Order HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS here
(also reviewed)
Order TOXICITY here
Order THE MIND IS A RAZORBLADE here
Today the coffee shop was playing the same Mumford & Sons song that was always on when he walked in the building. Sometimes the lyrics were different, but that didn't make the song any different.
Comedians might be Gods on the stage, but they have a hard time reaching people through the written word. It's even worse for fiction. I don't know why that is, but my best guess is that people in general don't read novels to have a laugh. I don't know why that is either, but it's a riddle I'm actively trying to solve. My first real clue on the subject came when I read Max Booth III's latest novel HOW TO KIDNAP STRANGERS, a satire of independent publishing culture and online writing communities. Turns out comedians can make sense and have an impact in literature, as long as they're writing fiction with purpose.
Harlan Anderson found a purpose in life after recuperating an eReader after a Christmas party: he became an online book blogger (reminds me of someone). He likes to read books from a small bizarro fiction press called BILF (Books I'd Like to Fuck!!) because he knows he's going to hate them and write incendiary reviews about them. Harlan's life changes one morning outside his local coffee shop, where he is confronted and subsequently kidnapped by a strungout guy he's never seen before. That guy knows him, though. He's called Harlan by his name and seemed eager to settle that negative karma tab he's been racking up online.
Now, Max Booth III is not exactly a stand up comedian. He's what you would get if you mixed the DNA of Louis C.K and Richard Matheson in a diabolical attempt to play God. I've reviewed him more than once before. His two previous novels TOXICITY and THE MIND IS A RAZORBLADE were fast paced genre-bending novels with a tremendous sense of humor. What makes HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS different is that satire is the point of the novel. It imbues the book with a sense of emergency that the other two don't have because it's laughing at something and not just telling jokes. Independent publishing culture and online writing communities is somewhat of a niche market for satire, but that doesn't make the novel less potent. If you've been involved with one of these two phenomenons, prepare your ego to take a slap in the face.
Now, Max Booth III is not exactly a stand up comedian. He's what you would get if you mixed the DNA of Louis C.K and Richard Matheson in a diabolical attempt to play God. I've reviewed him more than once before. His two previous novels TOXICITY and THE MIND IS A RAZORBLADE were fast paced genre-bending novels with a tremendous sense of humor. What makes HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS different is that satire is the point of the novel. It imbues the book with a sense of emergency that the other two don't have because it's laughing at something and not just telling jokes. Independent publishing culture and online writing communities is somewhat of a niche market for satire, but that doesn't make the novel less potent. If you've been involved with one of these two phenomenons, prepare your ego to take a slap in the face.
How her old man was a drunk worth aspiring to. He always said the best cure for a hangover was more alcohol. She's tried that once and just started vomiting inside the beer bottle. She would never have the liver of a dirty old man, and sometimes this was the most depressing realization in the world.
The business of independent book publishing is particularly schizoid because it's run by creative people who often are more interested by the books themselves than by the idea of selling them. HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS imagines the artsy, creative types having to deal with a life of death situation their art has created: an internet beef turned into a hostage situation involving a civilian who has nothing to do whatsoever with publishing. I'm involved with independent publishing myself and I thought it was hilarious. I wouldn't be surprised if Max gets his fair share of one star reviews on Goodreads and Amazon though, because the object of his satire is very real. Some people are going to take HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS personal.
I believe that HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS is Max Booth III's strongest novel to date. It's much meaner than TOXICITY and THE MIND IS A RAZORBLADE. Maybe it's not as cohesive as these two, but I have a thing for comedy that has a chip on its shoulder and comedy is an important part of what Max Booth III is doing. I'm expecting HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS to make waves, whether it's negative or positive. It's going to create a strong reaction, especially that the first people in line to read independent publishing are independent publishers/authors themselves. Booth himself is an independent publisher, by the way. My old man used to say : ''If you ain't worth a laugh...''
I believe that HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS is Max Booth III's strongest novel to date. It's much meaner than TOXICITY and THE MIND IS A RAZORBLADE. Maybe it's not as cohesive as these two, but I have a thing for comedy that has a chip on its shoulder and comedy is an important part of what Max Booth III is doing. I'm expecting HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY KIDNAP STRANGERS to make waves, whether it's negative or positive. It's going to create a strong reaction, especially that the first people in line to read independent publishing are independent publishers/authors themselves. Booth himself is an independent publisher, by the way. My old man used to say : ''If you ain't worth a laugh...''
