i couldn’t put it down! it was funny, exciting, suspenseful, and silly. rak is an excellent writer and storyteller. his use of language is very clever and playful; simultaneously cryptic, direct, and thought-provoking.

– Melanie Grajeda

You'll find that Rak has created a novel that is at once surreal, bizarre, experimental, and yet totally readable. This is not an easy feat. I've thrown more than one book out the window when the author showed me that he was not in control of the pyrotechnics he was attempting and that his tricks were for their own sake, not the sake of narrative or character.

If you are an adventurous reader who appreciates putting your reading time in the hands of a skilled master, then this is what you need to read. I also recommend that you check out the rest of Rak's publisher's catalog. They are pumping out some of the most daring, cutting-edge literature I know of.

– Norbert the Llama

A book hasn't made me laugh this hard since "A Confederacy of Dunces". Bastard's drug-fueled decent into the dangerous underworld of futuristic pharmaceuticals is a tragicomic acid trip for the ages. Seriously. This is a a gut-bustingly funny dose of subversive sci-fi. Fans of Philip K Dick and Hunter S Thompson should take note. But Stefan O Rak's voice is utterly his own. Vivid, lucid-dream language peppered with nihilist non-sequiters and psychedelic satire. "Adventures of Bastard and M.E." is a helluva detective story. A rabbit hole you won't want to stop tumbling down.

– Jake

OK, this book is a ride. Its absurdity is wonderful, and there is method to Rak's madness. Set on a planet with three suns and two moons, Bastard is a recently revived dead detective out to bust a drug ring controlled by the planet's rulers. It's hilarious, more or less coherent, with eyes popping out and a delirious cartoon feel. The prose is knowing, it rips along, there is actual suspense and his descriptions of food had me rolling on the floor in spaghetti and dirtballs. Don't compare it to Dick, Pynchon or Burroughs! Compare it to Rak. He's out there alone, five foot projectile tongue squealing in the rafters. I haven't enjoyed anything this much in a long time.

– Jon Frankel

Rak is an absolute wordsmith and surrealist Painter with heart of the streets. Adventures of Bastard and M. E. is hilarious , engaging, and unforgettable trip.

– Boris J

A pataphysical, oulipian, menippean satire of and maybe the only real antidote to our current alternative truth, synthetic drug-fueled, semi-consensual nightmare of a civilization.

– Gnarlynerd

Mr. Rak delivers a compelling mix of wordplay, that challenges genre and the way we read. Constantly breaking expectation and creating a compelling Paige Turner.

The settling makes one feel in a nowish but I haven't heard of it yet universe. So close to daily experience yet so strange. A definite work and an intimate insight into and intelligent and instructive mind.

– Alphonsis Walnut

– Mike Wallace