Creamy Bullets [Paperback]

Kevin Sampsell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1, 2008

Fiction. CREAMY BULLETS is a new book of short stories by Kevin Sampsell. "With Creamy Bullets, Kevin Sampsell has created a weirdly sexual but wholly believable universe in just the briefest bursts of words. Each story is a savory gem, capturing the gripping little deviant moments of life. Get off on his characters, those working-class anti-heroes that roam the Pacific Northwest, or get off on his tight-like-your-uncle's-wallet prose-you can't lose with this book"--Jami Attenberg.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Kevin Sampsell has been the publisher of Future Tense Books since 1990. His fiction has been published widely in literary journals (Quick Fiction, LIT, Hobart, Opium) and on popular websites (like McSweeney's, Nerve, Failbetter, Pindeldyboz, and Night Train). Additionally, his essays and reviews have appeared in several newspapers and magazines. His books include A Common Pornography, Beautiful Blemish, and The Insomniac Reader (as editor). He lives in Portland, Oregon.

Product Details

• Paperback: 254 pages
• Publisher: Chiasmus Press (May 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0981502733
• ISBN-13: 978-0981502731
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,128,288 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enchanting!, April 27, 2008

By 

Suzanne Burns (Bend OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creamy Bullets (Paperback)

Creamy Bullets is the first full-length collection from Portland publisher and small press icon Kevin Sampsell. Arranged in three sections, small, medium and large, Creamy Bullets is a whirlwind of fantastic prose. Magic realism blends with a diabolical attention to detail that makes this one of the most exciting debuts. This book will hold your attention. The characters will break your heart. The end will make you want to read the entire collection again. A book of nearly delectable treats!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars a rock-solid collection!, October 12, 2008

By 

Jim Slanski "Reader" (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creamy Bullets (Paperback)

Short fictions of various lengths, ranging from 1-page "sketches" to longer character-driven studies. There's a lot of material here and a few of the pieces miss the mark. But overall, it's a rock-solid outing of well-crafted, slightly-surreal contemporary prose -- sometimes poignant, sometimes absurd, but always engaging. There's an intriguing undercurrent of memory and loss (lost childhood, lost innocence, etc.) that really resonates, especially when considering the collection as a coherent whole. Sampsell reads like a more down-to-earth and accessible Gary Lutz with a dash of punk rock thrown in -- and that's a good thing. Probably more like 4.5 stars.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars After all the glowing reviews I read, I really wanted to like this, but..., July 8, 2008

By 

boeanthropist "Philip Welsh" (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Creamy Bullets (Paperback)

Yet another story collection from the current crop of young writers who seem to be taking their literary cues from short, formless indie rock songs rather than hunkering down to learn the real business of plot, pacing and structure. And it shows. Basically, these stories go absolutely nowhere. Calling them "magic realism" just because they are strange and kinda daft is to totally overlook the fact that the roots of magic realism (ala Gabriel Garcia Marquez, say, or Bruno Schulz) go deep into the history, geography, social mores, religion, etc. of a community -- whereas here, the magic is texture only, it never really goes beneath the surface. Perhaps that particular quality is supposed to be indicative of the shallow uncertainty of our era -- but I still say it's the writer's job to tell us a story, which Sampsell seems too lazy or hesitant or immature or solipsistic to do here.