peristaltor | Flex—An Endorsement (Reply)

So two Fridays ago I'm in a bookstore nearby my house waiting to hear this dude read from his new book. I had some time to kill, and head to the head, er, the restroom for you landlubbers. There's a line.

There shouldn't be a line, no. It was technically a four-holer, two stand-up receivers for simple fluid, and two stalled seats for the more involved visit. However, at the moment I had chosen, both the stalls were being used not for a simple sit and pinch, but to change the clothing of the occupants: in one, I could plainly see the hook of a suit bag peaking out from the top of the door; the other betrayed the same activity with an open backpack on the floor. Both. Meaning the rest of us had to wait for the wall mounted receivers to clear.

As I'm finally waiting at one of the urinals, I hear Mr. Suit Bag finally wrapping up. I finish myself and all but follow him out, muttering silent dark held pee thoughts.

And I find myself following him. Not because I'm a creepo or anything, but because We're both heading to the reading area. This is the dude I had come to see. Oh. I guess most bookstores don't have a Green Room for their visiting authors to use for changing. Duh.

I mention this only because I have just finished the book, and it is amazing.

Full disclosure: I didn't buy the book solely because I am interested in new authors (Flex is the first novel for Ferrett Steinmetz, aka

theferrett). Rather, Ferrett did me a solid, allowing me permission to re-podcast his short story, "Dead Merchandise", which was originally posted on the science fiction short story podcast Escape Pod (episode #396). Ferrett's kind permission, along with that from EP editor Norm Sherman, allowed me to share the short story that—no fooling—inspired me to start my podcast.

So I thought I would return the favor and buy Ferrett's book.

And it is amazing.

Don't get me wrong: I am not one to gush. I read a lot. I got my degree in English (nothing advanced, just a BA), so I know a tiny bit about literary criticism.

Ferrett manages to avoid many of the oh-too-common mistakes not just of first-time novelists, but of supposedly accomplished authors. One of my pet peeves: Narrative Voice Drift. In a book or short story or whatever, you shouldn't notice the descriptions flowing past your eyeballs change style without a Very Good Reason. When you're reading a tense chase scene, the very next description should NEVER read like a travel brochure of the streets of, say, Paris. (Looking at your DaVinci Coding ass, Dan Brown.) When you're trying to get into the head of a serial killer, the narrative should NEVER shift from fluid prose to shocking torture to blocks of product descriptions unbroken by paragraphs. (That one is yours, Ellis.)

Steinmetz does the rare thing. He maintains his narrative voice throughout Flex, which is for me simply wonderful.

Further, he has managed another rare thing. Flex is not a fantasy book, it is not a sci-fi book, it is not a horror book. It is all of the above, and none. It's premise is original. That is so rare it hurts to appreciate. And he maintains this wholly original premise throughout the narrative, without drops in pretense, otherwise known as silly pasties stuck on to the story just to cover a plot nipple-slip.

I highly recommend it, and congratulate

theferrett for a masterful first work. I can't wait for the next!