Isn't it exciting when you discover a new writer and realize that you can add a new name to your favorites list? Like the first time I read Joe R. Lansdale, or Norman Partridge. Or maybe Norman Prentiss. Guys that knock your socks right the fuck off of your feet. After finishing the astonishing Mama Fish, I have to add the name, Rio Youers to my own list of favorite writers.
I should have tried him sooner. My colleague, Andy Monge, was blown away by Rio's PS Publishing book, Old Man Scratch. I meant to, but never did. At least until I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Youers at The Horrorfind Weekend Convention in September 2010.
Rio is a really nice guy, which always helps when I choose to invest money in a writer's book. He's also a Horror Drive-In fan, which sealed the deal. I purchased a copy of Mama Fish from him personally, and he gamely inscribed it for me.
Now, weeks later, I've finally read Mama Fish, and I was blown away by the writing in it. Mama Fish begins fairly typically. In Stephen King fashion, the reader is introduced to a shy 1980's student who attempts to befriend a social misfit named Kelvin Fish. You know the type: Fish is awkward. His odor is unpleasant. His hygiene is less than exemplary. Wild rumors are spread in school about him.
Typical beginning, yes, but Youers takes his story to new territory. There's something more than going on with Kelvin Fish than the normal high school geek pattern. Where does he live? What is his mother like?
Mama Fish is the kind of story I love the most. The writing is down-to-earth, but professional. The story is told in an unpretentious manner, but it's also eloquently crafted. Youers deals with themes I love, such as aching nostalgia, and a strong abhorrence for our society's ever-increasing obsession with gadgetry.
To tell any more would be a disservice to the author and his story. Mama Fish is, thankfully, a reasonably-priced little book, and it is just the right length. Long enough to create and sustain character, but brief enough to read in one sitting.
I should have tried him sooner. My colleague, Andy Monge, was blown away by Rio's PS Publishing book, Old Man Scratch. I meant to, but never did. At least until I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Youers at The Horrorfind Weekend Convention in September 2010.
Rio is a really nice guy, which always helps when I choose to invest money in a writer's book. He's also a Horror Drive-In fan, which sealed the deal. I purchased a copy of Mama Fish from him personally, and he gamely inscribed it for me.
Now, weeks later, I've finally read Mama Fish, and I was blown away by the writing in it. Mama Fish begins fairly typically. In Stephen King fashion, the reader is introduced to a shy 1980's student who attempts to befriend a social misfit named Kelvin Fish. You know the type: Fish is awkward. His odor is unpleasant. His hygiene is less than exemplary. Wild rumors are spread in school about him.
Typical beginning, yes, but Youers takes his story to new territory. There's something more than going on with Kelvin Fish than the normal high school geek pattern. Where does he live? What is his mother like?
Mama Fish is the kind of story I love the most. The writing is down-to-earth, but professional. The story is told in an unpretentious manner, but it's also eloquently crafted. Youers deals with themes I love, such as aching nostalgia, and a strong abhorrence for our society's ever-increasing obsession with gadgetry.
To tell any more would be a disservice to the author and his story. Mama Fish is, thankfully, a reasonably-priced little book, and it is just the right length. Long enough to create and sustain character, but brief enough to read in one sitting.
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