Little Soldiers

Unpatriotic, ridiculous and just plain bad writing. The world of Gabe Hudson.

Sometimes fact and fiction merge into an eerie gray dream world where reality becomes distorted or manipulated. Things aren’t merely as simple as black and white, but become consumed by a colorless void too difficult to interpret. read more »

Clevenger On Baer

Introduction by Dennis Widmyer

So Clevenger calls me last month. He tells me he has a proposition for me. He says he’s gonna interview one of his favorite authors, Will Christopher Baer. He says it’s gonna be a great interview and that he’ll conduct it for our site as our next Author Exclusive.

I check my messages and see that JT Leroy still hasn’t called me back nor may he ever. So I say sure. Then I immediately start wondering just who the hell this Chris Baer guy is and why Craig Clevenger, who wrote one of the best books I’ve read in years, likes him so much. read more »

Clevenger's Handbook

Some of you know the story by now. Most of you don't. A Chuck fan by the name of Wendy Dale contacted me earlier this year with a recommendation email about a novel she had read. I get these emails all the time from Culsters, but Wendy was so damn passionate about this book that she actually went out, bought it, and then sent it to our PO Box. The book was The Contortionist Handbook.

I remember being intrigued by both the title and the cover, but with a stack of other "recommended" books before me, Wendy's choice got shelved for the next few months. I didn't pick it up until I first read an advanced reader's copy of 'Diary'. Once I had re-entered Chuck's world of prose, I needed a similar fix. I picked up 'The Contortionist Handbook' hoping to get that fix. read more »

The Outlaw

With Fugitives and Refugees, Chuck Palahniuk explores the city of Portland, OR. In that exploration, he comes across writer Jim Goad and his she-pug Cookie. Well, I'm here to capitalize on that name drop with a chuckpalahniuk.net exclusive interview with Mr. Goad. Love him or hate him, and most people seem to hate him, it is almost impossible to ignore the brutal honesty behind his work. Reading Shit Magnet, which Goad wrote while imprisoned for domestic violence, one finds themselves face to face with one of the oh-so-rare people in this country who can openly speak their minds without concern over what it will do to their image. Jim Goad doesn't care whether you like him or not, but his compelling prose and original thought will force you to continue reading no matter which side of the fence you fall on. read more »

Corporate America Will Never Be The Same

Max Barry is the author of Syrup and Jennifer Government, in development to become a motion picture with George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh's Section Eight films. Aged thirty, he hails from Melbourne, Australia where he lives comfortably with his wife, Jennifer.

A couple months ago I emailed Max a greedy proposition: Send me a free copy of your book and I'll read and review it for our site. What can I say, I was broke at the time and I had heard good things about this Jennifer Government book from a couple Cult Members. Well, Max, being a huge fan of Fight Club was totally down to play my petty games. This led to a nice back and forth email relationship which blossomed into the following interview. read more »