Psst...

[Paul A. Toth]

Let me take this opportunity to shamlessly plug my underrated, underpurchased novel, Fizz. I can safely say you've never quite read anything like Fizz. You will read it fast. You won't know whether to laugh or cry. Chances are, you'll feel a bit odd upon completing, not unlike its main character, Ray Pulaski.

F I Z Z AMAZON
BARNES & NOBLE

One man's journey to lose and find himself in one fell swoop. To Ray Pulaski, the world is a ghost he can see but not touch. Like unreadable sheets of music, people operate by rules he cannot understand. Eventually, like a developing photograph, revealing itself sliver by sliver, the world shows Ray more than he can bear. COMMENTARY "The strength of Fizz is its narrative voice and the weird kaleidoscope of thoughts and images that ultimately tell a story about belonging and truth." Susan Henderson, Managing Editor, Night Train "Michigan writer Toth tells a surrealistic and satirical story of a young loser who reinvents himself as a winner, with unintended results." Detroit Free Press Toth is an exceptional writer, and while Fizz is not technically crime fiction, it's a book steeped in mystery. Ray Pulaski is trying to figure out who he really is and as part of this journey re-invents himself as a number of different people. On his trip to self-discovery, we find Ray becoming a gigolo quite by accident, a rock star and a gentleman's gentleman. Often humorous and tragic, this book is captivating. Toth writes from the soul with an honesty and truthfulness that is almost uncomfortable. Toth has a truly unique voice you shouldn't miss. Jon Jordan, Publisher & Editor, CrimeSpree Magazine "Toth opens Fizz with a bang and never looks back. His writing is fierce and his characterizations fiercer, erasing the line between delusion and reality while never losing track of the story's heart." Whitney Pastorek, Editor, Pindeldyboz "Fizz is a fun, fun read folks…Toth does some wonderful things through the eyes and life of a kid dropped shortly after birth in a horrible accident (or was it?). Ray Pulaski’s world is ever changing (as is his name) as he struggles to find the answers to who he is and why…Ray’s dilemma is complicated not only by his 'slowness' (and a possible mother from hell), but also by all the people around him as their cruelty (even when trying to be kind) sends Ray from one search to another. Toth shows how cruel we all can be without even trying...and how life’s lessons are always learned the hard way. Great stuff, really. Bravo! Fizz sizzles… a compelling read that doesn’t let anyone off the hook." Charlie Stella, author of Cheapskates and many more "The writing, however strange, makes you want more..." Anna Ditkoff, The Baltimore City Paper, in review of first chapter (previously published as limited edition booklet) "Paul A. Toth is a unique, startling new voice in American literature. Part Bukowski, part Hemingway, part Freud, and, well, part Toth, every sentence in Fizz is packed with a fantastic punch. Readers will be engaged with Ray Pulaski. Certainly, Paul A. Toth is a talent to watch." Felicia C. Sullivan, Editor, Small Spiral Notebook "It was a relentless rush, and I mean that in the best possible way--like eating poprocks nonstop for three hours." Lisa Swanstrom, Co-Editor, Sunspinner Magazine "Buy Paul Toth's book." Todd Zuniga, Editor, Opium Magazine "Fizz, Paul A. Toth's first novel, can be summed up in two words: 'read it.' A combination of Fight Club and The Adventures of Don Quixote, Toth's venture into the cold (and funny) streets of one man's hell is also a savage satire of society's hell-bent fascination with fame and the destruction of those we put on a pedestal. Sharp, Mr. Toth! Very sharp!" Tim Ljunggren, Editor, Insolent Rudder "Paul A. Toth is a magnificent addition to the legacy of writers boring a hole through the sun. Every word, every longing can be heard in your head. Every page reveals yet another reason to continue on...You've just got to read this book, get it signed by the author, because some day it will be worth much more than you paid for it." Chris Mansel, Muse Apprentice Guild/Culture Animal Column preview courtesy of August Highland, Editor "Toth's writing is psychedelic, violent, sliced with a dark nasty humor... And I like that, wish more writers were working in that arena. You find it in Will Self, James Kelman, Chuck Palahniuk, Larry Brown, and now in Paul A. Toth." Anthony Neil Smith, Editor, Plots With Guns "Toth's nimble prose walks a fine line between the comic and tragic as Ray wavers between reality and fantasy, and the situations in which Ray finds himself are inventive and compelling." Richard Scarsbrook, author of Cheeseburger Subversive "Paul Toth is not only a natural storyteller, he's one hell of a talented writer. Scenes rooted in the mundane, the everyday pop with clarity and color -- vividly and violently -- and are so often entertaining. His character, Ray Style, is part Candide, part Holden Caulfield, with the luck of Ignatius Reilly forever being spun downward by ruthless Fortuna." Matthew St. Amand, author, As My Sparks Fly Upward "With this novel, we are introduced not only to a startling and original protagonist in the guise of Ray, but the emergence of a startling talent in the guise of Paul Toth. His writing, at times, echos both the grittiness of Goodis and the wit of Bukowski in a neo-Voltairian comedy of manners." John C. Erianne, Editor, The 13th Warrior "A unique portrait of a most unusual soul. Disturbing and entertaining, and you can't beat that combination." Dom Salemi, Editor, Brutarian Magazine "Marked by a kind of goofball, satirical surrealism, Toth's tight prose never ceases to delight cruisers of the new-lit digital underground. Fizz, his first full-length offering, is no exception. You might look at the book as a kind of ultracomic Invisible Man (Ellison) for a generation of shiftless and confused youth..." Todd Dills, Editor, The 2nd Hand "A passionately original voyage through the complex labyrinth of the human mind, Fizz is a tale readers will not soon forget, nor should they, because in the sea of cookie cutter fiction out there, where empty hype often outweighs talent, Paul A. Toth is the real deal, and Fizz is a ride no one should miss." Greg F. Gifune, author of Heretics, Night Work & more