CHASING MERCURY AGAINST THE DYING OF THE LIGHT

I’ve already written about Paul Phillips’ work this summer, apropos of 76: A Novella, but I finished reading the last book of Chasing Mercury a few days ago and found myself returning to a thought expressed in that post: without easy access to self-publishing tools, readers might never have the opportunity to enjoy these books. And that would be very unfortunate, because, in this series, Paul Phillips’ writing truly hits that sweet spot between Fleming and le Carré, often with a dose of Chandleresque poetic flair and the aesthetics of a neo-German Expressionist film, accompanied by a depth of historical research and impressive attention to detail that place these books above mere pulp entertainment. 

Don’t get me wrong: there is a lot of entertainment in these books as well. Chasing Mercury is exactly what upmarket spy thriller writing should read like, and honestly, I find it difficult[1] to understand how publishers could have ignored a work that, adequately marketed, was bound to be quite profitable.

Once again, I’m glad that self-publishing has become so accessible. Yes, even with a lot of AI-slop being published every day[2], I still think this path is often the only way for writers to bypass the “usual gatekeepers” and for readers to enjoy a well-written book series like Chasing Mercury.

So here’s to all the authors out there who believe in their work and still “rage against the dying of the light” in fiction. 

Happy Self-Publishing!

C. E.   

NOTES

[1] Difficult, but not impossible, of course. “2028 Is When Traditional Publishing Plans to Quietly Kill Literary Fiction” by Michael O. Church is a great eye-opener about the current state of traditional publishing, and “The sinking writer” by Naomi Kanakia offers some interesting insights on how to cope and keep writing.

[2] AI-generated writing is also getting awards and being traditionally published, so maybe the “usual gatekeepers” are just as clueless as most readers when it comes to that particular subject.