There’s a lot of talk about an e-book revolution that’s changing the way books are published and sold. Thanks in part to major retailers/publishers like Amazon and Smashwords and e-readers from Kindle to iPads, booklovers can now easily download e-books in a matter of seconds for as little as 99 cents a pop (not to mention the thousands of free e-books from public domain authors, classic authors, indie authors, and special sales). Along with traditional publishers and new e-book versions from their authors, midlist authors from traditional publishing houses are now said to be uploading out-of-print books for a second chance at finding an e-audience. Some major established writers like Stephen King and JK Rowling are even said to be experimenting with e-publishing. With so many choices available at the touch of a button, it’s no wonder Borders Bookstore and other smaller brick-and-mortar book distributors (and even a few public libraries) have gone the way of the Dodo.
That’s why when I received some books in the mail for review from Ink Pen Mutations Press, an underground publisher based in Culver City, I knew I had to discuss them on LA Books Examiner.
Not available as e-books, works from this publishing company focus on “the union of experimental literature and provocative artwork in the form of storybooks”. These storybooks, not to be confused with graphic novels, are short (about 60 pages or less) perfectly bound books made of quality materials, illustrated with both black-and-white and full-colored artwork and range from $2 to $20 each.
First up is Fragile Bodies by LA poet and writer Stephanie Greenquist (44 pages; $11.95) and featuring at least 25 color illustrations by LA artist Emily Steigerwald that lend well to this dreamlike work.
Written as kind of an anti-fairytale, Greenquist turns the Prince Charming story on its head, challenging the fairytale notion that women are somehow incomplete or unfulfilled until they meet their “savior” or one-and-only prince.
In the book we meet a young “fair princess” named Aida, who is “beautiful, perfect in every way but one.” She is “…soul-cursed from the womb.” Aida, like so many young ladies, is desperate for the love of her prince, but, unlike the famous fairytale, is convinced he doesn’t exist. This, of course, means she destined to be alone, right?
Wrong. One night after being awakened by a frightening dream, Aida goes against “what’s written” and takes on a new obsession. She has a man – more like a lover –who, “apathetic” and cold, doesn’t treat her as well as he should, and can’t love her the way that she loves him—or so he thinks.
The rest is a tough nut to crack. The story seems to be written in two separate voices. One is the narration, the fairytale-like story, and the other, signaled only by a change in font, is Aida’s first-person dream-like tale. Both move the story along simultaneously but in very different ways.
Heavy on symbolism but mixed with strong concrete images, the language is dreamy and provocative, poetic and raw, hot and erotic, and dripping with sin and sex and drugs and blood. This is definitely for adults only. The artwork solidifies these images of a dream turned into a nightmare as Aida fights through her obsession and toward self-discovery.
Fragile Bodies by Stephanie Greenquist is more than just an erotic literary lubricant to get your blood flowing. It also arouses the mind by challenging ideals, stereotypes and social mores. I suspect the writing benefits from a live reading by the author. Ink Pen Mutations Press puts on a lot of live shows where the authors read their work, and the shows have developed a large following, not to mention a wild reputation for adult fun and entertainment.
That’s how I first heard about the Van Wyck books by LA writer Christopher Cobb, the next storybook for review.
Fans of LA Noir will definitely appreciate the Van Wyck books, a five-part series by Christopher Cobb, that imagines a new Los Angeles of the Confederate States of America called the Outland Empire after nuclear explosions wipe out places like Pomona, Riverside, and other cities east of Palm Springs. Not only is the 2nd Amendment repealed, the Internet is banned in the Outland Empire and TV is strictly regulated by the government since the CSA went to war, and so information becomes a true commodity, especially for those like Van Wyck who are desperate for answers. But possession of even so much as the LA Times is a serious offense punishable by execution.
In Van Wyck and the Pirates of the Outland Empire, part one of the Van Wyck books (36 pages; $4.95), we meet the brooding private detective at his office. Dark and cerebral, Van Wyck is not really a detective by trade, but this situation, combined with his need for answers, makes him a perfect candidate for the job. Plus it keeps him busy, and keeps his mind off Claire—a mysterious figure he mentions only in passing, but a person clearly driving his need for answers.
In true noir form, a beautiful woman named Mona Carter walks into Van Wyck’s office seeking to hire him to locate her missing husband, Neil Carter, a famous movie producer with a bad reputation. After a bit of clever back and forth, Van Wyck accepts her case and begins an adventure that will take him beyond the LA border and into the Forbidden Zone where, among other dangers, are a band of vicious steampunk-like pirates who travel across the sand in sail-driven canoe-like vehicles.
Written with spare prose and a fast-paced dialogue, Van Wyck and the Pirates of the Outland Empire is a smart and creative start to a promising series that this reviewer looks forward to reading. Like Fragile Bodies by Stephanie Greenquist, each of the Van Wyck books are beautifully illustrated by a different local artist. In Part One, Scott Griffin offers a stunning collection of extremely detailed pen-and-ink drawings that demonstrate the quality you can expect from this unusual publishing company. To keep costs low, each of the books are also published in limited numbers of 500 or 1,000, which could make these story books collector’s items in today’s new world of e-book publishing.
If you’re interested in Fragile Bodies by Stephanie Greenquist or the Van Wyck books by Christopher Cobb, you won’t find them Amazon for your Kindle. Visit Ink Pen Mutations Press.
Watch book trailers and teasers from Ink Pen Mutations Press.
Frank Mundo is the author of The Brubury Tales and Gary, the Four-Eyed Fairy. Follow Frank on Twitter @LABooksExaminer.
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