The Pulp Clique

Posted On December 7, 2016

Grab me by the neck, push me into the stall, and threaten me with a humiliation shampoo and toilet water rinse, and I’ll admit to being a member of the Pulp Revolution.  But I may not be a very good member, because I’m not all that interested in which branch of the literary renaissance you want to stick me on.  Granted, I have more in common with the guys really digging into the heart and soul of the pulp attitude, and that crew shows up in my social media circles more than any other.  But I fear too much spent time defining and pigeonholing writers and works will prove to be counter-productive.

Gang, cult, or club, sign me up for recapturing some of this!
You’re reading words written by a guy who participates in the Puppy of the Month Book Club – that alone should tell you that I’m not so much interested in reading the ‘right’ group of writers as I am in reading the ‘high quality’ group of writers.  It doesn’t matter which of the publishing revolutions the book stems from.  It could be pulp revolution, superversiveSF, Sad Puppy, Rabid Puppy, or none of the above.  If it’s a fun read full of adventure, exploration, action, and mystery (or any combination of the above), with a strong moral center, then it’s for me.

There may even be a few oddball titles produced by New York publishing houses that meet that criteria, and I’d read those in a New York minute.  But I’m a busy guy, and have no interest in playing the long odds presented by New York when I’m batting one hundred percent sticking with books recommended by people in the big four rebellions.

It could very well be that the 20 year drought of great writing generated by the great Narrativist takeover of publishing left me a thirsty man with low standards.  That might explain why 2016 felt like the best year of reading since high school.   Regardless, it’s nice to see that people in other camps are also lobbing arrows at the dinosaur publishing houses.  They may not be doing the same thing as the people in my camp, but if their target selection is sound, they are all friends of mine.