Gang, cult, or club, sign me up for recapturing some of this! |
You’re reading words written by a guy who participates in
the Puppy of the Month Book Club – that alone should tell you that I’m not so
much interested in reading the ‘right’ group of writers as I am in reading the ‘high
quality’ group of writers. It doesn’t
matter which of the publishing revolutions the book stems from. It could be pulp revolution, superversiveSF,
Sad Puppy, Rabid Puppy, or none of the above.
If it’s a fun read full of adventure, exploration, action, and mystery
(or any combination of the above), with a strong moral center, then it’s for me.
There may even be a few oddball titles produced by New York
publishing houses that meet that criteria, and I’d read those in a New York
minute. But I’m a busy guy, and have no
interest in playing the long odds presented by New York when I’m batting one
hundred percent sticking with books recommended by people in the big four
rebellions.
It could very well be that the 20 year drought of great
writing generated by the great Narrativist takeover of publishing left me a
thirsty man with low standards. That
might explain why 2016 felt like the best year of reading since high school. Regardless, it’s nice to see that people in
other camps are also lobbing arrows at the dinosaur publishing houses. They may not be doing the same thing as the
people in my camp, but if their target selection is sound, they are all friends
of mine.