I have long since admired Warren Ellis’ sick, dark, and twisted style of writing, but until now it was only available in the form of comic books and graphic novels. Which is why I, amongst many others, was really looking forward to this book release this summer, second only to Harry Potter. I was slightly disappointed by the length of the book (at 277 pages, and only 7 inches tall, it’s an easy, one sitting read), but that was pretty much the only thing that disappointed.
The story follows a washed up private detective, Mike McGill, who is a magnet for bad luck. He meets a pretty, tattooed girl named Trix who wants to accompany him on his latest case tracking down a mysterious book for the government. Throughout their journey across the States, they run into a series of strange circumstances and characters. Ellis is known for exposing the underbelly of America in his work, and this novel is no different. He sheds light on some of the strangest, underground practices from Godzilla porn to saline injection parties and what upstanding Los Angeles lawyers really do at their high profile get-togethers. At certain points in the novel, you may find yourself stepping back a moment and thinking “That could never happen!” only to find yourself musing a few seconds later, “But, would that happen? Could it?” While I had a hard time stomaching everything that Ellis drudges up about our country, I firmly believe that this stuff is happening somewhere around America at this very moment.
Ellis’ most notable work (in my opinion) is his graphic novel series, Transmetropolitan, which tells of a journalist in a futuristic New York City that has descended into crime, violence, sex, and poverty. It is a major exaggeration of what NYC is like today, and could become in the future, though not impossible to believe. At times during Crooked Little Vein, I felt that Ellis had mistakenly thought he was writing for his fictional, future version of America, instead of present day, most especially in dealing with the government’s story line and the character of the Secretary of Defense. Even the Las Vegas hotel Trix and Mike stay in is just a bit too far fetched to be erected in present society.
Whether you accept it all as a possible reality or simply fiction, this book still offers a great detective mystery and love story for our modern age. It’s a quick, fun read that will leave you questioning what really happens in those dark alleys of NYC, the campy hotels in Las Vegas, and the lulls of suburbia in the Mid-West.
[rate 4]
John Krakauer offers a beautifully written and researched journey into the last few years of Chris McCandless- a boy born to a well off family who leaves it all behind to travel the country and live off the land, until he meets his end one summer while camping out in Alaska. Originating from a magazine article, it’s amazing to read the details and fascinating recounts that Krakauer has tracked down about McCandless’ last few years alive. McCandless proves to be a fascinating individual who touched the lives of many while traveling around the country. Whether it’s Wayne in South Dakota or Ron at the Salton Sea, everyone who knew McCandless lends a poignant story of how he entered and exited their lives and in many cases, changed who they are today. The stories are so detailed (you can see Krakauer’s blood, sweat, and tears in his work), however, a good portion of the book is stories of other individuals similar to McCandless. Often after revealing a few details about McCandless, Krakauer will tangent onto another wanderer who walked into the Mojave desert and never returned, or those who decided to mountain climb in Alaska and were never heard from again. Krakaeur even spends two chapters recounting his own journey into Alaska and his attempts to climb the dangerous slopes of the “Devil’s Thumb.” Krakauer uses these stories as frames of reference and to sew together any gaps in McCandless’ travels in which we only have speculation, however I often found myself bored and wishing I could hear more about McCandless during these points. The novel may have been better off being shorter, without these “filler” stories, or perhaps published with them, but as an aside from McCandless’ journey. Having them inserted throughout McCandless’ story, I felt, did the opposite of what was intended- instead of making the story seamless it felt slightly disjointed. sub domains . McCandless’ story is interesting enough on its own that we don’t need to hear about how many others had done it before him.
