Self-examining without being self-conscious, compact without feeling cramped, funny but never at a distant remove―I am not an academic, and I have never worn a cravat, but Camp Austen never made me feel like I needed either of those things in order to participate fully. It’s a delight and an invitation.

Welcome to the trippy valleys of southern New Mexico. Your guide: a loquacious wordsmith à la David Foster Wallace.

It’s been a long wait for Joshua Wheeler’s first book, but it would have been worth the wait even if we’d had to wait twice as long. Full of fine lines mined by a still-young writer, Acid West is worth its weight in gold.

More than just a relentless page-turner, this amazing novel made me consider the destructive forces that create and nurture much of the savagery plaguing our world . . . I loved and admired The Savage, and feel Bill is one of the most interesting and influential writers working today.