cecipeas's review
emotional
reflective
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
mdpenguin's review
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
There were times that I kind of wanted to put this down: Mark annoyed me and Marvin was kind of pathetic and I really didn't see where the story was going. Soon enough, though, the arc of their development was really engaging and I was drawn into the story. The way it jumped around so quickly through Marvin's past lives and Mark's history in such short chapters was part of what made it hard for me to get into it at first but it was also part of why it worked out for me: if I was getting annoyed at something, it shifted to something else pretty quickly. And once it started moving, it kept moving and did a good job of taking me with it. I like that it's a story about forgiveness and redemption without being heavy-handed or sanctimonious about it. And I like that it centers around three people who should have nothing to do with each other struggling to their way out of their respective horrible ruts together in a way that's somewhat believable despite the near absurdity of these three people together.
stacialithub's review
5.0
Keith Rosson may have a new fangirl in me.
This was such a weird & fascinating tale & I say that with the highest praise. Cool concept, well-done, & straddles the line between literary fiction & odder elements weaving through the story. It's quite character-driven & these characters really do confront their pasts, presents, & futures, digging deep to face some ugly truths, examining themselves, reckoning with their acts, atoning, & offering some serious, some funny, & definitely some heartfelt moments from start to finish. There are many topics at play, lots of fodder for thought & discussion; I won't go into all that & will, instead, suggest you just read it.
I'll also say that I love the cover art & was impressed to find out Rosson did his own art. After reading a little more about him, I learned he's mainly an illustrator & graphic artist (designing artwork for bands such as Green Day & the Goo Goo Dolls). If writing is his side gig, wow, what absolute talent! (Read this article he wrote a few years ago: What It’s Like To Be A Legally Blind Illustrator And Graphic Designer.)
Oregon Public Broadcasting did an interview with Portland-based Rosson in 2018: Take A Weird Road Trip In Keith Rosson's Latest Novel, 'Smoke City'.
I loved it. Not sure it would be quite to everyone's taste, but if you're in the mood for a weird & intriguing road trip book, take a look at this one. I think it might surprise you.
This was such a weird & fascinating tale & I say that with the highest praise. Cool concept, well-done, & straddles the line between literary fiction & odder elements weaving through the story. It's quite character-driven & these characters really do confront their pasts, presents, & futures, digging deep to face some ugly truths, examining themselves, reckoning with their acts, atoning, & offering some serious, some funny, & definitely some heartfelt moments from start to finish. There are many topics at play, lots of fodder for thought & discussion; I won't go into all that & will, instead, suggest you just read it.
I'll also say that I love the cover art & was impressed to find out Rosson did his own art. After reading a little more about him, I learned he's mainly an illustrator & graphic artist (designing artwork for bands such as Green Day & the Goo Goo Dolls). If writing is his side gig, wow, what absolute talent! (Read this article he wrote a few years ago: What It’s Like To Be A Legally Blind Illustrator And Graphic Designer.)
Oregon Public Broadcasting did an interview with Portland-based Rosson in 2018: Take A Weird Road Trip In Keith Rosson's Latest Novel, 'Smoke City'.
I loved it. Not sure it would be quite to everyone's taste, but if you're in the mood for a weird & intriguing road trip book, take a look at this one. I think it might surprise you.
merricatct's review against another edition
5.0
Hello, contender for favorite book of the year! I don't know how to explain this book, but I'll try. The main characters are the reincarnated executioner of Joan of Arc, condemned to be reborn over and over again with his memories of all his past lives intact; and an alcoholic artist who hit rock bottom and somehow found a way to keep going down - and they end up on a road trip to Los Angeles, where "smokes" (ghosts) have started appearing more and more frequently. *flails at the screen* you see what I mean?
I expected a properly messed-up book, given the summary, and it certainly doesn't pull any punches ... but it's not a messed-up book. I mean, it is because it does such a good job of portraying deeply fractured characters, and it certainly has dark themes, but I was not at all prepared for the heart of this book. There's so much despair and grief and pain, but so much room for redemption and forgiveness. The plot is kind of meandering, but that's fine, because the plot isn't the point here - it's the characters, and the journey we take with them. Bonus points for the author's creative narrative choices - the chapters are a blend of first person POV, third person POV, journal entries, and interview excerpts.
I will definitely seek out more by this author, and I'm going to recommend this book as often as I can.
I expected a properly messed-up book, given the summary, and it certainly doesn't pull any punches ... but it's not a messed-up book. I mean, it is because it does such a good job of portraying deeply fractured characters, and it certainly has dark themes, but I was not at all prepared for the heart of this book. There's so much despair and grief and pain, but so much room for redemption and forgiveness. The plot is kind of meandering, but that's fine, because the plot isn't the point here - it's the characters, and the journey we take with them. Bonus points for the author's creative narrative choices - the chapters are a blend of first person POV, third person POV, journal entries, and interview excerpts.
I will definitely seek out more by this author, and I'm going to recommend this book as often as I can.
inked_up_bookshelf's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting read. I can’t say I was overwhelmed and pleased with the overall story. It took vast different stories of Joan of Arc and her Executioner and mashed it into the present day of a drunk artist who was morning with a reincarnated executioner looking for redemption/peace.
gentlemenpreferbooks's review
5.0
Smoke City by Keith Rosson
Marvin has some issues. His possibly mob-connected landlord is evicting him from his record shop, he’s just seen a woman on TV claiming to be Joan of Arc, and he is the reincarnation of her executioner. Oh yeah, and he only has a few days to live before his cursed life starts over.
Mike is a washed up artist. He hasn't painted anything in years, is a raging alcoholic, just got fired, and just found out his ex-wife died.
Also, ghosts are appearing in the streets and no one knows why.
I think we’ve at least set the stage. At first as I started this novel by Keith Rosson (who am now adding all his other books to my “to-read” shelf), I wasn’t sure how all the threads were going to come together. I can promise you, they all come together fantastically. In hero’s journey of our two anti-heroes, we explore the nuances of being a painter as well as a medieval executioner.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Characters, even passing supporting ones, were realistic and meaningful. I look forward to it’s release in January 2018.
I received a free advance copy of this book via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
Marvin has some issues. His possibly mob-connected landlord is evicting him from his record shop, he’s just seen a woman on TV claiming to be Joan of Arc, and he is the reincarnation of her executioner. Oh yeah, and he only has a few days to live before his cursed life starts over.
Mike is a washed up artist. He hasn't painted anything in years, is a raging alcoholic, just got fired, and just found out his ex-wife died.
Also, ghosts are appearing in the streets and no one knows why.
I think we’ve at least set the stage. At first as I started this novel by Keith Rosson (who am now adding all his other books to my “to-read” shelf), I wasn’t sure how all the threads were going to come together. I can promise you, they all come together fantastically. In hero’s journey of our two anti-heroes, we explore the nuances of being a painter as well as a medieval executioner.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. Characters, even passing supporting ones, were realistic and meaningful. I look forward to it’s release in January 2018.
I received a free advance copy of this book via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.
nadinekc's review
5.0
A thousand thanks to the GR friend who led me to this book by mentioning that it was one of the best books they've read this year! I wish I could remember your name! It's such a thrill to find a wonderful new author in a small press book.
This book has three compelling elements - the guilt-ridden executioner of Joan of Arc, an alcoholic formerly famous painter, and what appear to be ghosts in Los Angeles - and combines them into a road trip to possible redemption. A lesser author could have turned this into a melodramatic mess, but Rosson manages to dig deep into the characters and bring up some intense reflections, yet still maintain an overall hint of what felt like insouciance to me. (Mike's sunglasses!) Just the barest hint of Hunter S. Thompson. Improbably, it all blends. The cover art captured this perfectly for me, and I just went to look for the artists name, and surprise! It's the author!
And on top of all this - the writing. Rosson can nail an imagine for me with just a few words. Example, this description of Los Angeles: "Palm trees bowed in the dark, the breeze rich with eucalyptus and exhaust." I lived in LA years ago, and this brought me right back in an instant.
Here's a longer description of Mike (the alcoholic artist) sitting in a bar with a friend:
"And the evening wound around them. Two vultures curled on their stools as the bar wailed electric around them. They were of a different world than the other patrons - full-blown barflies, the two of them - and as such were hardly visible. He was an awkward piece of furniture that brayed laughter at odd times, got sloppy, fell off his stool. And the shame of this? The knowledge of what he was? It was all lessened when he was in the Moment.
I won't say what 'the Moment' is, you have to read the book.
This book has three compelling elements - the guilt-ridden executioner of Joan of Arc, an alcoholic formerly famous painter, and what appear to be ghosts in Los Angeles - and combines them into a road trip to possible redemption. A lesser author could have turned this into a melodramatic mess, but Rosson manages to dig deep into the characters and bring up some intense reflections, yet still maintain an overall hint of what felt like insouciance to me. (Mike's sunglasses!) Just the barest hint of Hunter S. Thompson. Improbably, it all blends. The cover art captured this perfectly for me, and I just went to look for the artists name, and surprise! It's the author!
And on top of all this - the writing. Rosson can nail an imagine for me with just a few words. Example, this description of Los Angeles: "Palm trees bowed in the dark, the breeze rich with eucalyptus and exhaust." I lived in LA years ago, and this brought me right back in an instant.
Here's a longer description of Mike (the alcoholic artist) sitting in a bar with a friend:
"And the evening wound around them. Two vultures curled on their stools as the bar wailed electric around them. They were of a different world than the other patrons - full-blown barflies, the two of them - and as such were hardly visible. He was an awkward piece of furniture that brayed laughter at odd times, got sloppy, fell off his stool. And the shame of this? The knowledge of what he was? It was all lessened when he was in the Moment.
I won't say what 'the Moment' is, you have to read the book.
ruthiella's review
4.0
This book is bats**t crazy and impossible to summarize. On the one hand, we have Marvin who believes he is the reincarnation many times over of the man who executed Joan of Arc in 1431. On the other hand, we have Mike Vale, a has-been painter with a serious drinking and anger-management problem. Turns out both need to get from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles fast. The fact that L.A. is a hot spot for “Smokes”, which are brief apparitions of grieving ghosts that have been blocking traffic and terrorizing citizens does not figure into their plans…at least not until they are joined on their separate quests by young man hoping to break into cable television by investigating the Smokes. Wanting to know how Rosson will tie up this crazy story and its disparate plot lines keeps the pages turning. The end section is surprisingly redemptive for a book where the first half is extremely bleak and sometimes graphically dark.
Totally worth reading if you want to read something where you probably will not guess what’s coming next ever.
Totally worth reading if you want to read something where you probably will not guess what’s coming next ever.
belowvaultedsky's review
5.0
9.5/10 - Review at PBTVS
I'm speechless. I came into this book expecting something interesting and thought-provoking based on the cover and the blurb, but what I got exceeded my already-high expectations in every single way. I cried and laughed and cried. If you read one book this year, make it Smoke City. It is a dizzy melting pot of genres and subgenres--history, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary road trip. It had every potential to go off the rails. Instead, Rosson has nailed every single element and given us an unforgettable story that brims with humour, hope, and the small and large truths of our lives.
We are often told that we only get one life in this world, so make the best of it. Live without regrets. But what if we do get more than one life? And what if our regrets follow from one life to the other? These are questions that haunt Marvin Deitz.
Marvin is on the cusp of his 57th birthday. He's the owner of a small record store in Portland, and, apart from his eyepatch, looks like nothing more than a nondescript office clerk. He also happens to be the most recent reincarnated form of Geoffroy Thérage, the French executioner of Joan of Arc. Yeah, you read that right. He believes he's cursed to be reborn again and again, presumably until the end of time, as penance for the sins of his first life.
Marvin retains all memories of his previous lives, all of which are fraught with pain and horror. His past actions haunt him--the prisoners he tortured and the innocent lives he ended. And the heaviest burden of them all: the burning of Joan. Life has become a blur of greys and all he wants is to wait for the next violent death to claim him.
Michael Vale was once a young rising rockstar of a painter. The next big thing in the art world. But he burned too bright, too fast, and got too arrogant. One mistake led to another and another, and before he knew it, his career and personal life were taking a nose-dive. He's neck deep in assault charges, bottles of alcohol, and no longer has the will to paint. Now he works as a cashier at a taco joint, dealing out hatred to himself and to others.
As these two men meet and journey their way to Los Angeles, we alternate between their viewpoints, each chapter short and digestible. We also get flashbacks to Vale's early life and Marvin's many lives, including that of Thérage. The latter provides a fascinating and bleak glimpse into the life of an executioner in the Middle Ages. Short, but told with so much pain, they make up some of the best parts of the story.
Vale and Marvin are a brilliant pair of contrasts and similarities. One mild-mannered and empathetic, the other perpetually brimming with energy and anger. Both wrapped up in regrets and bitterness. Both lost and fractured--shackled by the weight of their past and the off-handed cruelty of life.
You would think that in a story featuring the reincarnation of Joan of Arc's executioner, said reincarnation would be the main draw. And it was, at first. But there was something about Michael Vale and his self-destructive ways that I found equally fascinating. Vale is an unrepentant alcoholic, he's quick to anger, and would sooner pull a punch than talk his way out of a confrontation. Seemingly plucked straight out of a grimdark novel, he's someone you would give a wide berth at parties. Yet his story is one that invites sympathy and sorrow. Because it's so very human. It's mired in self-hatred and a lost love of life that so many of us can relate to. Marvin is the more likeable of the two, and his story is, if anything, even sadder--a string of , of hope dared and crushed. He is a complicated mesh of history and fiction that you won't be able to take your mind off of.
Their quest to find purpose and redemption is one that I was rooting for super hard.
The side characters that orbit these two are all very engaging and I chalk that up to the author's touch for colloquial dialogues. They flow perfectly and they shift effortlessly from funny to moving. Gems like this, for example:
The setting plays as equally an important role as the characters. I think the best road trip books are the ones that take mundane places--a parking lot, a motel, a stretch of farmland--and infuse them with a sense of both the familiar and the strange. Rosson does just that. He has a knack for distilling the heart of a location, a person, a scene, and transcribing them into words. His descriptions of the cityscape and its people are apt and so, so beautiful.
Speaking of strange, the author apparently thought that having the reincarnation of a 14th century executioner for a protagonist wasn't weird enough, so he decided to add ghosts into the mix. In this version of America, smoke spirits (ghosts that resemble smoke, basically) have begun to appear in California and New Mexico. No one quite knows what they are, though plenty of theories are thrown around--everything from Russian scams to signs of the apocalypse. For most of the book, these ghosts exist in the background. It's not until near the end that they merge with the main plot, and the result is well worth the wait.
Smoke City is a story of how much power we give to our pasts. Of how the choices we make too often dictate how we see ourselves for years down the line, sometimes the rest of our lives. How we punish ourselves for our actions, tell ourselves we don't get to have happiness, that it's too late to fix things. How we get trapped in an endless cycle of self- recrimination. And when life beats us down, we tell ourselves we deserve it.
But we are more than the summation of our mistakes. The past can be wielded by its hilt, not the blade.
And it's never too late.
I'm speechless. I came into this book expecting something interesting and thought-provoking based on the cover and the blurb, but what I got exceeded my already-high expectations in every single way. I cried and laughed and cried. If you read one book this year, make it Smoke City. It is a dizzy melting pot of genres and subgenres--history, fantasy, paranormal, and contemporary road trip. It had every potential to go off the rails. Instead, Rosson has nailed every single element and given us an unforgettable story that brims with humour, hope, and the small and large truths of our lives.
We are often told that we only get one life in this world, so make the best of it. Live without regrets. But what if we do get more than one life? And what if our regrets follow from one life to the other? These are questions that haunt Marvin Deitz.
Marvin is on the cusp of his 57th birthday. He's the owner of a small record store in Portland, and, apart from his eyepatch, looks like nothing more than a nondescript office clerk. He also happens to be the most recent reincarnated form of Geoffroy Thérage, the French executioner of Joan of Arc. Yeah, you read that right. He believes he's cursed to be reborn again and again, presumably until the end of time, as penance for the sins of his first life.
The Three Parameters of the Curse:
1) I will die sometime between infancy and my fifty-sixth birthday. I have never, ever lived to my fifty-seventh birthday, in any of my lives.
2) I will always suffer some significant disfigurement or physiognomic alteration sometime between infancy and my first two decades of life. Generally pretty early on. The disfigurement will be something that, to some degree, alters and dictates the pathway of my existence. Loss of limb, birth defect, etc. Losing an eye, as I did in this life, is actually somewhat mundane.
3) When I die, I will without fail die a violent death. No going peacefully in my sleep for this guy.
Marvin retains all memories of his previous lives, all of which are fraught with pain and horror. His past actions haunt him--the prisoners he tortured and the innocent lives he ended. And the heaviest burden of them all: the burning of Joan. Life has become a blur of greys and all he wants is to wait for the next violent death to claim him.
Michael Vale was once a young rising rockstar of a painter. The next big thing in the art world. But he burned too bright, too fast, and got too arrogant. One mistake led to another and another, and before he knew it, his career and personal life were taking a nose-dive. He's neck deep in assault charges, bottles of alcohol, and no longer has the will to paint. Now he works as a cashier at a taco joint, dealing out hatred to himself and to others.
As these two men meet and journey their way to Los Angeles, we alternate between their viewpoints, each chapter short and digestible. We also get flashbacks to Vale's early life and Marvin's many lives, including that of Thérage. The latter provides a fascinating and bleak glimpse into the life of an executioner in the Middle Ages. Short, but told with so much pain, they make up some of the best parts of the story.
Vale and Marvin are a brilliant pair of contrasts and similarities. One mild-mannered and empathetic, the other perpetually brimming with energy and anger. Both wrapped up in regrets and bitterness. Both lost and fractured--shackled by the weight of their past and the off-handed cruelty of life.
You would think that in a story featuring the reincarnation of Joan of Arc's executioner, said reincarnation would be the main draw. And it was, at first. But there was something about Michael Vale and his self-destructive ways that I found equally fascinating. Vale is an unrepentant alcoholic, he's quick to anger, and would sooner pull a punch than talk his way out of a confrontation. Seemingly plucked straight out of a grimdark novel, he's someone you would give a wide berth at parties. Yet his story is one that invites sympathy and sorrow. Because it's so very human. It's mired in self-hatred and a lost love of life that so many of us can relate to. Marvin is the more likeable of the two, and his story is, if anything, even sadder--a string of , of hope dared and crushed. He is a complicated mesh of history and fiction that you won't be able to take your mind off of.
Their quest to find purpose and redemption is one that I was rooting for super hard.
The side characters that orbit these two are all very engaging and I chalk that up to the author's touch for colloquial dialogues. They flow perfectly and they shift effortlessly from funny to moving. Gems like this, for example:
"So what is it that's going to keep you afloat in Kodiak chew and ironic shirts when you're in Los Angeles? Huh, my new friend Casper?"
Casper peered down at his chest. "What do you mean, ironic shirts?"
Vale's eyebrows arched up. "I mean your shirt, man. The bald eagle holding the beer? Driving the truck? It's ridiculous."
"How is it ironic?"
"You mean it's not ironic?"
Casper shrugged. "I don't know. I like trucks. I like beer. Eagles are cool. I like it."
The setting plays as equally an important role as the characters. I think the best road trip books are the ones that take mundane places--a parking lot, a motel, a stretch of farmland--and infuse them with a sense of both the familiar and the strange. Rosson does just that. He has a knack for distilling the heart of a location, a person, a scene, and transcribing them into words. His descriptions of the cityscape and its people are apt and so, so beautiful.
Speaking of strange, the author apparently thought that having the reincarnation of a 14th century executioner for a protagonist wasn't weird enough, so he decided to add ghosts into the mix. In this version of America, smoke spirits (ghosts that resemble smoke, basically) have begun to appear in California and New Mexico. No one quite knows what they are, though plenty of theories are thrown around--everything from Russian scams to signs of the apocalypse. For most of the book, these ghosts exist in the background. It's not until near the end that they merge with the main plot, and the result is well worth the wait.
Smoke City is a story of how much power we give to our pasts. Of how the choices we make too often dictate how we see ourselves for years down the line, sometimes the rest of our lives. How we punish ourselves for our actions, tell ourselves we don't get to have happiness, that it's too late to fix things. How we get trapped in an endless cycle of self- recrimination. And when life beats us down, we tell ourselves we deserve it.
But we are more than the summation of our mistakes. The past can be wielded by its hilt, not the blade.
And it's never too late.
aconitecafe's review against another edition
5.0
Reading a second time through is really fascinating, so much more of the 'is fate real, and anyone can recompense' message seeps through. Still one of my top 5 recommended books. A thought provoking read.
You read that blurb, and look at that cover, and still you'll have no idea that journey you're about to embark on. Smoke City will make you book drunk. Having finished it, after not being able to put it down, I am still basking in the book drunk feeling. The message that Smoke City delivers is profound, and loud & clear by the end of the novel. If you are questioning whether or not to read this book, just do it. It's worth the read.
You read that blurb, and look at that cover, and still you'll have no idea that journey you're about to embark on. Smoke City will make you book drunk. Having finished it, after not being able to put it down, I am still basking in the book drunk feeling. The message that Smoke City delivers is profound, and loud & clear by the end of the novel. If you are questioning whether or not to read this book, just do it. It's worth the read.