Jason Pettus's Blog, page 20

First Time Around: "Neuromancer," by William Gibson

Neuromancer By William Gibson, 1984 Reviewed by Chris Schahfer I don't often get the chance to flex my sci-fi muscle around here. I'm not sure if that's because I'm just not that up on what's currently going on in sci-fi or because I'm not as familiar with it as I thought. Either way, for as many objections as I could throw at the worst sci-fi - which range from the prose to the political level - the best is fascinating stuff, and that carries us quite nicely to William Gibson's first effor...

Book Review: "The Mechanical" by Ian Tregillis

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) The Mechanical By Ian Tregillis Orbit Reviewed by Jason Pettus So to be clear, what makes Ian Tregillis' The...

"The Only Game in Town," by Mohamed El-Erian

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 12 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) The Only Game in Town: Central Banks, Instability, and Avoiding the Next Collapse Mohamed El-Erian Random Hou...

Book Review: "Bloodletting" by William D. Prystauk

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Bloodletting By William D. Prystauk Edge. Reviewed by Jason Pettus To be fair, William D. Prystauk's Bloodlet...

Book Review: Joanna Walsh, "Vertigo"

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 12 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Vertigo By Joanna Walsh Dorothy, A Publishing Project Reviewed by Chris Schahfer An odd collection. A great c...

Book Review: "The Making of Zombie Wars" by Aleksandar Hemon

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) The Making of Zombie Wars By Aleksandar Hemon Farrar, Straus and Giroux Reviewed by Jason Pettus It's funny t...

Say hello to CCLaP's newest book, Kendra Hadnott's "Death Leaders!"

So yes, it's true, CCLaP's publishing program is going on hiatus later in 2016, so that I'll have more time to devote to my job search in my new daytime career in computer programming; but we still have two titles coming out before then, and I'm happy to say that the first one is officially out as of today, Kendra Hadnott's intriguing science-fiction novel Death Leaders. Kendra actually comes to us through the student anthology we did two years ago, Chicago After Dark, of which she was a con...

Book Review: "Voltaire's Excellent Adventure: The Broken Boarder," by Martin D. Gibbs and Arthur Graham

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) Voltaire's Excellent Adventure: The Broken Boarder: Gatsby, Booze, and Hot Philosopher Action! By Martin D. G...

"The Story of the Lost Child," by Elena Ferrante

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 12 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) The Story of the Lost Child: Neopolitan Novels, Book Four Elena Ferrante Europa Editions Reviewed by Nora Raw...

Book Review: "The Prison in Antares," by Mike Resnick

(CCLaP is dedicated to reviewing as many contemporary books as possible, including self-published volumes; click here to learn how to submit your own book for possible review, although be warned that it needs to have been published within the last 18 months to be considered. For the complete list of all books reviewed here, as well as the next books scheduled to be read, click here.) The Prison in Antares By Mike Resnick Pyr Reviewed by Karl Wolff Set in the 41st century, The Prison in Antar...