Some writers have a growing curve. You watch them start off with passion and enthusiasm, but the early work lacks polish. Others come out of the gate seeming to be solid professionals. David J. Schow is such a writer.
I began reading Schow back in the early 80's and even then his work was sharp and groundbreaking. His voice was keenly observant, hip, and on the cutting edge. It still is.
Many know Schow as the originator of the term, Splatterpunk. It was a joking reference to the new horror of the 80's, with nods to literary subdivisions like cyberpunk and elfpunk. Facetious or not, Splatterpunk was a good description of the kind of writing Schow, Skipp, Spector, R.C. Matheson, and a few others were doing.
David Schow earned a reputation as a horror writer, but over the past decade or so he has been indulging in high octane, artillery-heavy thrillers. Or maybe he was doing that to a point all along. Re-reading his first novel, The Kill Riff, gives me that impression.
I'm late to get around to Schow's newest novel, The Big Crush, which is a conclusion to a loose trilogy of L.A.-based hardnose thrillers.
As always I was immediately impressed with Schow's prose in The Big Crush. This isn't an easy book. There are multiple characters, and some of them have multiple identities. I had a bit of trouble keeping it all straight for the first hundred pages or so. This isn't a complaint. I like a challenge when reading.
The bare bones plot of The Big Crush comes across as weak and generic as a typical big budget, star-heavy Hollywood blockbuster. This is obviously intentional, and The Big Crush serves as a parody of those slick movies that defy logic or credibility. In fact, lines blur between the action of the novel and the very idea of low concept movies.
Schow's writing has never been more acute as in The Big Crush. His intimate knowledge of Los Angeles and movies serve as backdrops to the ever-increasing violence and cinematic situations.
And yet I cannot give The Big Crush a completely positive review. After two hundred pages or so the unrelenting cooler-than-thou attitude began to become oppressive. By the time the final explosive confrontation occurred, I found myself rushing through the pages. By that point I was inured to the action, which had grown repetitive. I lost interest in the characters and no longer cared what became of them.
So do I recommend The Big Crush? Sure. Action fans will probably like it. The forty-dollar price tag for the hardcover is a bit prohibitive for this kind of story, but there is a ebook available.
The short form is Schow's greatest strength, like others such as Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison, and Dennis Etchison. Too bad it is virtually impossible for a writer to make a living writing short stories in this day and age.
Still, all things considered, I enjoyed The Big Crush. I don't regret buying it, or the time I spent with the novel. I've always bought Schow's books, and I will continue to do so. If he continues to write at the novel length, I wish he would give his fans a huge whomping horror story.
Written by Mark Sieber
I began reading Schow back in the early 80's and even then his work was sharp and groundbreaking. His voice was keenly observant, hip, and on the cutting edge. It still is.
Many know Schow as the originator of the term, Splatterpunk. It was a joking reference to the new horror of the 80's, with nods to literary subdivisions like cyberpunk and elfpunk. Facetious or not, Splatterpunk was a good description of the kind of writing Schow, Skipp, Spector, R.C. Matheson, and a few others were doing.
David Schow earned a reputation as a horror writer, but over the past decade or so he has been indulging in high octane, artillery-heavy thrillers. Or maybe he was doing that to a point all along. Re-reading his first novel, The Kill Riff, gives me that impression.
I'm late to get around to Schow's newest novel, The Big Crush, which is a conclusion to a loose trilogy of L.A.-based hardnose thrillers.
As always I was immediately impressed with Schow's prose in The Big Crush. This isn't an easy book. There are multiple characters, and some of them have multiple identities. I had a bit of trouble keeping it all straight for the first hundred pages or so. This isn't a complaint. I like a challenge when reading.
The bare bones plot of The Big Crush comes across as weak and generic as a typical big budget, star-heavy Hollywood blockbuster. This is obviously intentional, and The Big Crush serves as a parody of those slick movies that defy logic or credibility. In fact, lines blur between the action of the novel and the very idea of low concept movies.
Schow's writing has never been more acute as in The Big Crush. His intimate knowledge of Los Angeles and movies serve as backdrops to the ever-increasing violence and cinematic situations.
And yet I cannot give The Big Crush a completely positive review. After two hundred pages or so the unrelenting cooler-than-thou attitude began to become oppressive. By the time the final explosive confrontation occurred, I found myself rushing through the pages. By that point I was inured to the action, which had grown repetitive. I lost interest in the characters and no longer cared what became of them.
So do I recommend The Big Crush? Sure. Action fans will probably like it. The forty-dollar price tag for the hardcover is a bit prohibitive for this kind of story, but there is a ebook available.
The short form is Schow's greatest strength, like others such as Ramsey Campbell, Harlan Ellison, and Dennis Etchison. Too bad it is virtually impossible for a writer to make a living writing short stories in this day and age.
Still, all things considered, I enjoyed The Big Crush. I don't regret buying it, or the time I spent with the novel. I've always bought Schow's books, and I will continue to do so. If he continues to write at the novel length, I wish he would give his fans a huge whomping horror story.
Written by Mark Sieber
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