Literature®

Guillermo Stitch

Guillermo Stitch

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"Wonderfully written...a beautifully rendered story, mixing the cynicism and moral ambiguity of classic noir fiction with startling flashes of humour and disarmingly tender moments."
E.O.HIGGINS, CONVERSATIONS WITH SPIRITS, UNBOUND/PENGUIN

"A clever interweaving of speculative fiction, dystopian vision and classic noir, what’s most striking about Literature® is the quality of the writing...lean and spare with moments of beauty fizzing through...it is also very funny."
KATHERINE GRAHAM, THEATRE RE

"Brave New World meets 1984 in the Big Brother masterpiece." SAN FRANCISCO BOOK REVIEW



We don't know exactly when Literature® takes place and we don't know exactly where. All we know is that Philip Marlowe would fit right in.

We don't get Marlowe though. We get Billy Stringer. And Billy is on nobody's trail.

He's the prey.

The day hasn't begun very well for Billy. He just messed up his first big assignment, he's definitely going to be late for work, his girlfriend won't get back to him and, for reasons she has something to do with, he's dressed like a clown.

Also, he's pretty sure someone is going to kill him today. But then, that's an occupational hazard, when you're a terrorist.

He's a bookworm too, which wouldn't be a problem–or particularly interesting–except that in Billy's world, fiction is banned. Reading it is what makes him an outlaw.

Why? Because people need to get to work.

It's fight or flight time for Billy and he's made his choice. But he has to see Jane, even if it's for the last time–to explain it all to her, before she finds out what he has become. That means staying alive for a little while.

And the odds are against him.



“To put it in its simplest terms, "Literature®" is one of the most entertaining books I've had the pleasure to read, anywhere, at any time.”
WILLIAM L. SPENCER, GOODREADS


“This is satire in the grand tradition: Fahrenheit 451 but with better jokes.”
JOHN PATRICK HIGGINS, EVERY DAY I WAKE UP HOPEFUL


ON SALE NOW. BUY LINKS LIVE AT WWW.GUILLERMOSTITCH.COM
 
Anne Cunningham (Irish Independent, Independent on Sunday, Irish Times, Sunday Times of London) published her review this week. She didn't get the green light from any of the nationals to review a self-published book, but she did get it into a regional, The Meath Chronicle. I'm very grateful to her.

"Imagine a world, sometime in the not-too-distant future, where fiction is banned. Imagine that all of the great novels and short stories in the world have been destroyed. Imagine a world where reading a work of fiction – only available from a secret underground “terrorist” network – is considered an act of sedition, punishable by execution. And if all of that seems too unlikely for words, just stop and think for a second; how many books do you imagine Donald Trump has read in his lifetime…? And who does he feel most threatened by, the likes of “Rocket Boy” or the intellectuals of America and the Western world?

Billy Stringer is a young sports reporter who has been born into this fiction-free future. And he’s doing OK in a kind of you-can’t-miss-what-you-never-had sort of way. Things change, though, when his girlfriend’s slightly wacky brother slips Billy a book. A novel. And tells him to be careful. But it seems Billy hasn’t been careful enough. He’s developed a “literary bent” and the authorities are onto him.

This slim novella is one of the cleverest stories I’ve read this year. It’s not strictly science fiction, not strictly dystopian and it’s not strictly Philip Marlowe either, although I think it could be described as a smashup of all of these influences. It’s whip-smart, well-paced, deeply satirical and dappled with just enough dark and light to keep the reader riveted.

Currently available on Amazon, Literature®deserves to be published mainstream and I do hope that happens. Soon."
 
Review in from the Midwest Book Review. I wasn't really expecting anything quite so engaged...


"Literature® blends speculative fiction with a dystopian mystery's noir atmosphere in a production that opens with a reflection on how literature was defined in the First Era, before the Disaster that changed everything.

In this world, book burning ceremonies are common, literature is reviled, and protagonist Billy is a secret bookworm in a society where fiction has been banned. Therefore, he believes someone is out to kill him.

A single day in the life of this protagonist as he navigates an uncertain world outlines the perils and possibilities of love, death, and redemption in a society where modern literature has fostered a Second Enlightenment which has left fiction behind in favor of something less independent and more unsettling.

There are many intriguing references that become clear as the story unfolds: Pinpoint®, Cog® power, Gripping Tails®, Applied Lit®. The satire involved is so delicate that initial references might slip by readers at first; but as the story progresses, these insights and references become tangible, recognizable parts of a plot that readers will come to anticipate with delight. Woven within the dystopian saga of a rebel book reader are comments on social mores, the evolution of thinking trends and altered perceptions, the roots of rebellion, and the fostering or suppression of independent thinking which will provide modern literary audiences with much food for thought.

Literature is facing its "full optimization" as a brand, but not in any form Billy will accept as a replacement for his forbidden passion. In a world where everything is branded, what place is inhabited by the rebel, the independent thinker, and the real literature buff?

Art, alienation, and consumer culture evolution and rules lie at the heart of a story that continually piques readers, inviting them to think about issues of control, manipulation, and forces of change challenging their own independent thinking processes.

Billy's unexpected venture into murder is only one aspect of a frightening story that poses many questions about evolving social change. A series of complex and unexpected faux pas move Billy to the brink of trouble, but with a wry injection of satirical humor throughout.

Literature® is a literary piece that may be hard to identify with a particular genre; but which provides a satisfying blend of literary inspection, social commentary, dystopian world analysis and individual dilemmas to keep readers guessing and thinking to the end of Billy's perplexing, fast-paced day. It's highly recommended for its multifaceted themes, social inspection, wry insights, and unexpectedly fun approach."
 
Huge thanks for posting that, ZlodeyVolk.

See what you're missing out on, everyone? Hm? Bet you wish you'd gotten yourself a copy, don't you?

There's still time!
 
Cat's Cradle said:
There is still time! And with reviews like these, how could I resist - I have my copy. Hope things continue well with the book for you, GS, CC
Click to expand...

Thanks so much, CC. And congratulations on becoming the newest member of my (elite, magnificent) marketing team. Tell yer friends! :p
 
Is anybody around here on LibraryThing? If so, and if you're interested, I'm offering LibraryThing members free digital copies of the book throughout August in return for honest reviews. If you're not a LibraryThing member you can sign up easy and it's free.

Just go to Member Giveaways | LibraryThing and scroll to find Literature® and request your copy. If you filter the list by 'start date' at the top you'll find it faster.

Thanks!
 
Delighted to say that Literature® has received a review in the September/October issue of Interzone magazine and it's extremely positive. Andy Hedgecock didn't think much of the self-promoting swagger of my press release, it seems, but the book was another matter. A few excerpts:

"A smart satire, crammed with compelling ideas, and it confronts the corrosive influence of philistinism head-on."

"A witty celebration of the transformative power of fiction and a tour de force of laconic pastiche."

"The story belts along with astonishing energy. There are some impressive touches: for example, Billy’s dialogue sounds overly arch at first, but it soon becomes clear his speech is a symptom of his burgeoning engagement with the world of storytelling. There are arresting visual set pieces, such as the vast spaces of the Gripping Tails® factory, and some thoroughly absorbing ideas, such as text-driven vehicles. And there are genuine surprises as the narrative unfolds, some of which force significant revisions of the readers understanding of plot and character."


Deep thanks.
 
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