Blue's Reviews: Bad Monkeys

I finished reading "Bad Monkeys" by Matt Ruff a couple weeks ago but just never got around to reviewing it. This seems as good of a time as any to do so.

I dug the hell out of this book.

The author shows a lot of wit and clever humor throughout it. Fans of the Chuck Pahlanuk books like "Fight Club" or "Choke" would probably really enjoy this. And as I told a friend to his annoyance, "It's an easy read so you'd probably like it." Ehhh... I'm a dick. What can I say?

Back on target, I find that three things tend to make me buy a book.

1] Word of mouth
This is the most important one. If someone I trust gives me a suggestion, I often pick it up to see if they were on target. Of course, just as often, I totally ignore suggestions because I'm a dick [see above.]

2] The cover
So, I'm a sucker when it comes to an interesting cover. It's the first thing likely to grab someone's attention and I think authors/publishers who have a boring cover are likely missing a large potential audience.

3] The plot synopsis
A couple paragraphs to sell your book to me are absolutely key. I hate reading pages to "see if I'll like it" so if that back jacket doesn't convince me, you've likely lost me.

"Bad Monkeys" was a random pick-up, no one suggested it to me. But the cover...



...definitely got my attention.

If that wasn't enough, the back jacket reads:

Jane Charlotte has been arrested for murder.

She says she's a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil. She says she's working with the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons aka "Bad Monkeys."

Her confession lands her in the jail's psychiatric wing and earns her countless hours of poking, probing, and questioning by a professional. But is Jane crazy or lying?

Or is she playing a whole different game altogether?

How can you not buy that?

Some books you read and instantly become obsessed with the idea of them as a movie - this one will do it. Ever since I finished it, the aspiring screenwriter in me has envisioned different ways to do it on the silver screen. I think it'd take some tinkering but it'd be a hell of a flick to see.

Also, it has the kind of twist at the end that would make M. Night cry himself to sleep wondering what happened to his talent.

It's dark humor mixed with very cool action and a twist of the supernatural in a killer combination that works itself out in awesome fashion.

Did I mention it's an easy read?

Read it, suckas. You'll be glad you did.