary.

Interzone readers' poll winners

The Interzone readers' poll winners have been announced. " Ack-Ack Macaque" by Gareth Lyn Powell won first place, followed by "Knowledge" by Grace Dugan and "The Sledge-maker's Daughter" by Alastair Reynolds. Two of my votes for the top stories, "Tearing Down Tuesday" by Steven Francis Murphy and "Molly and the Red Hat" by Benjamin Rosenbaum, came in fourth and fifth respectively.  

Get a free copy of F&SF

John Joseph Adams has details on how bloggers can receive a free copy of the July issue of Fantasy and Science Fiction. Sounds like a good way to drum up exposure for the magazine. I'd also suggest people subscribe to F&SF, which is having an amazing year and has published a number of great stories in the last few months. I mailed a two-year subscription renewal to F&SF yesterday and I can't say enough positive things about the great work Gordon Van Gelder and all the other editors are doing with this magazine.

Give 100% toward becoming 1% well read

By way of James Wallace Harris's blog comes news of the 1% well read challenge. As the site says, "The goal of this challenge is to read 10 books in 10 months from the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die list."

James asked for some books from this list that blew other people's minds. A few of my choices from recent years would be The Life of Pi by Yann Martel, The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx, and The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje. I should note, though, that there are many great books--especially in the SF/F genre--are nowhere to be found on the list. Still, this is an interesting reading challenge.

Apex Digest subscription drive

Apex Digest is holding a subscription drive in an attempt to avoid going on hiatus. As a current subscriber to Apex, let me state that this is a great magazine with a totally unique view on how to mix science fiction and horror. And if you want to subscribe, Apex is again offering their Apex for Life subscription option which will give you Apex until you die. While that may sound like a disease, it's an offer well worth catching, especially as it only costs $100 (as opposed to $20 for a regular one year subscription). More info on these subscription options here.

And in an FYI, I'm in the process of reading issue 12 of Apex and hope to have a review up in a few weeks.

"Pump Six" by Paolo Bacigalupi is a Locus recommended story

Back in February I reviewed Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi and noted that the title story of the collection is one of the best SF/F novelettes I've read in ages. I finished the review by stating that if there is any justice in the world, "Pump Six" will be the story that finally wins Bacigalupi a Hugo or Nebula Award.

After writing those words, I wondered if others would notice this amazing story or if it would fall through the critical/reviewer cracks, so to speak. Well now we have some great news: In the May 2008 issue of Locus, reviewer Nick Gevers selects the novelette as a recommended story. I strongly suggest people track down this amazing short story collection and its equally amazing title story.

I should also note that this issue of Locus contains excellent interviews with both Theodora Goss and Catherynne M. Valente. As people may remember, Valente won last year's Million Writers Award with her story "Urchins, While Swimming."