Corey Redekop's Blog, page 48

Monkey droppings - Last Night in Twisted River by John Irving: "Danny knew how stories were marvels."

Today, the monkey travels to the past, to an author long loved yet somehow misplaced as the years roll by.

Oh, cruel march of time! Why must you trudge so relentlessly onward? Damn you, sir!




Last Night in Twisted River
by John Irving

As for the river, it just kept moving, as rivers do - as rivers do. Under the logs, the body of the young Canadian moved with the river, which jostled him to and fro - to and fro. If, at this moment in time, Twisted River also appeared restless, even impatient...

Critical Monkey! Update the fifth! Seven contestants, no waiting!

Man, five months down, seven to go. Seems like an eternity, doesn't it?

And now, the stats! Survey says:

Acceptance (seven reviews)

Depression (six reviews)

Anger (five reviews)

Guilt (four reviews)

Corey Redekop

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer The Justice Riders by Chuck Norris Jake and the Kid by W.O. Mitchell Left Behind by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins

Lori L

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen Roses of Glory by Mary Pershall Spock's World by Diane Duane A Texan's Honor by Leigh Greenwood

Steve Zipp

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Monkey droppings - God Says No by James Hannaham: "I told her what she wanted to hear in the words everybody used like shorthand."

Today, the monkey discovers that all people have faults, there are no easy answers, we're all uniquely human, etcetera, etcetera.
Whole lotta sorts on this planet. Make a'da world go round.



God Says No
by James Hannaham

Even after all the guy stuff, I still believed that homosexuals were evil people who wished eternal hellfire by defying God's law, as stated in Leviticus. Homosexuality was punishable by death. Take a step toward it and Christ, the Bible, and your family would condemn you. If one...

Critical Monkey Entry #4 — Left Behind: Ouch! My soul!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, please take your seats for the main event!

In this corner, wearing the beige tights and the quizzical look on his face, the always intense and banana enthusiast Critical Monkey! *Wild applause*

And in this corner, wearing the 'what were we thinking?' eighties ensemble, former television sitcom teen heart-throb turned wacko beyond human comprehension (and also banana enthusiast) Kirk Cameron! *Somewhat more muted applause*

Watch as these two titans battle it ...

Love in Infant Monkeys - review in Quill and Quire

My review of Love in Infant Monkeys, Lydia Millet's absolutely fantastic collection of short stories (from Soft Skull Press), has been posted on the Quill and Quire website:

Stories involving animals can often be a mixed blessing. At their worst, like the manipulative treacle of Marley & Me, such tales use animals as a contrivance through which human characters may better themselves. A quick glance at Love in Infant Monkeys, a story collection that revolves around the tabloid fodder of...

Monkey droppings - Monster, 1959 by David Maine: " Maybe there's no difference anymore between existence and entertainment."

Giant Monsters! Giant Monsters everywhere! Run! Run!





Monster, 1959
by David Maine

K. stands roughly upright, bipedal, forty feet tall from crown to toe. Claws instead of fingers, earholes like a lizard's, residual butterfly wings far too flimsy to support his mass, the suggestion of a dorsal fin halfway down his back..Matted black fur covers the rest of him except for those wings...and the scaly forearms, patterned like an Amazon constrictor. Arms longer than the comfortable human proportion...

Shelf Monkey gets a gun permit!

I won't usually repost other posts, but thanks to the good people at io9 (as well as Marvel Comics, apparently, this picture is now one of my favourite, most iconic images ever:

Isn't that amazing? No news on what it represents, but I think myself (Shelf Monkey), Mark Rayner (Marvellous Hairy), and Jeff and Ann Vandermeer (Evil Monkey!) will appreciate it the most, for vastly differing reasons.

Thanks to io9 for the heads up.

Canadian Thrills and Excitement Galore!

Just a quick little jaunt down Blogosphere Lane to point out two reviews I wrote for the revered publication Quill and Quire, now online for the amusement and edification of all. These are two esteemed Canadian novelists, and each of their efforts is well worth your time.

First, a review of Arthur Slade's The Hunchback Assignments, a young adult steampunk novel that is absolutely fantastic:

Slade ensures that the fanciful elements never overwhelm the story through his careful handling of the...

Monkey droppings - And Another Thing... by Eion Colfer: "Get your towel, Arthur. We have to leave."

The monkey uses his mind to fold space in upon itself, and travels the space-time continuum in search of a new entry in a classic series long thought dead. Will it be a new awakening of classic pleasures, as enjoyable as Joe Gores recently revival of Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade in Spade and Archer ? Or will it fester like the innumerable entries in the 'sequel to Pride & Prejudice or anything by Jane Austen' sweepstakes?

Let's find out.

And Another Thing...
by Eoin Colfer

The storm had now...

Critical Monkey - update the fourth! One-third done!

Wow, has it been a third of a year already? Four months of challenging yourselves to be the best your can be? Well, cowboy up, buttercup, because you gots eight months to go! You think this is a challenge for sissies? You gotta have serious literary cojones to compete here!

Sorry, that came off a little harsh. I'm fighting something as I write this, something internal. No, not swine flu; good guess, but this feels different, more watery. Call it fish rabies.

Anyways, to the stats:

Acceptance...