Date: Wed, 16 Aug 2000 20:30:12 -0400 From: Kafka Dreams To: void Subject: hella cool book In any given week I read from one to maybe seven books, but I don't usually take the time to review any of them. (At least not in a public forum. I'll occasionally recommend this one or that to some friend who I think will enjoy that particular book.) But it's time to speak up. _The Gumshoe, the Witch, and the Virtual Corpse_ by Keith Hartman kicks HELLA COOL butt! You might want to keep a score card for the first few (fairly short) chapters, as the speaker/perspective changes regularly and you end up keeping track of roughly 8 narrators and 20 important characters, but once the book sucks you in, it's easy. Each voice is so clear, his/her personality so well drawn, that after a while you don't have to look at the chapter heading to see who's speaking. The book mostly defies description, but it's set in a near-future (2024) Atlanta, a powderkeg of religious tension between the Southern Baptists and everyone else (mainly the Wiccans, the Catholics, the Mormons, the Native Americans and many others). It's got a damn funny liberal agenda, but happily skewers anyone or any group that takes things to an extreme. And it's not just full of straight white people. I hate that. There are all kinds of folks doing all kinds of things, good and bad. Also, Wiccan Magick, Christian magic, Native American magic - it all works. It's one of the only books that I would classify as actually being a magical mystery tour. You can also read Adam Lipkin's brief but reasonably well-written review at http://www.rambles.net/hartman_gumshoe.html There's a bit of goriness in describing parts of the mystery, but it's handled well and shouldn't gross anyone out. You can buy it from Amazon for $14.40 (though the descriptions and reviews don't do the plot much justice - they're almost uniformly positive). Unfortunately, Powell's doesn't seem to have it, but Wordsworth does (www.wordsworth.com). Or, if you have the unique pleasure of living anywhere near my favorite SF/Fantasy/Horror/Mystery bookstore in the world - Chicago's THE STARS OUR DESTINATION (www.sfbooks.com; 1021 W. Belmont Ave, Chicago, IL 60657) - you can get it there (which is where I got my copy). The store is a block away from the Belmont stop on Chicago Red Line. They may also be able to ship it to you - I'm not sure about what they will & won't ship. [EDITOR'S NOTE: THE BOOKSTORE HAS MOVED! -kjc, November 2000] Read it. Kelly J. p.s. Mr. Hartman has another book coming out in 6 months - looks like it might be a sequel, or at least another story involving the Gumshoe.