Quick Takes: By the Nails of the Warpriest, Shotgun Gravy, The Point, Smoke

By the Nails of the Warpriest by Nik Korpon

Often times there is more nuance to topics then we would like to admit to, and not just in politics. For a long time coming there has been more and more cross genre fiction and multi-genre fiction. The last few years there has been a movement in fantasy fiction towards the “gritty” which sometimes includes incorporating the authors own conception of what noir is. The nuanced part for me isn’t that one authors vision of a sf/f crime mix is different then another because that is to be expected. But instead that there is a difference between works that come at sf/f from a crime perspective and works that come at crime from a sf/f perspective. In my opinion we see a lot of the latter but not enough of the former. The example I often cite in my mind is where is the fantasy novel whose prime influence is a Parker novel. Or what would a fantasy novel look like that has the feel of a Jim Thompson novel. Perhaps contemplating such disparate parings are folly but Charlie Huston did this notion justice to a large extent with some of his work. I remember years ago in an interview Huston said that he was thinking about writing a straight up fantasy/S&S novel, The mind reels at the possibilities.

All of this is to say that Nik Korpon is a crime writer and his latest work is a novella that is a sf/crime mix that approaches the sf from a crime perspective. At it’s heart it is a tale of love and revenge that takes place in a politically charged dystopian near future or future. While the setting at times may invoke the feeling of worlds that we’ve seen before the revenge hums along in short, tight, controlled bursts.

Recommended

Shotgun Gravy by Chuck Wendig

Shotgun Gravy is the first of four novellas that will feature the character Atlanta Burns. In the afterword Wendig describes his vision for the series. He sees a series of novellas that are treated like TV episodes that have both a standalone story and push forward a larger story arc. John McFetridge has talked about this idea before and as I’ve told him I think it’s a great idea.

Burns’s violent backstory is largely hinted at in this first book but enough pieces are given that it doesn’t need to be spelled out for the reader. The reaction of others in regards to what they think happened to her and what they think that she did provide fertile ground for interactions.

The one thing that Burns will not brook is bullying so when she comes to the rescue of a classmate it ultimately leads her to do battle with local white power thugs with her trusty sidekick.

Recommended.

The Point by Gerard Brennan

I’ve read a number of Gerard Brennan’s short fiction over the years and The Point is the largest piece of fiction of his that I’ve read.

The Point is an action packed crime story that starts off quick in establishing the two brothers and their relationship dynamics AND how quickly trouble follows them and never lets up. Lot’s of action, a huge pace and great characters to boot coming together in a violent climax that not everyone survives make purchasing this one a no-brainer.

Highly Recommended.

Smoke by Nigel Bird

Like Brennan’s work I’ve only been fortunate enough to read Bird’s short fiction over the years. I’ve always been curious to see what a longer Nigel Bird piece of fiction would be like. In Smoke his writing style is more robust as he spends time developing the neighborhood and all of it’s characters.

Many of the writers who write noir or crime fiction for the online zines fuel their stories with hate, aggression and animosity. Nigel takes the opposite approach and approaches his stories and characters with love and it makes all the difference in the world. This compassion that infuses his stories is palpable and helps to set him apart.

Highly Recommended.

Brian Lindenmuth

Brian is the non-fiction editor of Spinetingler magazine and one of the fiction editors of Snubnose Press. In addition to Spinetingler his work has appeared in Crimespree magazine and at BSC Review, Galleycat and the Mulholland Books website. He also heads the Spinetingler Award committee.

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