Urban setting writer's new best friend
921649
I LOVE these Thesaurus books. All my stories are written in urban settings, so when I saw this being advertised, I anxiously waited to get my hands on it. After only a few minutes of browsing, I knew I'd picked a winner. SO much good stuff in this book. If you write using urban settings, this is a 'must have' to add to your reference collection.
319405
These books are great for discovering local emerging writers! I found this book because I'm a fan of Karina Pinella, one of the published authors.

Her piece, Ahead on a Stick, is poignant, well-written and a reflection of modern city life - this short story is not to be missed.

Take a read and you will not be disappointed!
871177
Thanks to Writing Active Setting Book 3: Anchoring, Action, as a Character and More by Mary Buckham,  I have an enhanced understanding of the many essential jobs skillfully written settings accomplish in creating a real and active world for the reader. Through the use of excellent examples across a variety of genres, Mary dissects the techniques used by best-selling authors to draw the reader into a specific story-world at a specific time. Additionally, she provides meaningful assignments to anchor an author, new or seasoned, in mastering the various techniques.

Note: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. However, I decided to purchase the complete series (including Book 3 again ) once I finished reading it so I can highlight my *own* copy.
2881173
From Lonely Planet to the Rough Guides, location-specific guidebooks generally seem so transient since a purchase generally depends upon an upcoming trip and soon afterward ends up in a storage box collecting dust or on craigslist for sale. There is no incentive to return to the book once the trip has ended. However, while on vacation having breakfast just last weekend in the Chelsea neighborhood, a complete stranger asked to borrow my copy of this guidebook because he wanted to give his dining companions an instant visual cue to some of the top sites to visit in New York. Rarely have I seen a book so constantly used and displayed in public without hesitation as I have with this one. I happen to be a long-time fan of the series of Dorling Kindersley's Eyewitness Travel Guides as I find them unique in the travel resource field.

The Eyewitness Travel Guides are terrific both as a backpack resource and as a keepsake afterward. I have about ten of their books on my shelf, and the New York City guide is a particularly strong entry in the series since there is such a robust amount of information to cover. Thanks to its pleasing graphics and intuitive organization by neighborhood, this is one guidebook I use often even though I am quite familiar with Manhattan. Of particular use are the detailed pictorials showing animated aerial shots of neighborhoods and cut-away floor plans of heavily visited buildings like the Empire State Building and the newly renovated Museum of Modern Art. It also helps make geographic sense of neighborhoods that allow you to navigate easily through them by pointing out recommended sights.

The first part of the book presents a brief history of the city that is both interesting and useful, as events are cross-referenced to sights you would want to see there. There is a well-presented survival guide toward the end of the book that highlights important travel information as well as recommendations on where to stay, shop and eat. Moreover, there is a comprehensive street finder for Manhattan, which helps you navigate without the inconvenience of fold-out maps plus the all-important subway map. All this information is contained within a user-friendly, laminated paperback format that slips easily into backpacks and holds up well against inclement weather. By no means is this the end-all guidebook for New York City, but it does provide a solid foundation as you scoop up your copies of the New Yorker and Time Out to see what is current and worth seeing.
1671300
What could be better than a new book by a crime fiction author from Spokane, Washington?  How about a collaborative work by two local crime fiction authors?

Frank Zafiro, the author of novels such as "And Every Man Has to Die" and "The Last Horseman", collaborated with Colin Conway, whose work has appeared in anthologies such as "The Ex-Factor" and "Spokane is Still Deader Than Dead", on a novel called "Some Degree of Murder."

"Some Degree of Murder" takes place in Zafiro's River City, a setting that he describes as "a thinly veiled version of Spokane." Several characters from other River City novels and short stories appear in supporting roles throughout the book.  Readers who are familiar with Zafiro books such as "Waist Deep" and the short story anthology "Dead Even" will enjoy seeing some old friends again, but that knowledge isn't necessary to enjoy the novel.

The book features two first-person narrators who appear in alternating chapters.

Conway's chapters focus on Virgil Kelley, a "fixer" from southern California who travels to River City to get revenge for the murder of his daughter Fawn.

Zafiro's chapters focus mainly on Detective John Tower from River City's Major Crimes Unit, who long-time readers will remember from the novel "Heroes Often Fail."  Tower is trying to find Fawn's killer before Kelley does.

Kelley's methods are sometimes crude, but they work.  During the early parts of the book, he makes far more progress in finding the man who killed Fawn than Tower does as he delves deeper and deeper into River City's seedy underbelly.

Tower has to operate within the framework of the law, so it takes him more time to track down the same leads Kelley already discovered.  Eventually, he puts the right pieces together and figures out what Kelley is trying to do, but will Tower stop Kelley before he gets his revenge?

Seeing another author getting to play with Zafiro's River City universe is really interesting. The perspective of an outsider from a bigger city with worse crime problems allows readers to see some of Zafiro's recurring characters in new lights without contradicting anything from the other stories.

Conway's chapters are also much darker than Zafiro usually gets.  This is appropriate for the character, but it may be a bit jarring to Zafiro fans who are used to getting some comedy relief to help keep things from becoming too grim.

Zafiro's parts of the book are often as dark in their own way.  Part of this is due to Tower not following proper procedure because he doesn't want to be taken off Fawn's murder case.  This means that he can't rely on fan favorites such as Katie MacLeod and Thomas Chisholm for help, so Tower has more time to wallow in misery as he lets his work and his personal life get to him.

Some scenes from Zafiro's chapters may be a little unpleasant for long-term River City fans, but the payoff is totally worth getting through the parts that reveal why Tower has some pretty justifiable reasons to be tired and depressed before some progress on the case finally snaps him out of it.  On the other hand, readers who don't like Tower much may find those parts cathartic.

The novel's final chapters offer some interesting thoughts about the law and justice.  However, saying too much about them would spoil the ending.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys crime fiction, strong plots and great dialogue.  Even people who don't normally read this type of story will find many things to love about "Some Degree of Murder."
4796357
I have a strong liking of fantastical stories set in cities, which made me very keen to read this anthology. I'm glad I managed to pick up an early copy of it.

It's very good.

The 21 cities are all different. They range in technology level from the medieval castle of Forrest Aguirre's "Andretto Walks the King's Way" (which is a darker, more peculiar piece than any other medieval fantasy I've read) to the cyberpunk city of Darin C. Bradley's "They Would Only Be Roads" (in which charms and rites are a hacker's tools).

Some stories could be set in our world, if things were a little different. Vylar Kaftan's "Godivy" is set in the familiar office landscape, except that "the administrators [are] mating with the photocopiers and producing children born for office work." In the wars over photocopiers, the office-men forget that their mates are more than objects. A brief, moralistic tale, well-handled, and delightfully quirky.

Other cities are not of our world. Stephanie Campisi's "The Title of This Story" sees Boy come to half-sunken Skendgrot to have a religious book named, in order that his people can discuss it and that it might become more powerful. The language is dead, and impossibly complex for onomastician Regent to decipher. Campisi gives her moulding city a presence within the story, almost as strong as Boy and Regent -- who consider the significance of naming, Boy of himself and Regent of the book. It's a full story (that's a good thing). And the linguistics details are fascinating.

Hal Duncan makes the city an object of death and rebirth in "The Tower of Morning's Bones," in which the bones of old go into the tower of morning, in the city at the end of time and life: "...a tower of all the bones of morning, falling always and forever into the glorious confusion of the world" is its finishing line, and is an apt descriptor of the story as a whole. Duncan does not write simply. But he does write well; he expects a lot of the reader, but gives to one who re-reads, re-examines. Heady stuff (with the double-meaning intended).

A particularly strange city is Catherynne M. Valente's "Palimpsest": a viral city, passed among lovers who, when they sleep, walk its streets. Newcomers are quartered: four of them, who came to the city at the same time, each told that "you will go nowhere, eat no capon or dormouse, drink no oversweet port that they do not also taste, and they will visit no whore that you do not also feel beneath you, and until that ink washes from your feet ... you cannot breathe but that they breathe also." Lucia, quartered, wanders Palimpsest while passing it onto others, until she meets in our world one of the women with whom she was quartered. This is a sensual, beautiful story. (And a novel, Palimpsest, is coming out in 2009; I can't wait to read it.)

An element of the strange runs through most of the stories in this anthology, particularly so in my favourites. Not every story worked for me, but that's the way with any anthology; I think there were only 2 (out of 21) that I disliked, while I immensely enjoyed many more. Other than the ones already mentioned, stories by Jay Lake (set in the same city as his excellent novel Trial of Flowers), Ben Peek, Cat Sparks, Mark Teppo and Anna Tambour were very, very good. What makes this anthology so strong is its variety. Variety in setting, topics, prose. Among the cities modern and old, familiar and strange, cities where it rains vinegar or where an escape artist captivates the population, a suburbia where toys are threats, underwater cities or a city on people's flesh, every reader is likely to find his or her own favourites. And with the overall quality high, readers of different tastes will not be disappointed.
1149615
Finally, after a string of blah reads, I score something truly amazing. I have always loved books about sustainable living, minimalism, and this book combines both of my loves. Montgomery tells us that happiness is not an accidental thing - sometimes it can be caused by design. Urban living has torn apart village living, tossing people into isolated McMansions, taking away their freedom of mobility without dependence on fossil fuels and thus causing a ripple effect of unhappiness throughout society.  But as inspiring as this book is, it's also frustrating because - there are so many things that the powers that be are doing wrong! If only Montgomery was in charge of urban planning. Ha!
But the good thing is the author doesn't leave us stewing in frustration, wishing that we lived in Vancouver or Amsterdam.
He acknowledges that a lot of work has to be done before the urban sprawl can be repaired and village life be restored, but there are still ways to bend the city to your needs, or to change your life to get that village life you've always craved.
That's why I identify most with Conrad Schmidt, a man Montgomery interviewed, who changed his life bit by bit by instinct. Like him, I felt strangely unhappy in the urban sprawl that was the Adelaide suburb of Colonel Light Gardens. After visiting New York City in the 90s, I've always dreamed of living in the heart of a city; it doesn't matter what city, I just wanted to live where the action was, and where everything is within walking distance.
When I returned to Malaysia, by happy chance I got the opportunity to live in the heart of a small satellite city, something I've been dreaming about for a while. My apartment is a few blocks away from malls, a light rail transit station, a park, a great gym, a community book exchange and wonderful cafes. I made friends with the cafe owners, I walked daily to get my groceries and took trains to the city - I only drove my car to work, and even then my work enabled me to escape the insane KL traffic as I worked odd hours, so work is only a quick 15-2ominutes drive away.
I've also downsized, got rid of much of my possessions, lived in a much tinier space. All this has a ripple effect in my life. I'm exercising more, spending less, and more content with my neighbourhood. I've never been happier in my life. And now I understood why!
Instinctively, like Conrad, I've re-engineered my life to make myself happier.
This book also made me realise that maybe Malaysia is heading the right direction - at least in Selangor. The popularity of mixed developments, where residential places are above commercial areas, and light rail transits which snake through these neighborhoods makes me glad. Perhaps one day, one of our cities will be one of the most livable in the world  too.
4483906
As a traveller, walker, and jogger, I've spent a lot of time perusing various urban landscapes over the past quarter-century. If only I'd had "The Urban Tree Book" handy all those years! Like many, I've acquired a  superficial knowledge of the trees and shrubs I've encountered by perusing  guides and fieldbooks, but those aren't books for reading. Arthur Plotnik's  book, loaded with fascinating facts, lively personal observations, and  helpful illustrations, is the exception. I bought it out of idle curiosity  but immediately proceeded to read it straight through. Mr. Plotnik, clearly  a tree "amateur" (lover) in the best sense of the word, has brought the  writer's art to the tree guide. "The Urban Tree Book" has the feel of a  good travel book, written by a friendly and knowledgeable companion eager  to share the delights of the journey. It's a book I'll return to frequently  and can recommend highly.
168121
I live close enough to New York City to head in for a weekend, or even the day and was looking for an "off the beaten path" style book.  It's always tricky finding a decent guide book that doesn't cover only the most popular places- the ones that are the best known or marketed to tourists only.  Which is why this 10 Locals book is such an interesting concept; it's an easy read and fun, too- it's written in a conversational style, with the same questions asked of each of the ten locals.  I now feel like I have ten new friends in New York that all offered me great recommendations of new places to visit.  The other thing that's great is that they offer realistic views on the most touristy options and which are worth visiting, and, better yet, what are good alternatives to similar experiences.  Some I knew (LOVE the Staten Island Ferry!) but some I hadn't thought about yet (like the best places to catch a sunset, or which bridge to ride a bike across if you're not used to biking in New York).  I also love the recommendations of cool and interesting places to visit in the boroughs outside of Manhattan, as well as favorite food carts, small cafes, and shops to check out.  I was looking for a few good excuses to plan a weekend in the City soon, and now I have more than I know what to do with!  Plus, I have it on my phone, so I can bring it with me when we go.
2247214
Initially I was disappointed to learn that Poppy Z. Brite, one of my all-time favorite writers, had decided to leave her gothic fantasy world of New Orlean's far behind in exchange for a toned down look at life from the point of view of the regular folks inhabiting New Orleans (mostly gay, hard-working cooks). I really enjoyed those dark, graphically violent books ~ especially Exquisite Corpse (hmmm, what does that say about me?!). But once I began this book I found myself enjoying her new style which is much less "purple" in its prose and contains a heavy does of unexpected wit and very little of the supernatural (it's still there in a few stories but much less the focus).
The stories contained within this book concentrate more on the people (none of whom are vampires) and the local color of New Orleans and they're all very interesting and slightly "odd" in their own way.
I even enjoyed "Nothing of Him That Doth Fade" which appears to be disliked by many readers. Yeah, it's bleak and horribly sad but that's the point. It paints a realistic portrait of a lovely love affair gone painfully bad. Love is like that sometimes. "Pansu" is a favorite of mine. It's bizarre and an oh-so-very-funny take on possession and exorcism. I thoroughly enjoyed the stories featuring coroner Dr. Brite (the last, about a child, was tough for me to read at times but worth the effort in the end) and I'm anxiously awaiting Poppy's next novel "Liquor" (many of the stories here feature characters from that upcoming novel). The only story that left me cold was the one set in the Matrix universe "System Freeze". I'm not a super huge fan of the Matrix and I'm sure that explains my lack of enthusiasm for this story. It was just an "eh" read for me ~ the details have already flown completely out of my head. "Burn Baby Burn" set in the "Hellboy" universe worked much better for me.
Make sure you're not hungry before starting the stories because most contain delectable descriptions of New Orleans cuisine.
310295
I didn't want to read this book.  It was a gift that I almost gave away unread.  I'd practically given up on urban fantasy, put off by far too many mediocre books with far too-similar plots and revolting artwork (if I see one more supposedly-attractive woman's butt or bare back, I. Am. Going. To. Scream).  Or in the rare UF with a male protagonist, far too many efforts to ape the pulp noir genre that fail miserably.

So I was caught a bit off-guard when this book turned out to be AMAZING.

The story follows Matthew Swift, an "urban sorcerer" in London.  Although he can channel electricity from wall plugs and banish demons using trash bins, he was not an especially powerful or ambitious sorcerer -- that was, until somebody killed him and brought him back to life.  Now Matthew's eyes are blue (they were brown) and now he has both incredible power and a driving ambition:  revenge.

The story follows his quest for vengeance as he stalks and tackles his enemies one-by-one -- but with some fascinating diversions.  First, he's being trailed by the Hunger, the same creepy wraithlike creature that killed him the first time.  Second, Matthew himself is no longer quite human, as the story gradually reveals -- or wholly sane, really, but this is a minor matter.  Griffin reveals all this with dark, dense, chewy prose that reminds me of China Mieville and Storm Constantine at their best.  She sandwiches this between devilishly witty humor (as when Matthew weaves a powerful protective spell out of a subway ticket, simply by reading the ticket's fine print) and elegant characterization, and tops it all off with some of the most original magic I've ever seen.  Best of all, she lovingly depicts London in all its multicultural, multilayered glory, from the rush of the Tube to the reek of the Thames, from bustling core to sleepy suburbs.  I'm a New Yorker and I love my city, but this book makes me want to emigrate.

(No, seriously.)

(OK, maybe just an extended visit.)

Anyway, I don't give five-star reviews often, but this book deserves them.  Buy it, and enjoy.  I'm off to go waitlist the second book of the series.
4733928
Rhiannon Frater is one of the best writers of horror and urban fantasy out there. Okay, that's just my humble opinion. In the case of Ms. Frater's Pretty When She Dies series, she brings to the table an urban horror tale balanced with love interest(s), humor to lighten the load, and a tightly packed plot with virtually no holes (none that I saw) and lots of twists that turns that had me saying, "Oh, no she did NOT just do that!" And no, her vamps are not the sensitive, touchy feel-y sort; they most certainly don't sparkle!

World Building - Because this horror tale is set in an urban setting, Ms. Frater didn't need to spend time drawing a picture for us of what the world looks like; it's ours. Where world building came into play with this book was explaining what was happening to Samantha. Ms. Frater did a great job of letting us discover, at the same time as Samantha, just what Samantha is capable of. Ms. Frater also graced us with a few more supernatural races and what she refers to as "super powers" for the humans. I really loved what she did with Samantha; especially for one crazy scene at the end of the book (I can't tell you but it is so freaking amazing I about spit out my coffee!!)

I'm especially fond of the city Rhiannon chose to set her book in, Austin, TX. Many times the characters lament that the city is changing and they're each trying to decide if it's for the better or the worse. It's a great metaphor for the vampires' lives. Change is hard and uncomfortable, but to get what you want, sometimes you need to do the hard stuff.

Characters - Samantha, Samantha, Samantha... yeah, I pretty much hated her character in the first book. I never really have a problem with characters I dislike in a book because they usually serve a purpose. Samantha definitely serves a purpose and grew on me. We get to meet some of Jeff's team of vampire hunters. Secretly, I wish I could be Jeff: own a bookstore, be a leader of a group of vampire hunters, and drive around in an old Land Rover. And we also get some new characters added to the mix that only add to the story, never weighing it down. I really can't wait to see what happens in the next book :)

And it truly amazes me how consistent Ms. Frater remains with her characters, especially after how much time has passed between when she wrote Pretty When She Dies and Pretty When She Kills (Ms. Frater must have KILLER notes!!) Amaliya is still that unrefined drum playing, cigarette smoking girl who likes to run away from her problems. Cian is still an ass sometimes. Innocente is still smart as hell and Sergio is a great sidekick for her.

Story & Tempo - Ms. Frater wrote the best darn (or damn?) prologue I've read in a long time! Horror, horror, horror!!! She shocks ya and then dumps you into Cian and Amaliya's life. Brings you UUUPPPPPP, and then dumps you on your ass. I LOVE IT!!! Ms. Frater does that often throughout the book; ending some chapters on cliffhangers. Many times I was like, "I don't want to read about this other stuff NOW, I want to know what happened!!!" But then you get wrapped up in the new direction Ms. Frater has taken you and your dumped on your ass again!!

And the use of that writing method does not lessen the plot at all and you're never lost. The plot and story are tight. You have your twists and surprises on top of some hard emotions that had me crying for about 10 minutes (that's a long time for me and a book to do the weeping thing).

Rhiannon Frater is just a freaking amazingly talented author. Just go buy her books NOW, okay?!?! Her next book in the series, Pretty When She Destroys (Pretty When She Dies #3), is going to be out sometime next year. On top of that, the trilogy has been optioned for film and has a script for the first movie! Amazing! The producer is in the process of shopping the script.
3677358
A solid combination of anecdote, case study, and technical detail with a touch of snark and sarcasm. Perfect for the urban planner, progressive traffic engineer, and anyone interested in understanding how changes to lane widths can radically transform a city. Full-color before and after photos help the reader better understand the text and imagine how these principles could apply to their own city's streets.
1906564
Have been looking for an intriguing urban fantasy and this has me staying up late trying to get in "just one more chapter..."  Not only is the story line unique and thought provoking, the writing is polished and represents an author who cares about their craft.  Can't wait to read the rest of the series...
37473
Town of Shadows ~ Lindsay Stern ~ 96 pages (PDF version) ~ 5/5 stars

I get a fair number of books to review, although it's tapered off recently, which is fine by me. I have plenty to read and plenty to write. That being said, when Lindsay contacted me and said that J.A. Tyler from Mud Luscious Press had recommended me to review her book, I jumped on it, and I'm so glad I did.

In the vein of Matt Bell's Cataclysm Baby comes Town of Shadows, a series of short stories all tied together with a bow. The main characters are Pierre and Selma - Selma is a writer and Pierre is doing a series of experiments. The other characters in the town of shadows are just that...shadows. We never fully get to know anyone, but we are still drawn into their stories. The mayor of the town likes to make up rules for the town, like not using vowels. Every time there's a new rule, there is someone who goes around and fixes up the gravestones.

I am fast becoming a fan of dystopian, seemingly post-apocalyptic fiction. Perhaps that isn't an accurate description of Town of Shadows, but it's my gut instinct when trying to come up with something to describe this book. The stories are lyrical, different but all fitting together neatly into a puzzle of this nameless town.

My favorite story was What Will Happen in which Pierre asks Selma what will happen if he writes a novel:

"Suppose I try it," said Pierre.
"Try what?' Selma blinked.
"Writing a book."
"Suppose you do."
"What will happen?"
"Words."

As a writer, I especially liked this because that's exactly what happens when you write a book. Words appear and string themselves together into a coherent story for people to enjoy. It's a process that is not easily understood, in my opinion. There's not some magical thing that happens.

Town of Shadows isn't available for purchase yet at major retailers, but can be found on GoodReads.

Disclaimer: I received this book directly from the author. I was not compensated in any way and all opinions are my own.
3759915
I finished this tour-de-force a few weeks ago and have been thinking about it ever since. It's easily the most memorable crime work I've encountered and also a truly great contribution to modern urban nonfiction.

In fact, I'm not sure how I missed it over the years, but better late than never. Simon's account of a year spent with a Baltimore homicide squad is by turns gristly, shocking, enlightening, infuriating and humorous, but at all times sharply observed. It's refreshingly unsentimental about the bleak social landscape it describes and never tries to idealize or make excuses for the hard-bitten detectives he follows and observes.

The book begins with a bang, an account of a murder of a low-level street player, and builds from there. An early sequence that begins, "This is the job" is a fine piece of economical writing that conveys a strong sense of the the mixture of drudgery, bureaucratic boredom and obsession that define's the detective's life. The book is no mere procedural, but in several instances he produces vivid, sharply observed descriptions of detectives working crime scenes. And it's all played out, incidentally, in a landscape refreshingly free of cell phones, texting, laptops and gee-whiz high-techery that sometimes make modern crime writing a bore. These detectives do their jobs in the street, relying on their own wit, intelligence and ability to develop sources and separate facts from fiction.

Simon also places the homicide unit in its political context. The Baltimore of the late '80s that he describes is a decaying urban center struggling to respond to a tidal wave of drug-fueled, mostly black-on-black violence. The underpaid, overworked detectives are under constant pressure to clear their cases as quickly as possible. They are not fighting crime; they are cleaning up the detritus of a collapsing economy and fraying social structure. The book contains many thought-provoking discussions about the way our system of justice works. As described by Simon, it's at best a case-turning machine whose gears are frequently clogged by appeals, lack of evidence, gamesmanship between prisoner and captor and sheer inertia.

You will meet many memorable characters as you make your way through "Homicide." Several stick with me, and will, I'm sure, for many years, including the cynical but wise and resourceful old timers McLaren and Worden; the loner Edgerton; the darkly humorous Landsman; and perhaps most of all the tormented Pellegrini, who is eventually consumed by the murder of a young girl.

That case is one of the important threads that Simon weaves skillfully through the book. He shows how, for Pellegrini, one case  transforms a job into an obsession.

Simon, of course, brought much of the world of "Homicide" to life in the TV series of the same name and even more brilliantly in "The Wire." But this book brings another, deeper dimension to those fine works. "Homicide" may be more than 20 years old, but it remains fresh and deeply satisfying.
817363
I found The Portable MFA incredibly useful, not only because it provides useful tips that any writer (I myself am a fiction writer just out of college) can apply to his work but it also made me want to write and be a part of the writing world. The fiction chapter (again, that's my personal genre of interest) wove personal opinion, literary anecdote, and practical info all together so impressively.

My own favorite lesson was about flashbacks and the potential drawback in their tendency to be used for explanation, esp when writing a memoiresque piece (there's a separate chapter on personal essay and memoir but there is of course a lot of overlap) - so many writers, including myself, write to be understood, to share, to have others point and say, 'Yes,that is just how I feel,' but the danger is that we write for catharsis not for storytelling - that we write when we should simply be visiting a therapist. The flashback is a tell-tale sign that I'm sinking into the pitfall, though it does have its merits. Also, appreciated the comments about peppering description into a heavily-dialogued passage in order to ground the characters in space and time. I know some of my dialogue can drift into the abstract void otherwise.

Overall, it's a fun read and an encouraging experience - just what you'd expect from an MFA program.