Review by New York Times Review
This lively, helpful guide presents a series of arguments for tapping into the basic tenets of popular fiction to create propulsive stories and novels in any genre. Without stooping to formula or how-to promises, Percy - a longtime fan of fantasy, horror and the western - provides precise advice concerning basics like suspense, setting and style. His approach is analytical, offering concrete techniques to (for example) incorporate back story within the action of a sentence, or maintain tenor and mood when dialogue threatens to disrupt it. Making reference to movies and music as well as literature, and celebrating writers as varied as Zora Neale Hurston, Kate Bernheimer and Stephen King, Percy suggests that realism is a "trend" while "the beastly majority of stories contain elements of the fantastic." His evocative personal anecdotes invigorate even familiar material like "Making the Extraordinary Ordinary," where instead of the usual examples from, say, Kafka, Percy plucks from Karen Russell, Nick Hornby and George Saunders. In each essay we glimpse an industrious Percy at the daily grind of writing, rereading and editing his fiction. He good-naturedly describes one of his short-storyish novels as a "shnovel" and recounts the ways he pillaged an unpublished manuscript to create various shorter narratives; his tales of rejection (one story turned away by 39 literary magazines before being accepted) and extreme revision inspire with hard-earned wisdom. Beyond craft or theory, and perhaps more helpful than any advice, this book serves as a reminder that writing is hard work. DAPHNE KALOTAY is the author of the novels "Russian Winter" and "Sight Reading."
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [December 11, 2016]
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Percy (The Dead Lands) assembles 15 short essays on various topics related to the art and craft of fiction writing. Many of the selections began as lectures for writing workshops, and aspiring and established authors will get the most out of Percy's advice. Percy inevitably talks a lot about his own work, but he offers plenty of examples from other writers. Pushing back against the prejudice in literary circles against genre writing, he encourages writers to lean into something more thrilling than simple realism. The book covers topics such as creating urgency, avoiding backstory, and writing violence. On the basis that "work defines us," Percy advises that a character's job should shape how that person sees the world. He also frequently draws on filmmaking conventions, explaining how novelists and short story writers can learn lessons about structure and modulation from screenwriters. Percy's essays skillfully dissect the structure, mechanics, and concrete details of what makes good writing sparkle. Agent: Katherine Fausset, Curtis Brown. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Percy (Red Moon; The Dead Lands) has collected 15 useful and entertaining essays on the craft (and art) of fiction writing. What sets it apart from other similar books on the subject is Percy's generosity and ego-free frankness in exploring practical aspects of writing frequently glossed over or-worse-ignored. Instead of waxing negative on the seemingly eternal literary vs. genre argument, Percy advises that we focus on what actually works: "Toss out the worst elements of genre and literary fiction-and merge the best." The resultant narrative fusion combines art, philosophy, and adventure; supplies nuanced prose; and drives readers' page-flipping tension. Percy asks what makes the works we love so potent and enduring. His instructive answers cite titles as disparate as Cormac McCarthy's The Road, Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale, Stephen King's Carrie, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby-noting how these authors create iconic scenes enveloped in emotional, psychological, and physical realism. Above all, Percy's compulsively readable essays compel writers to enter unknown spaces and with authentic treasure retrieve readers' sense of wonder. -VERDICT This will appeal not only to writers and readers of contemporary suspense and horror but anyone interested in learning more about the inherent demands, excursions, and rewards of the creative process. [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/16.]-William Grabowski, McMechen, WV © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
An accomplished writer comes to the defense of genre.Percy (The Dead Lands, 2015, etc.) has practiced what he preaches. His novels can be considered genre novels, but theyre more. In this deeply personal and intriguing apologia for the pop lit and pop film that he grew up onhes read The Gunslinger more than any other book; Jaws is his favorite moviethe author enthusiastically argues for good plotted fiction, books that are neither fish nor fowl, both literary and genre. He loves story, discovering what happened next. Too much literary fiction, he argues, has fallen under the indulgent spell ofpretty sentences. Born out of past lectures and articles, this is a craft book about how to be a better writer, but its also a colorful memoir about a young boy who loved reading, especially horror and fantasy books, and realized he wanted to be a writer. Each chapter takes on a specific topic. With setting, aim for a few indelible moments. Research your setting fully, and know what you write. With tension and suspense, strategize the delivery of bad news. Violence? Avoid at all costs gorenography, which is hollow, excessive, masturbatory. Make the ordinary extraordinary, or we wont be willing to follow you to long ago and far away. Also, dont provide too much back story. Occasionally, Percy is prescriptive. The book abounds with numerous, sometimes-lengthy excerpts from works, including his own, that he admires. One of the books strengths is the many instructive examples of close, in-depth readings. Curious as to why The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was so popular and compulsively readable, he read it twice, then color-coded key passages throughout to reveal what made it tick. Percy is in awe, hypnotized, overwhelmed by Michael Chabons sentences, which lavishly uncoil. On Donna Tartts sentences in The Goldfinch: your eyes bug and your heart hurries. Would-be writers will find Percys passionate, pragmatic cheerleading inspiring and energizing. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
