Forgive me while I crow a bit..

Me upon reading said review.

So, Bill Ransom, who has an impressive list of accomplishments, among which I can number:

• Finalist for both the Pulitzer and National Book Award 
• Coauthor, with Frank Herbert, of the Pandora sequence.
• Possessor of a "hot" rating on RateMyProfessor.com 

That very same Bill Ransom left this amazing review for Zomburbia on Amazon:

"This is the best-written Zombie novel I've ever read, and I'm looking forward to 'Zombified'. Gallardo has captured the essence of suburban adolescence and angst with masterfully crafted scenes. This could be some director's next hit film!"

This means a lot to me because I studied with Bill at Evergreen and have long admired his work.

Thanks, Bill! And thanks to everyone who's rated or reviewed the book. It's truly appreciated!

Another Zomburbia review, and a belated thank you

To quote my publisher's publicist (Hi, Vida!): "VOYA(Voice of Youth Advocates) magazine is the leading library journal dedicated to the needs of young adult librarians, the advocacy of young adults, and the promotion of young adult literature and reading."

This is a great organization of which I just recently became aware. I think they're doing terrific work. So it's really satisfying to me that they chose to review Zomburbia, and that they seemed to like it.

Here's the TL;DR version in case you don't have time for the whole thing: “Gallardo provides a fresh take on the post-zombie apocalypse…Gallardo develops Courtney with an authentic voice, and while she is thoughtless at first, she becomes a strong heroine. Teens looking for zombie action with a determined female narrator will enjoy this quick read.” – VOYA

And here's the full review: “How do you live like a normal teenager after the zombie apocalypse? For snarky high school junior Courtney, this means dealing with boys’ attention, working at a fenced-in fast food joint, and selling illegal drugs derived from zombie brains, all while the undead lurk just outside. In the suburbs where Courtney lives, the rich are protected in gated communities while people like Courtney press their luck with chain link fences. Her only dream is traveling to soon-to-be-reclaimed New York City to attend college. She almost has enough drug money saved when popular jock Brandon Ikaros shows interest in her, leading Courtney into a world where parties, drugs, and bad decisions are the norm. As Courtney struggles with managing different cliques, more reports of zombie attacks crop up. Courtney is among the first to notice the zombies are different now: smarter, faster, healthier, younger. When a few bad decisions lead Courtney and her friends into a dangerous situation, Courtney must decide whether she has the guts to fight or become a zombie.

Zomburbia is filled with the typical high school drama, but Gallardo provides a fresh take on the post-zombie apocalypse. The world is not destroyed, but the challenges faced in high school are much more tense and violent. Students carry weapons, take zombie virus courses, and deal with more death. Gallardo develops Courtney with an authentic voice, and while she is thoughtless at first, she becomes a strong heroine. Teens looking for zombie action with a determined female narrator will enjoy this quick read.”

That's nice, right?

This reminds me – I know I've been writing about the reviews that appear in big magazines, but I also wanted to give a shout out to everyone who's taken the time to review the book on sites like amazon and goodreads. I really appreciate everyone who took the time to read the book and comment on it or rate it. And that includes the people who gave it one star (there are a few), not just the ones who gave it four or five (the majority, I hasten to point out...). Really, thank you! It means a lot to me. And it's never to late to add your review if you feel so inclined. It really does help.

Thanks again.

Publishers Weekly shows Zomburbia some love

Publishers Weekly have posted a capsule review of Zomburbia to their site. I imagine it'll show up in the magazine, but who knows. Anyway, they seemed to like. Here's the sentence that made me wet in my pants in a little bit:

"With its complicated and believable heroine, exploration of moral dilemmas, and disturbingly mundane vision of life among the undead, this action-and-gore-soaked adventure entertains on numerous levels."

So, for those keeping score at home, Zomburbia has now been reviewed favorably by both Publishers Weekly and Kirkus. And I know that Booklist are going to review it, but who knows if they'll like it. Either way, I'm pretty stoked about the critical response the book has received so far.

One hopes that unmitigated commercial success will follow. That's how this usually works, right?

Book talk: Distrust That Particular Flavor

Gibson reading at Powell's in 2010.
Photo by Adam Gallardo

In his last three novels, William Gibson has written about the everyday world as if it were science fiction. He exposes the strange incongruity of life in the early 21st century. He's always done this, he claims, he just used to say that his stories were set in the future. So it should come as no surprise that the essays collected in this book sometimes come off like SF vignettes.

Gibson claims to have no talent for non-fiction. His toolbox is that of the novelist he says, but it's that eye for narrative and telling detail that makes these pieces so readable. And so recognizable as Gibson's creations.

The pieces here are culled mainly from magazine articles and talks. Most deal with the author's vision of the future (as a SF writer he gets asked to talk about the future a lot), or with his somewhat uneasy relationship with technology. It's somewhat disconcerting to read about the man who coined the term "cyberspace" slowly coming to grips with the Internet via an addiction to ebay.

At all times, Gibson's humanity and sly sense of humor shines through in these essays, as when he describes Singapore in the essay "Disneyland with the Death Penalty."

"Singapore is a relentlessly G-rated experience, micromanaged by a state that has the look and feel of a very large corporation. If IBM had ever bothered to actually possess a physical country, that country might have had a lot in common with Singapore." (72)

Some of the stronger pieces in the book feature Gibson turning the novelist's observant eye inward. He writes with a sense of wistfulness about his own past and his development as both a reader and writer in essays like "Rocket Radio," "Since 1948" and "Time Machine Cuba."

If there's a complaint to be leveled here, it's that many of the essays are too short. Just as the reader begins to truly engage with a piece, it's over. But I don't know that being left with wanting more is necessarily a bad thing.

I'd definitely recommend this book to any fans of Gibson's fiction, but those unfamiliar with his work might find these nonfiction pieces the perfect gateway to his fictional worlds.