I was told to read Matt Hughes. Not Matt Hughes the ultimate fighter, but Matt Hughes the writer. (though if it were a book about Matt Hughes the fighter, I’d hope the last chapters would explain how George St Pierre was going to beat him in November). It’s a novel called Black Brillion and it was very hard to find. I actually had to order it from Chapters.ca.

So I’m two pages in. Had to go to the dictionary. Not once, not twice, but three times. Two pages!

perambulating – to walk about
renunciants – can’t find in dictionary
surreptitiously – obtained in a secret manner (okay, I know what this means…but honestly)
gainsaid – to deny

I really should reserve judgement, but the words he uses to describe something simple — it feels like his thesaurus has run amok. This is supposed to be a sci-fi thriller. How can it thrill me when I’m trying to figure out what he’s trying to say.

Let me pick out a standard passage…nothing out of the ordinary. How about this: At ease in the red-tab compartment’s sumptuous lounge, the fraudster helped himself to a smattering of delicacies from the circulating buffet..

I don’t find that easy to read. Perhaps, once I’m reading it will flow. Afterall, the guy isn’t a hack — he’s published through TOR (one of the biggies) so he knows what he’s doing.

I just hate when a novel makes me feel dumb.