Nick Mamatas's Blog, page 12
February 8, 2016
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY reviews THE LAST WEEKEND
Mamatas's wisecracking philosophical undead opus vivisects genre stereotypes and moral preconceptions with viciousness and style. Failed writer Vasilis, a driller for the infected city of San Francisco, battles a cultural and literal wasteland of reanimated dead folks and "social isolates, the outsiders [and] the third-shifters" in a literary slap to the American Dream.
Encountering mentally ill zombies, grieving clients, and renegade scientists, Vasilis struggles to retain his life and sanity as he becomes involved with sex-craving Yvette and revolutionary hothead Alexa. The living soon prove far more dangerous than the dead, and hearts rot as easily as reanimated flesh as he investigates the secret political mechanisms of his city. This cocktail of cynicism, sex, and sadism reinforces splatter theatrics with glimpses into human cruelty, ignorance, and general pathos. The "us against them" and "us against us" motifs are familiar, but the focused intimacy and sustainable dark humor will delight both zombie fans and readers looking for some moral questioning and emotional substance.
Do you like emotional substance? Well then, buy a copy of The Last Weekend.
Encountering mentally ill zombies, grieving clients, and renegade scientists, Vasilis struggles to retain his life and sanity as he becomes involved with sex-craving Yvette and revolutionary hothead Alexa. The living soon prove far more dangerous than the dead, and hearts rot as easily as reanimated flesh as he investigates the secret political mechanisms of his city. This cocktail of cynicism, sex, and sadism reinforces splatter theatrics with glimpses into human cruelty, ignorance, and general pathos. The "us against them" and "us against us" motifs are familiar, but the focused intimacy and sustainable dark humor will delight both zombie fans and readers looking for some moral questioning and emotional substance.
Do you like emotional substance? Well then, buy a copy of The Last Weekend.
Bernie Sanders, A Personal FAQ
Hey Nick, are you going to vote for Bernie Sanders?
Nope.
Why not?
He's a Democrat. I don't vote for Democrats.
Why not?
Because I'm a socialist.
But isn't Sanders a socialist?
Not really. At best he's a social democrat, and now that he has joined the Democratic Party he can't even realistically be called that.
Well, would you vote for a social democrat who wasn't in the Democratic Party?
Sure. I voted for Bernie Sanders when I lived in Vermont.
So...you're a social democrat?
No.
Well, could you unpack any of this a bit instead of just being gnomic?
This ain't a bad start.
Well, if that's true, why vote for a social democrat?
Well, Marxists organize alongside social democrats, vote for social democrats (sometimes) and then, when the social democrats turn to the right, say "See! See! This method doesn't work!"
Oh, come on! Like there were people doing that in Vermont?!
Sure there were, and are. Here's a taste, from back before you likely ever heard of Bernie Sanders.
So you're definitely not voting for Clinton then, right?
Of, fuck no.
What about the Supreme Court?
You're saying that because you've analyzed the last 100 years of court decisions based on the party of the President that appointed the justices, right? You really really have, yes, and you're going to share that analysis with me right now, right?
Uh...moving on. What about sexism! BernieBros!? Isn't the real revolution voting for a woman?
Let's ask someone from a country where they did that!
Not necessarily, eh?
Can't Bernie take over the Democratic Party and move it to the left?
No, and only temporarily on the rhetorical level, just in time for the election. See also Jesse Jackson, Jerry Brown, Howard Dean, etc. See sheepdogging.
Why can't he?
The Democratic Party represents certain interests, number one (essentially industrial capital and some elements of finance capital) and number two there are any number of safeguards in place to keep insurgents from taking over political parties. Google "superdelegates" if you like. The Democrats actually depend on superdelegates more than the Republicans do.
But sometimes you post links on FB that seem to support Bernie, or at least Bernie over Hillary, don't you?
Just because I won't be voting for Sanders doesn't mean I can't poke fun at Clinton's cretinism.
Are you calling all Clinton supporters cretins?
No. Some of you are just bloodthirsty!
Nope.
Why not?
He's a Democrat. I don't vote for Democrats.
Why not?
Because I'm a socialist.
But isn't Sanders a socialist?
Not really. At best he's a social democrat, and now that he has joined the Democratic Party he can't even realistically be called that.
Well, would you vote for a social democrat who wasn't in the Democratic Party?
Sure. I voted for Bernie Sanders when I lived in Vermont.
So...you're a social democrat?
No.
Well, could you unpack any of this a bit instead of just being gnomic?
This ain't a bad start.
Well, if that's true, why vote for a social democrat?
Well, Marxists organize alongside social democrats, vote for social democrats (sometimes) and then, when the social democrats turn to the right, say "See! See! This method doesn't work!"
Oh, come on! Like there were people doing that in Vermont?!
Sure there were, and are. Here's a taste, from back before you likely ever heard of Bernie Sanders.
So you're definitely not voting for Clinton then, right?
Of, fuck no.
What about the Supreme Court?
You're saying that because you've analyzed the last 100 years of court decisions based on the party of the President that appointed the justices, right? You really really have, yes, and you're going to share that analysis with me right now, right?
Uh...moving on. What about sexism! BernieBros!? Isn't the real revolution voting for a woman?
Let's ask someone from a country where they did that!
Not necessarily, eh?
Can't Bernie take over the Democratic Party and move it to the left?
No, and only temporarily on the rhetorical level, just in time for the election. See also Jesse Jackson, Jerry Brown, Howard Dean, etc. See sheepdogging.
Why can't he?
The Democratic Party represents certain interests, number one (essentially industrial capital and some elements of finance capital) and number two there are any number of safeguards in place to keep insurgents from taking over political parties. Google "superdelegates" if you like. The Democrats actually depend on superdelegates more than the Republicans do.
But sometimes you post links on FB that seem to support Bernie, or at least Bernie over Hillary, don't you?
Just because I won't be voting for Sanders doesn't mean I can't poke fun at Clinton's cretinism.
Are you calling all Clinton supporters cretins?
No. Some of you are just bloodthirsty!
February 3, 2016
How to Successfully Read The Last Weekend
Originally posted by
la_fields
at How to Successfully Read The Last Weekend(Book Review for
The Last Weekend
)
- First read The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson (or see the movie if you're just a tourist about it), and anything else you can think of written about writers and drunks (especially when they are authored by drunken writers--Hemingway, Bukowski, you know the drill), and then congratulate yourself the whole time just like the protagonist for knowing so much more than will ever be appreciated by the mind-dead zombies of the world.
- Have a good idea of just how awful men can be in an apocalyptic scenario, then compare that marauding rapist to Billy the Greek over here, and then don't even pretend you wouldn't be happy to know this drunken dork at the end of the world (the end of America, actually—the world’s probably better off after the US gets wiped out).
- Get the concept of zombies but don't be married to any preconceived notions about how they should emotionally impact the living (like there's a right way to deal with zombies? Doubt it).
- Know that government jobs without regulation or rigor will totally survive any mass-scale disaster (like roaches, bureaucracies will survive unchanged), and get that people who do the most vital jobs are often the least vital living (next step down is a reanimated corpse).
- Know anything about California demographics, stereotypes, and neighborhoods, or at least try to enjoy the breeze of jokes flying over your head (if you're like the protagonist you'll be from a flyover state anyway, and pretty used to that feeling).
- Love gender equality enough to appreciate that men and women alike will all be selfish, reckless, and bat-crap crazy if they’re the kind of outlier who can survive a sudden zombie awakening.
- Want to read a zombie book for those who are not and don't even care to be heroes, know that tools are better than guns even when neither one is likely to save you, and trust that you'll like this book if you want to.
la_fields
at How to Successfully Read The Last Weekend(Book Review for
The Last Weekend
)- First read The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson (or see the movie if you're just a tourist about it), and anything else you can think of written about writers and drunks (especially when they are authored by drunken writers--Hemingway, Bukowski, you know the drill), and then congratulate yourself the whole time just like the protagonist for knowing so much more than will ever be appreciated by the mind-dead zombies of the world.
- Have a good idea of just how awful men can be in an apocalyptic scenario, then compare that marauding rapist to Billy the Greek over here, and then don't even pretend you wouldn't be happy to know this drunken dork at the end of the world (the end of America, actually—the world’s probably better off after the US gets wiped out).
- Get the concept of zombies but don't be married to any preconceived notions about how they should emotionally impact the living (like there's a right way to deal with zombies? Doubt it).
- Know that government jobs without regulation or rigor will totally survive any mass-scale disaster (like roaches, bureaucracies will survive unchanged), and get that people who do the most vital jobs are often the least vital living (next step down is a reanimated corpse).
- Know anything about California demographics, stereotypes, and neighborhoods, or at least try to enjoy the breeze of jokes flying over your head (if you're like the protagonist you'll be from a flyover state anyway, and pretty used to that feeling).
- Love gender equality enough to appreciate that men and women alike will all be selfish, reckless, and bat-crap crazy if they’re the kind of outlier who can survive a sudden zombie awakening.
- Want to read a zombie book for those who are not and don't even care to be heroes, know that tools are better than guns even when neither one is likely to save you, and trust that you'll like this book if you want to.
February 1, 2016
Locus Poll!
The Locus Magazine Recommended Reading List and Poll—which forms the basis of the eventual Locus Award nominees—is out today, and I'm pleased to see that Hanzai Japan is on it, as is my day job imprint, Haikasoru, under Publisher. I think this is the first time we ended up on the poll proper for ease of clicking.
Anyway, the poll and survey is here and if you liked Hanzai Japan, or what we've been up to generally, please click the appropriate boxes!
Anyway, the poll and survey is here and if you liked Hanzai Japan, or what we've been up to generally, please click the appropriate boxes!
January 28, 2016
Hugo Awards
I'm not going to list all my eligible publications, but I do want to talk about a couple of things. The first is the film Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief. Citing precedent from the Apollo 11 landing, I've been told it is best considered for Best Dramatic Work, Long Form, though other Hugo-watchers insist it should be considered a Best Related Work. I'm definitely going to vote for this film, which reveals some very shocking things about how science fiction has influenced the contemporary world. Also, if it helps embarrass the Co$ers who cling to fandom like leeches, good!
At the Spokane Worldcon, a lot of people picked up Gene Mapper by Taiyo Fujii at our table there and I hope you all liked it. Give it consideration if you think it's worthy.
As far as my own work, I'll just link to my novelette We Never Sleep, which some people have already declared for.
At the Spokane Worldcon, a lot of people picked up Gene Mapper by Taiyo Fujii at our table there and I hope you all liked it. Give it consideration if you think it's worthy.
As far as my own work, I'll just link to my novelette We Never Sleep, which some people have already declared for.
January 27, 2016
January 25, 2016
Reading With A Cold
Tonight, despite a fairly bad sinus cold, I gave a brief reading at the Inkwell Reading Series. See?
The napkins were because I desperately needed a tissue, and asking a bookstore clerk for anything is an exercise in futility. So I went to the corner store closest to Alley Cat Books and Gallery, where the reading was held, and bought the least expensive closest analogue to tissues they had. In this case, a package of one-hundred sixty napkins. By the time I was ready to read, I was also ready to offer the first person to buy a copy of The Last Weekend at the event one-hundred and fifty-two free napkins to go along with the book. No takers, surprisingly, though sometime after I ran out to find better accommodations (and did, at the tasty Wise Sons Jewish Deli) I found that three or four people did end up buying the book, which was nice.
The napkins stayed with Dominica Phetteplace and her husband Tom, who performed the great mitzvah of driving me home so I wouldn't have to take BART and then hoof a mile.
As always, you don't need to come to a reading to buy a book. You can play the home game.
"It's like Uber, but for getting a hole drilled in your head." @NMamatas, on his new book The Last Weekend. pic.twitter.com/1uAidpbjRI
— Meg Elison (@megelison) January 26, 2016
The napkins were because I desperately needed a tissue, and asking a bookstore clerk for anything is an exercise in futility. So I went to the corner store closest to Alley Cat Books and Gallery, where the reading was held, and bought the least expensive closest analogue to tissues they had. In this case, a package of one-hundred sixty napkins. By the time I was ready to read, I was also ready to offer the first person to buy a copy of The Last Weekend at the event one-hundred and fifty-two free napkins to go along with the book. No takers, surprisingly, though sometime after I ran out to find better accommodations (and did, at the tasty Wise Sons Jewish Deli) I found that three or four people did end up buying the book, which was nice.
The napkins stayed with Dominica Phetteplace and her husband Tom, who performed the great mitzvah of driving me home so I wouldn't have to take BART and then hoof a mile.
As always, you don't need to come to a reading to buy a book. You can play the home game.
January 24, 2016
This Might Be It
I'm writing this here because LJ is moribund and I don't want a ton of sympathetic remarks. Kazzie has a tumor that is pressing against her urethra, and at age 15 she will probably die soon. She had a very good run, and except for straining to urinate is still fairly spry. There's a chance that if the tumor is a lymphoma, it can be treated with simple at-home medication, which we would do. Anything more invasive would just make everyone miserable and not extend her lifespan appreciably. It's not as though we're all waiting for her to finish composing her memoirs.
I'm not putting this on FB or anything because I don't want 400 comments from people named "Lisa Starfeather, Fantasy Author" telling me about the Rainbow Bridge. Anyway, could be a week, could be six months. Kaz was born in Queens and was weaned too early from her mother, lived on the mean streets of Jersey City, lovely Long Island, twice here in California, explored the creeks and woods of Vermont, and chased skunks in Boston. I think I did a pretty good job with her.
I'm not putting this on FB or anything because I don't want 400 comments from people named "Lisa Starfeather, Fantasy Author" telling me about the Rainbow Bridge. Anyway, could be a week, could be six months. Kaz was born in Queens and was weaned too early from her mother, lived on the mean streets of Jersey City, lovely Long Island, twice here in California, explored the creeks and woods of Vermont, and chased skunks in Boston. I think I did a pretty good job with her.
January 20, 2016
It's like that movie WHIPLASH, but you get to be nude...
My latest LitReactor.com online class starts tomorrow. Slots still available; sign ups through midnight tomorrow! Come see if you're any good at writing!
January 19, 2016
Tuesday Quick Notes
Well, over the weekend, I flew out to New York, and this happened:
Yup. I am now president of the Mystery Writers of America's Northern California Chapter. Nothing beats an uncontested election!
Speaking of, it is Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, and so the Edgar Award nominations are out. Always highly interesting. I'll have more to say in April, when the winners are announced.
And a nice review of The Last Weekend came in over the weekend, from Horrortalk.com. It reads, in part:
Despite what you’ll hear from reviewers and excited readers in the next few weeks, Nick Mamatas has not reinvented the zombie novel with The Last Weekend; he has created a new subgenre that brings together the best elements of horror, noir, and literary fiction while simultaneously poking fun at those genres.
NEW subgenre. That's me. Get to clickin'.
Yup. I am now president of the Mystery Writers of America's Northern California Chapter. Nothing beats an uncontested election!
Speaking of, it is Edgar Allan Poe's birthday, and so the Edgar Award nominations are out. Always highly interesting. I'll have more to say in April, when the winners are announced.
And a nice review of The Last Weekend came in over the weekend, from Horrortalk.com. It reads, in part:
Despite what you’ll hear from reviewers and excited readers in the next few weeks, Nick Mamatas has not reinvented the zombie novel with The Last Weekend; he has created a new subgenre that brings together the best elements of horror, noir, and literary fiction while simultaneously poking fun at those genres.
NEW subgenre. That's me. Get to clickin'.
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