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dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
When a showgirl named Kitty accidentally kills her boss, she quickly finds herself on the run with a petty criminal named Rex. When two more people wind up dead, Kitty, Rex, and an odd young boy named Harvey head for Mexico...
I got this from Netgalley.
The DarkFuse novella series continues to impress. Ceremony of Flies is a road trip novel through the American southwest, from Las Vegas to Mexico, with lots of killing and creepy shit along the way.
Even though it's a pretty slim story, there's a lot going on in Ceremony of Flies. Kate Jonez does a great job of pacing, both in action and how she doles out the backgrounds of Kitty and Rex is small morsels. I liked how Kitty gradually made Rex and Harvey her family, despite Harvey being one creepy little kid. Although, when you pick up a strange kid at the crossroads, you're pretty much asking for it.
Kitty is a pretty good narrator, her black humor a nice counterpoint to the generally icky feeling the book gradually acquires along the way. Oddly enough, the part of the book I found most revolting was the swim in the Salton Sea, one of the foulest lakes on Earth from what I'm told.
3.5 out of 5 stars. I'll be watching for more Kate Jonez books to pop up.
I got this from Netgalley.
The DarkFuse novella series continues to impress. Ceremony of Flies is a road trip novel through the American southwest, from Las Vegas to Mexico, with lots of killing and creepy shit along the way.
Even though it's a pretty slim story, there's a lot going on in Ceremony of Flies. Kate Jonez does a great job of pacing, both in action and how she doles out the backgrounds of Kitty and Rex is small morsels. I liked how Kitty gradually made Rex and Harvey her family, despite Harvey being one creepy little kid. Although, when you pick up a strange kid at the crossroads, you're pretty much asking for it.
Kitty is a pretty good narrator, her black humor a nice counterpoint to the generally icky feeling the book gradually acquires along the way. Oddly enough, the part of the book I found most revolting was the swim in the Salton Sea, one of the foulest lakes on Earth from what I'm told.
3.5 out of 5 stars. I'll be watching for more Kate Jonez books to pop up.
baggman's review against another edition
2.0
I gave this book 2 stars rather than 1 because, mercifully, it was extremely short. I assume this book is a metaphor intended to take us on some intellectual, or spiritual journey: the recurring swarms of flies; a monastery in the middle of nowhere; The Four Bike Riders of the Apocalypse? Whatever it was, it sailed completely over my head, leaving me to wonder what it was that I had just read. Frankly, this book made as much sense to me as Neil deGrasse Tyson detailing the existence of dark matter, or trying to understand why you would want to make the voting process more difficult.
I really hate to slam an author, any author. They are, as a group, talented and creative individuals that add to our culture. A review is simply an opinion that may, or may not be shared by others. I did not like this particular offering. I would not rush out to find another book by this author. This book was not particularly funny, or clever. It was not a thriller, a mystery, or a horror story. I have no idea how this book would be classified, other than a gross misrepresentation of the publisher's summary.
I really hate to slam an author, any author. They are, as a group, talented and creative individuals that add to our culture. A review is simply an opinion that may, or may not be shared by others. I did not like this particular offering. I would not rush out to find another book by this author. This book was not particularly funny, or clever. It was not a thriller, a mystery, or a horror story. I have no idea how this book would be classified, other than a gross misrepresentation of the publisher's summary.
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