a very, very odd book
Feb. 8th, 2008 01:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
snugglekittyToday I finished Coyote Kings of the Space Age Bachelor Pad, by a Canadian gentleman named Minister Faust. I bought it because I thought it looked wacky, and boy oh boy, I was not wrong.
Nalo Hopkinson wrote that this book was, "Off the freakin' hook." She was also not wrong.
This book is not especially easy to read, what with the odd one-page character profiles, MANY viewpoint characters whose names are rarely mentioned, dialect writing, twisting plot, and length of more than 500 pages. But it is very strange and fascinating. The initial chapters are interesting, but not abnormal - two twenty-something sf geeks in Edmonton's Black* community are, respectively, a dishwasher and a video-store clerk, but they still have big dreams. Then a mysterious woman comes into their lives. One guy thinks she's an angel ready to fulfill his every dream, the other thinks she's a devil who will stomp his friend's heart into pieces. After that, things start getting odd - and odder. I don't want to give too much away, but included are ritual killings, betrayal, metaphysical drugs, lost love, ancient languages, robot armor, and even straight guys talking about their feelings. It will keep you guessing right up until the end.
I found this book intensely satisfying. If you are a reader of sf&f, and you want something different, give it a try. Four stars. I will be pursuing more of Minister Faust's work in the future, for certain.
*This is the terminology that was used in the book, and I want to respect that.
Nalo Hopkinson wrote that this book was, "Off the freakin' hook." She was also not wrong.
This book is not especially easy to read, what with the odd one-page character profiles, MANY viewpoint characters whose names are rarely mentioned, dialect writing, twisting plot, and length of more than 500 pages. But it is very strange and fascinating. The initial chapters are interesting, but not abnormal - two twenty-something sf geeks in Edmonton's Black* community are, respectively, a dishwasher and a video-store clerk, but they still have big dreams. Then a mysterious woman comes into their lives. One guy thinks she's an angel ready to fulfill his every dream, the other thinks she's a devil who will stomp his friend's heart into pieces. After that, things start getting odd - and odder. I don't want to give too much away, but included are ritual killings, betrayal, metaphysical drugs, lost love, ancient languages, robot armor, and even straight guys talking about their feelings. It will keep you guessing right up until the end.
I found this book intensely satisfying. If you are a reader of sf&f, and you want something different, give it a try. Four stars. I will be pursuing more of Minister Faust's work in the future, for certain.
*This is the terminology that was used in the book, and I want to respect that.