The Man Has Issues upon Issues!
Written: Jul 20 '09
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Bizarre! Tyree is right up there with King, Koontz, and Soul.
Cons: Explicit in all details.
The Bottom Line: Definitely recommended for those that like the bizarre and unique. Not for the faint-of-heart!
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| jsmorris's Full Review: Nathan Tyree - Stygiophilia |
Nathan Tyree is striving to write books similar to Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and John Saul. Actually he might be more bizarre that those three and his books will keep the reader turning the pages even when you don’t want to continue. It’s kind of like watching a car accident or train wreck – you know you shouldn’t look or continue to look but you can’t help yourself. You know this book is over the top in weirdness but you can’t stop reading just one more page!
We don’t learn the name of the person telling the story in Stygiophilia until the very end. That’s one detail that isn’t given but everything else in his life is told in great detail. Details like him being an alcoholic, possibly a drug addict, and probably a sex addict. He believes he has the snake god Quetzalcoatl as a pet in his apartment. He picks up a minor girl for a couple of days of drinking, drugs and endless sex. He bounces from one female to another, almost like he bounces from job to job. Basically if I were to describe his life in a couple of words they would be “all bad”. Nothing good happens to this guy.
We learn he has a terrible secret from his teenage years which psychologists would predict was the underlying root of his problems. He burns himself with cigarettes; he cuts himself; he cannot face normal life situations without drugs and/or alcohol. But the bad part is that he is uncomfortable the most whenever he thinks his life is going well – if it’s falling apart and there is turmoil, he’s doing ok.
Character development is vague but that is intentional. We are never told if he is tall, short, fat, thin, etc. There is no physical description what-so-ever. This person could be any one of us. The writing is explicit – sexually explicit, violently explicit. If you want a story that is sugar-coated, this is definitely not the one for you!
At times the story rambles and we jump from subject to subject. But again that’s the author’s plan so we see just how desperate the narrator is – we see that his thinking isn’t running a smooth course. The book is a quick read which is a good thing because I’m not sure I could have taken a couple of hundred pages of this horrific story. My one big complaint is the editing which may have been rectified when it went to press since I had an advanced copy. I sure hope so because that was my biggest criticism. A smaller grievance is a shameless plug for Tyree’s first book Mr. Overby is Falling in the middle of the story. But hey, ya gotta give the guy credit for trying!
Overall this book is bizarre but one that you can’t stop reading even though you know you should. I looked over my shoulder numerous times to make sure someone wasn’t looking to see what I was reading – how in the world could I explain some of the content? But then again, I believe that was part of Nathan Tyree’s plan all along – to write a book so off the wall that people could not put it down.
Recommended:
Yes
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jsmorris
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Member: Susie Morris
Location: Southern California
Reviews written: 682
Trusted by: 294 members
About Me:
Broken hearts sometimes don't mend...but life goes on.
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