Book Review: Seedlings on the Solar Winds

Seedlings on the Solar Winds

by J Alan Erwine

Paperback: 148 pages
Publisher: Nomadic Delirium Press (December 22, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0980170303
ISBN-13: 978-0980170306

Buy it at Amazon or Nomadic Delirium Press.

J Alan Erwine's "Seedlings on a Solar Wind" is a small book, but loaded with good stories.

I've enjoyed reading all of them. I like short stories. I like the fast setup and the slamming resolution. J's stories fulfill my desire for the quick, fast, slap you in the face plots.

Seedlings has some downsides, but they're not severe. I noticed a few typos here and there. Well, what can I say? I'm a long-time tech writer and typos tend to show on the page in neon to my eye. I've seen them in the high-paid authors books, so I'll not mark J down on that account.

Favorites? "A Chronic Mistake," although J admits he doesn't write much cyberpunk, he might consider doing more. The story kept me going to the end. I didn't think I was much of a cyberpunk fan, but it then occurred to me that Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delaney is one of my favorite books of all time. Is it cyberpunk? I think so, maybe, sort of. Maybe it's pre-cyberpunk. Coming out in 1975, there was hardly any cyber with which to punk anyway. I also really liked Snow Crash by Neal Stephensen, and that's cyberpunk for sure. So maybe I'm more of a cyberpunk fan than I thought.

I think the book is worth the price. I hope everybody will also take a look at J's novels. I'm money-challenged, so I've got to spend wisely, but I sure would include J's books in my "want" list.

Nomadic Delirium Press

This is the first of what I hope will be a regular run of interviews by publishers and writers. I think these are folks that deserve your attention, so I'm hoping you're interest will be piqued to take a look at what they have to offer.

This interview is with J Erwine, the new owner of Nomadic Delirium Press.

Check the website at: Nomadic Delirium Press

Q: Hello, Mr. Erwine, how are you today?

A: I can't complain. Spring has definitely sprung here in the Front Range of the Rockies. After all of the storms we had during the winter, it's nice to have some decent weather, although as warm as it is now, I'm sure we'll be facing a brutal summer.

Q: I recently heard that you are the new owner of Nomadic Delirium Press. What possessed you to add that iron to your fire?

A: Simple answer...I'm insane! I was already doing a lot of the legwork for it, and when the owners wanted out, it seemed like the logical next step...I think the first answer is probably more accurate.

Q: What's available from Nomadic Delirium now?

A: Currently we have my novel, The Opium of the People, my short story collection, Marionettes on the Moon, and an anthology about crime in the future called Future Syndicate.


We will soon be re-releasing a novel by the late James Baker entitled The Poet. After that we'll be opening to submissions for a new anthology, and we will also be doing a couple of novels as well.

Q: Nomadic Delirium currently carries science fiction titles. Are you planning to expand to the related genres of horror and fantasy?

A: At the moment, there are no plans to expand into other genres. However, I am toying with the idea of creating an RPG...we'll see where we go with that.

Q: Where will Nomadic Delirium's books be carried?

A: At the moment, they are available from most on-line booksellers. We are working on getting them into some brick and mortar stores as well, but that's very hard for the small press. Hopefully we will have some new reviews in the next couple of weeks which might get us in the door.

Q: What else would you like to tell my readers about ND?

A: Like many small presses, we really do offer some good alternatives to what the big boys are putting out. It's so hard now for writers to break into the larger markets, we're just glad we can be there for some truly talented writers.