A review by susanatwestofmars
Hellhound on My Trail by D.J. Butler
5.0
When DJ Butler sent me the description of Hellhound on my Trail, the first in a pulpy Rock Fiction series, I sent him back an e-mail with three words: SEND SMASHWORDS COUPON.
Start to finish, this was a great read. Suicidal Mike stands in with a band he’s never heard of before. They need a bass player. He’s putting off the inevitable. It’s a good fit.
Except… in the middle of the set, a Hellhound rushes in, setting off a chase that lasts the length of the book. Mike’s suddenly fighting for his life even as he’s haunted by his dead brother. At times, he wonders if he would have been better off if he’d kept to his plan and offed himself, but this ragtag band he’s fallen in with most certainly needs him in order to stay alive, themselves.
What else is there to say? The story’s tight, the writing’s snappy, the creepy stuff is delicious, and there’s a ton of cleverness going on in here, as well. There are dead rabbis, tasers, archangels, weird metal-like fly-things, and a piece of Satan’s hoof. This short book, just over 100 pages, is closer to a novella – and it’s the perfect length. Any longer and it would run the risk of getting tedious. Any shorter, and it wouldn’t be nearly so complete.
No matter what comes next, it’s got quite a predecessor to live up to.
Start to finish, this was a great read. Suicidal Mike stands in with a band he’s never heard of before. They need a bass player. He’s putting off the inevitable. It’s a good fit.
Except… in the middle of the set, a Hellhound rushes in, setting off a chase that lasts the length of the book. Mike’s suddenly fighting for his life even as he’s haunted by his dead brother. At times, he wonders if he would have been better off if he’d kept to his plan and offed himself, but this ragtag band he’s fallen in with most certainly needs him in order to stay alive, themselves.
What else is there to say? The story’s tight, the writing’s snappy, the creepy stuff is delicious, and there’s a ton of cleverness going on in here, as well. There are dead rabbis, tasers, archangels, weird metal-like fly-things, and a piece of Satan’s hoof. This short book, just over 100 pages, is closer to a novella – and it’s the perfect length. Any longer and it would run the risk of getting tedious. Any shorter, and it wouldn’t be nearly so complete.
No matter what comes next, it’s got quite a predecessor to live up to.