The older I get the less I like short stories, but these weren't too bad. The Term Paper Artist and the interview with the author were my two favorite. The other stories were alright. ( )

"Hey mama, you hear this? My stars are not the true stars!"
"There aren't any true stars for anyone anymore," said Rhea. "Have some mezedakia." ( )

Another in PM Press's Outspoken Authors series, [The Planetbreaker's Son] is a short book featuring samples of the author's work plus an interview and bibliography. The title novella concerns the doings of people who exist as software in an interstellar spacecraft. The planetbreaker has a job judging the simulated "worlds" in the craft, and destroying those he finds unsuitable. He has difficult relationships with his parents, his wife, and his son, played in the key of Greek-American culture - Mamatas's own background. A bit different from his usual Lovecraftian focus, and didn't quite gel for me. "Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring" has a woman talking to the dead over a "Ouija phone"; she gets a murderous assignment from a dead ex. The interview is ably handled by [[Terry Bisson]] - Mamatas is an interesting man. The best is "The Term Paper Artist", Mamatas's memoir of his years ghostwriting for a term paper mill. If you still have some respect for your fellow Americans, this item will get rid of that for you, once you reflect that you meet his customers out in the working world all the time. ( )

I rated this three stars because I enjoyed the short story "Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring, Ring" and the interview as well as the piece on term papers were entertaining.
I however did not finish the novella which forms two thirds of this book and gives it its title, as it couldn't hold my interest. ( )