I stumbled across this review on Goodreads today, and was practically levitating out of my chair. It’s so cool to see a reader’s take on the book, and really interesting when it intersects so closely — but not identically — with my intentions. Plus, the review is well written!

Here’s a clip:

I sensed there was something of The Odyssey lying beneath the surface of The Amadeus Net. Or maybe The Iliad – I’m not well versed in Homer, but the background of at least one or two characters seemed to suggest it. Regardless of whether I imagined that influence, Amadeus is a fantastic story, very well told. The time and labour Rayner put into creating the characters within the pages becomes apparent quickly, and their eclectic richness pays off handsomely as the reader becomes deeply concerned with their individual and collective fates.

You can find the full review here.

I have another review to pass along. In the spirit of Corey’s full disclosure, he did help with a blurb before we released Marvellous Hairy, but I trust his honesty. Of course, I would, because he’s saying awfully nice things about MH! Seriously, though, Corey is a great writer and a conscientious — not to mention prolific — reviewer of books.

You can find his review, Monkey Droppings — Marvellous Hairy, “Think Down, Think Monkey”, here.

I liked this passage in particular, though I have to be honest, it scares the crap out of me:

Canadians are funny. Yet we have yet to produce an Adams, or a Terry Pratchett, or a Robert Rankin, Christopher Moore, or Tom Robbins. We have no true clown princes of prose. We have humourous writers, to be sure. Stephen Leacock, Trevor Cole, Miriam Toews, Douglas Coupland, Will Ferguson: Canadian literature does not lack for wit.

But with all that, where’s our Adams, Rankin, Moore et al? Where’s our cult author who mangles language with glee, who puns with ferocious focus, who bends and warps plotlines and traditional narratives to satisfy his craven tastes, who goes completely meta over the whole writing thing?

I don’t know. But I think Mark Rayner could be in the running.

Read the full review at Corey’s blog …>