Tom Shachtman

ECHOES or, The Insistence of Memory

Ell, a millennial of European and Mexican heritage, has one humorous children’s book published, but her more serious writing projects are stalled, her boyfriend has dumped her, and she is deeply frightened by a recurring dream.  To solve her problems she delves into family mysteries – Civil War-era slaveholding, madness, and theft of artifacts.  The key to all, previously unknown to Ell but remarkable, is a female Confederate warrior ancestor whose nightmare echoes her own.  By tracing both their dreams to ancient times, and by using insights from modern genetic theory, Ell solves the mysteries and enables herself to move forward.

“Ell’s searching identity merges with that of her rediscovered Warrior Princess as the novel moves beyond its characters to explore how our notions of history and memory are comprised of an infinity of fragments that interrelate in many ways.”

— Kenneth Knoespel, poet and professor emeritus in history and literature, Georgia Tech

THE MEMOIR OF THE MINOTAUR

A novel Published by MADVILLE PUBLISHING.

Prepublication praise:

“A romping confessional riff on the classic tale, a portrait of the artist as a young bull. Shachtman’s rollicking prose weaves mythology into a gripping yarn and gives antiquity’s voiceless celebrity monster a soaring human heart.”

-Charles Graeber, NYT bestselling author of The Good Nurse and The Breakthrough. 

“A fine read.  Exciting, entertaining, witty.  Even more, a rare experience.  Despite the blood and gore, the book resonates with wonder, and lingers in our minds for weeks afterward.   Its conclusions are generous and thoughtful.   A ‘classics’ challenge for readers that stuns us with its bravery and humor.  I loved it.” 

-John Neufeld, author of international bestsellers Lisa, Bright and Dark, and Edgar Allen. 

“Seldom have I written a review in which I can quiet the voice of the critic while losing myself in the story. As I read The Memoir of the Minotaur, that critical voice was very quiet; I am not exaggerating when I say the prose is so nearly flawless that we may as well call it perfect.  There is not one phrase that has not been carefully selected and evaluated. Shachtman is a word-master; if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman or Salman Rushdie you don’t want to miss this book.”

-Five-star reedsy review.

Praise from an early reader:

“Shares its form with other popular retellings of the monster narrative such as John Gardner’s Grendel … and the narrative voice has likenesses to the exuberance, bawdiness, and blasphemy of Salman Rushdie and John Barth …. Packed with actions both big and small as it deals with themes of power, violence, sexuality, and the role of storytelling, its most endearing quality is the hilarity and absurdity of our classical values interacting with our animalistic cores …. Ultimately, the book is riotous …. I had a great time with it.” 

THE FOUNDING FORTUNES: HOW THE WEALTHY PAID FOR AND PROFITED FROM AMERICA’S REVOLUTION

St. Martin’s Press in January 2020: THE FOUNDING FORTUNES: HOW THE WEALTHY PAID FOR AND PROFITED FROM AMERICA’S REVOLUTION Pre-publication praise: “An ingenious examination of how money played the central role in the founding of the United … [Continue reading] about THE FOUNDING FORTUNES: HOW THE WEALTHY PAID FOR AND PROFITED FROM AMERICA’S REVOLUTION

HOW THE FRENCH SAVED AMERICA: SOLDIERS, SAILORS, DIPLOMATS, LOUIS XVI, AND THE SUCCESS OF A REVOLUTION

St. Martin’s Press in September 2017: HOW THE FRENCH SAVED AMERICA: SOLDIERS, SAILORS, DIPLOMATS, LOUIS XVI, AND THE SUCCESS OF A REVOLUTION. Pre-publication praise: “The author makes a convincing case that, without France, the United … [Continue reading] about HOW THE FRENCH SAVED AMERICA: SOLDIERS, SAILORS, DIPLOMATS, LOUIS XVI, AND THE SUCCESS OF A REVOLUTION