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John Pistelli

Goodreads Author

Born

in Pittsburgh PA, The United States

Website

http://johnpistelli.com

Genre

Fiction, Literary Fiction, Criticism

Influences

Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides; Virgil, Ovid, Dante; Shakespea ...more

Member Since

January 2008

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/johnp

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John Pistelli is from Pittsburgh, PA. He is the author of five books: the forthcoming Major Arcana, The Class of 2000, The Quarantine of St. Sebastian House, Portraits and Ashes, and The Ecstasy of Michaela. Find out more here. ...more

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Can you point me to any graphic novels that remotely approach 'Cages'?

John Pistelli I can't think of a single book that compares in tone, themes, and visual flair, but I can make some recommendations for each of these aspects. If you …moreI can't think of a single book that compares in tone, themes, and visual flair, but I can make some recommendations for each of these aspects. If you like the base-level style of shadowy gestural drawing, I recommend Alack Sinner, drawn by José Muñoz, who influenced McKean, and the whole series, a harsh noir, has a cumulative impact comparable to Cages. If you liked the heady but slightly whimsical philosophical discussions (and the feline presence), I recommend The Rabbi's Cat by Joann Sfar. If you liked the gentle lyrical urban surrealism, I recommend the Obscure Cities books by François Schuiten and Benoît Peeters. Similarly dreamy—and with a killer ending—is Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo's Enigma. Also Paul Pope's earlier work (100% and, if you can find it anywhere, THB) is comparably original. I hope that helps!(less)

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What do you look for when you rate books? Is there a general guideline for what constitutes the different stars? I understand that strict guidelines are limiting when discussing art, but I was curious about your rating system.

John Pistelli I don't have a system. Since the star rating itself is pretty arbitrary, I answer by instinct using Goodreads's own colloquial guidelines ("it was OK,…moreI don't have a system. Since the star rating itself is pretty arbitrary, I answer by instinct using Goodreads's own colloquial guidelines ("it was OK," "I liked it," etc.), more or less to remind my future self what my gut response to the book was in spite of any more sophisticated response I might have had.(less)

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John Pistelli’s books

Average rating: 4.4 · 48 ratings · 20 reviews · 9 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Ecstasy of Michaela 4.70 avg rating — 23 ratings — published 2012 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Major Arcana 4.67 avg rating — 9 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Portraits and Ashes 4.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2017 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Ragnarok Fall/Winter 2012 by Anniken Davenport (Editor), Jan English Leary (Goodreads Author) (Contributor), Mark Levine (Contributor) 3.60 avg rating — 5 ratings — published 2012 — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Class of 2000 4.33 avg rating — 3 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Quarantine of St. Sebastian House liked it 3.00 avg rating — 4 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Class of 2000: A Novel 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Vampire Zone #1 Nude Embrace Edition by John Pistelli (Goodreads Author), Scott Burnette (Illustrator) 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Vampire Zone #1 Nude Edition 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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John Pistelli's Blog

December Books

I continue my sabbatical from longform criticism as I write my novel, Major Arcana, which I am now serializing on Substack in both text and audio format for paid subscribers. For now, a brief catalogue of my last month’s reading. My weekly Substack newsletter is always free. I encourage those who haven’t yet subscribed to please do so.

Robert Boyers, Maestros & Monsters: Days & Nights with S

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John Pistelli rated a book liked it Back to Methuselah: A Metabiological Pentateuch by George Bernard Shaw	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 31, 2024 09:08PM · like
John Pistelli rated a book really liked it Maurice (Volume 8) (Queer Film Classics) by David Greven	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Pistelli rated a book it was amazing Hard Times: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions) by Charles Dickens	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 31, 2024 09:07PM · 1 like · like
John Pistelli has read Maurice (Volume 8) (Queer Film Classics) by David Greven	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Pistelli has read Hard Times: A Norton Critical Edition (Norton Critical Editions) by Charles Dickens	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Pistelli rated a book really liked it Charles Dickens (Penguin Lives) by Jane Smiley (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 31, 2024 09:06PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Charles Dickens by Jane Smiley. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Charles Dickens by Jane Smiley
John Pistelli rated a book really liked it A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 31, 2024 09:05PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
John Pistelli rated a book really liked it Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
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John Pistelli has read A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Mar 31, 2024 09:04PM · like · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens