Rating: 
Summary: 3 1/2 stars. Czuchlewski has a very promising career ahead
Review: Jake is a journalist for a weekly alternative paper in NYC. He sets out to get the story of a lifetime - to find and interview Horace Jacob Little, a reclusive author whose identity is such a well kept secret that even his agent doesn't know who he is. In another storyline, Andrew Wallace is a schizophrenic who believes that Horace Little is out to get him. Andrew and Jake are connected through Lara, the girl they both loved when they were at Princeton (which is where Czuchlewski wrote the guts of this book, while studying with Joyce Carol Oates.) What transpires in the novel are separate but intricately related searches by Jake and Andrew to uncover who Horace Little is, searches which become personal journeys for each of them.Czuchlewski tells his story from two seemingly opposite vantage points: a schizophrenic's desire to prove his convictions and a journalist's conviction to get his story. The anticipated result for each is the illusion of grandeur, the imagined prize for each is the girl they both love. What makes it all the more interesting is that the focus of each of their obsessions is an author who is as much an illusion as anything else in their respective quests. A very complex premise for a novel for such a young and inexperienced author. Czuchlewski pulls it off quite well, even if the language and some of the scenes often give away his age. I consider this book on par with what Mysteries of Pittsburgh was for Chabon.
Rating: 
Summary: A refeshing and original novel
Review: Ledger editor Joe Fogarty assigns new reporter Jake Burnett to uncover the identity of the grandmaster of the postmodern American novel, Horace Jacob Little. The great author has remained anonymous for over a quarter of a century as his book jackets read more like Mike Tyson's boxing garb with no picture, autobiography, or any signings/sightings. Jake tells Joe that trying to obtain a picture of the great one seems impossible, as even his agent has never met him. Still, Jake, a fan of Little, is intrigued with the prospect. At about the same time, Jake's college classmate at Princeton, talented but paranoid Andrew Wallace believes Little is dangerous. In his autobiography, Andrew who is a patient at the Overlook Psychiatric Institute, better known as the MUSE ASYLUM, feels he must protect his beloved Lara Knowles from the insane Little. Jake knows Lara from Princeton and she gives him a copy of Andrew's "Confessions", which surprisingly points in the direction of Little, especially since Wallace seems crazy. As he get closer to the truth, Jake finds himself in danger, but is not sure from whom except that it must be the paranoid Little. The MUSE ASYLUM is an entertaining, different type of thriller that will please readers who enjoy an offbeat tale. The story line is cleverly designed and the key characters seem real. Though the extracts from Confessions slow the plot down a bit while rarely adding that much, the suspense never totally eases up for a moment and the ending is truly shocking. Fans who want to try something different will muse over the talent that David Czuchlewski exhibits in his debut tale. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Sacrificed homework to read
Review: Overall, I enjoyed the novel and read it in two evenings instead of reading "Hard Times" by Dickens as required for my English class. The fact alone that I was willing to sacrifice homework time to read this novel should tell you that I thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite enjoying the novel, I do have a few quips about it. First off, the characters needed to be developed more - not to mention given different personalities from one another. Lara, Jake and Andrew are the worst. If I were to take every line of text spoken from each character without noting who said what, then it would sound like the same person. I could have also done without the intellectual pretentiousness of those three characters seeming as they are my least favorite type of people whom I see every day of my life at my university. But silly me for thinking I could escape them. My other problem with the novel was the abrupt transitions between the story and Andrew's memoir - at least, when I first started reading the novel. When the plot and history become clearer, it was less annoying. However, Andrew's memoir gave needed background information in a novel way without having to force the characters to waste away numerous pages with dialog and flashbacks. As for being "an ingeniously plotted postmodernist mystery" - as the back cover says - I feel differently. Of course it's a postmodern novel seeming as it was written in the postmodern era. However, I believe that it lacks some of the defining characteristics of postmodernism to be classified as such. If you want a good example of postmodernism, read "White Boy Shuffle" or "Motherless Brooklyn". While the novel does deal heavily with insanity and self-identity, these are more characteristic qualities of a modernist novel. Postmodern critique aside, I found the ending of the novel to be quite unnerving and left me with a lot to think about the night I finished the novel. And that's exactly what I like in a novel. All in all, I felt that this was a very clever first-time novel; especially for a guy only a few years older than I. Furthermore, I strongly recommended it to my boyfriend to read just so I could discuss the ending with him. Bottom line: this is a very well-written first time novel and I recommend it as a read while traveling or on a rainy day (because if you're like me, you'll probably end up reading it straight through).
Rating: 
Summary: A Fine Entertainment
Review: The author writes well, he really turns some nice sentences. The story is creative and compelling enough. Some nice turns along the way there as well. Believability factor...uh, low. But hey, it's fiction, and if it's entertaining and tightly written, as this is, that's enough.
Rating:
Summary: Big Themes
Review: The best thing about this book is that it deals with some great 21st Century themes:
The Nature of Self and Identity
In passing:
Twins Studies
Parallel universes
Quantum theory But it is not a mature work. The first chapter is vividly written but the style goes downhill after. The book is too long, it is really an O'Henryesque short story aimed at a surprise ending. Lara should have been minimized or edited out; she is boring. All the characters talk alike. I have known schizphrenics and let me tell you, Andrew does not talk like a schizophrenic. If this seems too harsh and you would challenge me to do better, see my novel Qualiens for sale on Amazon. If this guy is really only like 25 and only four years past college and his mother didn't write this after long years of doing his homework for him, then he has GREAT potential. Pray that he drops out of medical school
Rating:
Summary: An outstanding debut!!!
Review: The Muse Asylum centers around three Princeton graduates who all entertain an obsession with author Horace Jacob Little, a writer of fiction who has chosen to keep his identity, whereabouts, and other personal information completely unkown. Jake is a reporter for a New York paper, Andy a brilliant artist who struggles with mental illness, and Lara, the smart, beautiful and daunting woman they are both in love with. Through a dramatic series of events, they reveal the mystery of Horace Jacob Little along with a few other shocking facts that complicate their relationship with each other as well as with Horace Jacob Little. Brilliantly written and captivatingly told, this is a wonderful summer book to read. Hard to put down to say the least.
Rating:
Summary: When literature leads to madness
Review: The Muse Asylum is one of the most compelling books I've read in the last few years. In this debut novel, David Czuchlewski demonstrates an unusual ability to tell an unconventional story with interesting, original characters in a way that makes it hard to put the book down. The only thing that keeps me from giving it five stars is that in parts, especially towards the end, the story seems a little contrived and cleverness seems to preside over plausibility. Also, Czuchlewski's writing, while brilliant in many ways, is sometimes a little uneven and he occasionally lapses into trite phrases. Any flaws, however, are more than made up for by the narrative flow and the intelligence and originality of the tale.
Andrew, Jake and Lara are three recent college graduates who are fascinated with the works of a reclusive author named Horace Jacob Little. In Andrew's case, this interest has become a paranoid obsession, as he has come to believe that Little is dedicated to destroying his life. Andrew ends up in a mental institution called the Muse Asylum, a place that caters to disturbed creative people. Both Andrew and Jake are in love with Lara, who is about to be married to someone else entirely. The novel can be seen as an example of the postmodern literary genre, where the boundary between fiction and reality is always threatening to collapse. While the relatively short The Muse Asylum doesn't have the scope or depth of a novel like A.S. Byatt's Possession (which deals with somewhat similar themes on a larger scale), it does have a romantic intensity that makes it far more than a mere exercise in experimental fiction. Czuchlewski is particularly skilled at evoking the all-consuming nature of romantic love, especially first loves. The way Andrew falls in love with Lara makes it more plausible when he then falls, not in love, but into a delusional state over an author and his works. The fact that Horace Jacob Little is an anonymous author is also a major factor in the novel. We are not sure until the very end who Little really is and if there is any basis for Andrew's obsession.
The Muse Asylum is a brilliant first novel. It's the kind of book you can easily read in one long sitting, and be sorry when it's finished. It seems likely that David Czuchlewski is destined to be an author of significance.
Rating:
Summary: A truly worthwhile read!
Review: The story of Horace Jacob LIttle is one of mystery and riddles. This is one of the best books I've read all year and could not give it greater praise. Czuchlewski is a gifted writer in the spirit of Paul Auster.
Rating:
Summary: Outstanding, fun read
Review: This book exemplies the best aspects of postmodern lit -- the attempt to create multiple layers of meaning from which the reader divines his own truth -- and does it without being heavy-handed or staid. It's a fun read, interesting and thought-provoking. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Twists like a pretzel....
Review: This is a remarkable, intelligent read. I love David's style. I was engrossed immediately which is a sign of some great writing and a great book. You're right there with Jake throughout the novel, then drawn into the head of a paranoid resident artist at Overlook Institute. Some witty one-liners stuck with me from Andy's rants and writings. You'll want to see this one made into a movie. I've got some casting ideas if you'd like them. When's the next book due, David? A sequel to this one must be in the works or at least I hope so! Brilliant work!!
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