Sunday, January 6, 2013

Review: The New Death and Others

My rating: 5 / 5

This collection really impressed me.  I'll admit, it took me a while to come around.  It's not my usual thing, but when I started to get what was going on, I was completely hooked.  The New Death and Others is a collection of poems and very short stories.  It's difficult stuff to summarize.  The stories tend to be allegorical, in an ironic and sarcastic way.  The characters are often Death, Destiny, Fate, or Fame.  They make comments on the foibles of modern society, or offer an explanation of what makes cats so smug.

All of it is clever and thought-provoking.  These aren't stories to race through, or stories to divert you on the beach.  It's intelligent, quirky, offbeat, and endlessly unexpected.  It's got some goofy humour, too.  A few stories have footnotes, which direct you to some terrible puns.

I'm not particularly a fan of poetry, but the poetry here worked for me.  I found it accessible but still impactful.  

Above all, this collection is meticulously crafted.  I didn't see a typo in the entire thing, or a single clumsy line.  You quickly realize you're in the hands of a writer who knows exactly what he's doing.  

It's not the same old thing.  Hutchings has an unconventional approach to storytelling, and it won't be for everyone.  But if you are willing to go along, you'll find it's a thoroughly worthwhile ride.

How to buy it:

Amazon
Smashwords
Barnes and Noble

Thursday, January 3, 2013

Win a Kindle Fire HD

Jerry Hanel, talented creator of Brodie Wade, is giving away a Kindle Fire HD to some lucky reader who joins his mailing list.  The Fire comes preloaded with books by Jerry, me, and several other notable authors.  Here's the official scoop from Jerry:

That's right. You could win a brand new, fresh out of the box, Kindle Fire HD. And I know what you're thinking: "WOW! Hey, how can I win this lovely item?"
See? I'm a mind reader.

The Kindle Fire HD!

To win the Kindle Fire HD, simply sign up for my newsletter. You will get emails from me on advance copies of my books, free ebooks from other authors and much more. I don't send many newsletters (maybe four or five a year), so I promise not to flood your inbox with junk.

When you sign up, make SURE that you check the "Giveaway" box. That's how I'll know that you want to sign up for the giveaway promotion (and future giveaways, too!)
That's it! If you have already signed up for the newsletter in the past, check to make sure that you have entered yourself in the "Giveaway" list. If so, you are ALREADY in this drawing!! If you're not sure, just sign-up again. It will say "Error: This email already exists" if you've signed up before under any other newsletter list, but that's okay. It will still take your entry. I've tested it to make sure.