RaveThe Maine Edge... a peek behind the curtain, to be sure; Shelton is upfront and honest about the process, both with regard to what worked and what didn’t … and how much fun everyone had along the way ... a delight, a combination of insider observation and shaggy memoir. Shelton’s memories of this time are vivid and razor-sharp, resulting in a detailed picture of the realities behind getting this movie made. The disconnect between the film’s canonical status today and the uncertainty that surrounded it in the moment makes the story of its making all the more fascinating. Talk about inside baseball, you know? ... offers equal appeal to lovers of baseball and movies, a book that breaks down an iconic work of great importance to both realms. Smart, funny and charmingly self-deprecating, it’s an absolute home run of a read.
Morgan Talty
RaveMaine EdgeIt’s a rare thing to be really and truly grabbed by a book ... Night of the Living Rez is going to take you on a trip, pulling you through a world with which you are likely unfamiliar, even as it exists alongside your own. This collection of a dozen stories is a reflection and exploration of Talty’s history and heritage as a member of the Penobscot Nation, bringing together moments of triumph and tragedy as it digs into the realities of what it means to be connected to one’s culture while also striving to live in the larger world ... Every one of these stories is effective on its own, brimming with a bifurcated and self-aware energy. But as they are consumed together, they feed on one another, spiraling upward on waves of simple joy and sadness and dark humor generated by the trials and tribulations of a singular young man. This is a book that is more than the sum of its parts, each tale a piece of the puzzle; it all comes together into a smart, thoughtful and utterly fascinating big picture ... These are thoughtfully rendered and beautifully written stories, stopping at various points on a unique coming-of-age pathway. Each tale wrestles with large questions of identity, showing the struggle that comes with trying to maintain a connection to the past while also embracing the possibility of the future ... an exceptional and powerful collection, a book that addresses its world and the people living in it in myriad ways. These stories are packed with sharp edges, quiet dignity and dark humor. Smart, funny and challenging, this is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time.
Howard Bryant
RaveThe Maine Edge... a deep and definitive look at one of the greatest to ever play the game of baseball ... Bryant – a gifted writer who spent a good chunk of time covering baseball in the Bay Area during Rickey’s myriad stints there – gives us a soup-to-nuts rendering of the man, from his humble beginnings in Oakland to his rapid ascent into stardom to his arrival the apex of the baseball world to his slow evolution into a hardball folk hero. The triumphs of Rickey are here, but so too are the tribulations, as we’re given insight into the struggles that marked Rickey’s life both on the field and off it ... Thanks to a stunning number of interviews – including some with the man himself – Bryant is able to assemble a complex and comprehensive look at a complicated legacy. The roots of so many criticisms of Rickey were born of racism, both inherent and explicit; Bryant doesn’t shy away from that reality, acknowledging that many in baseball at that time viewed Rickey’s behaviors and style of play as somehow less than simply because of the color of his skin .. .It’s all woven together into an engaging package, a fascinating read for anyone who loves baseball. Bryant’s affinity for both the game in general and his subject specifically results in a book that, while even-handed, is also something of a love letter to what baseball was once upon a time. It’s not romanticizing, or at least, not exactly, but rather, an affectionate look back at an imperfect time in which a force of nature fundamentally altered what it meant to be on first base ... I found “Rickey” to be a marvelous read. As someone whose own baseball fandom coincided with much of Henderson’s stardom, I was always going to love this book. But the truth is that any fan of the game will find much to like.
A J Jacobs
RaveThe Maine Edge... a fascinating journey through the puzzling world, a look at the many different varieties of puzzle and the people whose lives are shaped by them. All of it viewed through the eyes of one very dedicated – and very talented – chronicler ... an exceptional work of stunt nonfiction, a book wherein the author has placed themselves at the center of the story. It’s a continuation of the long history of participatory journalism – one in which Jacobs has already distinguished himself with earlier works such as the best-selling The Year of Living Biblically ... But while there’s a gimmickry at play here, the book doesn’t feel reliant on the gimmick. This is not a stunt for stunt’s sake. Jacobs is palpably passionate about his subject matter here, making his presence within the narrative not just acceptable but welcome. It’s impossible not to be swept up in his love of puzzles; we can’t help but experience that joy vicariously through him. And again, it doesn’t hurt that he’s given us plenty of ways to play along ... a charming and informative work of nonfiction that evokes both the joys of its subject and the spirit of its author. If you’ve ever taken a shot at a Sudoku or done an escape room or just spent a few morning minutes with Wordle, you’ll dig this.
Adrienne Celt
RaveThe Maine Edge... taut and tightly-told ... I’ll be honest – I wasn’t sure how I was going to engage with this book. As I said, I’m a fan of time loops, but I’ve been burned too many times. Not an issue here, as it turns out; Celt does a masterful job of navigating the complexities of time shifting. She manages to make each new day into both its own thing and a meditation on the days that have gone before. Unspooling this kind of narrative demands a delicate touch – and Celt proves more than capable of the requisite delicacy ... The joy here is the puzzle-piece complexity of the narrative. Celt has taken the standard time loop trope and given it a tweak; we get the same day over and over again, with the major pieces remaining the same, but with loads of wiggle room in the details. That flexibility gives the reader a sense of constantly being ever-so-slightly off-balance, leaving us all the more invested in engaging with every new bit of information ... Love can evolve when given a chance, just like anything else. End of the World House finds a way to give love the necessary space for that evolution – all within the same singular time period. It is a deft and intricate novel, woven together so neatly and tightly that one can’t see the seams, no matter how hard one strains ... Exploring the ways in which relationships can change and grow is pretty standard stuff for literature. Using the same day for those myriad explorations is something else entirely. And that’s what Adrienne Celt does with End of the World House. Starting over, starting again, starting anew – it’s all here. And here. And here
Peter Golenbock
PositiveThe Maine ReviewI’m not going to delve too deeply into the stories that are ultimately shared here – you’ll have to buy the book for that – but it’s worth noting that to a man, all of these players carry deep-seated and powerful memories about their time in the big leagues, however long or successful that time might have been ... Oral histories like Whispers of the Gods are engaging reads for those of us who seek to connect our fandom of the now with the deeds of the past. Baseball history is a long and tangled thread – sometimes frayed, sometimes knotted, but never broken. One can draw a line from the earliest days of professional baseball to today – something that can be said about relatively few institutions.
Tara Isabella Burton
RaveThe Maine Edge\"... one hell of a read ... [Laura\'s] search for identity leads her toward relinquishing her individuality. Adolescence is rife with those temptations, rendered thoughtfully and evocatively by Burton ... I’ll concede that I—a middle-aged man—am not necessarily the target audience for this book. Yet one could argue that Burton’s ability to make this tale resonate with me speaks to a universality that belies the seeming narrowness of focus ... While there were a few reasons that I started the book, the reason that I stayed was Burton. Combining writerly skill with narrative depth isn’t something that everyone can do—there are plenty of stylists I admire who can’t tell a story, and plenty of gifted storytellers whose prose is plain—but Burton makes it all seem easy. We glide through the story, moments of intimacy and excitement treated with equal respect. It is truthful, delicate work.
I didn’t know what I was getting when I picked up The World Cannot Give. As it turns out, what I got was my biggest literary surprise of the year thus far.\
Mike Sielski
RaveThe Maine EdgeThanks to a deep connection to Philly’s scholastic basketball scene – high school and college alike – Sielski is uniquely suited to bring forth the story of Kobe Bryant before he was KOBE BRYANT ... documents Kobe’s, well … rise … with thorough reportage and insight gained only through a first-person understanding of the time and place in question ... Sielski also gained access to a series of taped interviews that Kobe gave while still in high school, offering a window onto the young man who had not yet achieved all the goals he had set, but remained utterly convinced that he would reach them ... There are scores of books out there about Kobe Bryant, running the gamut from fawning to fault-finding. What The Rise does so elegantly is tell a part of the story that hasn’t received quite so much attention. Everyone has to come from somewhere, even a hardwood deity like Kobe Bryant; Sielski has given us the chance to examine the beginnings of Kobe’s particular brand of basketball brilliance ... offers an interesting twist on the traditional sports bio. Sielski’s admiration for his subject – and indeed, the admiration projected by all of these people – is extremely present, but we never get a sense that Kobe is being unduly elevated. Young Kobe’s faults aren’t glossed over, but rather engaged with in the context of the time and place – specifically, a teenager whose ambition at times overwhelmed all other aspects of his life. Ultimately, what we get is an in-depth look at a kid who believed himself destined to greatness … and was willing to do whatever it took to achieve it.
Ian O'Connor
RaveThe Maine EdgeO’Connor dives deep, digging through extant sources as well as conducting his own interviews with scores upon scores of people with close connections to Coach K. The result is a fascinating portrait of sporting greatness, a long look at a man who ascended to the heights of his profession ... all that stuff is in there – the nuts and bolts of Coach K’s personal and professional journey – but it’s the rest of it that takes this book from a good read to a great one ... There is a staggering amount of reportage at work here ... [O\'Connor\'s] reporting bona fides permeate the book, with a clear, concise authorial voice that informs and entertains without the passing of judgment – an uncommon feat in a biography, particular a sports biography ... an outstanding work of sports biography, one that really delves into an iconic figure in the history of American athletics. Celebratory without being hagiographic and extremely well-crafted, it’s a great read for any fan of college basketball in particular or of sports in general.
Emily St. John Mandel
RaveMaine EdgeMastering that sort of layered storytelling is something that most writers – including some tremendously gifted ones – never quite manage. But when that mastery is achieved, the resulting work can etch itself upon your mind and upon your heart ... Emily St. John Mandel has achieved that mastery ... Her new novel is Sea of Tranquility a beautiful and complex tale of creativity and love spread across centuries. Marrying the power of familial bonds with the passage of time, bound together through the rippling reflections cast by the motion of generations, it is a book that ensnares the imagination and buoys the reader forward into the known unknown ... Sea of Tranquility is a delicate web of interconnectedness, a story whose many threads are woven together so subtly and smoothly that the reader almost doesn’t realize it is happening until the knots are complete. Each piece of the story, separated by time and space, is compelling in its own right, but it is only when we see the points of contact that we truly understand the intricacy of what Mandel has made for us ... Telling stories across multiple timelines has become something of a trope in recent years. In the hands of lesser writers, it can be something of a crutch, a way to prop up stories that might not stand strongly on their own. But when a master like Mandel goes to work, we get something that is far more than the sum of its parts, where the pieces are welded together with a gentle fire and reinforced into something stronger ... One of the joys of reading Mandel is her ability to evoke a sense of place ... Sea of Tranquility is a work of complex simplicity, if that makes sense. It is constructed in a detailed and deliberate way, worlds built atop worlds, yet the central themes are straightforward.
Chuck Klosterman
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt is a thoughtful and engaging trip down the Gen-X rabbit hole ... Despite what you may think, this is not a nostalgic book. In so many ways, the fog of nostalgia clouds our perspective on the past. Klosterman not only steers clear of that impulse, he pushes in a direction that is more straightforwardly analytical. This is a book that explores what happened and the subsequent consequences, and along the way, he breaks down the difference between the truth of the moment and the fictionalized stories we tell ourselves ... a bit different than the usual Klosterman fare. It’s a bit headier and a bit more serious, though he never loses track of the sense of the absurd that makes him such an engaging read. Serious, but not self-serious, if that makes sense—Klosterman is writing from a place of thoughtful consideration and in-depth analysis, but he also never stops being funny. It is a clever, smart book that will evoke memories while also causing you to question those same memories.
Kim Fu
RaveThe Maine EdgeLesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century...offers the kind of payout you hope for when picking up a collection by an author with whom you are unfamiliar ... an engaging, thought-provoking collection of stories. A dozen works of speculative exploration that utilize and subvert genre tropes in equal measure. These are stories that venture into the shadows without fear and travel darkened pathways with resolute boldness. Smart and sharp, riddled with unsettling bleak humor and emotional impact, Lesser Known Monsters is a first-rate collection for any fan of speculative fiction ... These are stories that manage to be both heavy and buoyant at once, stirring up shadows without ever losing sight of the light. Compelling, thoughtful fiction like this would be difficult enough to generate once; doing it a dozen times is a true feat.
Michael Schur
RaveThe Maine Edge... a wryly funny book that is also packed with wisdom, a primer of sorts with regard to the semantics of being a good person ... Schur is a hell of a good writer, one who proves more than capable of converting these thoughts and concepts into material that is engaging, relatable and hilarious. Even as he guides us through these ideas, he never loses sight of his book’s central tenet – how to be a good person. And with that simple notion as his lodestar, he never loses his way. Sure, there are footnotes and tangents and the like, but that’s part of the joy of the journey. You’ll never laugh as hard at a tossed-off reference to Wittgenstein or heavy shade thrown at Kant’s treatise on wind as you will while reading this book ... might not be the sort of book you’d expect for Michael Schur’s debut. Honestly, that’s part of the appeal ... Tongue-in-cheek title aside, Schur knows that nobody’s perfect … but we can always try to be better. And considering the world in which we’re currently living, a bit of advice about being a good person is certainly welcome.
Isaac Butler
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe Method proved fascinating. The story of the philosophy’s growth and evolution plays out in the same manner as any good biography, with each high point explored with scholarship and thoughtfulness. A book like this could have easily read as dry and/or academic, but instead, Butler has woven his thorough research into a compelling narrative, one with heroes and villains and misunderstood figures from the nebulous middle space. All this while also producing a work of theatre history ... The Method will be of great interest to fans of history and the theatre, of course, but the truth is that anyone can read this book and engage with it. Butler has crafted an impressive and engaging work of nonfiction, a book that will prove fascinating to anyone who picks it up.
Jennifer Egan
RaveThe Maine Edge... spirals rapidly outward in what feels like barely-controlled chaos ... Ultimately, this is not a book reliant on plot – though the story Egan has crafted is plenty compelling, make no mistake – but rather about the in-the-moment reading experience. As we are pulled through the varying perspectives, with the connections – some overt, others subtle – playing out contextually, we’re steadily eased into the rich depths of the world that has been built for us. We come to exist in this place, a place that is different from where we are, but not so different that we’re unable to conceive of the path from here to there ... In this crazy-quilt patchwork, we’re left to live within the parameters of the experiences of the extensive dramatis personae. There’s something truly remarkable about it all; while one might have moved across immense distances in both time and space in the matter of just a few chapters, the line connecting the book’s beginning and end remains unbroken ... Egan is unafraid to challenge the reader, trusting that we will be willing and able to go along for the ride. There’s something deeply satisfying about that trust; it allows us to fully invest ourselves in the experience ... It\'s rare to realize in the moment that you’re reading a book that you’ll never forget. But that’s what it was like, working my way through The Candy House. The combination of story and storytelling is something that feels both foreign and familiar, an evolution of sorts. Egan doesn’t make it easy on the reader, but that’s by design – and it is undeniably worth the effort.
Pamela Paul
PositiveThe Maine EdgeFrom the very first entry...we hit the ground running ... A lot of these entries might read as minor, but others are reflective of broader changes ... On and on the list goes, with every minor shift adding to the pile. What 100 Things We’ve Lost to the Internet does so well is illustrate the growth of that pile; while any individual item might be no big deal, the collected set is significant. It’s a list of ways in which the world now is different from the world then—no small thing when dealing with a culture as susceptible to nostalgia as our own ... a fun read for those of us who share some of Paul’s memories and experiences. We remember what it was like and we like to remember. The landscape has shifted, and no doubt it will shift again as technology’s exponential advancement continues on apace. This book serves as a reminder of the simple truth that when gains are made, sometimes something is lost.
John Scalzi
RaveThe Maine Edge... a smart and timely and often hilarious work, a quick page-turner that fills the reader with a sense of speculative adventure even as its underlying ethos worms its way into your brain ... Scalzi takes his job very seriously, crafting his narrative world with a delicacy of detail; just because he’s obviously having a marvelous time telling this tale, that doesn’t mean that he lacks commitment to the quality of the work. And this book is of the utmost quality. Scalzi has a gift for coming up with intriguing central concepts and then spinning them out into sharp and compelling narratives. The Kaiju Preservation Society is another example of that gift in action, its central story an ideal framework on which to hang quick-witted dialogue and situational humor and assorted other stylistic Scalzi hallmarks ... smart and well-written, to be sure, but most importantly—it’s FUN.
Dan Shaughnessy
RaveThe Maine Edge... it’s an up-close-and-personal look at a time that simply doesn’t exist anymore. It’s a book packed with the sorts of stories that could never happen today ... These stories—stories about what the players were really like in the locker room and at the bar after the game as well as about their performance on the court—are a fascinating snapshot of a bygone era, featuring compelling and thoughtful looks at some of the greatest to ever play the game. Rendered with the standard self-deprecatory wit and good humor by Shaughnessy, it’s a book that any Celtics fan—any NBA fan, really—will find to be fascinating reading.
Charlie Jane Anders
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe complexity of the concepts explored through the work of Anders makes for thought-provoking reading, to be sure—the author is unafraid to challenge the reader. She is particularly fascinated by the fluidity of gender and the interpersonal dynamics that spring from that fluidity; she also has a knack for finding the (admittedly dry and dark) humor inherent to various flavors of apocalypse. Her ability to wield genre tropes and generalizations in unconventional ways makes every story contained herein an absolute treat ... Even Greater Mistakes is an exquisite collection, an assemblage of outstanding short fiction. Anders is a gifted prose stylist, one with a vast imagination to go with her technical craft. The worlds in which these stories operate are rich and vivid, beautifully realized without tiresome minutiae. With just a few sentences, Anders can clearly and concisely convey her vision of place; it’s a rare talent indeed, but one that she with which she is generous.
David Damrosch
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a thoughtful work of nonfiction, one that is unafraid of its own intelligence while also never deigning to condescend to its reader. That’s not an easy balance to strike, especially when one considers the massive range of the canon Damrosch has assembled. It’s worth noting too that you don’t actually have to have read all the books discussed within. In truth, unless you yourself are a scholar of comparative literature, the odds are pretty good that you have not—as I said, it is a vast array of wildly disparate work. But thanks to Damrosch’s insightful breakdowns, the context is clear even if you yourself have never consumed the actual text ... a wonderful read for any literature lover. Fans of travel writing will likely dig it as well, though it’s far from a conventional example. Few things are more engaging than a person discussing that about which they are most passionate; for David Damrosch, that’s books. Within these pages, he takes us on a journey unlike any you’ve experienced—and it’s a trip well worth taking.
Rax King
RaveThe Maine EdgeThese pieces are smart and crass and unapologetic and wildly entertaining ... brings together cultural criticism and the personal essay and combines them into something that is greater than the sum of its parts. By digging into the specificity of her own connections to these seemingly innocuous and/or inane things, King takes the reader on a journey that is equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking ... There are those who might argue that the poignancy and impact of King’s personal explorations are somehow dulled by the pop cultural framework she utilizes, but those people – snobs that they almost certainly are – will have entirely missed the point. It is because of that framework that we can gain a truer understanding of the stories King seeks to tell ... Obviously, your mileage may vary regarding the effectiveness of these essays. There will almost certainly be references that don’t resonate with you over the course of these 14 pieces; I know there were a couple that simply went over my head. But that’s the point – we like what we like and who gives a damn what anyone else thinks? ... a thoughtful and charmingly snarky read; King is a gifted storyteller who is unafraid to aim those gifts squarely at herself – a rare combination. So pull on your snakeskin pants, order up a Crispy Chicken Costoletta and crank up the Creed – Rax King will take it from there.
Monica Byrne
RaveThe Maine EdgeByrne follows up her excellent 2014 debut The Girl in the Road with a millenia-spanning triptych that marries past, present and future in a manner that’s not quite like anything you’ve read before.The Actual Star is a stunningly realized work of literary fiction. Byrne blends elements of speculative and historical fiction to create a trio of timelines, each a thousand years apart, the individual stories serving to illustrate a fundamental truth of narrative power. The stories we tell, that we pass on, can come to define us in the eyes of those who follow. Flexible and fluid, these tales grow and evolve until they are both of us and not of us ... The Actual Star is unlike anything I’ve read. This is a story about what stories can do, about the narratives of life and the way in which they can change through time. Was, is and will be – all are parts of the whole. It is about connections – those we can see and those we cannot – to the world around us. It is immersive and idiosyncratic and without a doubt one of the best books I’ve read in quite some time.
Mark A. Altman and Edward Gross
PositiveThe Maine EdgeThere’s no disputing the thoroughness of research done by Gross and Altman; the contents of this book have been pulled from a nigh-uncountable trove of resources. These are words taken directly from the horse’s mouth (you know, if George Lucas was a horse); the book is packed with thoughtful insights regarding the birth and growth of what would become the global phenomenon ... It should be noted that the heavy reliance on already extant sources means that for many hardcore fans, much of this information will prove already familiar. However, when I say \'hardcore,\' I mean HARDCORE – casual and even avid fans are likely to learn all manner of new things about the beloved franchise as they make their way through ... As someone with an affinity for the Star Wars universe, but without the deep-seated obsession that many carry for it, I was engaged by Secrets of the Force. There was lot there that I didn’t know, and the deep dive into the development of the first film and the fallout from its explosive success was both informative and entertaining. But I’ll admit that I lost steam after that initial engagement – a feeling that I’d wager was shared by the authors. The post-original trilogy chapters are … fine, but not much more than that. The driving energy seems to dissipate once those first three films have been addressed ... Fans will likely find plenty to like, but don’t expect too much depth beyond the original trilogy.
Douglas Wolk
RaveThe Maine Edge... while you might be able to quibble a bit with beginnings and endings, [Wolk\'s] demarcations are pretty solid; his analysis of the various foci definitely tracks ... Part literary criticism, part wanton fanboying, part nostalgia trip, All of the Marvels is one fantastic read for anyone who loves comic books. Is it a stunt? Sure is – and a hell of a good one. Just an incredible idea. Spectacular. Mighty. It is smart and funny, rife with sharp analysis and engaging ideas. In short, it treats this body of work with genuine respect – respect it absolutely deserves.
Chris Hadfield
RaveThe Maine EdgeHadfield taps into his own experiences and vast knowledge base to craft a story that is absolutely overflowing with period-accurate detail while also offering up enough twists and turns to make for an engaging thriller. He blends real-life individuals with fictional creations to tell a tale rendered all the more compelling for its general plausibility ... a fun read. While I generally eschew these sorts of spec-loaded books, I am happy to make exceptions when the circumstances warrant ... Space nerds are going to be enthralled; Hadfield goes deep on the various and sundry details of early ‘70s space technology – on BOTH sides. It can admittedly feel like a bit much; very few stones are left unturned with regard to the equipment being utilized. Occasionally, the narrative loses some steam in the face of the wave of tech specs, but only occasionally ... Most of the time, Hadfield’s solid storytelling sense keeps things moving. The plot features its fair share of twists, developing taut thrills as it goes. The historical accuracy is also a huge factor, serving as a sort of shorthand that elevates the stakes ... Now, there are some issues here as well. As mentioned before, the book can get bogged down in minutiae. There’s a romantic subplot of sorts that feels a bit shoehorned in and a couple of developments that read as a touch far-fetched, particularly when so much of the book feels so grounded in reality. And the book’s climax and conclusion come extremely fast – perhaps a bit too fast to land with fully realized impact. Still – all relatively minor concerns with what is overall a delightful read ... rgeat fun. Sure, it’s a jargon-riddled thriller by a famous person, but it’s an incredibly good example of that – good enough to help me get over myself and my admitted snobbery. If you’re someone with an interest in space history or someone who digs thrillers or someone who just digs a straight-up adventure, strap in – Chris Hadfield is going to take you to the Moon and back.
Anthony Doerr
RaveThe Maine Edge... staggeringly ambitious, a delicately-constructed and beautifully-written work. Each of these places and times – Constantinople, Idaho, deep space – and the people in them could have easily been their own story, they’re realized so richly. On an individual level, they are exceptional ... These shifts from past to present to future and back again should be jarring. Even with the connective device, there should be seams. And yet Doerr threads his narrative with such a light, intimate touch that these disparate elements fit together. Even as we bounce from perspective to perspective, we the reader never lose track of OUR perspective; it’s a stunning feat ... a masterful piece of work. It is ambitious in all the best ways, a centuries-spanning saga that is both intimate and epic, granular and grandiose. Doerr has wed past, present and future – all in service to the power of story.
Richard Powers
RaveThe Maine EdgeA thoughtful deconstruction of the relationship between fathers and sons set against the backdrop of a troubled time and place that is a slightly skewed reflection of our own, it’s a story that manages to strike the perfect balance between looking out to the stars and into the soul ... Deftly plotted and constructed from the sorts of sentences that only Powers can craft, this is a book that is unafraid to explore the many forms that goodbye can take ... a thoughtful and mesmeric tale, one that seeks to plumb the depths of the human condition while also casting hopeful inquiries out into the cosmos. The idea that life – any life – is precious is one that permeates a lot of Powers’ work, but the dichotomy he lays bare here is as effective an exploration of that idea as any he’s yet produced ... a story both large and small, a tale of what it means to connect. It is a thoughtful and haunting book, one that will resonate with the reader; it argues that rather than wage war with the world, we should make our peace with it. Novels like this one echo, their ideas and plots reverberating through our heads and hearts long after the final page is turned.
Lyndsay Faye
RaveThe Maine Edge... a marvelous exploration of Hamlet, a thoughtful, inclusive and provocative interpretation of the tale. Modern and magical, it’s equal parts thriller and love story, built on a foundation of the classic work while also freely and gleefully embracing its own uniqueness. Like so many of the best reinterpretations, the original is still there, but deeply changed; the core of the tale, the spirit that makes it so great, remains, even as the narrative structure around it becomes something new ... precisely what I hoped for. Tackling the Bard – particularly one of the big ones – is a delicate task; for it to truly work, the author must create something altogether new while also holding onto the fundamental greatness of the source. Faye does that beautifully, giving us a compelling and haunting story that captures that spirit while also being entirely its own ... The most incredible thing – at least to my mind – is that you don’t even need to know Hamlet to engage with and enjoy this book. Yes, there are plenty of references and allusions that will light up the Shakespearean synapses, but even those without that perspective will still experience a book that is mysterious and magical, driven by love and fear and introspection. I assumed I would like this book – my affection for this sort of work is well-documented – but I had little inkling of just how much. This is the modern, thoughtful, queer, feminist literary take on Hamlet that I didn’t know I wanted until I had it. Lyndsay Faye has crafted something wonderful with The King of Infinite Space – to read or not to read isn’t even a question. Read.
Mona Awad
RaveThe Maine EdgeThis is a darkly funny and strange tale ... shot through with an undeniably sinister vibe, offering up a deluge of painful memory, dark jokes and ever-shifting conflict. It’s an engrossing narrative, one that embraces its more supernatural aspects while also grounding the proceedings in the sad reality of a world in which pain – particularly women’s pain – is dismissed and ignored ... It’s rife with Shakespearean touchpoints, references begetting references; the narrative gleefully pulls from the canon, shaping the story with nods both subtle and overt. It’s a wonderful hat-tip to the darkness that squirms beneath the surface of many of the Bard’s work, with Awad finding ways to seamlessly incorporate these many nuggets of Shakespeariana ... It also works as a satiric takedown of a certain kind of small-school theatre department, one driven by the bizarre confluence of ill-informed administrative demands and cult of personality-type faculty figures. It’s an extrapolation of the sorts of interpersonal conflicts that can spring from being forced to constantly fight not just for funding, but for your very position ... All that, plus we’re given a wonderful underlying darkness regarding Miranda herself, a self-obsessed could-have-been whose entire world revolves around pain, both physical and psychic (and perhaps an overlap of the two); it’s a provocative and disconcerting look at the lengths to which one might go to gain the life that one believes one deserves ... Awad’s prose is knotty and complex, but never at the expense of the story being told. It’s a razor’s edge on which to walk, but she manages to write in a manner that is narratively engaging while also being stylistically evocative. The result is a book that leaves you wanting to make note of certain passages while also being almost too propulsive for you to stop reading long enough to make them.
Stephen King
RaveThe Maine EdgeKing embraces a different kind of darkness. Not the supernatural shadows, but rather the bleak and sinister spaces within the hearts and minds of man. It’s a book more evocative of King works like the Bill Hodges trilogy or Later from earlier this year, one that digs into the author’s affection and affinity for pulpy noir fiction. There’s a gleeful griminess to it, even as he unleashes the full capacity of his storytelling prowess. (In case you haven’t guessed yet, it’s VERY good) ... One of the many joys that come with reading Stephen King is that even now, after a lifetime of literary prolificacy, he can still surprise you. And there are definitely plenty of surprises here, even as we get the same rich and satisfying narrative execution that we’ve come to expect ... a compelling story of moral ambiguity. It’s a rip-roaring shoot-em-up in some spots, a thoughtful meditation on identity in others. It’s a story about not just a writer, but the act of writing – how difficult it can be to do … and how cathartic. All of it built around one hell of a fascinating titular character. Once more, I beat the drum – Stephen King is the greatest storyteller in modern American letters, one who remains firmly ensconced in the strongest late-career surge in the history of popular fiction.
Tom Scharpling
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s an exploration of a troubled past rendered with self-deprecating frankness, walking us along the path that brought him to his current place. There’s an earnestness to it all, despite the constant self-awareness—an unwavering honesty, even in the face of clear misgivings about sharing these stories in their entirety. Oh, and it is also wildly funny. At the drop of a hat, Scharpling can pivot from a heartfelt expression of vulnerability to a weird and hilarious aside. It’s a book that keeps the reader constantly off-balance, much like Scharpling’s comedy; ordinarily, that isn’t an ideal way to construct a book, particularly a memoir, but here, it’s the perfect choice ... There’s a nakedness to it, a leap-before-looking energy wherein it seems that he almost can’t believe he’s telling us all of this even as he’s telling us all of this ... It Never Ends does eventually end, but it’s the kind of book where you almost wish it didn’t.
Grady Hendrix
RaveThe Maine Edge... a smart, self-aware narrative, one that does one of the cleanest jobs you’ll ever see in combining subversion of and affinity for the tropes of a genre. It embraces some of the basest impulses of the horror world and turns them on their head by endowing them with verisimilitude. It looks beyond the stories we’ve always seen, and by doing so uncovers a much deeper – and in some ways scarier – tale to be told ... Hendrix also isn’t afraid to get gory – an obvious must when telling a story like this – and he really leans into the fundamentals to great effect. And he juxtaposes that violence with moments of emotional engagement and dark humor, giving us a book that always keeps us just the slightest bit off-balance, as if we’re wandering a dark hallway or forest path and not entirely sure that we’re alone ... All that, plus it’s one hell of a good story, a propulsive narrative thoughtfully advanced and featuring some genuine and well-earned surprises ... a great concept well executed. Grady Hendrix shows himself to be a master craftsman here, bringing together an encyclopedic knowledge of and genuine affection for his blood-spattered inspiration to create something surprisingly thought-provoking, deftly funny and undeniably weird. Read this book.
Leigh Montville
RaveThe Maine Edge... a wonderful bit of autobiographical writing, a reflection on the beginnings of a storied career. Those moments of memory and memoir are what elevate this book from what would be a perfectly adequate work of sports history into something more, a wry look back from someone who understands that the person he once was had a lot to learn ... Montville’s memories of those games are as enthralling a snapshot as anything you’ll find in the most meticulously researched work of sports history ... Those two things – basketball and the act of writing about basketball – come together beautifully throughout the book. It’s a clever and compelling marriage, with the basketball action blending with the journalistic realities and becoming a story that is somehow both and neither ... a killer basketball book.
Jason Schreier
RaveThe Maine EdgeThrough first-rate reporting and dozens of first-hand interviews, Schreier walks us through the process of making games through the eyes of the people who make them. We also get to explore the business side of things, watching as executives insert themselves into the process regardless of whether they actually know anything about video games ... There’s a lot of that here, honestly. No one is going to mistake this for a cheery book, though Schreier’s love for games is readily apparent. But to write an honest portrayal of the industry, one must be unafraid to delve into the negative. And the truth is that there are a LOT of negatives that come with the territory. It’s a book that makes one question why anyone would get involved in making video games in the first place ... Schreier is one of the best video game reporters out there, with a long history of quality work for an assortment of outlets. If there was a big story regarding the industry, chances are good that he was the one to break it. His sterling reputation and years of source cultivation makes him one of the few people with the juice to even attempt writing a book like this, let alone the skill to bring it to completion ... Punchy and thoughtful, informative and entertaining, Press Reset will make an excellent read for anyone with even the slightest interest in the inner workings of the video game scene. Schreier’s wealth of experience and army of sources make him one of the few writers – hell, perhaps the only writer – capable of crafting such an insightful and intimate portrait from within a traditionally opaque and relatively secretive industry. Game on.
Colson Whitehead
RaveThe Maine Edge... a crime novel of sorts that offers a vivid look at the Harlem of the late ‘50s and early ‘60s. It’s got potboiler DNA, packed with capers and unsavory elements, but all of it is informed by the narrative brilliance of the author. The result is a wild ride of a novel, one that focuses on one man’s inner struggle with his past and present, wherein he seeks to do right by his family while also being the man he wants to be ... plenty sophisticated and carries forward many of the themes Whitehead traditionally explores in his work, but Harlem Shuffle is a looser read, content to lean into the narrative and let the story be what it will be. And what it will be is outstanding ... probably won’t be Colson Whitehead’s third straight Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. That likelihood doesn’t change the underlying truth – that this book is fantastic. This is the work of a man who loves and respects the possibilities presented by genre, a man who is unafraid to tell the stories he wants to tell in the manner in which he wants to tell them.
Kelsey McKinney
RaveThe Maine Edge... a compelling and beautifully written tale, a book that captures the hubris and hypocrisy that can come from institutionalized faith while also finding ways to acknowledge the value that such circumstances can bring. Delicately heartwrenching, driven by sad realizations and quiet humor, it’s an unforgettable read ... this is a good book. A REALLY good book. It would be a notable achievement for any writer, let alone a debut novelist ... There’s a remarkable sense of place here, a blend of writ-large ideas and intimate details that adds up to an evocative encapsulation of the setting. Ever read a book where the prose was so engrossing that you didn’t just intellectually, but viscerally experience the environment? Seriously – McKinney will straight-up make you sweat ... and just so we’re clear – it’s also a hell of a story. I can talk about craft and character until the cows come home, but all of that is in service to a narrative that is thoughtful and clever and engrossing as hell. It’s a cliché to call a book a page-turner, but I’d be remiss if I failed to address just how readable God Spare the Girls is. Almost compulsively so – McKinney grabs hold of you almost immediately and refuses to let go, drawing you into the story, tempting and challenging and generally doing all the things good writers do ... an exceptional piece of fiction, sad and smart and driven by an overarching verisimilitude. What McKinney has created feels like a real place with real people, all while sharing their stories of faith gained or lost or somewhere in-between. Believing matters – but what often matters more is that (or those) in which (or whom) we choose to believe.
Matt Bell
RaveThe Maine Edge... strikes an interesting balance between the bleakness of the characters’ situations and the hopefulness of their actions, finding ways to celebrate indomitability of spirit in the face of odds that become ever more overwhelming. That balance cuts to the core of the human condition, with each story offering a glimpse at that core from a slightly different angle ... The craft and construction here is particularly impressive. Each one of these stories could easily stand alone on its own merits with nary an edit – Bell has built three very real, very distinct worlds, each with their own characters and conflicts – and yet they are all very much thematically intertwined. To create three compelling stories – three compelling realities – and bind them together seamlessly? That’s some first-rate writing, no doubt about it ... not an optimistic book – it casts far too many shadows for that – but it is definitely a hopeful one. That might seem like a semantic difference, but to my mind, it is a very real one. Finding reason to hope in the face of seeming hopelessness is a key component of the human condition – a condition that Matt Bell deftly and thoroughly explores here.
Ben H. Winters
RaveThe Maine EdgeSad and surprising, The Quiet Boy crosses all manner of literary borders to capture these myriad lives ... there’s a lot of value in harnessing the tropes of one genre for use under the auspices of another. It’s one of the things that Winters is particularly good at, bringing together seemingly disparate elements with engaging seamlessness. It’s certainly the case here, with Winters taking the framework of the courtroom drama and introducing an assortment of differing flavors and ideas to create something different. And as the narratives progress, those new flavors ebb and flow—sometimes, everything seems rather straightforward, while at other points, things get … weird—subtly and not-so-subtly altering the landscape with abject smoothness, taking the reader along for the ride ... Winters sweeps us up without us even knowing we’ve been swept—it’s the kind of book you fall into, only to reemerge pages later wondering where the time went. Part of that immersion is born of the people we meet. Jay Shenk is a fascinating figure ... The Quiet Boy delights in its own mysteries, answering questions with other questions and endowing the proceedings with an entertaining opacity. It is a story of legal exploits, to be sure, but it also a story of fathers and sons, of the dual prices of pride and obsession and of the abstract nature of the self.
Andy Martino
RaveThe Maine Edge... a well-reported and well-written book, one that details the extent of the Astros’ sins while also showing that while this recent scandal might be the one most prominent in our memories, it is far from the only time that a team has crossed a line in its efforts to gain a better understanding of (and advantage over) their opponents ... all fascinating stuff, rendered all the more engaging by the context that Martino constructs ... a compelling look at what can happen to a team when they wade into the murky middle and allow their competitiveness to push them over the line.
Andy Weir
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe engineer-turned-author...ventur[es] deeper into space than in his previous offerings...while still maintaining the distinctive wonkiness that renders his work so idiosyncratically enjoyable ... a story of isolation, friendship and the looming specter of incomprehensible loss—all refracted through a prism of well-researched and joyful nerdery. And of course, the science is sound (and in more ways than one) ... Weir’s done his homework and then some. He’s obviously passionate about the technical minutiae, but where he excels is in his ability to translate that passion to the page. He finds ways to go on at length about this idea or that one while still framing it within the context of the story. One could argue that he perhaps gets into the weeds a bit, but that’s the thing—that’s where he wants to be. He gets there not by accident, but with intent ... a ton of fun, a deep space adventure with room for technical specs and plenty of tension, with a self-deprecatingly sarcastic-yet-capable hero thrown into the mix (as well as some buddy comedy vibes from a most unexpected source along the way). All of it driven by that same delicious blend of curiosity and fear that keeps us looking to the skies in the first place. If you’ve liked what Andy Weir has given you in the past, you’ll love this one.
Chris Bohjalian
RaveThe Maine EdgeBlending historical events with page-turning thrills, Hour of the Witch offers a propulsive and powerful tale ... Bohjalian at his best. He’s drawing from real history while endowing it with his own propulsive storytelling touch. The resulting narrative is intense and intimate ... Mary Deerfield is one of the most fascinating characters to spring from Bohjalian’s pen...heartbreaking and incredibly engaging ... Bohjalian’s gifts as a researcher are front and center here as well. His ability to recreate this particular place, both in the nuts-and-bolts scene-setting and the cultural attitudes, is unparalleled—the reader is fully dropped into this world, left to be equal parts fascinated and frustrated by the myriad differences between that time and this one. And of course, there is the prose. When Bohjalian is really cooking, there’s a kinetic energy to his storytelling that is unlike anything else in the realm of popular fiction ... Hour of the Witch is another exceptional offering from Chris Bohjalian, one that features the hallmarks of his best work while also breaking new ground.
Lauren Hough
RaveThe Maine EdgeThis selection of 11 stories drawn from Gough’s checkered and fascinating life coalesces in a remarkable way ... Hough’s lacerating wit hits many targets, though none so often or so bitingly as herself. There’s a brutality to her honesty and to her self-deprecation that is compelling as hell to engage with. These alternatingly heartbreaking and hilarious tales stand strong on their own, but as a unit, they form a multi-faceted memoir-in-stories that is a true delight ... There’s obvious overlap between these essays, with assorted elements of Hough’s life popping up throughout. I’ll note that they’re all exceptional pieces of work – poignant and hilarious and weird, all bundled together in unexpected combinations – though of course, I have my favorites ... in all of these essays, we are left with at least one unmistakable understanding: Lauren Hough is one hell of a writer. The ability to lay bare one’s soul for the world to see – particularly when so much of what you are sharing springs from your own very real traumas – is a rare gift; Hough does so with empathy and emotional honesty while also being outright hilarious in spots ... a wonderful assemblage of work from a gifted writer. Weird and genuine and idiosyncratic, it’s a quality reading experience of the finest kind. If you are interested in a unique and uniquely human read, this collection is for you.
Erin French
RaveThe Maine EdgeFinding Freedom is a marvelous read, an emotionally charged story that is equal parts heartbreaking and uplifting ... While French styles herself as a bit of an introvert, there’s no denying that she can tell a tale ... The fact that she’s almost as good at putting these stories on the page as she is the plate is both impressive and ultimately unsurprising ... Did I cry while reading Finding Freedom? Absolutely, and not just during the “sad” moments. Sure, there are tragic events that elicit tears, but the surprise for me was how moved I was by some of the snapshots of joy. When she talks about the connection she feels with those she feeds, of food as representative of something both greater and granular … the tingle of emotion is undeniable. Happy tears are something of a rarity, but French’s passion brings them forth. Sharing something as honest as Finding Freedom has to be difficult, laying oneself bare and putting a warts-and-all account of a difficult journey. But in pushing through that difficulty, Erin French found her passion, her voice, her soul.
Jeff VanderMeer
RaveThe Maine Edge... a bleak and dystopian piece of ecologically-charged speculation that marries the seemingly casual world-building at which he excels with a twisting, conspiracy-laden puzzle box of a thriller. He’s so gifted at placing character-driven narrative at the forefront while parceling out details about the world in which the narrative takes place—this is just another example of his tremendous talents at work ... Through his vivid imagination and visceral descriptions, he creates people, places and events that lodge themselves in the mind of the reader, sparkling with bright colors that are both beautiful and poisonous ... Ultimately, though, the book is driven by character ... another exceptional piece of work from the pen of Jeff VanderMeer. His unique combination of descriptive acumen and deeply-held ideology creates fiction that is challenging and thought-provoking. There’s no one else quite like him out there—and that’s a good thing.
Haruki Murakami, Trans. by Philip Gabriel
RaveThe Maine Edge... the product of a master at work. Haruki Murakami is one of the finest examiners of the human condition of his or any other literary generation. The fact that he folds those examinations into tales that are quietly magical or broadly absurd or both only enhances their impact. This is a man whose prose is exquisitely crafted and whose ideas are beautifully formed ... The remarkable thing about Murakami – well, one of the many remarkable things, anyway—is his ability to evoke the mysticism and mundanity of life at the same time. These are delicate provocations of the imagination, stories of quickly-consumed deliciousness that somehow continue to expand even after you’ve gone on. These are stories that linger in the best possible way, with flashes of imagery and snippets of dialogue continuing to reappear in your perception even after days have passed ... Another remarkable book from a remarkable writer.
Veronica Schanoes
RaveThe Maine EdgeSchanoes wields her razor-sharp craft like a scalpel, carving every one of these pieces into something distinct and idiosyncratic and undeniably powerful. Intellectually challenging and emotionally intense, it’s a collection packed tight with highlights ... There’s a lot to dig about this book, but one of the most immediately striking things one notices upon finishing is the fact that the stories are somehow wide-ranging AND clearly related. They each operate under their own individual parameters while also sharing DNA. Like any family, there are outliers that nevertheless share similarities. Burning Girls and Other Stories also has that quality that marks the best short fiction collections—a compulsive readability. Each story is so provocative and so satisfyingly concluded that the reader almost can’t help turning the page and diving into the next.
Arik Kershenbaum
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe book strikes a fine balance, going into enough depth with the science to engage intellectually while never forgetting the fundamental fun that comes with this sort of speculation (the Douglas Adams allusion of the title is undoubtedly intentional). Dr. Kershenbaum gives the impression of a scientist and academic who has managed to maintain his sense of wonder, making him an ideal creator for this sort of work. He takes his flights of fancy, to be sure—and a work like this needs those flights—but even when he sails into the clouds, his feet remain firmly planted upon a foundation of sound scientific thought. Again, it’s all guesswork, but it would be difficult to find a more educated guesser than Kershenbaum ... a pop science delight, a book unafraid to have fun with its premise even as it refuses to lower its expectations of its audience ... this is as thoughtful and engaging a set of hypotheses you’re likely to find on the subject.
Derek Delgaudio
PositiveThe Maine EdgeA rarity, a work of thoughtful, honest self-awareness that isn’t quite like anything I’d ever read before. And believe me – that’s a good thing. It’s a story of truth that is unafraid of untruth, which might sound contradictory, but when you delve into DelGaudio’s words, it makes perfect sense ... This book is magic in multiple senses of the word. It is magic because it is narratively transportive, a book that sweeps the reader up into the world being created, pages crammed with vivid storytelling. But it is also magic in the performative sense, in that it is also about the art of stage magic, specifically sleight-of-hand. And it is magic in that it allows its author to reinvestigate his own history, to use the perspective of the present to change his view of the past – a transformation of both the man he is and the man he once was ... a memoir unlike any other, beautifully written and brilliantly conceived. Derek DelGaudio is an artist whose work defies categorization.
Stephen King
RaveThe Maine Edge\"What King has given us is a book that is part coming-of-age tale, part hard-boiled crime thriller and part paranormal ghost story. It’s an ambitious blend, to be sure, but one that King has long since shown capable of pulling off beautifully. His clear love of noir fiction joins forces with his horror bona fides and his still-strong ability to capture the fundamental truths about being a child, resulting in a lean and propulsive read ... Later offers the reader a chance to share a boy’s journey to young adulthood, a journey that is both typical and atypical. Yes, we get the moments of terror for which King is so rightfully well-known. And yes, we get stretches of more hard-boiled prose, elements of crime thriller. But at its heart, this is a story about how scary it is to grow up—and when King tells THOSE kinds of stories, he is at his very best ... That narrative relentlessness remains one of the very best parts of reading Stephen King. Better than any of his contemporaries, King is able to ensnare you with his stories, entangling your imagination with his own and pulling you inexorably into the tale he chooses to tell. He’s quick to land his hook, and once he does, well … just let him reel you in.
Susan Conley
PositiveThe Maine EdgeA thoughtful exploration of the demographic and economic shifts that have been taking place in towns up and down the Maine coast in recent years. It’s a story of struggles—the struggle to make ends meet, the struggle to find fulfillment, the struggle of married life and motherhood—marked by occasional small moments of personal victory. All of it refracted through the prism of one woman’s perspective ... She sets up shop in her protagonist’s head, giving the reader a first-hand look at the inner strife that comes with experiencing changes that are largely unwelcome and more than a little frightening ... a thoughtful and unflinching deconstruction of the relatively small world in which one woman lives, digging into what it means to love and to be loved. In this book, love is rewarding, yes, but it is also hard, with the ties that bind us constantly evolving due to circumstances both internal and external. Sometimes, we are hurt by the ones we love and are left to reckon with that hurt as best we can. And yet we love them still ... It is all brought to the fore by Conley’s lean, deft prose.
Ethan Hawke
PositiveThe Maine EdgeHawke has crafted an engaging work of literary autofiction, a story clearly drawn directly from his own personal experiences, yet rendered in such a way as to not feel bound to his life as it was lived. It’s something that many writers – many talented writers – fail to pull off, but he manages it quite deftly ... This tale of an actor struggling with his shifting reality – moving from a world of movie stardom to the Broadway stage, torn between accepting his crumbling marriage and striving to reassemble it – and making sometimes questionable choices in the process is tightly woven and densely packed, a meditation on masculinity and the value – both external and internal – of the redemption he seeks through his art ... The more personal side of the narrative – William’s gradual acclimation to the idea of his marriage truly ending – is just as engaging, but a little less fun ... It comes to life – all of it – through the telling. Hawke manages to treat the various excesses of the situation frankly while never making things overly sordid. His obvious love for the stage is infectious and accurate, as is his affection for the sorts who populate that world.
Claire Holroyde
PositiveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a story of mankind’s attempt to stave off the extinction-level event heading their way, all while dealing with the harsh reality of what it might mean when the fact that the end is nigh becomes widely known. It’s a taut, thrilling story of people committed to saving the world even as the world turns against itself ... The Effort is a bit of a paradox, an undeniably bleak tale that still somehow contains small moments of hopefulness. Telling the story of a mission whose best-case scenario is one where only most of the world is in ruins is an obvious challenge – unrelenting darkness and despair is no way to go through life ... Yet Holroyde manages to do it while still leaving a few cracks through which light might shine. Not huge cracks, mind you. Not deus ex machina-sized cracks. Human-sized cracks that allow room for small happinesses in the face of massive disaster. As you might imagine, there’s a propulsive quality to The Effort. The narrative is infused with an inevitability, one accentuated by the author’s decision to include a tag in each chapter heading that indicates just how many days we are from the end of everything. Those tags only add to the steady undercurrent of urgency that flows through the entire story, an omnipresent tension that the reader only really notices on the rare occasions that Holroyde decides to let them breathe ... It’s a taut page-turner of a read, narratively engaging and compulsively readable. Ultimately, your biggest effort with The Effort will be putting it down.
Eley Williams
RaveThe Maine EdgeUnfolding in two distinct storylines – one past, one present – the book explores what it means to trust wholly in something that ultimately proves unreliable, either through one’s own actions or the actions of another. It is also a celebration of language and the people who devote their lives to studying and recording its many iterations. All that and it’s wildly funny as well. Plus, you might learn something ... A Liar’s Dictionary was the first book with a 2021 publication date that I read this year. I can only hope that it is indicative of the quality of work that I will experience going forward, because it is sharply smart, dryly funny and wonderfully written. If you love words and the mysteries behind them, then you’ll likely enjoy this book as much as I did.
Jonathan Lethem
RaveThe Maine Edge... thoughtful and laugh-out-loud funny ... By viewing the world through the lens shaped by the titular event, Lethem peels back the layers and gives us a glimpse of what we might try to put together if everything fell apart ... The Arrest is a sprawling story of the post-apocalypse, an interesting exploration of the idea that rather than some sort of all-encompassing dystopia, people would simply end up wherever they happened to be when the end arrived ... Lethem’s considerable talent for adapting and subverting speculative tropes is apparent throughout this book, so it’s no surprise that he’s able to come up with an interesting post-apocalyptic landscape, one that completely blows up the expectations two decades of sci-fi have laid out for us. He’s got a knack for flawed characters, too ... All of this comes together in a narrative that embraces the insularity of its setting while also capturing the scale of the catastrophe. The Arrest is a speculative wonder, a joyfully shaggy and unapologetic page-turner of a tale. It is that rare work that manages to be both optimistic and pessimistic at the same time, somehow evoking all sides of what happens after the end. Simultaneously a celebration and condemnation of human nature, it’s a compelling read from one of his generation’s finest writers.
Julián Herbert
RaveThe Maine Edge... an assemblage of excellence, 10 short works that captivate and confound. These stories are surreal and absurd even as they uncover certain realities – harsh and otherwise – about the Mexican experience ... It’s rare to encounter fiction that functions effectively both as commentary and as pure narrative, but these stories do just that. They are weird and visceral and deliberately difficult to define, but each of them has the power to work its way into your imagination. Funny and poignant, driven by moments of hilarity and sadness and fury, Bring Me the Head of Quentin Tarantino is an exceptional reading experience ... There isn’t a dud in the bunch. Herbert a gift for the challenging and the evocative – images and ideas alike. In the space of just a few sentences, he crafts whole worlds, populating them with idiosyncratic idealogues and idiot idealists. He uses these strange situations and stranger characters to address some of the very real issues of Mexican life. Poverty, drugs, corruption – all viewed through the distorted fluidity of Herbert’s finely-honed storytelling lunacy ... It’s also worth noting that, while it can be difficult to discern the impact of a translator on the work being translated, there’s little doubt that MacSweeney has done right by Herbert – the wit, the energy, the insight are all front and center. A great translator is one who does not leave their prints behind, and as far as that goes, MacSweeney is a ghost ... short fiction at its finest. Julian Herbert is unafraid to push boundaries with his storytelling, resulting in a collection of pieces that aren’t quite like anything I’ve ever read. Ten gems, each possessed of their own unique sparkle and shape – a precious and worthwhile collection.
Colin Jost
MixedThe Maine EdgeA Very Punchable Face is a solid read. There are some funny stories, to be sure ... Jost does well in capturing some of the day-to-day reality of life as an “SNL” writer; the behind-the-scenes writers’ room stuff is interesting, albeit with a familiar flavor – other books have gone deeper. And that’s ultimately the biggest issue with the book. It’s not superficiality, per se, but Jost never quite manages to get over the hump and truly let the reader in ... A Very Punchable Face isn’t going to change the celebrity memoir landscape. Jost’s book spends more time skimming the surface than we might like, rarely wading beyond waist-deep waters, but it’s an entertaining enough reading experience. If you’re a fan of Jost or SNL, you’ll enjoy yourself; if not, feel free to find someone else whose face you’d like to punch.
Ed. by Mary Pilon and Louisa Thomas
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe reasons behind their shortfalls vary—some are faced with legendary opposition, while others simply deal with a bad day or bad luck—but all of them find ways to reflect the impact of almost. Some of these stories are funny, while others are sad and still others inspire, but all of them together paint a portrait of the truth behind loss. It’s a compelling journey through the competitive landscape, with all manner of sport and athlete represented. Considering the wide range of subjects covered, different readers will find different stories more engaging ... Losers is packed with insight; each essay brings a new and different perspective to the idea of losing. These stories aren’t the sort of triumphant tales that are inspired by victory, but the truth is that most stories of winning are markedly similar ... there’s a real empathy inspired by these pieces, whether we’re talking about Olympic gymnasts or heavyweight boxers or aging bullfighters. It’s about acknowledging that there’s a flip side to every victory and that there is value to those stories as well.
David Wong
RaveThe Maine Edge... a sharp and satiric continuation, yet it also manages to largely stand on its own – a relative rarity for genre series ... It’s smart sci-fi that delights in playing dumb, hiding sophisticated ideas and themes behind bizarre set pieces and all manner of creative profanity. It’s also a rip-roarer of an adventure tale, packed with high-concept twists and turns. All in all, it’s a hell of a lot of fun ... What’s so surprising about Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick is how smart it is. I mean, there’s a reference to dick-punching right there in the title – and to be fair, there’s plenty of action and humor that fits squarely with that sentiment – but underneath all the science-fictional trappings, there’s some pretty heady stuff ... We’re talking about thoughtful explorations of the nature of gaming communities and society’s current trend toward celebrity worship and the toxicity of the self-styled men’s rights movement – all of it unspooled by way of a crisply-written, over-the-top genre adventure. Oh, and it’s really funny to boot. Wong’s got jokes, for sure, but he also has a strong grasp of situational comedy as well. It all adds up to a dynamite reading experience ... something different, high-concept ideas in lowbrow clothing. It’s a read that’ll work on whatever level you want it to, opening the door to deeper insight while also operating as straightforward comic sci-fi. Basically, if you want David Wong to punch your brain in the dick, you should check this one out.
Don Delillo
RaveThe Maine Edge... a slim volume that takes a look at what it might mean for our precarious and codependent relationship to technology to be unceremoniously ripped away, leaving nothing but the quiet echo of our own thoughts. How has this proliferation of tech impacted our ability to engage with one another – and are we able to get back what was lost ... a lightning-fast read – just 128 pages – but no less engaging for its brevity. It is thoughtful and thought-provoking, a quick-hit of a novel one assumes is intended to mirror the bite-sized rapid consumption encouraged by our current relationship to media both old and new ... [Delillo] manages to evoke the fearfulness that comes with lack of connection and communication ... Nobody does low-key existential dread and creeping paranoia quite like DeLillo, which is a handy skill set to have when we’re talking about society’s difficulties with adjusting to the exponential explosion of technological growth ... he chooses to focus on the aimlessness that sets in when we lose our tether to the world as we understand it ... The Silence feels very much like a COVID-19 novel, despite being written beforehand. It’s a story of losing connection, of losing the ability to communicate with one another, of being left alone by a crisis that has no end in sight. Its relevance to the moment is accidental, but no less impactful because of that.
Jeff Pearlman
RaveThe Maine EdgeThree-Ring Circus is unwavering in laying out the realities of these relationships, warts and all. Whether it was the on-court struggles for dominance or the off-court controversies—including Bryant’s 2003 sexual assault arrest—Pearlman digs deep and shines a light on it all. Pearlman’s ability to narratively engage while also executing top-notch reportage is what makes all of his books such worthwhile reads—this latest effort is no different. One of the many striking things about this book is the vividness of the recollections being offered. So many of the players, coaches and administrators involved in this time have remarkably clear memories of these events ... Still, the thoroughness of the stories being recounted provides a wonderfully detailed foundation, rendering a complete picture of a uniquely weird situation—one that defined an era of NBA basketball ... a phenomenal book for any basketball fan, an outstanding and engaging deconstruction of the costs and rewards that come with the pursuit of greatness. It’s the kind of engaging sports history story at which Jeff Pearlman excels, smart and surprising and page-turningly compelling—an absolute slam dunk.
Rumaan Alam
RaveThe Maine Edge... the reader is offered a glimpse at the way in which our perceptions of the world are based on a shared reality … and what happens when that shared reality is shattered in ways we don’t and can’t possibly know ... It is a thoughtful and propulsive read, a story that draws you in and asks – nay, demands – to be compulsively consumed. This is not a book about the world bearing witness to its own end, but rather about what it means to not know, to not understand, even as our faith in our world’s permanence is irrevocably and rightly shaken apart ... Alam pulls a marvelous bit of literary sleight-of-hand here. We spend the first part of the book engaged in what is almost a dramedy of manners, a deconstruction of various flavors of middle-aged angst that rings familiar to any consumer of literary fiction. We even get a racial dynamic – Amanda and Clay are white, G.H. and Ruth black – that lends a tinge of cultural complexity to the situation ... Then, the author flips the script, dropping these two families into the midst of an unclear crisis ... While the delicate narrative gymnastics are impressive enough, there’s even more to the experience ... Alam has a deft confidence with regard to his characters, rendering them as full and complex individuals with a quickly-sketched ease. All of them spring from the page in a matter of a few sentences, fully-formed, flaws and all. That rapidity opens the door for both narrative acceleration and thematic exploration; we know who these people are immediately, their beliefs and biases laid out for us all to see ... Then, of course, there’s the weaponized ambiguity that Alam wields throughout. Without it, we wouldn’t get the sense of creeping dread and fear and paranoia lurking just beneath the surface of it all. And ultimately, it becomes clear that not only do they not know what’s happening, they will NEVER know – for them, at least, the mystery will never be truly solved ... Too often, literature allows itself to be bound by convention and tropes. Rumaan Alam takes a different approach with Leave the World Behind, choosing instead to give us a blending and bending of ideas, moving in one direction before pivoting to another and blurring the lines between them, setting the compass needle to spinning and rewriting the lines on the map to create something quite different from what you’ve experienced before. Loud or quiet, large or small – every ending is its own.
David Chang
RaveThe Maine EdgeChang is brutally honest and forthcoming about his up-and-down fight against depression and his ongoing struggles with anger management. It’s a success story that features plenty of misfires. The one constant throughout is a deep-seated and genuine love of cooking, both in terms of culinary exploration and cultural storytelling ... isn’t your usual celebrity memoir; Chang proves to be brutally honest about many of his own shortcomings. He celebrates his successes, of course, but he is also forthcoming about his failures. And his willingness to speak frankly about his mental health struggles is especially welcome; even now, there’s a stigma that comes with those kinds of conversations. His feelings of otherness, of being an outsider no matter where he was, come through with a heartbreaking clarity ... He’s also a hell of a storyteller, a gifted and charming raconteur who breathes enthusiastic life into his tales – culinary and otherwise. Chang’s ability to capture the intensity of life in the kitchen makes Eat a Peach a fiery and compelling read. We also get a glimpse of the business side of things, a sausage-making aspect of restaurant entrepreneurialism that isn’t often fully reckoned with in memoirs like this ... The book closes with an absolutely dynamite section titled simply \'33 Rules for Becoming a Chef.\' It is a frank, thoughtful and hilarious dissection of the realities of becoming a chef, packed with good advice. Chang is unafraid of dealing in harsh realities; at times, it borders on the antagonistic. But it all springs from a place of honest love and affection for the vocation. As with the rest of the book, Chang’s combination of genuine affection and deep-running pessimism regarding the craft is prominent ... a delight, a book that will prove fascinating to anyone interested in the culinary world. Chang’s honesty and humor are just two of the many quality ingredients that make up the recipe for this delicious reading. Whether you’re a full-on foodie or simply a Food Network junkie, you’ll want to dig into this one.
Susanna Clarke
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe titular character more than rises to the occasion, sharing the story of the impossible place in which he lives in a manner that is both overtly and subtly untrustworthy. And when you put that in the sort of lush and vividly-realized fantastical setting that Clarke creates, well … you’ve got something pretty special ... an immersive book, a story whose distinct voice quickly captures your mind’s ear. Piranesi is one of those characters that clarifies themselves IMMEDIATELY; we’re in his head in a matter of a few sentences, charmed by his naivete and slightly off-kilter manner of speaking and engaging with the world ... Clarke is so good at the vivid realization of place – the House is a stunning literary creation. The difficulty of what is done here can’t be overstated, this evocation of an enclosed infinity...She puts us there, in the midst of massive halls and vaulted ceilings and an unending parade of detailed sculpture; her world-building is such that we can SEE this place. It’s a rare gift ... Tonality matches setting here; both are steeped in an ever-so-slightly skewed reality, allowing the reader to slip into the seemingly still waters to experience the chaotic, conspiratorial churning just below the narrative surface. Marrying the sunny gormlessness of Piranesi to the sinister undertones of the world in which he walks makes for a compelling contrast ... a first-rate work from a first-rate writer, a wonderful and surreal romp. It reads like a pop cover of Borges, embracing aesthetic complexity in the service of exploring the ethics of exploration – all in just a couple hundred pages. Susanna Clarke is as good as it gets as far as wedding literary and genre conceits in her fiction; this is another example of her considerable abilities, one that is well worth the 16-year wait. You can take my word for it.
Chuck Palahniuk
RaveThe Maine Edge... an ugly and compelling look at the horror and violence lurking beneath the veneer, illustrating the notion that we never really comprehend what people are capable of – even those we think we know ... Some of that might ring a little vague, which is very much by design – many of the plot specifics in The Invention of Sound will be far more effective without prior knowledge. Fret not, because you’ll be dropped into the unsettling viscerality of it all very quickly and you’ll be grateful for the opportunity to experience it without expectation ... As per usual with Palahniuk, things get a little queasy from time to time. He has never shied away from ideas and imagery designed to churn the stomach and chill the blood; The Invention of Sound finds plenty of opportunities for the author to indulge his talents and affinities for that kind of challenging evocation. And those talents are considerable – his tight-yet-florid writing style allows him to create these moments of intense unpleasantness without numbing his audience or descending into schlock. No one crafts splatter quite like Chuck Palahniuk ... is gross and weird and meta and darkly funny – the kind of work we’ve come to expect from Pahlaniuk. Smart and subversive, the book manages to take aim at some of the author’s familiar targets and maintain the old transgressive energy while also bringing something new to the table. A fast read that nevertheless lingers in the consciousness.
Kerri Arsenault
RaveThe Maine EdgeFor stretches, it is pure memoir—and first-rate memoir at that. Arsenault’s accounts of her life, both in Mexico and in her years away, are mesmerizing. Evoking that particular flavor of small-town Maine life is difficult to do with any sort of verisimilitude; even those who have lived it can’t always manage. Arsenault has no such problem, crafting a portrait that is fiercely proud and beautiful, peeling paint and all. In other places, the book is a compelling and taut work of industrial investigation. Arsenault is meticulous in her research, ultimately building a warts-and-all look at the history of the mill. Good, bad and ugly are presented, all of it with receipts ... Arsenault’s narrative moves with steady relentlessness, pressing ever forward. There’s a sense of constant motion to the prose, even as it relates to the relative stagnation of the place itself ... Mill Town is haunting and heartbreaking, charming and funny … and utterly exceptional.
Emma Cline
RaveThe Maine EdgeEmma Cline can WRITE ... She has a compelling, captivating voice and a real knack for crafting engaging narratives ... There’s a palpable hurt at the core of these stories, a recognition of the pain that is seemingly always a heartbeat away ... There’s a real disconnect between what we believe we want and what we’re willing to do to get it; Cline’s understanding of the fundamental contrarianism that comes with these warring impulses is one of her most significant gifts as a storyteller ... These stories are unsettling and engrossing, packed with character complexity and dark, cutting wit. Each piece bears up under its own weight even as it serves as part of the larger whole of the collection, though the steady drumbeat of Cline’s tone and thematic choices throughout can border on overwhelming ... A worthy and worthwhile collection from a writer for whom the sky really is the limit.
Katie Mack
RaveThe Maine Edge... smart, surprisingly funny ... an accessible and engaging work of pop science, one that finds a way to strike a balance between the intricate physics and mathematics that go into these explorations and an easy narrative tonality that allows even those without PhDs to wrap their heads around these big-by-definition ideas. Consider this a crash course in cosmic eschatology, a sort of End Of It All 101. It is informative and entertaining in the way that only the very best science writing can be ... Mack is so unwaveringly passionate about her subject that the reader can’t help but be pulled in by the sheer gravity of her enthusiasm ... All of this is elevated by the fact that Mack is genuinely funny – even her groaners (of which there are a few) will elicit a chuckle, reluctant though it might be. She has found ways to make room for that humor even as she’s offering up real insight into complicated physical and mathematical phenomena, doing so in such a way as to ensure that it all fits together without ever feeling forced. Cosmology and astrophysics, yes, but also stuff like quantum mechanics and string theory and a whole assortment of other areas of high-level thought. Anyone who has ever read this kind of mainstream academic nonfiction knows just how hard that is to pull off, yet Mack manages it with seeming ease ... science writing for the masses in the best possible way, a book that simplifies some staggeringly complex ideas without ever condescending to its audience. Its casual tone and charming good humor allow us to fully engage with the intricacies – both large and small – of this fascinating subject.
Alex Landragin
RaveThe Maine Edge... a marvelous puzzle box of a book that spans centuries and offers more than one way to consume its compelling story ... Epic in scope, spanning a century and a half and featuring a cast of characters that is somehow both sprawling and small, Crossings is that relatively rare experiment in form that doesn’t sacrifice substance in the name of style. It’s conceptually cool, of course, but it’s also beautifully written and one hell of a riveting tale ... These pieces play off one another beautifully, standing on their own but intricately intertwined as well. That intricacy is on full display once one ventures down the road of the Baroness sequence, giving the reader a story that is no less entrancing even as they bounce around the book ... This book somehow works equally well in both respects in which it can be consumed, telling similar yet distinct versions of this tale. Connections beget connections as the complexity of the web being woven expands almost exponentially. It’s a remarkable feat of literary acumen, the writerly equivalent of juggling chainsaws on a high wire. In short, it’s impressive as hell ... isn’t just a parlor trick. It’s a story about the nature of the soul and the strength of love, a story about stories and the power of storytelling. It’s a literary mystery and a rip-roaring adventure. It’s far more than just its device, with plenty of steak to go with the sizzle ... A big part of what makes this book work so marvelously is the verisimilitude of the period settings. Landragin is clearly a gifted researcher, having thoroughly cobbled together vividly detailed portraits of such varied spots as wartime Paris and a tiny South Pacific island; the richness practically leaps off the page. Having constructed such bounteous backgrounds, the deep-seated complexity of his characters can be fully unleashed ... And oh, what characters! Whether we’re talking about the secret life of a noted historical figure or the fully invented multi-generational journey of a body-hopping soul, every single person we meet is possessed of an engaging dimensional depth. They are full-bodied and tangible. They breathe ... one of the most engaging and thought-provoking that I’ve read in some time.
Maria Konnikova
RaveThe Maine Edge... a wonderful read, a piece of engaging experiential nonfiction reminiscent of the participatory work of George Plimpton. Konnikova’s prose gifts are on full display throughout, capturing vivid snapshots of the poker world – moments seedy and sublime alike. She also does incredible work in making her personal journey accessible; anyone who has ever sought to learn something new will see reflections of their own quest in these pages ... We spend lots of time with Seidel, a fascinating dude who becomes invested in Konnikova’s success even as he continues his own work as one of the world’s best players. He’s not the only poker person we meet, though – there’s a wonderfully weird cast of characters sprinkled throughout the book ... In terms of poker storytelling, The Biggest Bluff is probably the best we’ve seen since James McManus’s incredible Positively Fifth Street. Even making the comparison borders on heresy, considering the esteem in which that book is held, but I’d argue that what Konnikova has done here might even be its equal. A different sort of story, but one that is just as compelling ... a hell of a book. Anyone who has ever sat down at a poker table will love this tale of beneficial breaks, bad beats and yes, big bluffs. It’s the literary equivalent of pocket aces with two more on the flop – the absolute nuts.
David Mitchell
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a sweeping psychedelic story, an alternate pop history that features a slew of famous and familiar names crossing the paths of our heroes in the course of their ascent. It’s a brightly colored and brutal fable that is equal parts celebration and warning regarding the raw power inherent to music. The pull of creative forces can sometimes be beyond our control, leaving the creator no choice but to hang on tight and hope for the best—a best that is far from guaranteed ... While the book doesn’t necessarily offer the physical scope of some of his other work, in terms of metaphysical scope, it’s spot-on ... It’s an engaging portrait of that particular period, a stylized snapshot of the scene. The hyperrealized cameos from real-life music figures are a delight ... Utopia Avenue evokes the spirit of the ‘60s while leaning into its own vision of the time and place. It’s a deconstruction of the pursuit of fame—the thrill of the chase and the chaos that comes with success.
Sophie Mackintosh
PositiveThe Maine Edge... bleak and unrelenting ... a provocative and challenging book, one that offers a particular perspective of the slippery slope that is institutional control of bodily autonomy. It is tense and thrilling, combining in-depth character study with just the right amount of background. And while the setting is a speculative future, the woman on the run narrative is one that transcends its genre framework ... You might be tempted to view Blue Ticket through the nigh-ubiquitous lens of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale– and make no mistake, there are definitely similarities in both substance and style – but the world that Mackintosh has created is very much its own thing. It’s a far more secular book, largely devoid of overt religious overtones and instead extrapolating out an ostensibly just bureaucratic system driven by a sterile misogyny ... Often, speculative fiction has a tendency to overexplain. There’s an understandable temptation toward info-dump exposition, but most of the time, it just serves as unnecessary handholding that pulls the reader away from the narrative. Mackintosh displays little interest in that sort of shepherding, opting instead to focus on the journey; we learn everything we need to know about this world through the eyes of the characters as they engage with it – the author is deliberate in making sure we get some understanding of what it means to feel you’re on the wrong side from BOTH sides. A little ambiguity never hurt anyone, and the truth is that it’s more fun when we get to fill in some of the margins with our own imaginations ... Mackintosh is also a propulsive storyteller. It’s easy to mine tension from a chase or a confrontation, but she turns routine doctor visits and phone calls into taut nail-biters. And she’s created someone fascinating in Calla; so much of the book’s power comes from our look inside her head as she struggles with the conflicts and consequences of her choice ... a thoughtful adventure, a voyage of principle and pathos. It has big thematic ideas, but wraps them in a complicated and thrilling narrative – an engaging combination. The most interesting speculative fiction is the kind that has something meaningful to say – and this book certainly qualifies.
Alex George
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe Paris Hours is a lovely and transportive piece of fiction, one that strikes a balance between the notorious glamour and everyday quietude of 1920s Paris. There’s a richness to the setting that captures the mind’s eye, showing us the glitter and the grime with equal aplomb. Intricately plotted, the book finds ways to build its characters’ interconnectedness with descriptive delicacy. Each of these individual storylines unfolds on its own; none of them actively require the presence of the others to function as fully formed, but the devil is in the details—George incorporates tiny cross-narrative signifiers that unobtrusively serve as connective tissue to guide these characters toward one another, all building to a final heartbreaking collision. Oh, the characters. Each of these four main players is a fully and beautifully realized person, complicated and flawed and fascinating ... the kind of book that almost demands to be devoured; it’s hard to avoid being swept away by the journeys undertaken by each of these regular, yet remarkable people. Evocative and smartly-paced, driven by character and historicity, it’s a fantastic read.
Suzanne Collins
PositiveThe Maine EdgeThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes marks an interesting choice on Collins’s part. It’s a combination that you don’t often see in this sort of franchise fiction – a prequel focused on the villain as protagonist and their origins. We’re used to the good guys being the stars, particularly in the realm of YA fiction. One could argue that this new book is a bit more thematically sophisticated than the previous offerings, but ultimately, while the perspective is different, we’re still talking about teenagers forced to make adult decisions by a largely unfeeling system. It’s a bold maneuver in its way, pivoting as it does away from the iconic rebellious heroine of the original trilogy ... It is also a largely successful one ... It’s wild, having such a character in the lead. There’s an engaging frustration to it – and I mean that in a good way. He makes ethical choices for unethical reasons and vice versa. Even with the biases inherent to knowing who he becomes, we still find ourselves rooting for Snow to find his way out of the shadows and into the light ... Yes, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a bit denser, a bit heavier than previous installments. The narrative does get a little jagged in spots, with a tendency toward somewhat excessive chapter-ending cliffhangers. It’s not a perfect book by any stretch ... It is, however, quite a ripper of a read. Fans of the world that Collins has created will doubtless find much to like in this latest installment
Keith Law
PositiveThe Maine EdgeBy walking us through the conscious and unconscious influences that impact how baseball works, Law gives us a new perspective on the intricacies of the sport—a perspective that matches the more data-driven and analytically-inclined model followed by 21st century practitioners of the game ... an interesting dichotomy, matching Law’s undeniable baseball acumen with his more dilettante understanding of behavioral science; there are a number of ways in which this whole thing could easily have gone off the rails. However, Law maintains a firm hand, never allowing his personal levels of knowledge overly skew the conversation ... Be warned: The Inside Game definitely gets pretty wonky in spots. It is far from the traditional baseball book for sure ... Smart and savvy, The Inside Game is a gem.
Charlie Kaufman
PositiveThe Maine EdgeKaufman unleashed, his careening creative brilliance utterly unfettered ... It’s … a lot ... This book is a sprawling, recursive metanarrative, one unbound by literary convention ... a real workout ... n truth, there’s literally nothing straightforward about this book. Every aspect of it – the prose style, the character choices, the narrative direction – is layered and stratified. Ideas are taken out of the box and kicked around before being abandoned. Subplots meander off into the sunset, never to be seen again. In Antkind, reality is a construct and memory is a lie – both figuratively and literally ... It’s a challenging read, to be sure. Kaufman is unapologetic in the demands he places on the reader. The pace is wildly varied, moving at breakneck speed at certain points and slowing to a crawl in others. The voice of our narrator is whinging and wheedling, built upon seemingly oppositional feelings of superiority and victimhood. The real is presented as fictional and the fictional as real – except when it’s the other way around ... extremely readable; one imagines that Kaufman channeled his experiences with making the bizarre accessible on the big screen to make it so ... will not be everyone’s cup of tea. At times, it is willfully obtuse and gleefully off-putting. But there’s a vividity and viscerality to it that will prove irresistible to a certain kind of reader. It is tightly layered and unflinchingly weird, a book that sets the subconscious churning. You’ll have to put in the work, but if you do, you will be richly rewarded.
Stephen King
RaveThe Maine EdgeNobody does novellas like Stephen King ... a quartet of stories that are a little too long to be labelled short, all of which are packed with that uniquely King combination of fear and empathy ... One of the joys of King’s novella collections is the reminder that he, perhaps more than any of his bestselling peers, has a tremendous gift for giving stories exactly the amount of space they need to be properly told. Sometimes, that results in 700-plus page epics. Other times, just 70. Whatever it takes to get the story from his head to the page – that’s what King gives you. It’s remarkable really, that an author can create stories that cause a reader to shiver, to smile and to shed a tear in the space of a few pages – but really, should anything Stephen King does surprise us anymore? ... practically pulses with the humanistic empathy that marks the best of King’s work. It’s an outstanding quartet, featuring four tales that are wildly different from one another, yet undeniably bound together by the voice of our finest storyteller. There is much to fear in the worlds created by Stephen King, but even in the depth of his darkest shadows, a light of hope steadily glows. More exceptional work from the maestro ... Keep ‘em coming, Mr. King.
Hao Jingfang, trans. by Ken Liu
RaveThe Maine Edge... a sharp and incisive commentary on how cultural differences can skew worldviews and hinder communication. It’s also an exciting, engaging narrative, driven by detailed plotting, strong characters and some first-rate world-building. As with all great speculative fiction, the quality of the ideas and the execution are well-matched ... has a LOT to say ... The notion of an intellectual property-driven economy is extrapolated out as well, laying out possible benefits and consequences ... ideas alone aren’t enough. They need to be delivered … and boy oh boy, does Hao Jingfang deliver ... What we have here is a sophisticated interplanetary epic, driven by intrigue. The richness of detail with which this future world is constructed captivates; the realization of Mars – physically, intellectually, socially, ideologically – is particularly impactful. Descriptions of revolutionary politics commingle with well-reasoned technological projections and just the right lack of societal self-awareness ... The Terran side of things is rendered a bit more sketchily, but still more than sufficiently to make the dichotomy work effectively ... Luoying is a charming and conflicted hero, a protagonist whose own disconnect allows her to serve as an effective audience surrogate. Trapped between the two worlds, hers is more of an outsider perspective, a perfect window for the reader. The other characters that populate the story all offer something of legitimate interest; there are no throwaways or half-efforts amongst the dramatis personae ... translator Ken Liu is one of the best in the business, playing an outsized role in helping English-speaking audiences access the brilliant work that is coming out of China’s speculative fiction scene. Hao Jingfang has written an incredible book; Ken Liu has allowed me to read it ... challenging, idea-driven work. It is thoughtfully conceived and beautifully written, a remarkable opus. Hao Jingfang has folded complex themes into a propulsive narrative; this book features all the hallmarks of the best, boldest speculative fiction. It will leave you intellectually and emotionally wrung out – and you’ll be grateful for it.
Emily Temple
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a fractured, fascinating look at a teenage girl’s pursuit of understanding ... Structurally daring and prosaically deft, the narrative moves back and forth across time (though all is past from the perspective of our frank and forthright narrator), capturing the fluidity and futility of memory ... It’s also a story of the complex sociological minefield that is friendship between teenaged girls ... The Lightness walks an interesting tightrope, a coming-of-age story that deftly introduces elements of literary thriller into the mix. There’s a delicacy to the manner in which things unfurl that is really quite striking ... A clear point of comparison that has been made by a number of reviewers is Donna Tartt’s The Secret History—and it is an undeniably apt one. The truth is that this sort of dessert-first storytelling is a dangerous game, one that can undermine a narrative’s impact significantly. It’s a bold choice that Temple executes well enough that even with an extant sense of the ending, she still finds ways to surprise us.
David Lindley
RaveThe Maine EdgeLindley has a real gift for narrative; it’s rare for science writing—even pop science aimed at a broad audience—to be this readable and engaging. Lindley pushes us through the history of science via a handful of touchstone figures, giving us a crash course of sorts. From the early work of Galileo up through the pure-math musings of today’s physics giants, we’re along for the ride ... a compelling walk through physics history, curated and narrated by a true rarity—a gifted writer who is also a qualified scientist ... Tackling material like this is one thing; doing it while also making it accessible to the layperson is quite another. Yet this book reads easily, even when it occasionally delves into the more esoteric aspects of its subject matter.
Adrienne Raphel
RaveThe Maine Edge... a thoughtful and in-depth look at a hobby that has been occupying minds for over a century. Through a combination of historical research and first-person experience, Raphel takes the reader on an engaging and entertaining stroll across and down the cross-world ... It’s a rich and thorough history, one that features a number of fascinating and eccentric characters ... There’s so much here, even for those with a lengthy cruciverbalistic history ... The common thread throughout is the clear passion Raphel has for crosswords, resulting in a fun and celebratory read. She is present on every single page, her joyful love for these puzzles and the people who embrace them is palpable. The combination of historical snapshots and personal experience results in a layered and captivating piece of nonfiction.
Erik Larson
RaveThe Maine EdgeFar from the dusty doorstop of a book you might expect, The Splendid and the Vile is an example of Larson at his best. Meticulously, exhaustively researched and told with Larson’s usual deftness of prose, this account of Churchill’s first year...is an intense close-read of the man’s life ... Thanks to Larson’s deep and thorough dive, he (and hence we) are privy to a wealth of first-hand accounts of what it was like in the room with Churchill ... a vivid and compelling look at the realities of the Blitz and the hard choices Churchill and his compatriots had to make in order to hold off the looming German threat ... The book hits the usual high points too, of course, the moments ... but they don’t receive the same sort of focus that they have in other past works ... And that’s a good thing ... Larson’s aptitude for quality storytelling is what sets him apart and makes his work so accessible—the facts are right and the research is thorough, but they work in service to the narrative rather than despite it. The result is a fascinating and electrifying read that belies its 600-plus page count; Larson hits the ground running and pulls you along. It’s not often you come across a book this big that practically demands to be read ... Larson has provided a valuable and worthwhile addition to the Churchillian canon.
Keith Cooper
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe Contact Paradox is a fascinating look at the history of SETI and the possibilities inherent to extraterrestrial contact. What Cooper does that is so engaging is address multiple aspects of the issue ... What’s so intriguing about The Contact Paradox is the way Cooper juxtaposes direct conversations about the mechanics of SETI with thoughts about human nature and how that might (or might not) translate into our engagement with aliens should we ever establish communication ... the kind of book that anyone intrigued about what (or who) might be out there among the stars needs to read. It’s a smart and concise look at SETI, the people devoted to it and the potential consequences of its success.
Craig Fehrman
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt\'s...packed with an incredible depth of research and thoughtful analysis, all of it devoted to exploring the literary output of our presidents ... It’s a chance to look at these historical titans through the lens of the words they themselves put down on paper. And really, what better way to gain insight into their inner lives and thoughts? ... Through it all, Fehrman guides the reader toward an understanding of how these books both shaped and were shaped by the times in which they were written ... Authors in Chief is an absolutely absorbing read.
Chris Bohjalian
RaveThe Main Edge... excellent in the way that Bohjalian’s work is always excellent – smart, crisply-paced, well-plotted – but it also happens to feature a central plot point revolving around the threat of a weaponized disease. While there are essentially zero actual similarities between Bohjalian’s plot and current events, the timing of the book’s release means that the comparison is unavoidable ... once you move past that odd bit of synchronicity, you can enjoy this book for what it is – a taut and twisting work that features the intrigue and idiosyncrasy that are hallmarks of Bohjalian’s work. It is evocative and exciting, a quick and engaging read that will prove a welcome experience for fans of thrillers ... One of the joys of Bohjalian’s work is the delicate intricacy of his plotting; he has a wonderful knack for layering his storylines, switching perspectives and leaping from point to point. These shifts allow us to engage with the truly tangled web that is The Red Lotus while still keeping the characters in the dark. Not every writer is comfortable leaning into the notion that the reader can know more about what’s going on than the characters, but Bohjalian is confident enough in his talents to do just that, deftly maneuvering the narrative in such a way as to surprise us all, character and reader alike ... a globe-spanning adventure, one that combines international intrigue with the high-adrenaline, high-pressure realm of the big city emergency room. It’s a book that sets the healers against those who would do harm, the selfless against the selfish. It is sweeping and relentless in its pacing, with Bohjalian unleashing his usual well-honed dialogue. If you’re hungry for thrills, this book will feed that need.
Emily St. John Mandel
RaveThe Maine Edge...a mesmerizing puzzle box of a book, one whose many interconnected parts are in seemingly constant motion, both through space and time. That sense of propulsive perpetuity creates an almost insatiable hunger in the reader; we simply can’t stop ... A work of literature that is truly special is a rare thing. Knowing that said work of literature is special even as you read it is much rarer. The Glass Hotel is an example of the latter, a book that announces itself with such triumphant confidence that you’re ready to sing its praises to the skies after just a scant handful of pages. Compelling characterizations, narrative vividity, thematic complexity – often, you’re lucky to get just two of those three, even in quality works. To have the trio represented so fully is a gift ... Mandel is a writer of many gifts; one of her greatest is the ability to breathe life into unusual settings ... We see the lifestyles of the rich and famous juxtaposed against the people eventually destroyed by those lifestyles, either directly or indirectly. And every setting – physical, emotional or both – is rendered with breathtaking clarity by Mandel ... The Glass Hotel is masterful, an elegantly constructed work of great emotional power and literary sophistication. While the narrative complexity is significant, it never once enters into the realm of convolution; every piece of the puzzle is placed just so, allowing the overall picture to appear in exactly the manner in which the author intends ... Truly a great book, one that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Tessa Gratton
RaveThe Maine Edge... a high fantasy tale of love and loss, of the big wounds of warfare and the quiet cuts of palace intrigue ... It’s a beautiful and intricate landscape across which compelling characters stride. It’s smart and sweet and occasionally savage … and a heck of a read ... Lady Hotspur is the finest kind of fantasy, a thoughtful and evocative novel that does honor to its inspiration even as it carves out a wholly new path. Fans of fantasy, Shakespeare or just plain old solid storytelling will find plenty to like here.
Lydia Pyne
RaveThe Maine Edge... a legitimately fascinating read, well-researched and packed with detail – the sort of book that will surprise and delight the intellectually curious ... Through these examples, Genuine Fakes digs deep into the notion of what is real, what is authentic … and whether it is possible for an object to be one without being the other ... Nonfiction that is both information-dense AND fun to read is rare; Lydia Pyne has given us precisely that...A book like this could easily become bone-dry, a slog of a read. But Pyne maintains an airiness throughout, treating the material with seriousness but never severity. Everything unfolds with a very light touch. The result is a book that is very difficult to put down.
Joanna Kavenna
RaveThe Maine Edge... darkly comic ... biting wit and a discomfiting plausibility ... There’s a dark absurdity at the heart of Zed that is reminiscent of Kafka or Pynchon, a sense of being trapped within an unfeeling system that is itself trapped by its own crumbling omnipresence. It’s a world in which the trust people place in the powers that be is rewarded with a complete disregard for their well-being on the part of those powers. It is a bleak portrait painted here. And a hilarious one. Call it a black comedy of errors, a techno-farce in which mounting misfires on the part of the centralized technology are met with little more than cosmetic changes and brandspeak. It’s a comic look at faith in the establishment gone wrong ... Kavenna’s wit is almost as omnipresent as Beetle in this book; every page offers a wry observation or dark joke that sticks in the mind’s eye. Her prose is smart and propulsive, giving her storytelling a sense of urgency even as the techno-bureaucracy spins its wheels in mud of its own making. It’s a rendition of end-game capitalism that feels unsettlingly prescient even as it makes you laugh ... an exceptional book, a novel of ideas that embraces the thoughts that it provokes while also delivering legitimate laughs. It’s funny and frightening, an unrelenting and sly satiric look at a world that feels like somewhere we could legitimately find ourselves sooner than we think.
Joe Posnanski
PositiveThe Maine EdgePosnanski does a wonderful job bringing Houdini’s story together ... we also learn about Houdini through some of the people who have been inspired by him. It’s here where Posnanski really shines, these conversations with those whose love of magic was born when they learned of the great Houdini ... So many people whose lives were deeply and permanently impacted by the man himself. Posnanski gives us insight into them all, capturing all of it with his usual blend of gentle sentimentality and low-key sharp wit. The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini is a different sort of biography, one willing to view its subject through a prismatic lens; diligent research and first-person reportage allows for a diverse set of perspectives on Houdini ... Joe Posnanski has given us a unique look at a unique man, an iconic figure in American cultural history. In an irony that the man himself would almost certainly appreciate, even now, a century later, Houdini remains inescapable.
Christopher McDougall
RaveThe Maine Edgea magical read, one that elicits surprised chuckles even as it tugs at the heartstrings. The motley crew – both human and animal – that it introduces is an absolute delight; McDougall clearly has a gift for fully rendering the people that he meets. The term \'inspirational\' is a loaded one when it comes to books, but it’s an apt descriptor here; the story of Sherman’s journey – and McDougall’s alongside him – does inspire, capturing the beautiful spiritual connection that exists between man and animal ... And while McDougall is at the story’s center, it is the characters at the tale’s outskirts that truly fascinate ... It’s a special thing to genuinely fall in love with someone you meet in the pages of a book. Rest assured: you can’t help but fall in love with Sherman the determined donkey. Running with Sherman is charming and hilarious, heartfelt and sincere. It’s a wonderful read for anyone who has loved an animal that needed to be loved … or has faced a challenge that seemed insurmountable but had someone there to stand (or run) alongside them.
Joe Hill
RaveThe Maine EdgeThere aren’t many writers out there who are as thoughtfully scary as Joe Hill ... The truth is that it would be easy to expound at length upon just about every one of these stories. Hill’s narrative gifts are tremendous, and he unleashes them here to full effect. His ability to construct such sturdily delicate plots, both solid and subtle, is a joy to experience. He creates worlds in which we can’t help but immerse ourselves. It’s impressive enough that he can do that world-realization in his novels; to do that within the relatively limited parameters of short fiction is doubly so. The journey is taut and fraught and emotionally charged; the destination is visceral and surprising and both exquisitely chosen and utterly unexpected. He earns every shocked disbelieving headshake he gets - and there are a few ... What you might not expect from a book of scary tales is how funny they are. Hill’s wicked sense of humor isn’t omnipresent, but when it pokes its s—t-stirring little head up, it makes a big impression. He’s clever, but not overly so; there’s none of the performative neediness you sometimes get when a writer tries to show off. There’s nothing needy or show-offy about Hill’s work; it’s more than strong enough to exist on its own terms ... an outstanding collection of work from the pen of an outstanding writer. Joe Hill began his career trying to step out of his father’s shadow, but that time has long passed. He’s not standing in the long shade anymore, if he ever was. Instead, he’s casting a shadow of his own, one that grows longer with every exceptional offering.
Jesse Ball
RaveThe Maine EdgeWhat elevates this work above the usual dystopian dive is Ball’s prose. His unique literary sensibility brings a bleak lyricism to the narrative, a fluidity of form. All of it devoted to creating not just the tragic segregation of this new world, but also the complicated characters that inhabit it ... literary speculation at its finest. This isn’t the first dystopian vision that Ball has constructed, but he’s shown that there’s far more to be mined from this vein than one could ever extract in a single work. This new novel is a perfect illustration of that, combining a descriptive deftness with a thematic confidence – Ball doesn’t feel to spell things out or saddle the reader with unnecessary exposition. The ideas and images he deems important are the ones he places front and center; he simply expects us to follow his lead. And it is a lead well worth following ... Ball’s work is unique, infused with a thoughtful and idiosyncratic style unlike any other writer you’re likely to encounter. That voice echoes loudest in the simplest moments, capturing the irregular details that ground the narrative in a place of verisimilitude despite the esoteric nature of the setting. It’s a world that feels real. And worse, it’s a world that feels somehow plausible. Not likely, really … but plausible. That unsettling undercurrent flows just beneath the story’s surface, lending a sense of pathos and quiet desperation to every person’s journey ... the sort of work that one points to when singing the praises of speculative fiction as \'serious\' literature. Through his incredible craftsmanship and narrative sophistication, Jesse Ball is able to access the incredible thematic depths potentiated by these speculative tropes. Beautifully conceived, packed with emotional complexity and challenging detail, this book is another outstanding offering from a unique literary voice.
Brock Clarke
PositiveThe Maine EdgeWho Are You, Calvin Bledsoe? is the kind of book that doesn’t come along every day, an interesting inversion of a fairly common literary trope. It’s an unusually well-aged coming of age tale, a balding bildungsroman if you will, dropping the spiritual awakening and self-actualization of a youngster crossing the cusp into adulthood into an emotionally inert blogger pushing 50. A character like this – one who presents as innocent and culturally ignorant without ever coming off as stupid or hateful or mean – is difficult to pull off, let alone as your hero. The funny part is that it works. That’s far from the ONLY funny part, of course. Clarke demonstrates a dry wryness throughout that juxtaposes nicely with the baseline absurdity that lurks just beneath the surface ... The narrative is rife with red herrings and odd twists to offset the scattershot emotional motivations ... As you might imagine, the resulting chaos makes for a hell of a read ... an engaging literary feat, a coming of age story for the already-aged.
Zadie Smith
RaveThe Maine EdgeTrue literary excellence is rare. At any given time, there exists a relative handful of writers capable of creating legitimately exceptional prose...Zadie Smith is one such writer ... a magnificently wide-ranging selection of stories so diverse and divergent that it sometimes seems that their only shared quality – the one thing that marks them as the work of a singular author – is their excellence ... if anything, the exceedingly high quality of this work is being undersold. Yes, among these 19 pieces are works that maybe don’t shine with quite the same brightness, but they too offer their luster. The stars shine less brightly than the moon; the moon in turn less brightly than the sun – are any of them any less captivating because of a disparity of lumens? ... so packed with impact that choosing a favorite feels like a fool’s errand. They’re all so goddamned GOOD, you know? Every piece is charged with intelligence and wit. And they all have something to say, which is another indicator of literary excellence that is all too rare these days ... That sense of intellectual challenge is buoyed by preternatural prose gifts, resulting in stories that dig into your brain and set up shop, burrowing beneath the surface only to pop up to offer even more unanticipated insights ... astonishing. Anyone who has ever read a word written by Zadie Smith knows what a talent she is, but when you sit down and pore through this collection, filled with weird tales and autofictional intimacies and experimental explorations, you’re confronted with the sheer magnitude of her abilities ... a masterful collection from an exquisite storyteller. Few writers have the talent to pull something like this off. Fewer still have the audacity to even try. How lucky we are, then, that Zadie Smith has both.
Salman Rushdie
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a layered metafictional take on the tale, a story that succinctly blends the modern with the postmodern as well as a deft use of a classic touchstone to explore a much more current cultural landscape ... Rushdie keeps every plate spinning, moving swiftly but smoothly from idea to idea. There are numerous places where it seems as though one or more of these plates might drop—that they MUST drop—yet the author always arrives in the nick of time, ensuring that everything remains in constant motion, always advancing toward the shared conclusion. Even as the pace accelerates toward a raucous, over-the-top conclusion that is nevertheless somehow perfectly logical, the story stays the course. The story-within-story writer-as-character trope has long been a mainstay of postmodern fiction, but Rushdie manages to give the conceit some fresh heft ... Quichotte is an exceptional work, one that searches for hope even against a deeply cynical belief that nothing matters. If it’s possible for a book to be optimistically nihilistic, then that’s what Rushdie has given us with this one.
Stephen King
RaveThe Maine EdgeThere’s a timeliness to this book, an of-the-moment quality that also possesses a sense of universality ... another strong entry into King’s prolific and ever-more-impressive late-period oeuvre, a continuation of the storytelling ranginess that he’s put on display over the past decade-plus. He’s gleefully veered all over the narrative map, telling tales that are both different than what he’s done before while also absolutely being of a piece with his previous work. It’s astonishing to consider; the surprises keep on coming ... Nobody captures what it means to be a kid quite like Stephen King; so much of his best work seems to deal with adolescents and adolescence to some degree. He evokes not just the complexities of childhood, but also a real sense of the adult a child might grow up to be...Luke and his friends are the latest in a long line of exceptionally-crafted kid characters in King’s work ... King’s certainly no stranger to outsized representations of supernatural terror, but he is also one of our best at digging into the most human aspects of evil ... All of this, by the way, is packed into one hell of a thriller. King’s plots are unfailingly propulsive; the manner in which he unfurls his stories compels the reader’s consumption to an almost-greedy degree. And the settings he creates are exquisitely vivid; he evokes place with an easy, immersive grace ... more outstanding fiction from our greatest storyteller. It is a book of the moment in ways both large and small, a thoughtful and thought-provoking tale that is exquisite in its anger and steadfast in its hopefulness.
Alix Nathan
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s an evocative and atmospheric work of historical fiction featuring strong Gothic undercurrents and a relentless bleakness; a dark book packed with shadows both literal and figurative. The pull of the narrative is steady and strong, inviting readers into a world that will haunt their imaginations long after the final page is turned ... Nathan has imagined a vivid and unsettling place, one where the wealthy can indulge their whims without accountability and the poverty-stricken are willing to sacrifice everything for the perceived comfort money can bring. It is a tale of the power of isolation, the necessity of physical and emotional contact to the well-being of the social animal that is man ... The Warlow Experiment is captivating, capturing the spine and spirit of a particular place and time. It is rife with an aesthetic and attitudinal murkiness that wholly engulfs, pulling us into the deepest parts of the many shadows cast.
Rob Hart
RaveThe Maine EdgeSome of the best speculative fiction comes when a writer is able to extrapolate forward in a manner that is both engaging and plausible ... That’s what Rob Hart has done with his new novel ... The Warehouse brings a keen satiric edge to its rendition of a corporate dystopia ... That\'s the real power in something like The Warehouse. It illustrates that greed knows no boundaries, and that even those with the best of intentions can eventually wind up making the most reprehensible of choices so long as they can talk themselves into believing that it is for some nebulous greater good. That’s the perspective we get from Gibson Wells, and it is vital to the novel’s success. The Warehouse is funny and bleak, putting forth an exaggerated but nevertheless still plausible take on the direction our world seems to be traveling. It is a sharp takedown of 21st century corporate culture that serves as something of a warning—our seemingly small individual choices can eventually have much larger consequences than we ever could have known.
Zach Powers
RaveThe Maine EdgeFirst Cosmic Velocity...is an absolute gem of a book, a tale of tragedy disguised as triumph. It is a beautifully-crafted work of literary genre writing—part historical fiction, part sci-fi, with hints of family drama and magical realism thrown into the mix as well. It’s a story unlike anything you’ve read, told from a perspective unlike any you’ve experienced ... Everything about First Cosmic Velocity works. The concept is outstanding and the execution is exceptional. The attention to detail is phenomenal, allowing for a clear and vivid picture of the behind-the-scenes chaos of the Soviet effort ... the characterizations are sharp, capturing the inner turmoil of those struggling with the moral and ethical ramifications of the work being done—and the willingness to push through in the name of scientific achievement and nationalist glory. What Powers does so beautifully is immerse the reader in the world that he has created.
Chuck Klosterman
RaveThe Maine EdgeFew writers today have been working the cultural criticism beat as long and as successfully as Chuck Klosterman ... strange and offbeat, small and skewed glimpses of the zeitgeist through weird-colored glasses – think Twilight Zone or Black Mirror, only in a much bigger hurry. And while they vary in length, style and tone, all of them ring loudly with the author’s distinctive voice ... Pure Klosterman, all of it ... shot through with cleverness and an element of the absurd, capturing the unique inquisitiveness that is a Klosterman hallmark. There’s an ironic detachment throughout the collection, a sense of remove that comes through even when a narrative is unfolding in the first person ... not all of these stories are home runs; some suffer due to Klosterman’s tendency toward abrupt endings, others never quite get sufficient room for their ideas to flower. But even the relative misfires are entertaining despite whatever flaws they might have. He’s throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks, a kitchen sink approach that is enjoyable even when less successful ... a fun, fast-moving collection of quick hits. No one looks at the world quite like Chuck Klosterman does; for him to turn that vision in a slightly different direction is a welcome change. Shining that perspective through the prism of fiction makes for a grand and strange good time. There’s wisdom and a surprising amount of pathos as well.
Richard Russo
RaveThe Maine EdgeRusso’s many strengths come together here in one thoughtful and extremely readable package. His quietly elegant prose is perfect for rendering forth the emotional dynamic of the aging man; his knack for bringing small towns to life and his love of the coast come into play as well. And through it all, the steady tick-tock of time passing – a sound that is far less frightening when Russo controls the clock ... Chances Are … offers up the standard Russo blend of humor and pathos, yes. But there’s also a darker undercurrent than we usually get from him ... Connecting the past and present in a way that feels genuine and earned takes a narrative deftness possessed by precious few writers. Russo does it with seeming effortlessness, building full, rich connections with a scant handful of sentences before simply drawing us into the community that he has created. Chances Are … is one more wonderful book from a man responsible for a lot of them. It’s a tidal read – as gentle and steady as it is strong and inexorable. I read it in a day; it’s a cliché to say, \'I didn’t want to put it down,\' but … I didn’t.
Sarah Parcak
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a chance to gain a closer understanding of the complexities of Parcak’s work, as well as the value that comes from digging into our ancient past. It’s a compellingly-written piece of popular science. But it also offers something that other science-oriented nonfiction doesn’t—the warm, impassioned and funny voice of Sarah Parcak ... But what makes this book really shine is how much of Sarah Parcak we get. Her passion for her work is omnipresent, leaping from every page with an enthusiasm that is undeniably infectious ... Creating a narrative flow with a book like this is tricky, but Archaeology from Space is a real success in that regard ... One of the joys of this book (of which there are money) is the heartfelt humor that Parcak delivers. The tone could be described as mildly self-deprecatory with a little bit of an edge; she’s unafraid to punctuate thoughtful and/or technically dense segments with jokes that are unabashedly goofy ... a wonderful piece of work, a book that entertains as it informs ... She shows us how she uses the bleeding-edge of the future to dig deeper into the past, all while telling tales in a writerly voice that is sharp, witty and charming as hell.
Linda Holmes
RaveThe Maine Edge... a charming and engaging story that also proves willing to look at loss and how that can mean different things to different people ... There’s a wonderful juxtaposition at play here ... this is a debut novel from Holmes, although it certainly doesn’t read like one. There’s a smoothness to the storytelling that is a great pleasure to read, a gentle persistence of plot that bears the reader forward with deceptive speed – it’s the sort of book that you might read cover-to-cover in a single sitting if you’re not careful. The characterizations feel very full; Evvie and Dean are well-realized in ways both large and small. Oh, and it’s pretty damned funny in stretches too ... an ideal summer read, the sort of breezy book that offers strong relationships and compelling characters while also providing a fluid narrative flow. Few things are as captivating as love born from loss; this book offers that and more. If this is how Holmes begins her career as a novelist, I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Blake Crouch
RaveThe Maine Edge... a compelling thriller built on big ideas – typical of Crouch’s thought-provoking sci-fi sensibility ... science fiction at its apex, combining sophisticated concepts with sharp plotting and interesting characters. There’s a density to the narrative that could easily prove too complex, but Crouch has such a delicate touch that even as we bounce from perspective to perspective and time to time, there’s never the slightest issue. Juggling multiple timelines is tricky business, but even as the stories cross and uncross, with branches begetting branches begetting branches, the thread is never lost. It’s all handled masterfully ... One of the things that’s so much fun about Crouch’s work in general – and Recursion in particular – is the degree of difficulty with regards to narrative complexity. His books are marvelous puzzle boxes, stories wrapped in stories that challenge the reader without ever demanding more than they can give ... Another of Crouch’s many strengths is his understanding of character ... top-tier science fiction. Conceptually and narratively, it is a mesmerizing work, carefully constructed and exquisitely executed. It’s a story of the power of memory … a story you’ll never forget.
Tyler Kepner
RaveThe Maine Edge... delivers exactly what its title promises. It is a fascinating deconstruction of the nature of pitching by those men who did it best. It is a cross-section of the game’s history, showing us the ebb and flow of the craft and how pitches have come into and fallen out of favor over the years ... Kepner’s passion for the game permeates the narrative he has constructed. The book offers intricate detail mixed with stories of the game – he blends the tangible notions of grips and spin rates and throwing motions with the ethereal myths of baseball’s bygone legends. It’s a combination that serves to elevate each element, a rich and engaging reading experience for any true fan.
Mark Haddon
RaveThe Maine Edge... weird and fantastical ... a strange and at times unsettling adventure, one that bounces back and forth through time and operates on multiple, metatextual levels ... a deft and beautifully written piece, one that uses its inspiration as a springboard to dive into waters that are deep both narratively and intellectually. There’s a starkness to the story that is juxtaposed by the lushness of the prose; even at the tale’s bleakest, the language is captivating and compelling ... Some might struggle with the darkness, both overt and subtle, that bubbles to the surface throughout this book. And there’s no denying that the story gets challengingly bleak at points. However, that unsettling quality, that sense of the sinister, the shadowy evil dressed in deluded trappings of love – it is gut-punch powerful in a way that lodges itself in the memory ... Haddon is unafraid to explore complicated themes in his work; his grasp of the human condition’s complexity is one of his greatest gifts as a writer ... a striking and visceral reading experience, an ambitious work that places perspective on our passions and dives deep into the power of myth...Weird and twisting and packed with marvelous detail and unsettling power, this is a truly challenging – and truly exceptional – book.
Colson Whitehead
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe Nickel Boys is Whitehead’s seventh book – and arguably his best yet. He eschews the genre flourishes with which his previous storytelling ventures have been peppered, instead committing to a straightforward realism that allows just the briefest glimmers of hopefulness against a nigh-unrelentingly bleak backdrop ... one of the most emotionally fraught books I’ve read since...well, maybe ever ... So much of Whitehead’s work involves race and how race impacts the American experience. Those themes are explored again in The Nickel Boys, albeit more directly than in past offerings. That directness lends even more heft to the already-meaty discourse he drives ... The slim volume comes in at just 224 pages, yet still overflows with furious poetry and intellectual rawness. It unspools with pacing that feels breakneck while also managing to elicit a sense of stasis; the whole thing practically drips with the frustrations of the societal status quo ... we have to recognize the narrative brilliance that Whitehead brings to the table. There’s a stunning vividity to his language ... Thought-provoking, powerful and shatteringly sad.
Seanan Mcguire
RaveThe Maine EdgeMcGuire juggles the narrative back-and-forth expertly. The story switches perspective as well ... It might sound confusing— and if it was even a little less well-executed, it would be—but again, McGuire deftly shifts from POV to POV without missing a beat ... There’s a fantastic through thread that involves excerpts of [a] children’s book—titled Over the Woodward Wall—and serves as a lovely companion to the narrative. It’s a lovely continuing detail that seasons the rest of the story just beautifully. One of the smartest choices in a book full of smart choices ... [The protagonists] are compelling, fully-realized characters about whom we are invited to care—their honest interplay is as magical as anything in the book ... It has been a while since I read a work of genre fiction that resonated with me quite like Middlegame did. The complexity of the world building is impressive, with a real depth of thoughtful detail. It’s stylistically challenging in the best way, making the actual reading experience all the more engaging.
Ian McEwan
PositiveThe Maine Edge\"... a quirky and enthralling work of alternate history ... Rendered in McEwan’s indomitable and inimitable prose, Machines Like Me takes the reader inside a love triangle unlike any our world has ever seen, a romantic tangle involving a man, his upstairs neighbor – and a machine ... Machines Like Me brings a lot of ideas to the table. So many, in fact, that one occasionally worries that they might overwhelm the story being told. And in the hands of a lesser writer, they likely would have. But with a maestro like McEwan directing the show, concepts slide together rather than clash, serving as complementary pieces in the service of a larger, more intricate narrative ... Machines Like Me is an exceptional addition to the alternate history oeuvre, combining compelling characters with dynamite storytelling in the creation of a fully-realized and familiar-enough world. McEwan demonstrates a real curiosity about the nature of self and an earnest desire to probe the moral and ethical underpinnings of what it means to be human. It’s a story that will capture your attention in the moment, but the ideas that it explores will be present long after the final page is turned.\
Ian McEwan
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a quirky and enthralling work of alternate history, a counterfactual conflation that brings forth a world quite different than our own, albeit populated by personalities that will ring all too familiar ... Rendered in McEwan’s indomitable and inimitable prose, Machines Like Me takes the reader inside a love triangle unlike any our world has ever seen, a romantic tangle involving a man, his upstairs neighbor—and a machine ... Machines Like Me brings a lot of ideas to the table. So many, in fact, that one occasionally worries that they might overwhelm the story being told. And in the hands of a lesser writer, they likely would have. But with a maestro like McEwan directing the show, concepts slide together rather than clash, serving as complementary pieces in the service of a larger, more intricate narrative – cogs in the machine, if you will ... Machines Like Me is an exceptional addition to the alternate history oeuvre, combining compelling characters with dynamite storytelling in the creation of a fully-realized and familiar-enough world. McEwan demonstrates a real curiosity about the nature of self and an earnest desire to probe the moral and ethical underpinnings of what it means to be human. It’s a story that will capture your attention in the moment, but the ideas that it explores will be present long after the final page is turned.
T. J. Martinson
RaveThe Maine EdgeAn exploration of the dark side of superheroism, evocative of the work of comics legends like Frank Miller, the book digs deep into the ethical and moral quandaries that permeate the notion of vigilantism – costumed or otherwise – and offers a look at the consequences therein, some obvious, others less so ... will delight fans of comic books and other superheroic pop culture for sure. However, even those with no affinity for the feats of comic book heroes will find plenty to enjoy here. The truth is that Martinson has crafted a top-shelf crime thriller, one with rich characterizations, vivid settings and a twisty-turny plot. Yes, there’s a superhero here, but the book isn’t ABOUT a superhero – not really.
Will Mackin
RaveThe Maine EdgeWill Mackin has produced something that holds up alongside the very best war literature of the 21st century ... These stories are powerful portraits of men at war, capturing the desperate passion and brutal absurdity of the battlefield. They are filled with grit and honesty, unflinching in their warts-and-all approach to narrative ... Every single one of these stories sings ... every story—really, every SENTENCE—is impressive and impactful ... It’s a meditation on the many forms that grief can take and the many causes it can have. It encapsulates beautifully the combination of pathos and dark humor that flows through every one of these exquisite 11 ... Mackin’s prose displays a deftness that belies its basic muscularity; it’s an ideal mix in terms of presenting these stories with the ring of genuine truth ... a brilliant debut.
K. Chess
RaveThe Maine Edge\"... excellent ... It’s a wonderful piece of speculative fiction ... Speculative fiction is never better than when it serves the dual roles of mirror and lens – roles that Famous Men Who Never Lived fills with spectacular success. Chess has forged both a mirror in which we can look upon ourselves and our world and a lens through which we can more closely examine those aspects of the world that demand detailed inspection ... Famous Men Who Never Lived is a thoughtful exploration of what it means to be a refugee and the pain of losing one’s cultural foundation. It is also an elegantly written and darkly funny sci-fi narrative. However you choose to engage with it, one thing is certain: you’re going to dig it.\
John Feinstein
RaveThe Maine EdgeThere’s an on-field perspective here that you don’t often get from the written word. Through these conversations, Feinstein has found a way to capture what it feels like—what it’s like to be standing in the huddle, to take the snap, to throw passes and take hits, to lead your team to a last-minute victory. It’s a view of the game from their perspective; engagingly capturing that perspective is one of Feinstein’s greatest talents ... Quarterback is as good a behind-the-scenes sports book as you’re likely to find. Feinstein has always been a masterful sports storyteller; what he’s spun together here holds up alongside his best. It’s a captivating deep dive, with the participants choosing to be a good deal more forthcoming than you might expect. There’s a great deal of honesty throughout this book that is refreshing; the nature of the job is such that you have to remain guarded with what you say and to whom. It’s clear that some trust was earned, which in turn leads to genuine depth.
Karen Thompson Walker
RaveThe Maine EdgeThe Dreamers is a lovely and weird book ... Walker proves particularly adept, unpacking complex ideas about relationship dynamics ... Walker’s stylistic choices allow us multiple viewpoints into the burgeoning chaos brought forth by the descent into extended slumber; short chapters careen from perspective to perspective, allowing us our own frenetic glimpses of fear, determination and despair ... There’s a haunting quality to The Dreamers. The gentility of its prose grants the element of surprise to narrative twists and emotional power; Walker eases you into moments that elevate your level of engagement slowly, subtly. Nothing is telegraphed, yet everything flows seamlessly. Even with the constantly-shifting POV, everything unfolds with a deft smoothness. Compelling characters, genuine emotional stakes, thoughtful themes and a central premise rich with potential—The Dreamers checks all the boxes. Walker has written a hell of a book, one whose propulsive narrative sense marries nicely with the relative understatement of its themes.
Peter Rader
RaveThe Maine EdgePlaying to the Gods is compelling enough due to the story it tells, but Rader goes the extra mile; not only does he capture the details of each woman’s performative life, but he also mines the personal as well. Excerpts from correspondence, bits of juicy gossip, tales of affairs and exploits romantic and otherwise—it’s all here, all of it capturing a vivid snapshot of the mutual orbit held together by the gravity of these binary stars. Both women were larger than life—one from the inside out, the other from the outside in. Lovers of theater and theater history will devour this book, an entertaining and immaculate look at a time that in many ways served as the primordial beginnings of the modern stage.
Michael Kupperman
RaveThe Maine EdgeIt’s a fascinating look at the entertainment landscape as it appeared during the crossover from radio to television, as well as an exploration of the realities of Jewish identity in the postwar years. It’s a portrait of the layered nature of identity both public and personal. But mostly, it’s a powerful examination of the relationship between fathers and sons. Kupperman is an incredible talent as a visual storyteller; when you marry that talent with the intense personal connection inherent to this kind of narrative, you get something that is truly special. There’s an idiosyncratic starkness to Kupperman’s art that manages to feel both simple and complex; his drawings elicit a striking depth of detail ... All the Answers is a marvelous example of how transcendent the graphic novel form can be ... a heartfelt gift from son to father, a thoughtful and wryly funny story conveyed in both word and image because that is, quite simply, the best possible way to tell the tale ... unquestionably exceptional.
Raymond A. Villareal
RaveThe Maine EdgeWhat ultimately emerges is a thoughtful and finely-crafted work that reads as particularly insightful pop history ... The book is put together like a piece of smart-yet-accessible nonfiction, capturing perfectly that piecemeal approach of meticulous research that goes into blending disparate elements. The first-person accounts are most compelling—they’re the ones with the most leeway to advance the narrative while also giving Villareal room to stretch—but they benefit greatly from the sprinkling of additional material. The interview transcripts are great, but it’s the excerpts from magazines, newspapers and the like that really fill the gaps and contextualize everything. It’s all tied together beautifully ... entertaining as hell.
