thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
Perhaps more straightforward in delivery than his other work, this is no less a Chris Kelso book than Moosejaw Frontier or The Black Dog Eats The City. Populated with some very strange, yet extremely well-written, characters, Transmatic is a multi-threaded story that slips in and out of the Slave State dimension like a candy-apple red Nova Supreme slipping into the lane of oncoming traffic. It was a very quick read, full of the type of great dialogue Kelso is an expert at delivering, and it was thoroughly entertaining and compelling too. If you are a fan of Kelso's other books, take Transmatic for a spin. You won't be disappointed!
Well written, great dialogue, wonderful characters. Kelso delivers another entertaining and immensely enjoyable read!
Well written, great dialogue, wonderful characters. Kelso delivers another entertaining and immensely enjoyable read!
jennaelf's review
4.0
I'm going to say 4.5, though I erred down to the 4-star.
When I sat down to read Chris Kelso's Transmatic I had no idea what I was in for. I'd been following Chris and a few other Bizarro fiction authors on FB for a while, and when the offer of free books for reviews came up, I jumped on it. As life does, it kept me from reading for a while, and now that I have done the reading, I feel pressure to provide as honest a review as I possibly can.
I really liked this book. Did I love it? I think I did, but not in the way I loved books that were more familiar in their genre/approach. That has made the process of reviewing the work even harder.
This didn't push or stretch my boundaries -- it asked me to go for a ride and then broke through my fences and went roaring off into unexplored wilderness while I held on for the ride. There's little exposition in the book, and there's little need for it. The dialogue and what else is there is sufficient to communicate the story in action. While there are places here and there that might want for further explanation, it's only because the narrative seems to want you to explore uncomfortable ideas and play around on its playground of broken glass and nail-filled boards.
I won't attempt to summarize it (which may be a flaw in my review style); it is such a short read that any such attempt on my part might end up longer than the book - I ramble.
Kelso's writing is sharp and succinct. No words are wasted and the reader is expected to use the momentum and motivation built up by the story to keep moving right along with it. There's definitely some meta-narrative work happening (at least, I think so) and it is of the sort that your mileage will certainly vary. There's a smartness happening here and I'm aware enough to know some of it went right by me.
If you've never dabbled in Bizarro fiction, this probably isn't the worst place to start. It'll feel a bit like jumping off the deep end, but it is well-worth the risk of drowning (which, in terms of books and experiencing new literature, seems like not such a terrible thing - drowning in new books & ideas).
When I sat down to read Chris Kelso's Transmatic I had no idea what I was in for. I'd been following Chris and a few other Bizarro fiction authors on FB for a while, and when the offer of free books for reviews came up, I jumped on it. As life does, it kept me from reading for a while, and now that I have done the reading, I feel pressure to provide as honest a review as I possibly can.
I really liked this book. Did I love it? I think I did, but not in the way I loved books that were more familiar in their genre/approach. That has made the process of reviewing the work even harder.
This didn't push or stretch my boundaries -- it asked me to go for a ride and then broke through my fences and went roaring off into unexplored wilderness while I held on for the ride. There's little exposition in the book, and there's little need for it. The dialogue and what else is there is sufficient to communicate the story in action. While there are places here and there that might want for further explanation, it's only because the narrative seems to want you to explore uncomfortable ideas and play around on its playground of broken glass and nail-filled boards.
I won't attempt to summarize it (which may be a flaw in my review style); it is such a short read that any such attempt on my part might end up longer than the book - I ramble.
Kelso's writing is sharp and succinct. No words are wasted and the reader is expected to use the momentum and motivation built up by the story to keep moving right along with it. There's definitely some meta-narrative work happening (at least, I think so) and it is of the sort that your mileage will certainly vary. There's a smartness happening here and I'm aware enough to know some of it went right by me.
If you've never dabbled in Bizarro fiction, this probably isn't the worst place to start. It'll feel a bit like jumping off the deep end, but it is well-worth the risk of drowning (which, in terms of books and experiencing new literature, seems like not such a terrible thing - drowning in new books & ideas).
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