genre fiction Archives - A Geography of Reading

What do you call a novel that contains the Civil War, steampunk, zombies, and Godzilla? In most cases, I’d say “a hot mess” but in Odd Men Out Matt Betts pulls elements of all these genres and more together into a tight, engaging story. This review will contain spoilers.

Odd Men Out

“The Civil war has ended but not because the South surrendered, instead it’s on hold while both sides face a new enemy—the chewers, dead men who’ve come back to life.” – book jacket description of Odd Men Out

Reading the above description of Odd Men Out, it seems like a pretty straightforward zombie book with a historical backdrop. But the book isn’t like that at all. The chapters alternate between stories of three sets of characters: a transport crew trying to make a buck, a zookeeper and his henchman (who is also a saboteur with the Sons of Grant), and the Odd Men Out–an international peacekeeping force. The transport crew falls victim to the Sons of Grant and is rescued by the Odd Men Out. The transport crew then joins up with the O.M.O.

If that sounds like a lot, it is. This book is packed with information and action (everything I outlined above takes place in the first 50 pages) and at times I was seriously lost–especially when it came to the Civil War and that the Sons of Grant were the bad guys. So although this book is filled with action and a lot of fun, don’t read it too quickly.

Instead, take some time to appreciate the relationships between the characters which are surprisingly well developed for a book this size with so many characters. Let the situations wash over you–in the first few pages of this book, I went from feeling like I was inside Serenity or Firefly to experiencing echoes of BioShock. It’s awesome and fun.

But What about the Zombies?

Although the description makes it seem like the zombies are a big deal in this book, the “chewers” are really more of a complication. And I loved that about them. Rather than the rushing World War Z hordes, there were just enough zombies to keep the characters on their toes. It felt like the zombie situation, though not yet under control, would soon be.

By the time the giant lizard shows up and starts destroying the harbor, it really should be too much. Except that it isn’t. I don’t know exactly how Betts gets away with this amount of excess, but it works. And there are dirigibles and “The Turtle” a machine that reminded me of an AT-AT walker. Perhaps it’s precisely the excess that makes it work. If Bowie had shown up dressed as Tesla, I wouldn’t have been at all surprised or perturbed.

Is this the Start of a New Trend in Genre Fiction?

Genre fiction isn’t new. Some of our greatest literature, from Bram Stoker’s Dracula to The War of the Worlds, can be sidelined into the genre category. I say “sidelined” because there’s a tendency for literary types to look down their noses at genre fiction’s plot-driven texts and in response, genre writers often consider the literary folks snooty as they write about the innermost feelings of everyone and nothing really happens. But great writing and genre writing are not mutually exclusive and in the 1960s a host of writers like Ursula K. LeGuin showed us how to create gorgeous new worlds with equally stunning language and characters.

What does seem to be new, at least relatively so, is this wild blend of genres. To be fair, most zombie stories have an undercurrent of either dystopian fiction or comedy and many steampunk novels are based in either a dystopian or utopian world. But there’s a difference between pairing two genres with a similar feel and mashing together two disparate types of stories. The first time I saw it done was in Pride and Prejudice and Zombies which married Jane Austen and the undead.

What about Movies?

This genre mashup is happening in film too. Last night I watched The World’s End without really watching the trailer. What I thought was going to be a buddy drinking movie turned out to be a midlife crisis movie. With robot aliens (who really don’t want to be called robots). It’s brilliant and it surprised me by how well these elements came together.

The same is true for Matt Betts. I don’t have any idea what he has planned next, but I look forward to finding out.

If you’re looking for a steampunk/zombie/sci-fi/dystopian mashup, pick up a copy of Odd Men Out from Powell’s Books. Your purchase keeps indie booksellers in business and I receive a commission.

Do you need an MFA to write well?

Of course not. Everyone’s definition of good writing is different, but I believe to write well you need careful attention to the words that are your tools. Studying for an MFA gives you time to consider those tools and the effect to which you use them, but there are loads of great non-MFA writers and some of them (Jonathan Lethem is a favorite) could be considered genre writers.

What is genre fiction anyway?

The distinction between genre fiction and literary fiction usually breaks down to plot driven versus character driven. There are all kinds of genres (mystery, fantasy, science fiction) and I really don’t like to draw too many lines, but sometimes putting a name to something lends easy description.

The richness of Outerborough Blues

I can see Cotto’s MFA in this book in some very positive ways. These are a few things I do not expect to see (but am always grateful for) in a mystery novel.

Strong characters

If I told you the catalyst of the story is the moment a beautiful woman walks into the bar where Caesar Stiles works, I would not be doing this story justice. Stiles is no Bud White (especially not the film version) and he’s got a lot more on his mind than helping this moll. His relationships with his family and the other characters in the story are multifaceted and this gives the novel depth.

Strong sense of theme

The title “Outerborough Blues” has a subtle musical element that could be fleshed out or it could be left unexplored. Cotto develops the musical theme with “Slow, flowing progressions in a melancholy key” in two notable ways. One is the way the narrator overlays the sounds of the neighborhood with the music on his stereo. The second is the way the stories about his past relationships build like verses of a song.

Evocative sentences

A writer with control over his or her tools has the ability to set a scene with a very few words. Here are some of Cotto’s sentences that do just that:

“The lady in the liquor store sold me a fifth of whiskey and the landlord’s name without taking her eyes off the book she was reading.”

“My boot pulverized broken vials on the cracked sidewalk.”

One character describes the evolution of the neighborhood as “Milk and honey turned to malt liquor.”

Layered stories

Outerborough Blues tell several stories at once. This could be cacophonous, but Cotto gently layers the tales of family relationships, gentrification, and the mystery at hand that they become as inextricably linked as any real life. As the aspects of the story unfold over the reader, you are exposed to more and more aspects of the story and the community it takes place in. All in 200 pages.

Is there really a difference between genre and literary fiction?

Cotto reinforced for me something I learned while studying for my MFA at Goddard College (one of the MFA programs which prides itself on welcoming genre writers): good writing is not at all limited by genre. Some people want really well described characters. Some want fast, tight plots in rich worlds. Good writing happens in both camps and great writing blurs the lines between them. Cotto has done just that.

If this review made you want to read the book, pick up a copy of Outerborough Blues from Powell’s Books. Your purchase keeps indie booksellers in business and I receive a commission.