PRAISE FOR THE ADJUSTMENT LEAGUE
“Masterful … The Adjustment League is suspenseful, exquisitely written and—at times—corrosively funny.”—Maclean’s, Feature Profile and Editor’s Pick
“Mike Barnes’s The Adjustment League weaves together elements of a psychological drama and a noir thriller as it follows a nameless man who feels compelled to right the wrongs inflicted on the helpless … The dialogue flows naturally within a narrative that tightens, flares, and grows intense with perceptive descriptions, references, and allusions … [B]oth a literary tour de force and a deft psychological thriller.”—Foreword Reviews
“Recounted
in fragmented, almost impressionistic prose that is sharp as glass shards, The Adjustment League...is an intense
journey into the underbelly of contemporary society, and a visceral descent
into darkness. It is a powerful and original work, which succeeds as a mystery
and something altogether deeper.”—Quill and Quire
“The
Adjustment League is a unique Noir thriller, fast-paced, dark and chilling
but infused with a poet’s rich and compelling lode of metaphor and language – a
dark gem of a book.”—Goodreads
“The Adjustment League’s superpower is in its crackling portraits. The Super takes his place in the queue of great damaged detectives (see Sherlock Holmes). ...It’s this Superman’s mind that’s stronger than steel.”—The Globe and Mail
“The Adjustment League’s superpower is in its crackling portraits. The Super takes his place in the queue of great damaged detectives (see Sherlock Holmes). ...It’s this Superman’s mind that’s stronger than steel.”—The Globe and Mail
“A deftly crafted noir mystery/suspense thriller of a novel by an author
who is a master of the genre, The
Adjustment League is a riveting read from cover to cover and highly
recommended for community library collections.”
“A literary thriller of stabbing insight that’s often
corrosively funny”—Maclean's Best Books of 2016
PRAISE FOR MIKE BARNES
“… fiercely alive, marked by a sharp, unerring eye for detail and a wonderful way with metaphors.”—Toronto Star
“His lucid prose brings to mind Poe’s Gothic horror, Hunter S. Thompson’s strangeness (without the drug-craze), and William Burroughs’ ellipsis (without the disintegration). But it is perhaps closest to Roald Dahl’s intimate exploration of human oddity and use of surprise in Switch Bitch.”—Globe and Mail
“Barnes writes like a contrary angel, dazzling with his deft craft and smacking readers in the gut with concentrated and perceptive subjects.”—Malahat Review
Published 23 August 2016 by Biblioasis .
Profile of author and book in Maclean's magazine (18 August 2016 issue).
Essays by author published online by Maclean's (links also within article):
Living and Writing with Mental Illness (originally entitled "Lifebook and Beast")
Being Upfront about Mental Illness (originally entitled "Inside-Out (Following Giselle)")
The Collective Fear of Alzheimer's (originally entitled "Where is Everybody?")
My Favourite Reading Place (originally entitled "The Freight Elevator")
Reviews:
Foreword Reviews
Goodreads
Quill and Quire
The Globe and Mail
Midwest Book Review
Author Interviews:
Open Book "Lucky Seven" interview
Hamilton Review of Books
Related Essays by Author:
Top 6 Reasons to Beware of Top 10 Writing Tips (posted in The Strand)
A Room in the Dark (posted on Beatrice)
