This Sunday, June 6th at 7PM, we are hosting three outlaws who break the rules of genre and blur the lines between escapist and literary fiction. They take it, twist it, fuse it with other genres, and turn it upside down. All three have a talent for slamming literary style with low brow punch and find a way to create stories both over the top and relatable.
Jonathan Woods has become the latest member of the wild bunch. His debut, Bad JuJu, is a collection of short stories that range from a psycho-sexual ghost story to No Way Jose – a story about a group of chaotic events that form an odd violent order. He’s been getting great buzz from crime writers and aficionados. He seems to mainly tell his stories in short bursts where fate is waiting around the corner with a sap. All of that said, Woods is a craftsman. Every word is carefully chosen to pave the road for his wild rides.
Victor Gischler hit the scene with Gun Monkeys, a loving tribute to tough guy fiction with subtle (and not so subtle) pokes at the genre. It became one of those pieces of crime fiction that other crime writers make a point to read. Since then he has written in several genres, most notably his sci-fi-adventure satire Go-Go Girls Of The Apocalypse. He also wrote some brilliant short stories like Duffers Of The Apocalypse (Victor doesn’t have much of a Utopian view), about a group of old golfers who won’t let certain doom get in the way of their game.
Victor’s latest, The Deputy, gives us pedal to the metal pulp when Toby Sawyer, a failed rocker, part-time deputy, and full time screw-up, loses the body at a crime scene and unravels small town corruption and trouble as he tries to find it. The pacing is masterful and Gischler gives us a barrage of car crashes and shoot-outs as Toby struggles to first cover his butt, then become a hero. He also shows wonderful nuance in his characters, particularly his lead. You wonder if Toby is a true screw-up or only hampered by doubts.
Duane Swierczynski has taken all of the tropes and traditions of classic pulp fiction and flipped them into the new millennium. Whether he’s writing about a mute, Irish criminal in The Wheelman or an everyman (told by a woman in the airport he’s been poisoned and has twenty-four hours to live) in The Blonde, Duane moves like lightning and hits just as hard. He combines genres masterfully, especially in Severance Package, a cross between The Office and Friday The 13th. When asked if he minded being described as pulp, his response was “No, because I consider that the exact opposite of pretentious.”
His new novel, Expiration Date, is time travel noir. In the story an out of work reporter travels back and forth, with the help of some pills, from the present to 1973, eventually confronting his father’s killer. Duane shows his master craftsmanship with the pacing, clean story telling in a plot that could be confusing, and his trademark humor. Much like his hero, Richard Matheson, he also uses a fantastic tale to explore a deep theme, making his book a subtle examination on the circle and repercussions of violence.
Sunday night promises to be fun and insightful. All three of thee men have a great love of writing and genre as well as a sense of humor. Just don’t try to feed Victor Gischler.
–Scott Montgomery
BookPeople 