Conventional wisdom says that writing should be a solo endeavor. It's tough to disagree with that status quo, but some of my favorite books are written by duos. The Jack Ketchum/Lucky McKee books come to mind. Skipp and Spector also come to mind. It seems that when it does work, it REALLY works. According to the afterword in the OUT BEHIND THE BARN, it was originally Boden's idea, and Lutzke added to it. I sorta don't care about the mechanics of it, but what I do care about is....
This book is REALLY REALLY freakin' good.
It's a very simple, yet well written character-driven piece that highlights the best of what both of these guys do. No plot synopsis here. Go read it. In fact....in lieu of writing yet ANOTHER positive-yet boring-review about this book, I will write it in CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE format. Do you remember those?
For the uninitiated, CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE was a series of books that were popular in the 1980's/1990's. The books were written by different writers, but had the same concept: They are written in second person, planting the reader firmly into the plot and furthermore, the reader actually makes decisions within the story that actually CHANGES the course of the story. For instance, the book may ask the reader, "do you want to take the left-hand path into the woods? if so, turn to page 23. If you want to take the right-hand path and go to the library, turn to page 62" Then the story continues from there; obviously if you chose to go into the deep, dark woods (which most of us would do), you get eaten by a werewolf, and your journey ends. But if you continue to make good decisions, the story gets longer and longer and you have a better chance of having a happy ending.
Sorry for the digression. All caught up? good. Here we go.
You are on the internet and you realize that you want and/or need a really good book. You want a novella because you want to read it in one or two sittings. After browsing for a while, you see OUT BEHIND THE BARN for sale. If you have never heard of Chad Lutzke or John Boden, go to page 13. If you are a fan of both, but haven't read this one, go to page 21. If you dislike both writers, go to page 36.
Page 13: You buy OUT BEHIND THE BARN. You like it so much that you email me at bkpinhead@hotmail.com to compliment my exquisite taste in literature. Then you also buy OF FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES and JEDI SUMMER WITH THE MAGNETIC KID...because you need to catch up. You grow up and make a lot of money. THE END.
Page 21: You buy, and read OUT BEHIND THE BARN and realize it's one of the better books you've read this year (it's definitely one of mine). Then you notice that there is a new cupcake shop in your neighborhood, and they're decently priced and delicious. THE END.
Page 36: A werewolf eats you. THE END.
Grade: A
Review by Jason Cavallaro
This book is REALLY REALLY freakin' good.
It's a very simple, yet well written character-driven piece that highlights the best of what both of these guys do. No plot synopsis here. Go read it. In fact....in lieu of writing yet ANOTHER positive-yet boring-review about this book, I will write it in CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE format. Do you remember those?
For the uninitiated, CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE was a series of books that were popular in the 1980's/1990's. The books were written by different writers, but had the same concept: They are written in second person, planting the reader firmly into the plot and furthermore, the reader actually makes decisions within the story that actually CHANGES the course of the story. For instance, the book may ask the reader, "do you want to take the left-hand path into the woods? if so, turn to page 23. If you want to take the right-hand path and go to the library, turn to page 62" Then the story continues from there; obviously if you chose to go into the deep, dark woods (which most of us would do), you get eaten by a werewolf, and your journey ends. But if you continue to make good decisions, the story gets longer and longer and you have a better chance of having a happy ending.
Sorry for the digression. All caught up? good. Here we go.
You are on the internet and you realize that you want and/or need a really good book. You want a novella because you want to read it in one or two sittings. After browsing for a while, you see OUT BEHIND THE BARN for sale. If you have never heard of Chad Lutzke or John Boden, go to page 13. If you are a fan of both, but haven't read this one, go to page 21. If you dislike both writers, go to page 36.
Page 13: You buy OUT BEHIND THE BARN. You like it so much that you email me at bkpinhead@hotmail.com to compliment my exquisite taste in literature. Then you also buy OF FOSTER HOMES AND FLIES and JEDI SUMMER WITH THE MAGNETIC KID...because you need to catch up. You grow up and make a lot of money. THE END.
Page 21: You buy, and read OUT BEHIND THE BARN and realize it's one of the better books you've read this year (it's definitely one of mine). Then you notice that there is a new cupcake shop in your neighborhood, and they're decently priced and delicious. THE END.
Page 36: A werewolf eats you. THE END.
Grade: A
Review by Jason Cavallaro
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