This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Thirty - One - Sci Fi Coats and Iron Heels.

Yes, excited we are, there is new This Podcast Will Change Your Life, Episode Thirty-One - Sci Fi Coats and Iron Heels in fact, starring none other than TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Mark Brand, Sci Fi auteur and author of the Red Ivy Afternoon. So, yes excited we are, and we think you will be too. It might even change your life. Might. Yes.

This Book Will Change Your Life - Red Ivy Afternoon by Mark R. Brand.

What we have found fascinating over the last week or so of reading, is that just about everything we have read has had two traits in common. One, they have invoked memories of the things we read when we were kids, and two, they have lent themselves to larger topics impacting society and the world today, especially the environment, immigration, economic stress and corruption, both corporate and governmental, assuming there is even a difference when it comes to the latter. First, there was Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago, which not only took us back to when we read Mike Royko's column in our hometown paper, but also offered some fascinating commentary on the current Daley administration, and then El Vocho: Love at the Twilight of Oil, which hearkened back to our love of comics, all the while riffing on our love affair with oil. All of which leads us to Red Ivy Afternoon by TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Mark R. Brand, a terrific book that not only reminds us of our early feverish readings of all things science fiction, see The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man especially, not to mention Dune, The Foundation Trilogy and John Carter Warlord of Mars too, but as all great science fiction books do, offers the reader a look at not just a world much like we know, yet alternate, and speculative, a world where the government is endlessly up to clandestine activities, really, corporations control the means to everything, no, revolution feels this close, well, maybe not, but also provides just enough little twists of imagination, for example, a mysterious, albeit plausible, white powder that instantly heals wounds, and just enough thrills and violence to make for a wholly enjoyable, and yet just different enough read to know you've encountered a book where the author is trying to do something a step removed from what we usually read, yet still create a world you can embrace.

"This book was one of the best things I've read so far this year." Repetition Patterns gets Vinnie the Vole'd. And likes it. A lot.

We are most happy to let you know that Repetition Patterns got a really thoughtful review today from Chicago writer, fellow upstate New Yorker and TBWCYL, Inc. favorite Mark Brand and we most appreciate it. Please do take a look, please enjoy the below excerpt and definitely look out for our upcoming review of Mark's science fiction novel Red Ivy Afternoon. Cool? Cool.

"Anyway, for every father I know of young children, and every couple I know who grew up when I did and has seen the world change the way Tanzer and I have, I thought "this person really needs to read this book." Technically, it's like biscuits and gravy; understated, rich, and satisfying. The metaphorical subtext is present enough to color the whole thing beautifully the way some great indie films manage to do. You read it and you can't exactly put your finger on it, but you need little encouragement to devour it. Writing about my generation, the generation neither firmly Gen X nor Millenials but rather something more like "Garbage Pail Kids" where our first movie at the movie theater wasn't Star Wars but rather E.T. or The Return of the Jedi, is nothing new, but I've rarely seen it done this well, and usually when it was it was in the form of a screenplay."