2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Worthy Experiment, September 6, 2008
This review is from: Pathfinder I (Paperback)
PATHFFINDER I is a fascinating experiment. Simmons' earlier works, particularly his Half-Life series, were entertaining, with humor leavening the mix. PATHFINDER I is totally different. It's still entertaining, but in a completely different way. It's a continuing, evolving tale set in a post-apocalyptic world.
The story will unfold in a series of chapbooks (for those unfamiliar with the term, a chapbook is a saddle-stapled booklet, usually of about seventy pages and with a business-card quality cover. Chapbooks are often shorter works, collections of short stories, essays, or poetry. In this case, it is episodes of a longer work. Chapbooks are the most, perhaps the only, economical way for a small press to publish, and that's where most of the action now, with the major publishers doing little experimenting.) This one is a work in progress with Simmons working within a story arc but with the execution subject to experimentation. This is called working on the trapeze without a net.
Simmons only gives us glimpses into this scarred world he's invented, with peeks at some of the marvels he'll reveal in good time.
Perhaps the hardest thing for a writer to instill in his readers is trust. It's hard enough to get a reader to pick up any one book, but it's every writer's goal to inspire readers to buy all his/her works because it means the reader has come to trust the writer, saying to himself or herself, "I don't really know what's going to be in this book but this writer creates characters, scenes, situations, and stories I know I'll enjoy."
And having read PATHFINDER I, Simmons is a writer I, more than ever, trust.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Book!, August 19, 2008
This review is from: Pathfinder I (Paperback)
This chapbook (which is a form of book that is what is called saddle-stitched) is published by Yard Dog Press which is a most excellent legitimate small press.
Wm. Mark Simmons writes a scary post-apocalyptic future of angels, demons, Army of the Lord, and the paths. Check out this book. It's a quick read and you'll enjoy it.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ASTONISHING!, October 13, 2008
This review is from: Pathfinder I (Paperback)
I come to Simmons' work with no expectations, other than that Yard Dog Press (a real, books-in-the-warehouse regional press, by the way -- ) has put out many quality chapbooks. (One of their books won the World Horror Award, a few years back.) As for PATHFINDER I, all I can say is WOW. Simmons displays the well thought out world building of Neil Gaiman, and the control of dialog and character personality of an early Zelazny. I was pulled into the story quickly, and I could not put it down. I hope Simmons is working on the next chapbook, because this story rocks! It is the best after the apocalypse/garbled Christianity tale I've seen yet.
When you can tell who is speaking by the dialog alone, you know you've found something special. Highly recommended - and we need to go to the Yard Dog Press site and tell them we want MORE!
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