Alexander Pyles's Blog, page 19

Review: Home (Binti, #2)

Okay, so I know I don’t have a review posted for Nnedi Okorafor’s, Binti, but I just have to gush about the sequel, Home for a second. And I really wanted this to be my last review of the year.

First off. Wow.

The Binti series is the first in a new wave of Afro-futurism that I’ve only recently become aware of and it has been breathing new life into the science fiction genre, at least, it has for me. Okorafor’s world building is superb and done with the most delicate hands. Nothing is overtly...

Review: Rime

Rime, by Tim Lebbon, was my first Kindle Single that I got my hands on and I will say that I was not disappointed, in fact, far from it. The title is an homage to Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and the story itself is a sci-fi repackaging of Coleridge’s poem. For contemporary readers, who have read the original, this story adds a fun wrinkle and for those who have not, it may be fun to go back and check out the classic after reading Rime.

I’m aware of the beats of the classic, but Rime goes a s...

Review: Between The World And Me

Ta-Nehisi has crafted a blunt, honest letter to his son, and in turn all of us. He does not sugar coat his experience, and unlike others that I have read of the black experience in America he does not try and fabricate a hope when he feels none.

In some ways, this book is lost on me as a white male, but in another way it opens me up to an understanding I hadn’t looked or observed before. If nothing else, I hope to be a better person as I think Mr. Coates believes his son will be. Better than...

Review: The Conspiracy Against the Human Race

The Conspiracy Against the Human Race: A Contrivance of Horror by Thomas Ligotti is by no means an intro text into the wild world of nihilism and subversive thinking. (Note: I use the term subversive liberally here.) Both a literary criticism and an exploration of nihilism as a perspective, Ligotti is a preeminent figure in this sphere of thought, as both a writer of horror and alternative thought. It is truly a book for those, who will not be bothered or overly depressed after slogging throu...

Writing in Brevity: Shorts

Note: This piece was originally published on Medium.com by me on December 6th, 2016. I thought it would be good to post it again here. I’ve revised some small sections, but otherwise, it is the same article.

***

So, over time, I’ve taken to the practice of writing shorter or even what you could call “micro” fiction. Another broader name would be“flash.” Most writers I think in this day and age pay no mind to it, because it may not fall into there sphere of concern. Other writers may not see a...

Review: We Come Apart

I don’t often read YA, and it’s even less that I am moved by a YA novel, so when I finished We Come Apart by Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan, I was taken aback.

I will say that this book is fantastic. Written in free form verse, we follow Nicu, a Romanian immigrant, transplanted in London and Jess, who is struggling in a dangerous and troubling home situation. Both of these teens eventually come into contact with one another and friendship emerges that bridges them despite a difference in cu...

Coming Up For Air (Life Update)

I haven’t really done one of these on this blog before, but I’ve decided it was a good time to start. I finally have a chance to write this, so I wanted to give my readers a sort of “check-in” with me. I will say first that I want to say thank you for reading my reviews thus far, though I realize they have been somewhat few and far between.

I am in the midst of wrapping up my MFA from Seton Hill University, of which I will be graduating January 2018.

I have a one year and an outline of a five...

Review: Steal The Stars

So, I’m going to do something different here and review an audio drama that was recommended to me. Steal the Stars is written by Mac Rogers, and the novelization is written by Nat Cassidy(who also plays a supporting role in the audio drama). And I just have to say that it is phenomenal. I’ll admit, I haven’t listened to many other audio dramas, but I thought Steal the Stars was well produced by the folks over at Gideon Media.

I’ve just started getting into podcasts again, so I was looking fo...

Review: Deep Work

Deep Work is one of the best books I’ve read on productivity and the focused life. Cal Newport outlines what “deep work” can be in an age of shallow distractions and offers a worthy alternative. He issues the challenge to leave mediocrity behind and embrace the best possible work you can do.

Newport is fully aware that his position runs almost counter-intuitive to the “information & internet” age we all persist in. History backs him up on nearly every point if only tangentially, since the bas...

Review: Barsk

It isn’t too often that one finds a novel that has such a genuinely unique world built around it, but Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard by  Lawrence M. Schoen is one such work.

Barsk to some readers familiar with uplifted or anthropomorphized animals may not be struck by any unique cords by reading the inside flap, but the effortless way that Schoen is able to enter into the POVs of the characters is what really separates this narrative from the rest.

We follow Jorl, a “fant”(elephant) historia...