Review of Stephen Spanoudis' "Final Orbit: Not All Ghosts Are Human: The Autobiography of Mario Ng (The Republic of Dreams)"

 

Stephen Spanoudis, Final Orbit: Not All Ghosts Are Human: The Autobiography of Mario Ng (The Republic of Dreams) (The Other Pages.org, 2021) 215 pages, fiction, $9.99 US. Order here.

I am a poet and I read mostly poetry and nonfiction. In 2023, I decided to read more fiction. I want to learn how to write better prose to write the stories my grandparents wanted me to write. Better late after their deaths than never. And there is no better way to learn how to write than to read. And it seems the world is conspiring to help make that happen: I always wanted to join a book club and that happened in 2024. What is the group interested in reading? Fiction. And in 2023, Stephen Spanoudis gifted me (out of the blue) two of his novels.

Both these novels are part of a series. Final Orbit is the 8th book but is written as a prequel to the others. This review will focus on Final Orbit. A review of the second book is forthcoming.

Final Orbit took a while to get off the ground (pun intended). You had these two incredibly determined and intelligent people overcoming underprivileged backgrounds to succeed in challenging careers (astronaut and musician, respectively). They have fulfilling lives. Everything seems to be winding down to a kind of calmer precursor to retirement and I'm wondering "but am I only halfway through the book?" And then BOOM (literally), the real story kicks off. And takes your breath away, rips your heart out, and leaves you gasping and needing to take a walk around the room a few times. You're going to need to take a minute. That's just the first drop of this roller coaster.

This book is equal parts future dystopia, science fiction, drama, romance, psychological study, and inspirational fiction, with a bone thrown to the Harry Potter in the briefest way possible, and for once the U.S. is a side character in major "historical" events. It's popular today to categorize fiction as narrowly as possible for social media tags. But it's difficult to categorize this in any way more niche than simply "fiction" because it fits so many tags at once. 

I'm tempted to say there could be maybe a little too much happening here. It's a lot to process emotionally and mentally for an average reader. It's definitely written for an intelligent, quick-thinking type who will be mindful to shepherd themselves kindly through the emotional ups and downs. But there are valuable nuggets of wisdom one can carry forward into the real world as well.

Is(sue) 12 of AvantAppal(achia) is Live

 Kinfolk,

Edi(tors) Sabne Raznik and David Sykes are pleased to unveil the latest is(sue) of AvantAppal(achia).
We are spotlighting submissions from The U.S., Greece, India, Ireland, Australia, France, Siberia, and Belarus; seven countries in all.
We sincerely hope you enjoy this collection of the weird and wonderful in the fields of art and writing and we hope to publish another collection, Is(sue) 13 on June 15, 2023.

www.avantappalachia.com

Enjoy,

Ed(itors) Sabne Raznik and David Sykes

The Modern Plague Years Special Is(sue) is live!

 

Dear Kinfolk,

 

The Modern Plague Years Special Is(sue) is live under the Special Is(sues) menu tab on www.avantappalachia.com! Thank you so much for sharing your work with us.

 

If you did not receive a yay or nay email from us about your submission during this reading cycle, know that David Sykes and I have read it and decided it would better suit a regular is(sue) and kept it for Is(sue) 11 in June. You will receive notification concerning it during that reading cycle.

 

Please remember to check out the Guidelines on the website when you submit and follow these. As a writer myself I know submission anxiety is real and I do not wish to be strict, but the volume of submissions we now receive and time constraints force me to it. If you fail to include the state or country of your current residence or fail to follow any of the other guidelines, we will be forced to reject your work regardless of its quality. So please – please – read those guidelines thoroughly and follow them closely. Thank you!

 

The deadline for Is(sue) 11 is May 31, 2022, for a publication date on June 15, 2022. We need your avantgarde, experimental, and weird poetry, art, and short stories.

 

Thank you for making this ezine the stellar publication it is!

 

Sincerely,

 

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Is(sue) 7 of AvantAppal(achia) is live!

Dear Kinfolk,

First and foremost, thank you all for being as patient as Job while we tackled those annoying technical difficulties that delayed this is(sue). Y’all are fantastic!

I’m sure you’ll find the wait to be worth it! Is(sue) 7 features work from 7 different countries – Greece, Spain, India, Ireland, Norway, Luxembourg, the United States – and 7 different states – Minnesota, West Virginia, Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and New Jersey. It also contains 3 languages. Yeah, we’re pretty proud of it – and you! – for accomplishing that!

You will notice two things different about this is(sue). One, the Appal(Trad) section is empty. That is because we are getting high-quality experimental work (just what we want!) and we felt none of the submissions reflected the Traditional Appalachian Poetry genre, which is a really nice problem to have as far as we are concerned. Second, this is the debut of the Avant(Serial) section! Just how the serial section works is explained both in this is(sue) and in the updated guidelines. Yes, you read that correctly. The guidelines have been tweaked, so be sure to check those out.

A reminder: the site was recently redesigned to ensure it was readable across all devices (and little tweaks will continue). For now, that mostly means that to see bylines for the Avant(Art) section you must click on the individual images.

Another reminder: the editorial team at AvantAppal(achia) are volunteers, but there are still expenses to keep the whole wonderfully weird show running, so please go to Donat(ions) and choose between the options of $1, $5, and $10 via the Paypal link. Thank every one of you for keeping the ezine online! This is your creative space, as ed(itors) we merely polish it. It is our privilege to share your work with the world!

Don’t forget to check the Arch(ive) to see which pieces were chosen to represent Is(sue) 6. Also, the submission period for Is(sue) 8 is now officially open and the deadline is November 30, 2019. We can’t wait to see you then! But of course, we will be touching base occasionally in the meantime.

https://www.avantappalachia.com/




Sincerely,


Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Review of Jimmy Olsen's "Scuba"

Legal Disclosure: I was given a free copy in order to write this review. I was not paid.

Jimmy Olsen, Scuba (Hoffman House Press, 2017) 387 pages, fiction, $24.95 USD.



"Scuba": the title and the cover suggest this book is an epic ride. The truth is, it's a bit phrenetic.

This book reads like an action movie. Events move quickly and the characters are not particularly likable (women, in particular, are not treated well).  This book is a wheel that spins faster and faster until it comes off the axel. Its plot is not entirely believable; it feels exaggerated. It is interesting but overstuffed. There are shipwreck discoveries, political riots, unresolved relationships, and the specter of childhood trauma. Anyone one of those would have made a fascinating read if fully developed, but this book has them all - and the climax is over the top. All of these faults are actually positives in the medium of film. However, books are usually expected to be more meditative, descriptive, and delving.

That being said, Olsen excels when his characters are underwater. Everything slows down and the descriptions become sharp, clear, sublime, and inviting. The reader can feel him/herself rocked in the power of underwater surges, see the otherworldly beauty of coral, and interact with various sea creatures. This is where the book achieves that magic of language one expects to find and when one feels anchored to poetic reality.

If you're looking for a leisurely read for a day at the beach or a cross-country flight, this is your book. It is light, easy to read, and a page-turner with plenty of action. While it is not deep, it is entertaining.

New Is(sue) of AvantAppal(achia) Live Now!

Dear Kinfolk,

Is(sue) 6 is live at www.avantappalachia.com and it is a fine is(sue)! We have a return appearance of Gabriel Rosenstock’s ekphrastic haiku as well as a few video fusion pieces. Svein H. Skavern gives us a particularly stunning commentary with his video-art piece, especially given the “speaking in tongues” tradition in Appalachia. He also gives us a window into asemic art. T. Byron Kelly delights us again. Lorie Zientara’s deceptively simple verse graces us again. Jeff Bagato makes poetry from AI generated text and Jim Meirose fascinates us with a chapter from his ongoing novel that reads as if Joyce, Beckett, and John Nash had a wild slumber party. This is one of those is(sues) that will be nearly impossible when the time comes to archive.

Also, notice that the submission period is now open for AvantAppal(achia)’s first Special Is(sue). With gracious permission from the poet’s wife, AvantAppal(achia) will be compiling a special is(sue) in tribute to Jim Webb, the Godfather of Appalachian Poetry. It will feature poetry, visual art, and real anecdotes about Wiley Quixote. The deadline for submissions for it is JANUARY 31, 2019 and it will go live February 15, 2019. But don’t worry, Is(sue) 6’s time will not be shortened. The Special Is(sue) will be released on a separate page on the AvantAppal(achia) website where it will remain as long as the website. An official call for submissions will be released in a week.

Thank you, Kinfolk, for another outstanding is(sue). Dave Sykes and I really loved putting this one together for you. It is you who make it possible!

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik

Poetry/Art Ed(itor)

Is(sue) 5 Deadline Looming!

Dear Kinfolk,

As I'm sure you're aware the deadline for Is(sue) 5 is upon us. I need your weirdest, most experimental poetry, short stories, and visual art. Video and audio submissions accepted. PLEASE, READ THE GUIDELINES ON THE WEBSITE www.avantappalachia.com and follow them. Deadline is May 31, 2018.

Regular contributor Michael Williams from Tennessee will be acknowledged on the Cur(rent) Is(sue) page at the top.

Please note that deadline and get your work to me at avantappalachia@gmail.com!

Sincerely,

Sabne Raznik
Founder and Ed(itor)

Is(sue) 3 of AvantAppal(achia) is up!

Is(sue) 3 is Live! And it's our best one yet. Go check it out and feel free to share your thoughts on it and show it to others. AvantAppal(achia)

(Issue) 3 of AvantAppal(achia) Coming Soon!

Please, remember: you only have one more month to submit to AvantAppal(achia). Deadline for (Issue) 3 is May 31, 2017. We need your avant garde/experimental poetry, short stories, and visual art. Time is almost up! (Issue) 3 will go live on June 15, 2017.

AvantAppal(achia) (Issue) 2 and Reminder

(Issue) 2 is live! We have some more incredible, mind-bending art from Bill Wolak. Also in art, introducing Patrick Grim, Marica Casey, and Donna Williams. In poetry, Michael Williams continues his "Nargarjuna" series of poems and Germain Droogenbroodt has shown us what a poetry postcard would look like. Pamela Dae wrote our short story and Rudy Thomas is our Appal(Trad). We are certain you will enjoy this issue. It is like a warm, comfortable drink on a cold day. Remember to see whose work made the Arch(ive) for (Issue) 1, if you haven't already.

As your ed(itors), Kodi and I would like to remind you that AvantAppal(achia) is an ezine for the foremost experimental writing in the world today. So send us your weirdest, most avant-garde, and boundary-stretching work! Please, read the guide(lines) on the Sub(missions) page carefully before submitting. Did you know that you can also submit audio and video pieces, for instance? Together we can make this ezine into a true conversation starter. So as the submission period for (Issue) 3 opens tomorrow (December 16, 2016 and runs through May 31, 2017), please keep this in mind and show us just how magnificent your imaginations are! We are artists - the rules need not apply

Read (Issue) 2 here.

(Issue) 2 Coming Soon!

The submission period for (Issue) 2 ends today. Then the reading cycle opens. Those of you who have submitted should receive notice of acceptance or not within the next two weeks. (Issue) 2 goes live at some point on December 15, 2016. Then the submission period for (Issue) 3 opens. Deadline for that will be May 31, 2017.

Submission Deadline Looms!

Submission deadline for first issue is coming up: May 31st! Get your poems, art, and short stories in our inbox! www.avantappalachia.com

Review: "In the Language of Miracles" by Rajia Hassib

Rajia Hassib, In the Language of Miracles, (Viking, 2015), 288 pages, fiction, $19.60 U.S.

Most of the reviews for this book talk about how this very domestic story mirrors the Muslim experience in America since 9/11. No doubt it does. But being someone who has experienced personal and family trauma, I read it less as a socio-political parable and more as the domestic microcosm of one family's troubles that it ultimately is.

The story begins one year after the family's eldest son kills his ex-girlfriend and then commits suicide. The pain is potent and real throughout this novel. Each character is struggling to cope with that horrific event and the ostracism that resulted from it in a different way according to each personality. The father throws himself into work, and being overly concerned with reputation, into somehow convincing the community to accept them again. The mother spends her days in the attic where she can still smell her lost son. The grandmother flies in from Egypt and takes over care of the household and the remaining children, trying desperately to protect them with superstitious rituals and other cultural customs.The daughter spends most of her time at another's house and immerses herself in her faith. The surviving son, who is the focus of the novel, attempts to erase his identity as much as possible and experiences a crisis of faith.

The most memorable chapter describes the mother's effort to get rid of her dead son's effects in the attic. It so perfectly parallels the actual experience of losing a child that the emotion smothered me, as it should. The climax of the story - at a memorial service held for the ex-girlfriend by her family - is chaotic and comical after all the weight of grief in the rest of the novel. Personally, the son's involvement in the scene read as out of place even though it was supposed to be his moment of clarity at last. I couldn't help but think that, instead of saving his family from embarrassment, he added to it. But perhaps that is secondary to his religious epiphany.

This book is a poignant portrait of tragedy and the fallout it leaves behind. The book goes through overwhelming emotional moments and moments of numbness. In the end, just as each family member found his/her own way through the initial shock and pain, they each find their own way to carry on and move forward into a future. It's true that - in an emotional way - one can never go back  home. Things shattered cannot be whole as they once were. But one can make a new home that is just as dear as the original one, albeit different. And the shattered thing can be glued together again. So what if the cracks show? It can still be useful, beautiful, and valued. That is what this family eventually realises.

"In the Language of Miracles" is one of the best novels I've read in the last five years.

You can buy it at Amazon.