Today, we’re pleased to present an excerpt from Nicholas Rombes’s new novel The Rachel Condition, out this month from CLASH Books. We’re longtime readers and viewers of Rombes’s work, especially his previous novel The Absolution of Roberto Acestes Laing. Elizabeth Hand called The Rachel Condition “an unsettling foray into places and people we glimpse from the corners of our eyes, sometimes to our peril” — read on for a glimpse into this surreal journey into the heart of a city.
Chapter 15
As he slides an espresso tonic to me, Everhet says he wants to show me how the new site works.
He used the money from Marcus to build it. Marcus is overtaking me in so many ways.
We’re pleased to present an excerpt from the first collected edition of SE Case’s comic Rigsby WI. At WWAC, Alenka Figa praised the “pleasant sense of nostalgia in Case’s fashion choices and interiors” and the “especially emotional punch” of one storyline. A crowdfunding campaign is currently underway for this volume, and you can read a short excerpt below.
I’ve long been on record as an admirer of Kirsten Bakis’s first novel, the haunting Lives of the Monster Dogs. I’ve also long wondered what Bakis would do for an encore, and this year brings an answer with the release of her second novel King Nyx. In this tale, set a century ago, Bakis draws on the lives of Anna and Charles Fort, as Anna recounts a time when the couple was summoned to a mysterious estate in upstate New York. What does this have to do with the bespoke deity of Anna’s youth? Well, you’ll have to read that to find out — but rest assured that the resulting novel is a fascinating story abounding with mysteries, class conflict, and more than a little literary history. I caught up with Bakis to learn more about the book’s genesis
As book reviews vanish and culture coverage shrinks, readers of the daring, the obscure, and the experimental find it increasingly hard to find books that both seek to “make it new” and succeed in the task. One potential answer for readers in this bind might be to follow the Novel Prize, a recently launched initiative from three independent publishers.
Was this edition of our monthly book preview column delayed by the earthquake? It wasn’t not delayed by the earthquake, if you know what we mean. We’re pretty excited about what this month has in store when it comes to books, including several new works by writers we’ve published in these very (virtual) pages. Read on for some suggestions for your spring reading.
Chapter 14
One year later.
I’m still waiting to hear if our marriage is approved.
The way it works is the marriage certificate is ratified by the family “librarian” who is essentially the hand of Hans Arto. And through various conversations on the phone for the past 12 months, I’ve gathered she is sort of like a wicked stepmother figure.
Notes on Four Pandemic-Era Albums: Dezron Douglas & Brandee Younger; Mekons; Michot’s Melody Makers & Leyla McCalla; Patrick Shiroishi
“Be gone damn bug”
-Joe McPhee