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Cluck Second to Stephen King's "The Stand" ...? The (beta) Readers Have Spoken!

on July 29, 2008 7:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

"Cluck: Murder Most Fowl" is ranked #2, just under " The Stand" on Amazon UnSpun. How long will this last? Who knows, but I'm savoring my number two position under "The Stand" while it lasts. The Stand is one of the first horror novels that I ever read, and it has been re-read on occasion since. There's no need to go into an in-depth review, because everyone knows The Stand already, and even if you didn't like it (i.e., you're a mutant or a communist or both), you have to respect the importance of this novel. Cluck, which is also important to me (because I wrote it) is now second to The Stand in a reader-ranked list titled "Favorite Horror Novels."

Interestingly, Stephen King has a copy of my book (most likely in a tube of tin with a plastic liner, lid, and hands-free sanitary foot pedal). I managed to get it to him through a friend who is "once removed" from the successful Maine writer, and was well-warned that it was likely to be ignored. You never know, though ... maybe he'll read it, endorse it, and allow me to keep my position of honor for a while longer. It could happen. Regardless, this is making me very happy because even if it is some beta-system-statistical anomaly, my book is right there! I mean, The Stand? I am having a moment.

... (moment passing) ...

Okay, so now that the moment has passed and I've had a cup of coffee, I realize that this really is a statistical anomaly. UnSpun is a user-driven site run by Amazon.com, and it's still in beta. I'm not sure how the rankings are determined, but it's got nothing to do with sales. There's no scientific data to back that up other than: The Stand has sold zillions of copies, and Cluck has not.

Either it's an anomaly to be proud of, or I'll be getting larger royalty checks ... only time will tell. For now I'm going to continue to revel in my limited (beta) glory. At least until someone else posts a favorite horror novel that is ranked somewhere in between mine and Mr. King's. Or, you could go to Amazon UnSpun and vote for Cluck ... after all, it's Penultimate.

The Silver Vamp: Gabriele Caccini, The Vampire Gene

knappy

on June 10, 2008 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just finished reading Gabriele Caccini: The Vampire Gene - Book 1 (The Vampire Gene) by Paigan Stone. This book won the silver Book of The Year Award from ForeWord Magazine ... beating out Cluck and Footfalls. While I'm sad that I didn't get the award (why isn't there an award for fourth place?) I'm pleased that the books that beat me are very well done. Well, so far I've only read two: the bronze and the silver, but I can assume by what I've read so far that the Gold winner must be pretty special.

On the surface, the story of Gabriele Caccini is a classic telling of the "Vampire Who Wants to be Loved." In place of the tired cliche of the vampire who wants to be human, however, we have a vampire who really is human: he's hardly a monster at all, obsessing more about love than blood. He starves himself to his own despair, allowing himself to feed only once a year in his quest to find the woman who can be both his victim and his lover.

The story is told in an interleaved style, folding back and forth between Gabriele's past and present. In the past, Gabriele becomes a vampire, a development which causes him to lose his first love. In the present, he continues his quest for the woman who can survive to become his eternal bride. His repeated failures, both in the past and present, shape a character ripe with despair. Both tales are wrought with love, lust, and tragedy. Without giving away the ending, there is also a convergence of the plot that leaves the book well situated for a sequel (a planned sequel is evident in the title, so you can look forward to it).

Now, vampire-romances are not my cup of proverbial tea, so I am no expert here, but I wasn't expecting to read a book about vampires where the vamps had such real weaknesses of character: self-confidence issues; not being able to fit in; unable to come to terms with their vampirism ... that kind of thing. I actually got irritated at the main character for not being bad-ass enough (I mean, come on man! You're four hundred years old ... grow a pair!). That may sound like a dig, but it is actually a compliment: any character that gets a rise out of me is a character written well enough that I'm thinking about them as a personality and not a plot mechanism.

There were plentiful doses of sex to feed the desires of those looking for a romance fix, though these scenes were more civilized that you expect from a romance novel (well, than I what I expect ... and I admittedly don't read them). Overall, the clear and colorful characters are what makes Gabriele Caccini: The Vampire Gene - Book 1 (The Vampire Gene) a book worth reading - and the silver medal that it earned.

Four-and-a-half Feathers from the Rooster King. Pros: strong character development, well structured plot. Cons: wussy vampire, too much romance, not enough horror.

Lupa gives Cluck "Four out of Five Paws"

knappy

on June 9, 2008 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I sent a copy of Cluck to Lupa over at Pagan Book Reviews. I'm not really a pagan (but I'm not not a pagan, either), and Cluck is a tad off-topic for PBR, but I'd read several of Lupa's reviews and I found them thoughtful, insightful, and thorough. True enough, the Pagan Book Review of Cluck: Murder Most Fowl did not dissapoint. I recommend checking out the rest of PBR while you're there - good stuff, it is.

"Take one flock of zombiefied chickens, with an uber-rooster at the head. Throw in one inept wannabe farmer living in a haunted house. Top it off with an order (no pun intended) of secret zombie chicken hunters, with a particularly talented mortal off on a solo crusade to end the plague of undead fowl once and for all. Mix well with a good dose of off-the-wall humor, some camp, and enough talented description to give you a movie in your head, and you have the makings of one very fun read."

There's some great stuff in the middle, including some astute observations of what's not good in the book. I'm big enough* to recognize my own flaws, and appreciate the criticism. You can read all about them here. The end of the review finishes nicely with a recommendation to buy my book, which I always think is nice. Hint!

"Pick this one up if you have a long plane flight, need something to read on the morning commute, or simply want something entertaining to read over a weekend. It has good re-read potential, too, so you'll definitely get your money's worth."

* After eating three pounds of lobster over the weekend, I am getting bigger still

New Accolades for the Rooster King

knappy

on June 5, 2008 12:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The reviews are coming in clumps today - a good omen for the Book Expo America, which starts Friday. The first was from DeadRooster (great name, great humor blog, even better review), and the second comes from Odyssey Reviews. But "new accolades" doesn't just refer to another good review -- it actually refers to new accoldaes, as in a new award. Inspired by Cluck, awarded by Odyssey, is the son-to-be-coveted "Award of 'indie' Excellence".

All I can say is, "wow." I'm honored. This is the point where I try to thank everyone who helped, and the TV people have to turn up the music to get me off the stage, because I start blathering.

"Eric D. Knapp's "Cluck: Murder Most Fowl" is one of the best books we've reviewed so far on Odyssey Reviews. This tongue-in-cheek (or beak) work of brilliance will surely make you laugh. The writing is on par with the likes of Terry Pratchett. The story is brilliant, the writing unbelievably good"

A new award, and another comparison to Terry Pratchett (one of my literary heros). I think I'll be celebrating tonight with a martini or ten.

[UPDATE Jun 4] The award total is rising for Cluck:

- Winner, Bronze IPPY for Horror

- Winner, Odyssey Indie Excellence Award

- Finalist, ForeWord Book of the Year Award

- and a growing list of reviews

Scary or Funny? The Chronicles of a Zombie-Chicken Slayer

knappy

on May 28, 2008 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

From DeadRooster.com:

"Cluck is extremely well-written and is story-telling at its best. Author Eric D. Knapp shows his skills by successfully blending the difficult combination of humor and horror ..."

The new book by Eric D. Knapp has elements of horror mixed with side-splitting humor. Read a review of this fantastic supernatural comedy-thriller at DeadRooster.com

read more | digg story

Cluck Wins Award: A Bronze "IPPY" for the Rooster King

knappy

on May 22, 2008 1:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Cluck might be a Murder Most Fowl but it's also a Book Best Written: announcements were sent out last night by Independent Publisher and Cluck was on the list! This is a big award for independent authors: IP is a respected organization, and over 3,000 books were entered in this year's competition. And Cluck, your fav zombie chicken book, won! Can I get a "Hell Yeah!"

... [sounds of crickets chirping] ...

Okay, so I guess I need to attract a larger readership before I can get a Hell Yeah, but at least I won an award. Now, if you'll pardon me while I pat myself on the back ...

DarqueReviews offers a CluqueReview

knappy

on May 22, 2008 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Kimberly Swan of DarqueReviews wrote a nice review of Cluck: Murder Most Fowl. A brief excerpt:

"Mr. Knapp entertains readers with a well-written and detailed world that has many twists, turns and horrors to experience along the way. While zombie chickens may not be at the top of your list of interests, the bizarre nature of this story will keep readers turning the pages to see where it will lead. It's an unusual tale that falls more on the light side of horror than anything else, and it's one that anyone who reads it won't soon forget."

Wait, if I put on my marketing hat, I can make that event better:

"Mr. Knapp entertains readers with a well-written and detailed world that ... will keep readers turning the pages to see where it will lead. It's an unusual tale ... one that anyone who reads it won't soon forget."

Wait, I can do even better than that:

" ... well-written ... will keep readers turning the pages ... it's one that anyone who reads it won't soon forget."

Seriously though, stop by and read the entire review.

"Chicken Soul for the Soup"

knappy

on April 24, 2008 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The good folks over at Front Street Reviews broke tradition and gave me THREE reviews! The editor, another review (from Austria), and another reviewer (from Maine) all read and reviewed Cluck. It's official, people can't resist reading a book about zombie chickens. There's a doctorate in psychology in store for the lucky person who figures that one out.

The full review(s) are available over at Front Street Reviews, but here are some excerpts:

"Definitely amusing and most bizarre this is an out of the ordinary first in the series which will have you clucking for more"

~ Ann Marie Chalmers (Austria)

"In this sure-to-be-timeless-classic, Knapp gives us extraordinary insight into the fowl mind. This book is surely Chicken Soul for the Soup."

~ Tom Morton (from Maine ... wait, is this the Tom of Maine? Maybe I can get a deal on toothpaste!)

"Knapp likes to compare his writing to Terry Pratchett and it is an accurate one."

~ Barb Radmore (the editor, also from Maine)

"The author is able to take an idea that is absurd and ridiculous and create a very well done, full bodied piece of literature. It would have been easy to let the book rest on its innovative plot but it is much more than just horror. Literature? With zombie roosters? Impossible! Not when as well written as Cluck has been."

~ Barb Radmore (again)

I was just officially compared to Terry Pratchett by a reviewer. ... [momentary silence] ... and then I fainted.

"Cluck is a tongue planted firmly in beak, hilarious trip that will leave your guts busted and have you clucking for a sequel."

knappy

on March 10, 2008 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Revenant Magazine — The premiere zombie magainze — just published a review of Cluck. highlights include the above, plus:

"One might predispose that a book about zombie chickens would be low-brow and intellectually void. That is certainly not the case with author Eric D. Knapp's 'Cluck: Murder Most Fowl', a literary romp through the world of undead chickens, and underdog anti-heroes.

With a unique blend of comedy and good vs. evil, Cluck manages not only to unfold an entertaining story but also to be incredibly humorous and very well written."

I've been waiting for several zombie-industry reviews to hit the public eye, and I'm thrilled that they've all been great so far. I was worried that the humor/horror combo would fall flat on die-hard zombie mongers. It looks like my fears were unfounded - yay!

The praise is not only flattering, it also further validates my belief that Bruce Campbell should help bring this puppy to film. (oh, for those who have asked: I would want Bruce to play both Armand and Bobby).

Read the full Review .

"A genre buster ..."

knappy

on January 24, 2008 9:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've read books from another independent author, RW Ridley, and I was pleased as punch when he picked up a copy of Cluck and reviewed it! His verdict?

"... a genre buster ... When you can make a zombie chicken an unforgettable villain, you're doing something right. My prediction is that this is destined to be a cult classic."

~R.W. Ridley, author of The Oz Chronicles

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This blog is here to promote Cluck, and also to help the world laugh a little. "Cluck" is a Book. An award-winning book. Support a starving artist and buy ten copies today!