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Rating: 
Summary: Vivid, Fast Paced Read...
Review: Mamatas is a stunning new talent; his prose is evocative and his turns of phrase alternate between horrifying and fall-down funny. When I finished Northern Gothic I wanted /more/. There's a verisimilitude to the scenes that make it clear that Mamatas has done his research and has a keen sense for the inside of his characters' heads.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding Work By Newcomer
Review: Mamatas is a stunning new talent; his prose is evocative and his turns of phrase alternate between horrifying and fall-down funny. When I finished Northern Gothic I wanted /more/. There's a verisimilitude to the scenes that make it clear that Mamatas has done his research and has a keen sense for the inside of his characters' heads.
Rating:
Summary: Wrenching, immersive experience
Review: Mamatas pulls your head under water, drowning you
in the Civil War draft riots in New York. The violence
and racism echo to modern times not just in historical
awareness, but into the life of a contemporary man who
has just moved to New York. His life falls apart as you
watch the city burn a century earlier.
The scenes in 1863 are so vivid,
believable, and pathetic that they will haunt you long
after you finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: Wrenching, immersive experience
Review: Mamatas pulls your head under water, drowning you
in the Civil War draft riots in New York. The violence
and racism echo to modern times not just in historical
awareness, but into the life of a contemporary man who
has just moved to New York. His life falls apart as you
watch the city burn a century earlier.
The scenes in 1863 are so vivid,
believable, and pathetic that they will haunt you long
after you finish the book.
Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, tough, and disturbing
Review: Nick Mamatas infuses this "weird tale" that intersects New York's Civil War Draft Riots with a contemporary gay black man's life in Greenwich Village with a smart, and clearly politicized viewpoint. The inexorable play of events seems pitiless on the surface, but the subtly creeping horror works so well because Mamatas refuses to make demons out of the people who are caught in this storm of events. Skip "Gangs of New York" (well, for lots of reasons), and read this instead. It will get under your skin and engage your mind for days afterward.
Rating:
Summary: Vivid, Fast Paced Read...
Review: Nick Mamatas is now officially on my ones-to-watch list...This book really took me off guard. A friend recommended it to me, and I began leisurely reading it on a Sunday afternoon...the next thing I knew it was late evening and I had finished the book! It's tightly written and keeps you turning the page... It's a gutsy book, and has one of the most original plot lines I've read in some time...Definitely one to read...
Rating: 
Summary: An interesting first novel
Review: Nick Mamatas will probably gain popularity in increments and remain a cult writer for many years before achieving widespread recognition. This is a more an interesting first novel than a great work of literature. It has its moments, but for the most part it's an interesting failure. The 1860s Draft Riot scenes deliver a nice tension. Will Patten is a scary character simply because you initially identify with him. Unfortunately Patten gets lost in the ghost story and the main character - Ahmadi Jenkins - gay dancer and victim of circumstances - takes over. Ahmadi is a dull character. He has no personality. Most of the book involves nasty things happening to Ahmadi and the lack of characterization undercuts any tension. Buy this book if you're a diehard fan. If you're merely curious, buy another Mamatas book.
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