My Volcano by John Elizabeth Stintzi

Reading My Volcano felt like listening to Radiohead. Multiple storylines. Alternate realities. A literary analogue to complex time signatures. Paranoia around greed and power peppered the story, not sneering so much as ironic, which made Stintzi’s critiques even more powerful. And a wall of loneliness flooded parts of my heart I’m otherwise unwilling to feel.

Despite its bleak overtones, My Volcano is an absolute joy to read! The chapters are paced and placed like choose-your-own adventure books, never lingering on each character for more than about four pages (often much shorter!), and THOSE CHARACTERS, my god, were all so different and thrust into whimsical, mythical, extraordinary scenarios that were just simply fun to imagine. A current of hope and salvation carries each story.

All hail speculative fiction for helping readers process complex realities. This book made me want to spend time with friends in person and create more art.

I read the last pages last week after a hike at Painted Rock Conservation Area near Folk, Missouri. The day was warm, the leaves vibrant, and a gentle rain tempered the book’s fever pitch at the end. I read through the rain. Nothing could stop me.

Book Specs:

Official webpage for My Volcano
Speculative fiction
330 pages
Published in March 2022 by Two Dollar Radio

This reflection is part of my new project, Last Words.