Peter Petruski
15 Articles
Last 30 days
Last 6 months
Last 12 months
Last 24 months
Specific Dates
From:
To:
PREMIUM
Hello Devilfish!
For readers with a high tolerance of the unconventional, this is an audacious, laugh-out-loud novel that is brilliantly committed to its conceit. For more traditional readers, the kind despised by giant kaiju (monster) protagonists, it will be the literary equivalent of a headache. Recommended for fans of absurdist fiction authors such as Patrick Wensink and Carlton III Mellick.
PREMIUM
Beautiful You
While writing female protagonists has never been Palahniuk's strongest suit, his latest novel has a more powerful message and compelling hook than many of his recent efforts. Full of original imagery and sensibilities, this is sure to amuse and horrify even his most ardent fans. Casual readers will be hard pressed to find anything else like it on the shelf. Highly recommended for everyone except the prudish or readers of actual romance novels. [See Prepub Alert, 4/21/14.]
PREMIUM
Brainquake
Recommended for fans of the more visceral pulp and hard-boiled fiction, like Jim Thompson's The Killer Inside Me.
PREMIUM
The Card
While this is not a straight mystery, fans of mystery or thriller fiction may also enjoy the lighthearted touch it lends to those genres. Readers who enjoyed Rawle's visually adventurous Woman's World may want to give this new work a shot.
PREMIUM
The Cusanus Game
Time travel is a risky concept to use in sf because of all the paradoxes and advanced science involved. While the German sf author (The Last Day of Creation) does an able job, the book makes for a dense read, with a lot of explanation and reexplanation of concepts. There's some interesting speculative science, including failed trips to Mars and genetically modified dogs that can talk, but it gets lost among all the explicating. Recommended for hard-core fans of the science in science fiction. [Previewed in Kristi Chadwick's genre spotlight feature "New Worlds To Explore," LJ 4/15/13; ow.ly/poF36.—Ed.]
PREMIUM
A Cold Season
This creepy, claustrophobic debut evokes classic films and novels, such as The Omen and Rosemary's Baby, in the demonic-horror genre. While these similarities help elevate the book by placing it on the shoulders of giants, they also make the story a tad predictable and formulaic. Cass is an incredibly unlikable protagonist, oblivious even by the low standards of horror-novel characters. She makes unrealistically poor decisions and takes a ridiculously long time to figure out what is going on. Despite these shortcomings, the novel builds a real sense of foreboding and dread, which creates a chilling reading experience for fans of demonic and religious horror.
PREMIUM
The Dead Run
Highly recommended for readers of supernatural action and horror. Also recommended for fans of more general action stories, if they don't roll their eyes at zombies. [See Prepub Alert, 4/1/13; for supernatural-fiction fans who enjoy the undead, see also Megan McArdle's zombie fiction roundup on p. 66.—Ed.]
PREMIUM
Rock Bottom
Casey has written a quiet and meditative piece, full of magical realism; aside from a man turning to stone, the story follows a mature development. The black-and-white artwork by Adlard (The Walking Dead) is spare but clean. Recommended for general sf/fiction graphic novels readers.
PREMIUM
Everybody Loves Tank Girl
Although the collection contains precious little in the way of traditional narrative or character background, it doesn't matter. Too much knowledge would probably detract from the fun of reading these bizarre bits of story. Mahfood's graffiti-style artwork adds to the acid-trip aesthetic of the writing. Recommended for mature indie comics fans and anyone looking for a strange, bawdy, laugh-out-loud read.
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER? LOG IN
Thank you for visiting.
We’ve noticed you are using a private browser. To continue, please log in or create an account.
