AltWeeklies Wire
'The Hunter' Flawlessly Brings a Crime Novel to Comicsnew
The Hunter quickly becomes a cascade of sex, murder, and international intrigue, and you just have to root for our antihero—he's just so good at what he does.
The Portland Mercury |
Paul Constant |
09-03-2009 |
Fiction
'That Old Cape Magic' is Incrementally Less Magical Than Richard Russo's Previous Worknew
Cape Magic lacks the expansive, roomy quality of Russo's best work, but his trademark warmth makes it a worthwhile read all the same -- after all, it's only 261 pages.
The Portland Mercury |
Allison Hallett |
08-20-2009 |
Fiction
New Scott Pilgrim!! Squee!!new
Everybody loves Scott Pilgrim—and if they don't, it's only because they haven't met him yet.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
02-05-2009 |
Fiction
Dame Darcy Plays with Her Dolls in 'Gasoline'new
Gasoline is essentially an illustrated novel: Drawings accompany the text, but they're not integral to the story, pushing Dame Darcy's prose into the spotlight in a way that Meatcake does not -- and unfortunately, the writing simply isn't sophisticated enough to take center stage.
The Portland Mercury |
Allison Hallett |
12-19-2008 |
Fiction
J.K. Rowling Raids the Hogwarts Library with 'Beedle'new
If the phrases "Translated from the ancient runes by Hermione Granger" and "Commentary by Albus Dumbledore" don't get your Hedwig-emblazoned Underoos in a twist, we might as well cut to the chase: The Tales of Beedle the Bard probably isn't for you (and you're also probably a joyless, dour ass, but that's beside the point).
The Portland Mercury |
Erik Henriksen |
12-12-2008 |
Fiction
'The Dart League King' is Surprising and Compellingnew
Keith Lee Morris' second book takes place entirely at a championship darts match on a single night in Idaho, in June of 2007. Surprisingly for such a narrowly focused work, it is as compelling a novel as I've read all year.
The Portland Mercury |
Matt Davis |
11-14-2008 |
Fiction
'The Fire' is the Latest Guilty Pleasure from Katherine Nevillenew
Not only is it a new book by Neville, who hasn't written anything in nearly two decades, but her last novel, The Eight, is the ultimate let-me-lie-on-the-couch-and-eat-bonbons-while-a-hunky-Persian-man-in-a-loincloth-paints-my-toenails book. The Fire is the next episode in the saga.
The Portland Mercury |
Melissa Lion |
10-24-2008 |
Fiction
Tags: Katherine Neville, The Fire
Michael Ian Black Unleashes Some Essaysnew
It's a collection of short essays that often feel like blog posts; some of the pieces—such as "Hey, David Sedaris--Why Don't You Go Ahead and Suck It?" or "A Series of Letters to the First Girl I Ever Fingered"--are vaguely grounded in reality, while others are completely fanciful.
The Portland Mercury |
Ned Lannamann |
07-24-2008 |
Fiction
David Sedaris Cranks Out an Airplane Readnew
When You Are Engulfed in Flames does feature flashes of that off-kilter Sedaris wit, but more often the stories here are quickly read and more quickly forgotten: entertaining enough, but easy to put away when the wheels hit the tarmac.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
07-03-2008 |
Fiction
Darin Strauss's Third Novel Gets Under Readers' Skinsnew
Strauss cleverly constructing a story that burns and festers, leaving you slightly traumatized and utterly invested in the moment.
The Portland Mercury |
Courtney Ferguson |
06-27-2008 |
Fiction
Salman Rushdie Dives into Fantasynew
If he wants to write a meandering, 300-plus page historical fantasy novel that features epic battles, pirates, women who are dreamed into existence, and the odd witch's curse or two, who's going to tell him no?
The Portland Mercury |
Alsion Hallett |
06-13-2008 |
Fiction
Willy Vlautin's 'Northline' Really has Its Own Soundtracknew
The slow-strummed ballads that accompany Northline provide a lush companion to Vlautin's starkly descriptive prose, and wisely, they're wordless, so you can listen and read at the same time.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
05-01-2008 |
Fiction
'Animal's People' Takes on Corporate Responsiblitynew
The fictional town of Khaufpur is based on Bhopal, India, where a 1984 gas leak at a Union Carbide chemical plant caused thousands of deaths and countless more injuries.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
04-03-2008 |
Fiction
Edward Docx Could Take a Load Off, Chillaxnew
Pravda (or Self Help, as it is known in the UK) was long-listed for the 2007 Man Booker Prize, and I suppose it's understandable -- it's certainly not the sort of book I like reading, but it's enjoyable enough once you get past its wordy temper tantrums.
The Portland Mercury |
Courtney Ferguson |
03-27-2008 |
Fiction
It's Easy to Read Because It's Badnew
Even the most distracted bus rider won't fail to notice that The English American isn't easy to read because it's frivolous; it's easy to read because it's bad. Larkin's sentences unfold with such hackneyed predictability that reading each one in its entirety hardly seems necessary.
The Portland Mercury |
Alison Hallett |
03-27-2008 |
Fiction
