Book reviews Archives - Page 2 of 2 - The Contemporary Small Press

From Professor Murasaki’s Notebooks on the Effects of Lightning on the Human Body

Eleanor WhitmoreMarch 15, 2025

A title this strange makes a promise: the poems will not behave predictably. From Professor Murasaki’s Notebooks on the Effects of Lightning on the Human Body delivers science, memory, humor, and unease without turning poetry into a lecture. I approached the collection expecting atmospheric science to dominate. Instead, scientific language becomes a way to examine […]

Pseudotooth Review: A Dark Portal Fantasy That Bites

Eleanor WhitmoreJanuary 11, 2025

This pseudotooth review is for readers wondering whether Verity Holloway’s debut is worth its demanding, dreamlike journey. My verdict is yes, but only if you enjoy fiction that refuses to separate fantasy, trauma, memory, and bodily experience into tidy boxes. What Is Pseudotooth About? Image source: Goodreads Published by Unsung Stories in March 2017, Pseudotooth […]

Border Territory Place Waste Dissent: A Sharp Review

Eleanor WhitmoreJanuary 10, 2025

If you searched border territory for place waste dissent, the book you likely want is Place Waste Dissent by Paul Hawkins. The longer phrase is not its exact title. However, it captures the book’s core questions: who controls land, who gives it meaning, and who disappears when a lived community becomes an obstacle? I approached […]

Autonomous Voices: Meaning Across AI, Mind and Books

Eleanor WhitmoreDecember 20, 2024

The first time I encountered autonomous voices, I assumed the phrase described AI systems that speak without human control. A second search led me into clinical psychology. A third took me to literary theory. The phrase has no single universal meaning, so context decides everything. What Does the Phrase Mean? At its core, the phrase […]

ROFC Prize Rewards Brilliant Brave Fiction From the Small Presses

Eleanor WhitmoreNovember 10, 2024

The phrase ROFC prize rewards brilliant brave fiction from the small presses points to one of publishing’s most unusual awards. When I researched it, I found a prize designed to reward not only a book’s author but also the independent publisher that risked releasing it. That difference matters. The award began as the Republic of […]