I'm still digesting this one. There was one story I just could not read, and there was another story I didn't care for, but then - there were 3 stories that just blew me off my feet they were so good, and the remaining stories were almost of that caliber. Overall, this was a fascinating collection, and the stories gave a broad view of the author's style and ability. Now to dig into I Am Providence and other works by Mamatas.

The engagé lefty weird fiction (mostly) of your dreams. Whether he's writing against streampunk's retro politics or prefiguring the insanity of present-day political culture, Mamatas is funny, sharp, and clear-eyed. Imagine if Upton Sinclair was writing speculative fiction. Like that.

I think I'd give this another star if I just read the stories here, which were rich and funny and strange and do a couple formal things that are noteworthy on the level of writing-- Mamatas's stories have strange starts, where he seems to just mash things together, without fuss or hesitation. Maybe this is a genre, or at least a SF thing, where you'll often feel completely disoriented for a chapter or two in good novel, and there's some of that here, but it's even more than that disorientation;

This collection is mostly weird fiction that doesn't fit exactly into any genre but the connective tissue is smart well thought out stories. Mamatas is a politically savvy hard to define writer. I have read three novels of his my favorite being Love is the Law released by Dark Horse.This collection is not the author's first but it is his first in some time. Best part is it comes with a re-edited early short novel. My favorites of the short stories were the ones when Mamatas explored the nature a...

Nick Mamatas is an author I was aware of, someone I meant to check out. When his latest collection appeared on Netgalley, it was time. So now I’ve read him and…I’m not in love. I’m not even sure I’m in like. I usually take emotions seriously. This was just a very complicated first impression. Objectively the man is obviously talented and has the imagination to go along with it. A few of the stories were really good, with The Great Armored Train being a personal favorite and an all around great t...

The cover & title prompted me to request an ARC through NetGalley though I never heard of the author before. I was pleasantly surprised!As with every short story collection, some stories stood out while others were so-so. But each of Mamatas writings lingered with me. I took a long break between the first and second half and during that time I found that certain scenes often popped back into my mind. The last story, Under My Roof, was my favorite and if it ever becomes a novel, I'll definitely p...

Too much writer's blues, not enough substanceOverall a decent anthology of genre fiction- there is something for everyone in here. Worth it for Under My Roof alone. It sags under the weight of weaker stories and the author's predilection for concluding EVERY. SINGLE. STORY. with a "This story totally almost got published in/by/at" yarn. Spoiler alert: writing is hard, and you get told "No" most of the time. Let the strongest work stand on its own and save the ruminations on the practice and stru...

Review copyThe People's Republic of Everything is made up of fourteen short stories and one novella from genre fiction writer Nick Mamatas and is the most varied assemblage of work I've read in some time.Walking with a Ghost - A Lovecraft inspired piece right off the bat and one of the best in the collection. It's the story of H.P. Lovecraft as AI (Artificial Intelligence).Arbeitskraft - A steampunkish story about the elimination of the proletariat. I even see a bit of our times in this unusual

Note: I received an Advance Reading Copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review.This is a compelling set of short stories that makes you think. It was also my entry point into reading Nick Mamatas. I will read more from him in the near future. The first half of the set of short stories were hard to get through, but stick with it. The last seven stories were quite enjoyable including the novella length "Under My Roof". The political and social commentary was spot on throughout the st...

I've had Nick Mamatas on my reading radar for quite some time but only now decided to jump in. It helps that I was given the opportunity by Netgalley.What did I expect? Um. Almost nothing at all. I just saw that gnome on the cover and went, "That's pretty sarcastic." Okay. I'm on board.So! Short stories!I'm not going to do a breakdown other than to mention the ones I loved and briefly mention what stood out with the others, but that should be enough. For the most part, I really enjoyed everythin...

A collection is a difficult creature to tame: not only do readers have to like the stories included, but they also have to buy into the collective impulse which gathered those stories together. There are plenty of recent collections which are pushing the boundaries of the form, including Robots vs. Fairies , but this is a more difficult thing to do when a collection is limited to one author's work--as is Nick Mamatas' work here, and Jo Walton's Starlings earlier in the year. I mention Wal...

Short stories. Strong Marxist and/or anarcho-socialist streak. Some New Weird. Some horror. Some noir-ish stuff. My enthusiasm waned more than it waxed. I didn't finish the stories. I might have given more time, but the library loan was expiring, and I was ready to move on.(Oh and I really could have have done without the author's meta-commentary. I had a writing professor in college that convinced me of just how self-indulgent that crap is. These were a case study in that.)

This book... oh this book... I have gone many rounds of mental tug-of-war with myself regarding how to rate this book. To start I must admit that I did not, could not, read all of the stories straight through. The writing was well done. The technique, excellent. BUT the content was so obviously saturated with zealous political ferver, it felt like I was being smacked in the face with a rotting propaganda pamphlet...repeatedly. Can you tell that I don't like politics (unless it's Court Politics)

A collection of stories covering SF, horror and adjacent territory - you know, the sort of stories *about* SF &c which Michael Chabon sometimes does. But not so friendly as Chabon always comes across. I like author notes in general, but compared to the usual love-in where every publication was an honour, Mamatas' can be entertainingly rude about some of the venues, like the one which starts as "an ersatz Cemetery Dance" and then goes mostly downhill from there. Equally, the bit where he finds wr...

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.The nitty-gritty: Although I didn't enjoy all the stories in this collection, I'm still a big fan of Mamatas and his unending, quirky imagination, and some of these stories will be hard to forget.I have read and enjoyed a couple of Nick Mamatas’ novels, and I thought it would be interesting to see how he approached the short story. Unfortunate...

Excellent writing and very intriguing premises for the stories.Not each one hit with me but the ones that did are deeper than most work I get to read. Nick is an intelligent man who sometime leaves me in the dust, but I am always the better for it.Great package, the book, cover, feel, everything. A superior product.

I'm conflicted about this book. Mamatas is a writer with many gifts, an avowed leftist with a deep background in horror who ably mixes classic imagery with premonitions about the future. His writing is Extremely Online and Extremely Correct. And yet, a lot of it was just okay.The stories are at their best when he does alternate history, imaging a past of steampunk and dieselpunk wonders inhabited by Engels and Trotsky. And there are a few more intimate psychological studies, of Greekness and fat...

Nope.

With very few writers, it's their voice that carries the stories, regardless of the actual content of the story (I'm talking plot, not merit). Harlan Ellison was like that. So was Jack Ketchum. Sarah Vowell, the essayist, also springs to mind. Writers whose voice is intrinsically entwined with both the text and subtext--the content is them and vice versa. Nick Mamatas is like that, too. So, whether you're getting a story about online rape culture, a dieselpunk story of a new political order, or

Presented is a eclectic collection of speculative fiction - a heady mixture of politics and philosophy and a lesser input of science fiction and horror. Which is naturally disappointing if you where expecting the later. His writings obviously cannot be pigeonholed into one genre - although not acquainted with his writings - I am impressed with his satire and dark , dry wit. Most helpful the author provides story notes after each tale that relates to significance and origin of each story.His pro