How? How does one maintain objectivity and impartiality in a situation such as this? It's one thing that I've known Gary Braunbeck for many years and that I consider him to be a close and cherished friend. That's fairly common in the rather small world of horror fiction. But Gary named the lead character in Prodigal Blues after me and he also gave the character's wife my wife's name: Tanya. It makes it tough on a reviewer.
I had read some short pieces of fiction from Gary Braunbeck prior to the publication of his landmark collection, Things Left Behind. Some good nonfiction by the man in places like the sorely missed magazine, The Scream Factory. Yet I was unprepared for the emotional and intellectual impact that Things Left Behind had on me. It was published not quite ten years ago and though that is a relatively brief period of time, it was a different world. Back then, if I heard that there was an acclaimed writer making a splash in the genre, I was interested. Interested enough to pay for a signed limited edition. And I was rarely disappointed.
Things Left Behind is a journey of words that was unlike any I had read up until that time. Gary's rich language and the powerful way that he pulled the reader into the story, as painful and devastating as the situation may have been, left an indelible mark on many more fans than myself. Gary has revamped some of those stories and written new ones that have appeared in his Cedar Hill collections and they may be more polished, but Things Left Behind came first and it was always remain in a special place in my heart.
Cemetery Dance Publications gave us Things Left Behind and it sold out in almost no time. It was a shrewd move on Richard Chizmar's part to take such a chance on a relatively unknown author, but it paid off. Now another landmark work from Gary Braunbeck is coming from CD. A new novel called Prodigal Blues. This novel features many of the same themes that Gary has explored in his earlier works, but he has never done so with such exquisite results.
Right up front, Prodigal Blues is a disturbing novel. It deals with the most vicious forms of abuse and molestation of the young. To describe in detail the bare bones of what transpires to several youths in this novel would be excruciating. And Gary does not flinch one bit from the horrors in it. Yet he imbues the story with such tenderness that it is impossible to not feel a sense of joy. Prodigal Blues demonstrates humankind's obstinate ability to maintain dignity, compassion and even a sense of wit in even the most dire circumstances.
Mark Sieber is a man trying to get home on a rustbucket of a jalopy that simply will not make the trip. Stranded in a out of the way place, he sees one of those posters that seem to pop up everywhere. Have You Seen Me. The poster is of a little girl and Sieber is shocked when he realizes that he saw the girl in the passenger seat of a van that passed him by a few times. Unnerved, he goes back into the restaurant he just walked out of and is stunned to see the same girl at his table. He helps the girl, who mysteriously apologizes to him. Mark Sieber has no clue at the time that this incident will not only change the course of the next few days for him, but it will also change everything about his life.
As I said before, Prodigal Blues deals with abuse, but it also touches on the responsibility that any of us face in a given situation where our own safety might be in jeopardy should we do the right thing to help those in need. It deals with the sadness and horrors of our society, but it is mostly concerned with family. The utter importance of family and not just of the blood related kind. How the best of us will sacrifice just about anything in the aid of a member of our family. There is a family, of sorts, in Prodigal Blues. The people in this family have endured more horrors than I could imagine in my worst nightmares. Yet part of me wished that I could be in such a close knit, loving group of people that share a bond deeper than blood.
Wiser folks than I have called Gary Braunbeck the best writer of his generation and I cannot argue that point. From his earliest stories to his recent novel, Keepers, Gary has given readers challenging fiction that often go places that not everyone is willing to go. The places in Gary's fiction are often ones of acute pain and devastating emotion. I've heard some readers say that his fiction is too intense and they can't go down the roads he takes. Honestly, I can understand that. Not that I count myself in that group. Fiction should have an affect on us. When I pick up a book (or watch a movie) I want to feel something. I want to think about more than a roundup of the details of the plot. Gary Braunbeck delivers on all counts. I often feel like a changed person after reading his stories.
The year 2006 is over halfway gone, but I think I know what the best novel from the horror genre will be. Gary Braunbeck's Prodigal Blues is, for my money, the finest thing he has published to date and I think it deserves the highest honors that the field offers. Do yourself a favor and don't wait to get this book. If there is any justice in this world, Prodigal Blues should sell out from the publisher as fast as Things left Behind did. And it deserves a far larger audience than the small horror press could ever provide for it. Prodigal Blues deserves to be published by one of the big New York houses, with a large ad campaign. This novel is simply too good to languish in relative obscurity.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the beautiful art that was provided by Deena Warner. This lovely and talented individual did a breathtaking cover piece and several atmospheric black and white interior illustrations.
I had read some short pieces of fiction from Gary Braunbeck prior to the publication of his landmark collection, Things Left Behind. Some good nonfiction by the man in places like the sorely missed magazine, The Scream Factory. Yet I was unprepared for the emotional and intellectual impact that Things Left Behind had on me. It was published not quite ten years ago and though that is a relatively brief period of time, it was a different world. Back then, if I heard that there was an acclaimed writer making a splash in the genre, I was interested. Interested enough to pay for a signed limited edition. And I was rarely disappointed.
Things Left Behind is a journey of words that was unlike any I had read up until that time. Gary's rich language and the powerful way that he pulled the reader into the story, as painful and devastating as the situation may have been, left an indelible mark on many more fans than myself. Gary has revamped some of those stories and written new ones that have appeared in his Cedar Hill collections and they may be more polished, but Things Left Behind came first and it was always remain in a special place in my heart.
Cemetery Dance Publications gave us Things Left Behind and it sold out in almost no time. It was a shrewd move on Richard Chizmar's part to take such a chance on a relatively unknown author, but it paid off. Now another landmark work from Gary Braunbeck is coming from CD. A new novel called Prodigal Blues. This novel features many of the same themes that Gary has explored in his earlier works, but he has never done so with such exquisite results.
Right up front, Prodigal Blues is a disturbing novel. It deals with the most vicious forms of abuse and molestation of the young. To describe in detail the bare bones of what transpires to several youths in this novel would be excruciating. And Gary does not flinch one bit from the horrors in it. Yet he imbues the story with such tenderness that it is impossible to not feel a sense of joy. Prodigal Blues demonstrates humankind's obstinate ability to maintain dignity, compassion and even a sense of wit in even the most dire circumstances.
Mark Sieber is a man trying to get home on a rustbucket of a jalopy that simply will not make the trip. Stranded in a out of the way place, he sees one of those posters that seem to pop up everywhere. Have You Seen Me. The poster is of a little girl and Sieber is shocked when he realizes that he saw the girl in the passenger seat of a van that passed him by a few times. Unnerved, he goes back into the restaurant he just walked out of and is stunned to see the same girl at his table. He helps the girl, who mysteriously apologizes to him. Mark Sieber has no clue at the time that this incident will not only change the course of the next few days for him, but it will also change everything about his life.
As I said before, Prodigal Blues deals with abuse, but it also touches on the responsibility that any of us face in a given situation where our own safety might be in jeopardy should we do the right thing to help those in need. It deals with the sadness and horrors of our society, but it is mostly concerned with family. The utter importance of family and not just of the blood related kind. How the best of us will sacrifice just about anything in the aid of a member of our family. There is a family, of sorts, in Prodigal Blues. The people in this family have endured more horrors than I could imagine in my worst nightmares. Yet part of me wished that I could be in such a close knit, loving group of people that share a bond deeper than blood.
Wiser folks than I have called Gary Braunbeck the best writer of his generation and I cannot argue that point. From his earliest stories to his recent novel, Keepers, Gary has given readers challenging fiction that often go places that not everyone is willing to go. The places in Gary's fiction are often ones of acute pain and devastating emotion. I've heard some readers say that his fiction is too intense and they can't go down the roads he takes. Honestly, I can understand that. Not that I count myself in that group. Fiction should have an affect on us. When I pick up a book (or watch a movie) I want to feel something. I want to think about more than a roundup of the details of the plot. Gary Braunbeck delivers on all counts. I often feel like a changed person after reading his stories.
The year 2006 is over halfway gone, but I think I know what the best novel from the horror genre will be. Gary Braunbeck's Prodigal Blues is, for my money, the finest thing he has published to date and I think it deserves the highest honors that the field offers. Do yourself a favor and don't wait to get this book. If there is any justice in this world, Prodigal Blues should sell out from the publisher as fast as Things left Behind did. And it deserves a far larger audience than the small horror press could ever provide for it. Prodigal Blues deserves to be published by one of the big New York houses, with a large ad campaign. This novel is simply too good to languish in relative obscurity.
And I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the beautiful art that was provided by Deena Warner. This lovely and talented individual did a breathtaking cover piece and several atmospheric black and white interior illustrations.
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