Good Morning, hope you’re all feeling fine and dandy. Another review from mylittlebookblog, they just keep on coming don’t they? As always a quick shout out; if you’re waiting for reviews to make it onto Amazon and Goodreads I am the worst for remembering to do it, please don’t hate me. I’m thinking of using the hour of the GBBO (that show really is television gold) to get a bulk of reviews onto both. Maybe with some cake and wine? For now a review of a book that I really enjoyed reading but I’m not quite sure why; with no delay, onto Americosis by Haydn Wilks.
A naked man arrives in New Mexico claiming to have traveled through time.
He says that he’s America’s savior.
A bizarre sexually-transmitted infection in New York takes control of people’s bodies and burns
them out in an incessant drive to infect others.
And a Presidential candidate is conversing with angels.
His aides think he’s crazy.
The electorate might not agree with them.
It could all be madness. It might be the apocalypse.
Americosis.
An epic genre-bending mash-up of sci-fi, horror, thriller & dark comedy.
Might need a second for that blurb to sink in because I can bloody promise you, I did. This book is so odd, confusing, and bizarre and frankly, a bit nuts, but I couldn’t stop myself reading it for one minute. I read this in my lunchbreak at work and just couldn’t stop until it was finished (mainly because I was terrified I would forget all that had happened and have to start all over again.) As the blurb states, the book follows a number of different story lines; the savior who happens to turn up a little nude and with a rather momentous member, the relationship between a therapist and her husband who appears to have killed a rather young girl in a McDonalds toilet, Hank the Christian who teaches children about the importance of God, and a President who swears he is conversing with angels.
It’s a novella and it packs a punch; although it follows a lot of different story lines they are clearly written although at this point do not connect in any single way. It rather introduces the story much like the first couple of chapters of a full length book rather than a novella which felt a little odd. I thought the idea of the STI was a bit puzzling; does it cause all the characters to become a bit sex-crazed because one scene definitely seemed to show that, because if it is this book just got even odder. The characters are distinct which is important in a book that jumps around so much and the reader has to basically start and keep reading until they hit the very last line and then take a breath.
In terms of cons there are a couple of errors that I thought could have been made more grown-up. At times there is an over-use of the word ‘was’ (Robert was sat on the bed) which would have sounded better if the word had been removed. I know this is picky but it comes over a bit childish. I also found the second person narrative a bit grating. I remember trying to write a book in this POV when I was in secondary school and I got told off a lot and it was really tough to do as well. The final wobble was because the tale is so short the characters appear to come over very quickly which can mean they seem unlikeable and at the moment at least they are very one dimensional and Hank (Mr Sweary) was just unpalatable.
But, and it’s a big but, I loved this little tale. It was odd, crazy, a bit nuts, weird, it didn’t make a huge amount of sense at the time but I want to read more! Who is the Savior and where has he come from? What is wrong with the President is he really conversing with angels (this plot is a bit mad) I liked the action, I liked the intrigue and if I’m honest I think I should have hated this but I didn’t, and I cannot wait to read more damn it.
Linkkkkks
Another book to check off my list! Published in July 2015 :3
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