Alan Heathcock
Autore di Volt: Stories
Opere di Alan Heathcock
Opere correlate
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Data di nascita
- 1971-03-08
- Sesso
- male
- Nazionalità
- USA
- Luogo di nascita
- Frankfort, Kentucky, USA
- Luogo di residenza
- Chicago, Illinois, USA
Boise, Idaho, USA
Bowling Green, Ohio, USA
Frankfort, Kentucky, USA - Istruzione
- Bowling Green State University (MFA)
- Attività lavorative
- professor
short-story writer - Organizzazioni
- Boise State University
- Agente
- Sarah Burnes (The Gernert Company)
Utenti
Recensioni
40: A Novel di Alan Heathcock
(No spoilers) What Bible-referencing book could make a devout atheist like me read it cover to cover in one go? A novel set in a near-future so very recognizable I barely needed to suspend my disbelief that a religious cult would use extortion to get a young woman who's had quite an unusual transformation pose as a symbol of hope and faith in order to be reunited with her kidnapped baby sister. The world has become (always was) ultraviolent, power and control are still in the hands of the cold and wealthy, religion and media are tools, decadence and poverty are what they always were; but Alan Heathcock has a way of making the relentlessly bleak American future worse, even more absurd and awful and yet still worth fighting for, still producing its heroes even if their grace lies more in their ability to survive than in their ability to save. I would not recommend this to anyone feeling frail right now, but if you can take some gore and more than one gut punch and keep going, this book has an ending that's Biblical in more ways than one and satisfying, too. I have no idea what a person of faith would make of it, but I enjoyed it.… (altro)
The Publisher Says: From the award-winning author Alan Heathcock comes an American myth of the future: a vision of civil war, spectacle, and disaster of biblical proportions.
In a future America ravaged by natural disaster, pandemic, and political unrest, a fundamentalist faction emerges. As the Novae Terrae gain power, enticing civilians with bread and circuses, a civil war breaks out between its members and the US government.
Mazzy Goodwin, a young soldier, only wants to find her little sister, Ava Lynn. One day, she wakes in a bomb crater to find wings emerged from her back. Has she died? Been gifted wings by God? Undergone a military experiment?
The world sees a miracle. Mazzy is coaxed into seeing it as an opportunity: to become the angel-like figurehead of the revolution, in return for being reunited with her sister. Her journey leads her to New Los Angeles, where the Novae have set up the headquarters for their propaganda machine—right in the ruins of Hollywood. Aided by friends old and new, she must navigate a web of deceit while staying true to herself.
Told in sharp, haunting prose, as cinematic as it is precise, Alan Heathcock’s 40 is a dizzyingly fantastical novel about the dangers of blind faith, the temptation of spectacle, and the love of family. In a tale by turns mythic and tragic, one heroine must come to terms with the consequences of her decisions—and face the challenges of building a new world.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Regulars to this blog will recognize the name Alan Heathcock from my warbling my fool lungs out about his collection, Volt: Stories. One big reason for that is that Author Heathcock does not mess around when he makes his imagery work your brain:
I don't know how much clearer the man can be than that. I can feel these words, see the world through their gravity lens, perceive the distorted light that comes from every other direction than the original one to form the ghost of the initial thought behind them.
Which is why I, devout atheist and committed anti-religion crusader, read a whole novel about a post-apocalyptic world run by and for evangelical evil-doers with hearts colder than emptiest space. Which is why I'm here telling you to go and get one of these books, these beautifully designed books (that jacket design!), or to pre-order the Kindle version so you'll open the device tomorrow morning and join Mazzy and Ava Lynn in the hellscape that Jo Sam the evangelist of doom designed and brought forth.
Betrayal is only the beginning of Mazzy's journey. It's certainly true that she's not a trusting, sunny-hearted soul for a single second of her life. Her sister Ava Lynn calls out the only tenderness she allows herself to externalize. The child, whose fate is not ever easy, confounds Mazzy in her extremely self-possessed certainty. Mazzy being incapable of a single sustained good mood for more than the absolute minimum of time, she envies Ava Lynn and vows to protect her. Which, this being a novel, means that Mazzy is unable to do so.
The amount of manipulative chicanery Mazzy experiences after she (unexpectedly and without external stimulus) becomes winged is, of course, the bulk of the novel's action. Her bewingèd state makes her very valuable to the evildoers around Jo Sam the evangelist, unsurprisingly, and so they use Ava Lynn to extort obedience out of Mazzy. The sheer outrage I experienced over this...! It's an effective tool, of course, the safety of one's child (dead mother) being hard coded into our protective circle by evolution. That it is never a violent threat, "we will hurt her," made me able to continue to read the story. They keep Mazzy from being with Ava Lynn to keep her working for their vile controlling cause.
The day dawns, of course, when Mazzy is no longer suitable for their use; a series of things occurs that, in several moments, made me think I was being played by Author Heathcock. It's a pleasure to report that he played fair...but the ending of the story is still a major surprise. Yes, I saw the twist coming, but I think that's to be expected. A truly successful twist, in this case, means the expected event occurs but something you-the-reader would've dismissed as improbable happens after. Job done, Author Heathcock.
I'll say that, after reading many, many chosen-one narratives and even more post-apocalyptic religion-used-for-evil tales over the past seven decades, I'm not sorry I read this one. I think it's well-made and well-written, I suspect it's something the author has allowed to simmer for a very long time before committing to words for others to read, and I'm pleased with the results he has achieved.… (altro)
In a future America ravaged by natural disaster, pandemic, and political unrest, a fundamentalist faction emerges. As the Novae Terrae gain power, enticing civilians with bread and circuses, a civil war breaks out between its members and the US government.
Mazzy Goodwin, a young soldier, only wants to find her little sister, Ava Lynn. One day, she wakes in a bomb crater to find wings emerged from her back. Has she died? Been gifted wings by God? Undergone a military experiment?
The world sees a miracle. Mazzy is coaxed into seeing it as an opportunity: to become the angel-like figurehead of the revolution, in return for being reunited with her sister. Her journey leads her to New Los Angeles, where the Novae have set up the headquarters for their propaganda machine—right in the ruins of Hollywood. Aided by friends old and new, she must navigate a web of deceit while staying true to herself.
Told in sharp, haunting prose, as cinematic as it is precise, Alan Heathcock’s 40 is a dizzyingly fantastical novel about the dangers of blind faith, the temptation of spectacle, and the love of family. In a tale by turns mythic and tragic, one heroine must come to terms with the consequences of her decisions—and face the challenges of building a new world.
I RECEIVED A DRC FROM THE PUBLISHER VIA NETGALLEY. THANK YOU.
My Review: Regulars to this blog will recognize the name Alan Heathcock from my warbling my fool lungs out about his collection, Volt: Stories. One big reason for that is that Author Heathcock does not mess around when he makes his imagery work your brain:
"...I knew it'd come to this, you say. I knew I was right. The power of knowing the despair you ordered has finally come to pass makes you feel like a god. Let's be honest. It's what you want. You want this world to collapse. Want people to be every awful thing."
–and–
Grief was a demon of possession. When people talked of time healing wounds, they only meant that over time you become accustomed to that demon inside you, and what at first felt like an invasive presence, alien and nefarious, slowly became integrated into your being, the imp of sorrow crouched within you for the remainder of your days.
I don't know how much clearer the man can be than that. I can feel these words, see the world through their gravity lens, perceive the distorted light that comes from every other direction than the original one to form the ghost of the initial thought behind them.
Which is why I, devout atheist and committed anti-religion crusader, read a whole novel about a post-apocalyptic world run by and for evangelical evil-doers with hearts colder than emptiest space. Which is why I'm here telling you to go and get one of these books, these beautifully designed books (that jacket design!), or to pre-order the Kindle version so you'll open the device tomorrow morning and join Mazzy and Ava Lynn in the hellscape that Jo Sam the evangelist of doom designed and brought forth.
Betrayal is only the beginning of Mazzy's journey. It's certainly true that she's not a trusting, sunny-hearted soul for a single second of her life. Her sister Ava Lynn calls out the only tenderness she allows herself to externalize. The child, whose fate is not ever easy, confounds Mazzy in her extremely self-possessed certainty. Mazzy being incapable of a single sustained good mood for more than the absolute minimum of time, she envies Ava Lynn and vows to protect her. Which, this being a novel, means that Mazzy is unable to do so.
The amount of manipulative chicanery Mazzy experiences after she (unexpectedly and without external stimulus) becomes winged is, of course, the bulk of the novel's action. Her bewingèd state makes her very valuable to the evildoers around Jo Sam the evangelist, unsurprisingly, and so they use Ava Lynn to extort obedience out of Mazzy. The sheer outrage I experienced over this...! It's an effective tool, of course, the safety of one's child (dead mother) being hard coded into our protective circle by evolution. That it is never a violent threat, "we will hurt her," made me able to continue to read the story. They keep Mazzy from being with Ava Lynn to keep her working for their vile controlling cause.
The day dawns, of course, when Mazzy is no longer suitable for their use; a series of things occurs that, in several moments, made me think I was being played by Author Heathcock. It's a pleasure to report that he played fair...but the ending of the story is still a major surprise. Yes, I saw the twist coming, but I think that's to be expected. A truly successful twist, in this case, means the expected event occurs but something you-the-reader would've dismissed as improbable happens after. Job done, Author Heathcock.
I'll say that, after reading many, many chosen-one narratives and even more post-apocalyptic religion-used-for-evil tales over the past seven decades, I'm not sorry I read this one. I think it's well-made and well-written, I suspect it's something the author has allowed to simmer for a very long time before committing to words for others to read, and I'm pleased with the results he has achieved.… (altro)
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!
40 was a baffling read. I had first been drawn in by the cover of the novel. A classical rendition of an angel proudly holding a trumpet aloft, but instead of the expected soft golds or blues, is entirely blood red, whilst walking through a hot pink 40. After being curious about what sort of novel could have such an eye-catching cover, I looked at the plot blurb. The setting is in a post-apocalyptic world, the enemy a powerhouse of a cult that has taken over the city of Los Angeles. A girl who becomes the figurehead of a revolution, just to get her sister back. The same girl who had awoken in a bomb crater with mysterious wings on her back! All of it sounded fascinating! Just like the type of book I would love to dive into! I was sorely disappointed. I almost put this book on the DNF list by the second chapter; I only made it to the end because I wanted to know what would happen with the sister. 40 feels contrived. Events happen within the plot just to add some drama. Sections of the story read oddly, and the plot jumped from place to place. The writing style itself was also painful at points. It felt more like a rough draft than a finished story. The characters themselves felt artificial. Like strawmen simply placed so the protagonist can have something to interact with. The main character herself, Mazzy, felt hollow. She didn't feel like much of a character. (I agree with someone else who said she felt a LOT like a Katniss rip-off. Not saying that was intentional, but the similarities were glaring.) There were speeches in certain scenes that felt as if they were meant to be read as a "deep, introspective message to the masses" but they came off as shallow. I would also like to note that the "twist" was painfully obvious. I knew what was coming the second that character was introduced. The ending of the novel also felt insanely bizarre. I believe I understand what it was supposed to be referencing when it comes to Bible stories, but it felt insane and out of place. Simply put, I did not like 40. After finishing the novel, I was struck with the memory of this scene from "Burn After Reading". It sums up how I felt finishing this novel.
"What did we learn Palmer?" "
"I don't know sir."
"I don't know either. I guess we learned not to do it again. I'll be f*cked if I know what we did though."… (altro)
40 was a baffling read. I had first been drawn in by the cover of the novel. A classical rendition of an angel proudly holding a trumpet aloft, but instead of the expected soft golds or blues, is entirely blood red, whilst walking through a hot pink 40. After being curious about what sort of novel could have such an eye-catching cover, I looked at the plot blurb. The setting is in a post-apocalyptic world, the enemy a powerhouse of a cult that has taken over the city of Los Angeles. A girl who becomes the figurehead of a revolution, just to get her sister back. The same girl who had awoken in a bomb crater with mysterious wings on her back! All of it sounded fascinating! Just like the type of book I would love to dive into! I was sorely disappointed. I almost put this book on the DNF list by the second chapter; I only made it to the end because I wanted to know what would happen with the sister. 40 feels contrived. Events happen within the plot just to add some drama. Sections of the story read oddly, and the plot jumped from place to place. The writing style itself was also painful at points. It felt more like a rough draft than a finished story. The characters themselves felt artificial. Like strawmen simply placed so the protagonist can have something to interact with. The main character herself, Mazzy, felt hollow. She didn't feel like much of a character. (I agree with someone else who said she felt a LOT like a Katniss rip-off. Not saying that was intentional, but the similarities were glaring.) There were speeches in certain scenes that felt as if they were meant to be read as a "deep, introspective message to the masses" but they came off as shallow. I would also like to note that the "twist" was painfully obvious. I knew what was coming the second that character was introduced. The ending of the novel also felt insanely bizarre. I believe I understand what it was supposed to be referencing when it comes to Bible stories, but it felt insane and out of place. Simply put, I did not like 40. After finishing the novel, I was struck with the memory of this scene from "Burn After Reading". It sums up how I felt finishing this novel.
"What did we learn Palmer?" "
"I don't know sir."
"I don't know either. I guess we learned not to do it again. I'll be f*cked if I know what we did though."… (altro)
I found this hard to rate - the writing is razor sharp and the stories heartbreaking and intense, but I still couldn't quite embrace it. It's possible I'm just a bit over short story collections of brutal small-town Americana. I also struggled a bit to map out the links in the interlinked stories, and really couldn't quite put the timeline of it all together. This feels like a book I could easily have loved that just hit me at the wrong moment - definitely worth a look if you're a fan of the Woodrell/Bass/McCarthy school of American writing.… (altro)
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Statistiche
- Opere
- 2
- Opere correlate
- 2
- Utenti
- 233
- Popolarità
- #96,932
- Voto
- 3.8
- Recensioni
- 12
- ISBN
- 12
- Lingue
- 3
- Preferito da
- 2
