Zed Amadeo's Blog, page 11

Book Review: Help Fund My Robot Army!!!

What’s the strangest Kickstarter campaign you’ve ever heard of? Help Fund My Robot Army!!!, a unique speculative fiction anthology edited by John Joseph Adams, provides an imaginative takes on what would happen if this crowd-sourcing platform were injected with projects straight out of science-fiction and fantasy.

 Book Review: Help Fund My Robot Army!!! and Other Improbable Crowdfunding Projects, edited by John Joseph Adams

Book cover from JohnJosephAdams.com

As an Internet user, you’ve no doubt heard of Kickstarter, a crowd-sourcing platform that allows people to gain funding for a project. Imagine if you could use Kickstarter to fund a fantastical project, such as the titular robot army, a spell to allow you to shapeshift, or performing a Shakespearean play in outer space. This is the premise of Help Fund My Robot Army!!! and Other Improbable Crowdfunding Projects, a speculative fiction anthology of thirty-three fictional Kickstarter campaigns edited by John Joseph Adams.

I particularly enjoyed the format of this collection. Each story has the structure of an actual campaign, complete with the description of the project, fundraising goal, updates, and even what each backer would receive at each level of contribution and comments from Kickstarter users. I found the format to be successful in creating a sense of realism – while the projects are obviously supposed to be fantastical, I still felt like I was reading about actual campaigns. I found humor in the ridiculousness of some of the projects, while the backstory of one of the campaigns in particular (I won’t spoil it by saying which one) made me feel quite emotional. Regardless of tone, the anthology as a whole is an imaginative take on what this crowd-sourcing platform could be used for in a world- for better or for worse.

If you enjoy speculative fiction or if you’ve ever wondered just how far people could go with Kickstarter campaigns, definitely check this book out. Help Fund My Robot Army!!! is available for $4.99 on the Amazon Kindle store, the editor’s website, and the Kobo and Nook stores.

Have a great book to suggest? Leave a comment below!

Check out my previous review on another anthology, Machine of Death.

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Book Review: Machine of Death

What if you knew how you were going to die? Do you think you would be relieved or terrified, or some strange combination? The contributors of the Machine of Death, a speculative fiction anthology, tackle intriguing and varied answers to this very question.

Book Review: Machine of Death, edited by Ryan North, Matthew Bennardo, & David Malki

Machine of Death

Imagine the following scenario: scientists have just invented a machine that, requiring only a drop of your blood, can predict how you’ll die. Would you eagerly use the machine? Shun its existence? This premise forms the basis of all thirty-four stories in Machine of Death. 

This anthology tackles lots of the implications of such a machine. If a machine can predict how you die, this might negate the role of choice and free will in your life. Or alternatively, you may find this information freeing – if you already know that you’re going to die of, say, drowning, then you don’t have to worry about participating in other dangerous acts since you know that none of them are going to kill you. However, the situation is made even more sticky by the possibility of being “tricked” by your death prediction. Since the machine only spits out a word or a phrase that tell you how you will die, there can sometimes be ambiguity in what your prediction REALLY means.

Not all of the stories carry this heavy tone. Some discuss the societal effects of the existence of such a machine while successfully incorporating humor into the narrative. Although all qualify as short stories, the works in this collection vary from a few pages to a single line.

The book’s preface provides some backstory for the creation of this anthology, elaborated upon on the book’s website. The idea for the anthology came from a comic created by one of the editors, Ryan North. After attempting the traditional publishing route, Machine of Death was then self-published in 2010, leading to great success. So much so that the editors released a sequel anthology This Is How You Die (which I have, sadly, not yet had the chance to read).

As if the stories on their own weren’t good enough, each work is prefaced by a beautiful piece of artwork relating to the story. This gorgeous pieces, which also vary in style, provide a thematic compliment to the stories within the anthology:

 

“Cassandra” illustration from Machine of Death by Matt Haley

“Fudge” illustration from Machine of Death by Vera Brosgol

“Cancer” illustration from Machine of Death by Danielle Corsetto

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoyed reading Machine of Death, you should check out the companion website, Machine of Death.net, where you’ll be able to find the free audiobook and info about the game inspired by the anthology.

From Machine of Death.net

Overall, Machine of Death is a wonderful, inventive speculative fiction anthology, ranging from the serious and inquisitive to light and humorous. A must-read for anyone who enjoys science-fiction. You can grab the free eBook on the Machine of Death’s website or buy a Kindle or physical copy on Amazon.

Have a book to recommend? Leave a comment below!

Also, check out my previous book review on Matt Shaw’s The Peter Chronicles.

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Practical Writing Advice: Writing Help for Speculative Fiction

Writing speculative fiction (which broadly encompasses the fantasy, science fiction, and horror genres, among others) comes with its own unique set of challenges not present in writing other genres. Now Write!: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror is a collection of short writing help essays and exercises by speculative fiction writers for speculative fiction writers.

Now Write: Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror edited by Laurie Lamson

Image from Amazon.com

The Now Write! series of books has writing help for lots of genres and formats, such as mystery, screenwriting, and nonfiction. I’ve come across plenty of writing books that were aimed at writers in general or writers of literary fiction. While that can be helpful, I also like to check out books with writing help for my particular genre. Since I’m primarly a fantasy and horror (and occasionally science-fiction) writer, I decided to check out the Now Write! book on speculative fiction.

The format of Now Write! is great for busy writers – it’s divided into broad sections on particular writing topics, such as Understanding Your Genre and World Building. Each of these broad sections contains short articles written by a speculative fiction author, followed by an exercise to help you put their advice into action. I particularly enjoyed discovering new speculative fiction authors by reading this book.

Now Write! has great advice not only to help improve your writing craft overall, but also has writing exercises you can use on a daily basis or if you’re feeling stuck in one particular area (such as coming up with a title, which tends to be fairly difficult for me.) Now Write! is a useful addition to any speculative fiction writer’s bookshelf (whether physical or digital!). This book is available $7.99 on Kindle or $13.70 in paperback at Amazon.

Have another writing resource you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below!

If you’re looking for more writing help for speculative fiction, check out my previous post on the inspirational and useful Wonderbook by Jeff VanderMeer.

The post Practical Writing Advice: Writing Help for Speculative Fiction appeared first on Zed Amadeo.

Book Review: The Peter Chronicles

I stumbled upon the first book in The Peter Chronicles, Happy Ever After by Matt Shaw, when one of my friends rated and reviewed this book on Goodreads. The premise sounded interesting, so I decided to check it out with my Kindle Unlimited subscription. I had just discovered an excellent indie horror series by an author who would soon become one of my favorites.

A Book Review of The Peter Chronicles by Matt Shaw

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Ever After, an indie horror novel by Matt Shaw, is the reader’s first introduction to Peter, a killer who abducts women to live in his home in an attempt to create his own happy ending. The victim in his first book is a young woman named Vanessa, who awakens in Peter’s home after having been kidnapped by him and fearfully discovers who Peter is and the plans he has for her. The story is told from the perspectives of both Peter and Vanessa. Happy Ever After is filled with dark twists and turns and lots of suspense. What does Peter want from Vanessa? Is there ever a chance that she’ll be able to outwit him and break free? All of the horror is well supplemented with elements of dark humor. The first book in the series is a quick read and a real page turner.

Best of all, the story doesn’t end there. Happy Ever After has sequels: G.S.O.H. Essential, A Fresh Start, Peter, All Good Things, and Once Upon a Time. The other books in the series continue Peter’s adventures and delve into his backstory, as Vanessa is just one of Peter’s multiple victims. The killer’s rough upbringing, alluded to in the stories, is told in its entirety in the 9 Months Trilogy.

All of the books in The Peter Chronicles are available on Amazon from 99 cents to $2.99 depending on the book. All are also available for rental with a Kindle Unlimited description. Definitely check out The Peter Chronicles if you’re looking for some indie horror to enjoy in small bites.

All book covers from Amazon.

Have a book to recommend? Send me a message!

Check out my review of Matt Shaw’s Self Publishing.

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