100 by 100: Stories in 100 Words by M.L. Kennedy

100 by 100 is a collection of 100 stories that are each 100 words long. Mathematically, that makes each worth 1/10 of a picture. Some of these 0.1 pictures are scary, some are funny, some are funny and scary, while others are just odd.

Reading this book reminds me of beer (or wine) tastings. When you finish sampling one and wish to try another, it is recommended that you cleanse your palate with some water. You're resetting your taste buds so that your new taste experience won't be unduly influenced by the previous sample. This book is like that. When switching from one novel to another, this book would serve as a great literary palate cleanser. It's refreshes your brain and has the bonus side effect of entertaining it as well.

Most of the stories have a twist at the end. But as I think about it, how else can one neatly wrap up a story that's only one hundred words long? The author quickly sets up the premise and then (bam!) there's the ending. I found that 93% of the stories worked (I kept track), and most of them relied on that format. It didn't matter if the twist was spooky, ironic, or humorous. That's what worked. Those that didn't just trailed off.

The stories cover the gamut from quirky sci-fi, suspense & horror, bizarre fantasy, and conversational satire. Santa Claus, vampires, clowns, ghosts, interdimensional travel, and alien invasions all make appearances. With a few exceptions, the stories remain light-hearted.

If you've just finished some 500-page behemoth and you're not ready to start the next one, but you need to read something, then consider 100 by 100. It's light and refreshing, and you'll be done with it in no time.

To learn more about 100 by 100 or M.L. Kennedy, please visit his website.

Ethnic Albanians Need Not Apply by Nathan Shumate

Plumbing the depths of forgotten illustrations as grist for the mill, the cult webcomic CheapCaffeine.net is here presented in its first print collection. These first 300 cartoons introduce running gags and recurring characters—the Martian, the Egyptian embalmers, and of course the irrepressible Grievance Gorilla—in a daily dose of surreal, postmodern wit. And now, in semi-permanent dead tree format, accompanied by behind-the-scenes factoids and a smattering of bonus content!!1!, these moments of ephemeral non-sequitur humor can be gifted to luddite relatives, ensconced on the back of the toilet, or placed in studied casualness on a coffee table to impress attractive houseguests!

CheapCaffeine is a webcomic written by Nathan Shumate, a very busy man. Besides providing a new comic every weekday, he publishes Lousy Book Covers.com (a showcase of how not to make book covers), hosts CoverCritics.com (crowdsourced constructive criticism for book covers), designs book covers through Thrifty Book Covers, and is the captain of small press, ColdFusionMedia, where he publishes his work and anthologies featuring other authors. With such a full plate, how does he find the time to draw a comic? Well, he doesn't. He's turned the artwork duties over to the public domain. CheapCaffeine is built upon old illustrations from newspapers and other sources which have been digitally scanned and thrown on the Web.

As XKCD and Tree Lobsters have shown, one does not need complex drawings or even original images to have a successful comic. It's all about content and context. Could Shumate have drawn the strip from scratch? Sure. But instead, he's hit upon a great idea: Use old images from yesteryear and juxtapose historical settings with modern problems to bring the funny. For example, an illustration of a Victorian era couple in the study becomes the visual basis for a wife complaining to her husband about his credit card charges to "hoochieworld.com".

I think it will appeal to those who appreciate Monty Python. A lot of the humor makes use of absurd situations and a knowledge of contemporary culture and government without being partisan or political. Some examples: Senator Bear makes the suggestion that the country should adopt the honey standard, a Martian rates Earth's best food (hint: Dr. Oz would not approve), and the Brotherhood of Mad Scientists gets harassed by a government inspector for health and safety violations.

I'm going to stop here. Writing about humor can be so unfunny that it can ruin what it seeks to praise. And that's the last thing I want to do, besides hang out with Grievance Gorilla. So, to learn more about Ethnic Albanians Need Not Apply, visit the publisher's book page or check out the comic online.

NOTE: The reviewer purchased this book.

Superliminal by Andy Kaiser

Superliminal is the first book in a (hopefully successful) series of stories about Dev Manny, an Information Technology Private Investigator (ITPI).

Manny is called in by local law enforcement to help uncover an explanation for the trashing of some computer equipment. A VHS tape is discovered in a PO Box and reveals a psychotic manifesto from the missing owner of the computer gear. He rants about a virus whose release could lead to horrific consequence for humanity. The police need Manny to get to the bottom of this. Is the guy a crank or a terrorist?

Don't let the IT part throw you. While Kaiser is clearly credentialed to set a detective loose in the world of IT, he doesn't beat his reader over the head with it. If you don't know http from ftp or a router from a server, it won't impede your ability to enjoy the story. For IT geeks though, Kaiser offers them an access port into mystery fiction (much like Rob Steiner did with Aspect of Pale Night).

I wasn't sure what approach Kaiser was going to take here: satire or thriller. It turns out he does a bit of both. When the threat turns real, Kaiser dials up the tension. Despite going for a bit of Sam Spade, Manny's self-deprecating and wry sense of humor defuses the situation and his ego before either get too serious.

Kaiser really shines when Manny is "under duress" (I don't want to spoil the story). Manny is forced to complete a vital part of his investigation while suffering through the equivalent of a bad acid trip. The details of Manny's experience are exceptionally well-written and the poor guy lapses into a depression brought on by an existential crisis. It's as if he's living through a Descartes' philosophical proof. It was the highlight of the novel for me. After dropping a couple Lovecraft and Dalí references along the way, I was sold.

As for the technicals, the book is well-edited. The pacing is fast and Kaiser's writing is tight and efficient. Only a couple of typos and one formatting error got through. By the time you pick up the book, these may already be removed.

Andy Kaiser's Superliminal is a wonderful ITPI mystery. It is a fast-paced story driven by a protagonist whose IT knowledge is matched only by his wry sense of humor. The IT spin on detective fiction is akin to what Stross' Laundry series does for spy thrillers, though without the Lovecraftian horrors. Highly recommended.

To get more information about Superliminal, please visit the author's website.

The Job by Craig Davis

Actually, the full title is: The Job: Based on a True Story (I Mean, This is Bound to have Happened Somewhere). Quite simply, this is modern update to the Biblical story of Job, though with more humor and far less death.

Joe B. is a vice-president at Universal Whirligig. He has enjoyed a successful career and a happy marriage, and has three loving daughters. Unfortunately, his success and dedication to the Big Boss has earned him the ire of Luci Fernandez, the HR Executive Officer in Charge of Outgoing Prescription Drug Claims Oversight. During a high level meeting, Luci makes the claim that Joe B. has been filing fraudulent claims. The Big Boss lets Luci mete out the punishment and is allowed to do anything short of firing Joe B. Our hero winds up being demoted to the mailroom where Luci hopes that he will become so demoralized that he'll quit.

Joe B. spends the rest of the novella trying to figure out why he has been demoted and how he can get back in the Big Boss's good graces.

Mr. Davis utilizes humor to tell the story of Joe B.'s troubles. And while it isn't laugh out loud funny, if one visualizes the physical comedy that Davis has composed, it's certain to produce several smiles. I could see Jim Carrey trying to pull off the role of Joe B. in the movie version.

While I found characterization to be a bit thin, I realize that the characters are here to support the story. Still, Davis does a great job with introducing us to Joe B. and Luci. After the intros, Luci disappears (a waste) and Joe B. becomes obsessive in his search for answers. In conversations with others who offer their advice to his plight, he falls back on sarcasm when he doesn't like what he hears. His best moment comes when he's taking care of his daughter Marie, who is sick with cerebral palsy. It is here that he's able to set aside everything else and focus on the one thing that matters.

In summary, Craig Davis skewers office politics and business bureaucracy for comedic effect to re-tell the grim story of Job. At times, the story is clever and cute, but it might've been better had Davis been less faithful to the original and more true to himself.

The Job is available in print from Amazon and several eBook formats via Smashwords.

The Wrinkly by Paul Collis

Mike Lewis is closing in on 40 and has been selling commercial space for TV shows for most of his adult life. Although he's done well in his chosen profession, he's coming into a mid-life crisis. His job no longer satisfies, the women he dates are shallow and materialistic, and he can no longer identify with twenty somethings. He views the way they dress and their new-fangled iPods as alien. Meanwhile his passion for Brubeck and a 57 Chevy Nomad station wagon gives him more in common with older generations rather than his current one.

While on a business trip, he stumbles across Goldenville, a retirement community. He's immediately caught up in the idea of moving in and playing golf for the rest of his life. But there's one problem, you have to be at least 60 to live there. With the help of a makeup artist, Mike endeavors to act the part. But how long can Mike go before someone figures out his secret?

We follow Mike through a series of humorous encounters that could easily play out on a sitcom. The author confesses on his website that the story started out as a screenplay. And it shows. Each scene is fully blocked and the characters' actions choreographed so well they are easy to visualize. I would think a network exec would pick this up for potential cross-generational appeal.

Collis certainly nailed Mike's disconnect and discontent, but it was hard for me at first to be sympathetic with someone so shallow. Fortunately, Mike evolves as the story progresses and, once removed from his employer, is free to see that there's more to life than selling ad space on TV.

As for the other characters, they're certainly a colorful bunch. While Collis avoids stereotypes, I found that development was a bit short. Then again, the book is only 151 pages long. With a couple of exceptions, I would've liked to have seen Collis explore Mike's interactions with his co-workers and new neighbors a bit more.

All in all, The Wrinkly is a cute story with colorful characters who get into humorous situations. It's a quick read with a message that is content to ride in the back with the top down, making for light-hearted fare and a pleasant read.

The book is available in print and various eBook formats. Check out the author's website for all the links.

We Have All Had This Conversation

I saw this over at the POD People blog this morning and I just had to share.



Hats off to Zoe Winters for perfectly encapsulating the debate.

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