David Gordon (2) (1967–)

People like David Gordon really annoy me. I can't believe he was able to produce a book like this on his first attempt. The main character is a lovable loser, content to waste his writing talent on producing serial science fiction novels, along with the occasional pornography just to balance it out. His latest hit is a series of novels about vampires, written under a fictitious name and wearing his dead mother's clothes for the author picture (I felt there was an implied dig at the new show more vampire craze sweeping the country-not very subtle, either). He is approached by a man on death row to write his (the criminal's) biography, and soon after 3 women are killed in an identical manner to the way in which the condemned man had killed several young women years earlier, for which he was about to die. Throughout the narrative are snippets of books that Harry (the narrator/protagonist) have written. It's fascinating, twisted, and an elaborate love song to literature and what "art" really is. LOVED it. Intrigued and grossed out simultaneously. show less

First, let me say the audiobook version is read perfectly by Richard Poe.

This book has almost too much plot! Survivalist gun nuts. Terrorists. Every mob in New York (Italian, Irish, Black, Russian, Chinese, and a few others). A strip club. White rappers. FBI. CIA. NYPD. A diamond heist. $4,000,000 worth of heroin. Shootouts. Torture. A Mother. A Grandmother. An ex-husband. And of course, Joe the Bouncer, who either attracts trouble or has himself thrust into the middle of it by his longtime show more friend, Mafia boss Gio Caprese. The result is a lot of tension that puts the reader or listener almost in pain as we wait to see how Joe and his accomplices can get out of their latest jam. Along the way, we realize we are rooting for a bunch of outlaws--but as they are ultimately fighting yet another terrorist threat on their beloved New York City, and because these characters are made so interesting by the author, we just put aside our moral judgments and enjoy the ride. And given the presence of criminals at the highest levels of American politics and business, and almost 80 million Americans whose votes indicate they don't care, maybe we might as well admire a bunch of outsiders who are at least good at their jobs.

If you haven't read the first book in the series, The Bouncer, you should do so first, because it introduces most of the characters in this book, and they are worth knowing better. This one has a satisfying conclusion, but sets the stage for the next installment in the series. I can't wait. show less

This is a fast moving tale about an ex-Special Forces member, Joe, with nightmarish memories of Afghanistan, who is working as a bouncer at a strip club for an old friend, a mob boss. Joe decides to take on a couple of outside jobs as well, including heisting a bunch of weapons that are about to be sold illegally to a bunch of gun nuts in the middle of the woods. And this is where things begin to go very quickly off track. This deal leads to another, far more dangerous one, and Joe, never show more one to turn down a challenge or the chance for a quick buck, signs on. Or maybe he has a bit of a death wish, since between jobs he has to inject himself with narcotics in an attempt to blot out his Afghan memories--and probably a few of the new ones he is creating. And! There are SO MANY ands! And there is a pretty FBI agent on his tail, sort of, whose path he keeps crossing in the strangest places. And naturally, her ex-husband works for the CIA. And there is a cat-like Russian safecracker with plenty of charms of her own, who becomes Joe's partner in crime (as well as discussing Russian literature with him). And a really smart African American hacker who finds himself in quite a bind. And Gio, Joe's gangster friend, who has a few problems of his own. And his wife, who's trying to figure out where Gio got lipstick on his collar. And the really bad guys, a psychotic anti-American terrorist and his pregnant wife, who swap sweet nothings in between plotting to kill thousands of people. And many others just as strange and compelling.

So, as I hope I have conveyed, this book is pretty much over the top in every way possible. It reminds me of the work of Anthony Neil Smith, who also deserves a major publisher. This book just moves so fast, however, and has so many great interactions between characters, that there isn't much time to think about just how implausible it all is if you stop to think about it, but why would you want to do that? I have a feeling a sequel is coming. Though much evil is taken, much abides. Okay, I'll quote from Tennyson rather than Dostoevsky. show less

I found The Serialist to be an amazing book. My problem is how to make it sound as amazing here as it was to read. Written by David Gordon this first book covers so much material that it is hard to slot into any one genre. It is a thriller, a mystery, a pop culture homage to books and writers. Irreverent, different, humorous and addictive, I would be laughing out loud one minute then, turning the page and shuddering with horror and revulsion the next.

The plot revolves around Harry Bloch a show more writer that has almost given up trying to produce anything even resembling the Great American Novel. Instead he is a master of turning out pulp fiction: vampire stories, detective stories, light pornography, and sci-fi series, all produced under different pseudonyms. He accepts a contract to ghost-write a convicted serial killer’s memoirs, but soon bodies begin turning up, all killed in the serial killer’s style.

Other than a slight lagging in the middle of the book, this was a fast paced, excellently presented story that grabbed me from the first sentence and kept me glued to it’s pages until the end. The author actually uses clichés to his advantage, poking fun at writing and writing styles, all the while advancing his plot. A fun read and a great introduction to an author that I will always have room on my shelves for. I can’t wait to see what he produces next. show less