I love chapbooks. They are usually gorgeous little labors of love. Intimate pressings of a story or group of stories that an author or publisher deems worthy of a special project. They can range from stapled pages of simple printed stories by unknown writers to elaborate and highly expensive hand made collector's items.
I've seen a lot of chapbooks over the years, but the ones that White Noise Press are putting out are among the finest. They are beautifully made and lavishly illustrated by Keith Minnion. Each book comes in its own envelope, which also comes with art on it. All the ones I have are elegant, delicate things of beauty. And the best part about them is the price. All the ones that have come out so far have only cost ten dollars or under. This is at a time when items of similar quality from other publishers are selling for around twice that price. I don't know the particulars, but my guess is that since Keith Minnion is both the publisher and the artist, he can keep his overhead down. Either way, his customers are getting spectacular deals with his chapbooks.
Smiling Faces Sometimes, by Gary Braunbeck is the sixth chapbook to be released by White Noise and it is also one of the best this new publisher has given us. Gary has been steadily and prolifically crafting some of the finest fantasy/horror literature of our time and I've read just about everything he has put out. Smiling Faces Sometimes is, in my opinion, the finest piece of fiction from him to date.
Gary Braunbeck began selling short horror stories back in the 80's, beginning with a sale to Night Cry Magazine, I believe. From the beginning, there was something special in his writing. By the time of his first book, the ground-breaking Cemetery Dance collection, Things Left Behind, he had established a unique and distinctive voice for his fiction. A voice that he has continued to hone and improve as the years have progressed.
Smiling Faces Sometimes begins with a man who is as down as it is possible to get. Alone, broken, bitter and with nowhere to turn, he goes to the only place he can go. A tree fort that he and his five best friends built when they were kids. The fort was their own Valley Forge and they were its valiant Defenders, who swore to combat evil and to always remain loyal to each other. With only his unpublished manuscripts, painkillers, some Scotch and a few other pitiful possessions, he intends to make his own last stand there, at the place where he knew the greatest happiness of his otherwise tragic life.
Gary Braunbeck deals with the real thing in his fiction. The all-too-often ugly and harsh realities of being a human being. He rarely flinches and the emotions he portrays are gut-wrenching. Too much so for some readers who seem to be seeking light escapism. Yet as Gary continued to grow and mature as a writer, his fiction has grown to be more uplifting. At the Midnight Museum, the controversial Prodigal Blues and now Smiling Faces Sometimes are spiritual works of art.
I talked about Gary's distinctive voice in his writing and it has never been clearer or more poignant than in Smiling Faces Sometimes. While the voice is his and his alone, the writing brings to mind the very best fiction of Harlan Ellison, back when HE was at the peak of his writing strength.
If you're a fan of Gary's work, you are undoubtedly going to purchase Smiling Faces Sometimes. If some of his earlier pieces of fiction were too painful and emotionally devastating for your taste, I suggest you take a chance with this incredible book. And if you've never seen a White Noise Press publication, don't take my word for how beautiful and well-made they are. Buy Smiling Faces Sometimes and I have no doubt that you'll be delighted when you see it. And doubly so after you've read it. But I wouldn't wait...this book is bound to sell out very quickly.
White Noise Press
I've seen a lot of chapbooks over the years, but the ones that White Noise Press are putting out are among the finest. They are beautifully made and lavishly illustrated by Keith Minnion. Each book comes in its own envelope, which also comes with art on it. All the ones I have are elegant, delicate things of beauty. And the best part about them is the price. All the ones that have come out so far have only cost ten dollars or under. This is at a time when items of similar quality from other publishers are selling for around twice that price. I don't know the particulars, but my guess is that since Keith Minnion is both the publisher and the artist, he can keep his overhead down. Either way, his customers are getting spectacular deals with his chapbooks.
Smiling Faces Sometimes, by Gary Braunbeck is the sixth chapbook to be released by White Noise and it is also one of the best this new publisher has given us. Gary has been steadily and prolifically crafting some of the finest fantasy/horror literature of our time and I've read just about everything he has put out. Smiling Faces Sometimes is, in my opinion, the finest piece of fiction from him to date.
Gary Braunbeck began selling short horror stories back in the 80's, beginning with a sale to Night Cry Magazine, I believe. From the beginning, there was something special in his writing. By the time of his first book, the ground-breaking Cemetery Dance collection, Things Left Behind, he had established a unique and distinctive voice for his fiction. A voice that he has continued to hone and improve as the years have progressed.
Smiling Faces Sometimes begins with a man who is as down as it is possible to get. Alone, broken, bitter and with nowhere to turn, he goes to the only place he can go. A tree fort that he and his five best friends built when they were kids. The fort was their own Valley Forge and they were its valiant Defenders, who swore to combat evil and to always remain loyal to each other. With only his unpublished manuscripts, painkillers, some Scotch and a few other pitiful possessions, he intends to make his own last stand there, at the place where he knew the greatest happiness of his otherwise tragic life.
Gary Braunbeck deals with the real thing in his fiction. The all-too-often ugly and harsh realities of being a human being. He rarely flinches and the emotions he portrays are gut-wrenching. Too much so for some readers who seem to be seeking light escapism. Yet as Gary continued to grow and mature as a writer, his fiction has grown to be more uplifting. At the Midnight Museum, the controversial Prodigal Blues and now Smiling Faces Sometimes are spiritual works of art.
I talked about Gary's distinctive voice in his writing and it has never been clearer or more poignant than in Smiling Faces Sometimes. While the voice is his and his alone, the writing brings to mind the very best fiction of Harlan Ellison, back when HE was at the peak of his writing strength.
If you're a fan of Gary's work, you are undoubtedly going to purchase Smiling Faces Sometimes. If some of his earlier pieces of fiction were too painful and emotionally devastating for your taste, I suggest you take a chance with this incredible book. And if you've never seen a White Noise Press publication, don't take my word for how beautiful and well-made they are. Buy Smiling Faces Sometimes and I have no doubt that you'll be delighted when you see it. And doubly so after you've read it. But I wouldn't wait...this book is bound to sell out very quickly.
White Noise Press
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