Two BOA fiction collections were recently reviewed by Micheal Czyzniejewski of Story366: Robin McLean's Reptile House and Douglas Watson's The Era of Not Quite.

Focusing on the Reptile House story "Cold Snap," which he says he is "particularly fond of," Czyzniejewski calls the story a "combination of 'Cold Snap' by Thom Jones and Ron Hansen’s 'Wickedness,' with a little Walking Dead thrown in."

He says: "Overall, I enjoyed how eclectic this collection comes off, how different Robin McLean is able to make each story, yet how in-depth each world feels, how intimately we get to know each of her protagonists. There’s real vision here, unique and strong, work that I enjoyed and admire."

On The Era of Not Quite, Czyzniejewski calls the collection's story "Against Specificity" a "satire, something that pokes at human nature, our whims, our fickleness. . . . I love the concept, love the execution, love the story."

He raves: "I’d not read any Douglas Watson before today, but I’ve been missing out. I read a handful of stories from The Era of Not Quite last night, then gobbled up a few more today, when I had some free moments. It’s a truly standout collection, in the vein of some of the great satirists and absurdists, writers like Vonnegut, Barthelme, and Coover, a collection I’ll certainly finish, go back to again."

Click here to read the full Story366 review on Reptile House.
Click here to read the full Story366 review on The Era of Not Quite.

Both books are available now at the BOA Bookstore!