Another nice review, this one from Phronk.com.

The monkey-related theme was a concern to the reviewer, but it seems the novel managed to bridge the monkeys funny/monkeys never funny divide:

Let me make a confession: I don’t find monkeys inherently funny. Their similarity to humans is amusing, sure, but it’s been overdone. Given the premise of Marvellous Hairy, I was a bit worried that its humour would rely on “anything is funny if you mention the word monkey alongside it” school of thought. Luckily, its absurdity is only partially monkey-based, and it delivers some genuine funny. Many scenes had me smirking as hard as I have at any Douglas Adams novel (yeah, just smirking; it takes a lot for me to physically LOL at text).

You can find the full review here. You may also be interested in Phronk’s infamous side project: “Putting Weird Things Into Coffee”.

Betty L. Dravis, author of Dream Reachers, and an Amazon Top 1000 Reviewer loved Marvellous Hairy, to judge by her review. She says:

“All in all, this is a hilarious romp that comes to a screeching halt with a satisfactory ending. Marvellous Hairy is a well-written book with an original plot and great bursts of humor and action.”

She rightly points out:

“Since the author, Mark A. Rayner, took the title from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” it would have to be pretty good…or risk the wrath of Shakespeare’s fans around the globe.”

And yes, I was worried about messing with such a volatile title, but it was just so perfect!

You can find the full review here.

This is not the same thing as having a lobotomy, though I imagine they are both somewhat disorienting experiences. The creative, funny, and dare I say paranoid genius at Predator Press was kind enough to interview me about Marvellous Hairy and The Amadeus Net, though LOBO was considerate enough to ask me about hockey, the existence of Canada, and inter-species romance as well.

The results can be found at Predator Press, and include such exchanges as:

LOBO: Have you repented to your clergy for all the sex in The Amadeus Net yet? I tried to get my penance reduced by ratting you out about it, but the church was skeptical: rather than take my word for it, they ordered a case of the books to be distributed among the congregation for review. Now they are all blind, and their palms smell like Gillette. All of this could have been avoided with the simple use of a praying mantis. Are you an atheist Mark?

MAR: If you mean, do I believe in a “Magic Sky Father”, then yes. If you mean, do you believe in a “Cosmic Unconscious Fun Monkey,” then the answer is: maybe.

The whole interview is here. And you should check out the blog — it’s very funny.

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.

Liz Cole at The Productive Cough has given Marvellous Hairy another glowing review:

Rayner accomplishes something that not enough writers do: Each character has his or her own distinct voice. Each person in the book could communicate the exact same piece of information, but each would do it with their own personal vocabulary of phrases. I love it. Why every writer doesn’t do this, I will never know. The characters, as a result, are all believable as people.

You can read the whole review at The Productive Cough, Goodreads or Amazon. Liz is one of the reviewers who responded to my open call on Twitter, and she shouldn’t feel badly about taking so long to write it; I understand how deadlines can go whooshing over one’s head!