Less Than Zero
Retrograde Season, the long-awaited Less Than Zero Review, The 400 Words a Day Method, and more.
March is almost over and it has been a rough month. Work is not doing what it’s supposed to, the job search continues, and I miss my favorite person like no other. Maybe it’s Venus retrograde, maybe it’s Mercury retrograde, maybe it’s the Venus Cazimi, maybe it’s Mars in Cancer. Either way, I need these planets to shift in my favor.
Some of you might be surprised by the number of people who’ve messaged me about my thoughts surrounding Less Than Zero. Penned by the same guy who wrote American Psycho — Brett Easton Ellis. I had no idea so many people cared about this book, but it made me feel good that people pay close attention to what I say in this newsletter.
I started reading Less Than Zero way back in early 2024, which feels like a century ago. There’s not much in the way of plot except Clay floating through LA and horrible things happening, but it works. The book dragged though and it took me a while to get into.
This book is set in an entirely different era, specifically the 1980s, but it feels like LA in 2025 minus the old-school phones and pagers. Ellis captures the heart of the city of angels, bottles up its essence and spills it on the page.
Warts and all.
There’s a heavy weight to the narrative. A nihilistic coiled doom dormant in the pages. Depression, drugs, abortions, etc.
There is a striking realness to the book. The places, people, and things could all exist out here. There’s a scene where Blair, Clay and Kim run into this girl Lene. Apparently, she was in a music video, but Kim pretends she didn’t see it. It’s awkward and tense but serves as an accurate depiction of the clout chasing in LA. You run into people with “names” all the time and people act weird.
Reading this book is a surreal experience. Coyotes, earthquakes (did you feel it), astrology, etc. I think there were times it hit close to home and I had to pause before diving back in.
The end is heartbreaking in a lot of ways. Clay acts detached throughout the entire book because he feels powerless in a lot of social situations. No one seems to care and why should he? There’s a scene with him and Blair towards the end that made me tear up. She’s the only one who seems to care about him, but he pushes her away at every turn.
Brett Easton Ellis obviously has the juice and had that shit flowing even at 21. I might read another one of his books sometime this year, but we’ll see…
Where the Sky Meets the Ocean and the Air Tastes Like Metal and the Birds Don't Make A Sound
I was feeling kinda down until I cracked open Mike Kleine and Dan Hoy’s book Where The Sky Meets The Ocean and The Air Tastes Like Metal and The Birds Don’t Make a Sound. There’s a vibrancy and boundless nature to the text that uplifted my spirits. I can only file this under bizarro and absurdism.
Short choppy sentences, short chapters, and a never-ending flow to the book. It has vampires, detectives, the Man With One Thousand Faces, and more. One of my favorite books I’ve read this year.
Antho News
The antho news I was teasing in the last newsletter is finally out and I’ve been given the green light to reveal details. My short story “My Gut’s Talking Crazy” was selected for inclusion in Tormented Flesh. I whipped up a body horror short revolving around leaky gut, gang-stalking, and voices. Also, my Broken River Books brother-in-arms, David Simmons has a fire story in here too. I’ll let y’all know when the preorder link drops.
Invincible Season 3
I read Invincible somewhere towards the tail end of high school. The library had the ultimate editions, collecting every issue of the comic series. Hard to believe I’d be watching it sometime in my 30s, but they’ve done an amazing job capturing the essence of the comic. I don’t really care about the Marvel and DC movie releases, and The Boys has been such a disappointment since they’ve tried to become extra political. Invincible seems to be the only thing getting superheroes right.
Gods Fare No Better
I’ve read the majority of JDO’s books, but this one is a completely new experience. A minimalist writer digging deep into his influences and evolving into a maximalist.
I gave JDO a blurb, which pretty much sums up my thoughts.
“Gods Fare No Better is a rich book with a spiritual cyberpunk heart at the center, full of humor, cinematic prowess, memorable action scenes, and masculine prose. J. David Osborne takes a diverse range of influences including Takashi Miike, spirituality, cult films, anime, and manga, and filters it through his brilliant imagination and witty sensibilities. This is sharp, wild cyberpunk narrative that feels like a movie you can’t get enough of.”—Grant Wamack, author of Bullet Tooth & The Frolicking.
You can preorder a copy here.
Writing Updates
So a private goal of mine this year is to write more, and be more prolific. I haven’t been doing so hot in this area, so I decided to enforce a daily word count target of 400 words. You see that number—easy, mentally digestible. I’ve hit it pretty consistently and more times than not, I surpass this number.
That’s how I wrote my first book Notes from the Guts of a Hippo. I had to break it down into numbers so it wasn’t so overwhelming mentally. I figured if I wrote one page a day every day for an entire year, I’d hit 365 pages and that’s a hefty novel. Now, I did not hit that goal every day, but I did manage to put together a novella using this method.
Project Scarecrow Gaze is getting the most traction using my 400 words a day method and the lore is building itself in a sense. I submitted a short story somewhere and a few old poems. Keeping my fingers crossed they all get accepted.
Currently Reading: Only the Living Are Lost by Simon Strantzas & Cosmic Horror Monthly #3 & Crushing Snails by Emma E. Murray & Demons in My Bloodstream: Stories by Candace Nola & Salem’s Lot by Stephen King & The Holy Bible
Currently Watching: Yellowjackets Season 3 (on pause) & Tusla King Season 2
Listening: Back from the Borderline, The Higherside Chats, Agitator, Victory Light
Mr. Bing Bong himself, Gorilla Nems tears down Hot 97 with his freestyle. I always love that gritty in your face NYC rap. Got me feeling fired up to write a fresh chapter matching this energy.
It’s good to see Chicago’s own Saba continue his rise. The new album with No ID production is warm, soulful, and introspective. “Woes of the World” is standout record with the dynamic flow and simple visuals. Good vibes all around.
Rich the Kid and Kodak might have a lil hit on their hands. Catchy hook, anthem material and there’s something beautiful about this being filmed in Haiti. We’re gonna get it, no matter if it’s rain, sleet or snow.
Until next time…
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For business inquiries & blurb requests email grantwamack@gmail.com
There's definitely been some weird energy this month. I've been going back and forth between "I've found the cheat code," and "why the fuck am I still on this boss fight?"