Samuel Sattin – Mom Read It

Hi all, I know I’ve been posting pretty spottily this year, and it’s not out of a desire to fade away. It’s been a heck of a year, and life and work have been conspiring against me when it comes to having the time I want to devote to Mom Read It. That said, I am NOT going anywhere. I’m still here, still reading, and honestly, the life changes are largely good. Just wanted to let you know that I’ve got stuff to read and talk about, and I’ll be getting more up shortly. Thanks for sticking with me. 🙂

That said… I went to an actual library-type event! It was great to be out and about after what feels like forever. (BookExpo, I miss you!) I attended the Scholastic Graphix 20th Anniversary Party at the Scholastic offices in downtown NYC, and I had the best time! How can anything be less than awesome when your evening starts off with meeting Dog Man?

The Dog Man, the Myth, the Legend

Up next, a Graphix panel with some of the biggest names in graphic novels: Samuel Sattin, who’s brought the manga series Unico to the U.S. (and I have an ARC just waiting for me to read it); Jamar Nicholas, who’s releasing a new Leon adventure; Gale Galligan, who my library kids mainly know from the Babysitters Club (but I keep begging them to read Freestyle so I can form a yo-yo club); Raina Telgemeier – THE Raina Telgemeier – who’s writing a book on making comics with Scott McCloud, whose Understanding Comics is the bible of reading and writing comics and graphic novels; and surprise guest Jeff Smith, the creator of Bone! I couldn’t believe this lineup, and that I was there to see it!

The authors/illustrators discussed their upcoming books, gave us a peek at some of the art (WOW!), and talked about the state of graphic novels today, and how incredible it is to have been on the journey with Graphix over the last 20 years. A sneak peek at some of the graphic novels we can expect in the new year, and we were off to the party, with a mac and cheese bar, candy tables, and Dog Man and Unico cotton candy.

I screwed my courage to the sticking place and talked comics with Samuel Sattin, Raina Telgemeier, and Scott McCloud, and Mr. McCloud was kind enough to take a picture with me.

Smile cupcakes! There were Dog Man cupcakes, too.

At home, a delighted Kiddo enjoys his Dog Man cotton candy.

All in all, a great way to spend an evening. I hope to go to more!

The minute I saw the first paragraph in the press release that landed in my inbox, I knew this was a book I needed to own. When a book is compared to “Kids in the Hall meets John Carpenter”, you’ve got my attention. Throw in the fact that it’s a YA ebook that I can read with my middle schooler, whose book tastes are picky at best, and we have a possible hit.

For now, it’s got to go on the TBR since I’ve got review commitments through the next few weeks, but I promise, PROMISE, promise to review it here. In the meantime, why not check it out for yourselves? The publisher was kind enough to provide the a look at the first chapter, completely gratis, and man, it sounds good.

From the press release: “In a small, mist-covered town in the Pacific Northwest, three teenagers find themselves pitted against an unearthly menace that dwells beneath the foundations of their high school… Samuel Sattin’s THE SILENT END is funny and poignant, a novel that contains elements of supernatural fiction, horror, young adult and literary fiction in order to create a genre-bending novel, recalling authors like Neil Gaiman, Rick Yancey, Patrick Ness, Stephen King, and early Jonathan Lethem.

High school is a challenge for senior Nathaniel Eberstark. His mother disappeared almost a year ago after a long battle with depression. And his father? He’s begun conducting experiments in a bunker out back, furtively running around town in army fatigues, accompanied by a mysterious man in Ray Bans known as The Hat, hunting beasts no one else can see. After an explosion rocks the town on Halloween, Eberstark, along with his only friends Lexi and Gus, discover in the woods something beyond comprehension, something that Eberstark in particular doesn’t want to believe since it may mean his father isn’t as mad as he appears: a wounded monster. Afraid of making a stir in a town that spurns controversy, they make a decision to hide the creature. By doing so they are dragged into a frightening web of conspiracy, dream-logic, and death. From living trucks and mirror-dwelling psychopaths to hellish entities who lurk behind friendly faces, Eberstark, Lexi, and Gus find themselves battling to save not just themselves but the soul of their backwater town.

Inventive and engaging, Samuel Sattin’s THE SILENT END will have you rooting for these three unlikely heroes as they battle monsters, town bullies, and teachers who expect homework done on time. High school can be lonely and scary, the future uncertain. But finding just one, maybe two true friends, can make all the difference.”

Praise for THE SILENT END:

“Samuel Sattin has written a young adult novel that’s right over the plate for pop culture fans.”-BLEEDING COOL

“This is a book you and your kids can enjoy.”-KIRKUS, September Speculative Fiction Reading Pick

“Imagine if Halloween had been written by The Kids in The Hall instead of John Carpenter and you start to understand the wild, mesmerizing mash up that is The Silent End.”–Victor LaValle, author of The Devil in Silver

“Do not read this at night. Do not read this alone. But read it. Now.”-Sean Beaudoin, author of The Infects

“I dreamed I climbed into a 1950s sci-fi rocket ship with Thomas Pynchon, Charles Dickens, H.P. Lovecraft, Jonathan Lethem, Rebalais, and the crew from Monty Python. I had so much fun and terror and tragedy and delight, I was ready for the booby hatch. You can’t dream my dream, but you can get everything it gave me. All you’ve got to do is read Samuel Sattin.”-D. Foy, author of Made to Break

About the author: Samuel Sattin is a novelist and essayist. He is the author of the new novel THE SILENT END and LEAGUE OF SOMEBODIES, which was described by Pop Matters as “One of the most important novels of 2013.” His work has appeared in the Atlantic, Salon Magazine, io9, Kotaku, Publishing Perspectives, The Weeklings, The Rumpus, The Good Men Project, Litreactor, San Francisco Magazine, The Cobalt Review, Cent Magazine, and elsewhere. Also an illustrator, he holds an MFA in Comics from California College of the Arts and has a creative writing MFA from Mills College. He’s the recipient of NYS and SLS Fellowships, and is represented by Dara Hyde at Hill Nadell Literary Agency. He lives in Oakland, California.

Tag: Samuel Sattin

I went to the Scholastic Graphix Party!

On the TBR: The Silent End by Samuel Sattin