Thrill Me

June 27, 2016
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.

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 they're more. In this deeply personal and intriguing apologia for the "pop lit" and pop film that he grew up on--he's read The Gunslinger more than any other book; Jaws is his favorite movie--the 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 of...pretty sentences." Born out of past lectures and articles, this is a craft book about how to be a better writer, but it's 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 won't be willing to follow you to long ago and far away." Also, don't 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 book's 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 Chabon's sentences, which "lavishly uncoil." On Donna Tartt's sentences in The Goldfinch: your "eyes bug and your heart hurries." Would-be writers will find Percy's passionate, pragmatic cheerleading inspiring and energizing. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 15, 2016

Best-selling author Percy may have raised up werewolves in Red Moon, but he started his career as a Whiting and Pushcart honoree noted for his literary novel The Wilding. In the 15 essays presented here, Percy argues against the literary fiction/genre fiction divide while examining elements of plot, character, setting, and more to show how they can work to thrill the reader.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2016

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 Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2016

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 Journal, LLC Used with permission.