Dark, strange novel with some great writing...

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	• Crooked Little Vein: A Novel Warren Ellis William Morrow, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 57 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Great, but uncoventional book

Through Crooked Little Vein, Warren Ellis has shown once again just why many people regard him as one of the most controversial and sarcastic writers working in any industry right now.
Known for such graphic novels as Transmetropolitan, he brought that same wicked sensibility into his first ever novel, which gives an acount of a journey taken by an old school, down and out private detective named Michael McGill.
At the beginning, he was given, by the current chief of staff, the daunting task of recovering a long lost copy of a second Constitution which, according to this book, was written by the early presidents such as Abraham Lincoln. This book describes McGill's quest in a very stark and perverse manner in which Warren is well known for.
It's wierd and twisted, yes, but I guarantee you, you will be laughing your heart out the moment you read clever things such as Godzilla Bukkake being described in such brillance. You will be loving every such moment, I tell you. It is this superimposition of twisted humor and wierd situations that really make up the soul of the book. And for that, I really congratulate Mr. Ellis. His ghetto style and underground sensibility really made this an enjoyable ride for me.
He has not only made me laugh but he has made me see a side of America I've never seen or heard of in my life. And with such promptness and brevity too.
Highly recommended.
As for the complaints regarding the "paper-thin" plot and "shock value," all I have to say is this - I think Mr. Ellis was going for so much more than just shock value in this book. If you look closer you can tell he was trying to show the readers about the culture of America today and how the government of today is trying to come up with a quick fix, a fix for the societal problems the country is facing. It also has tons of clever sub-culture and pop-culture references which Mr. Ellis is pretty much famous for. So in light of all these points, I think it's fair to say that he has done a good job, and to do such a resonating work on a first novel isn't easy.

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Dark, strange novel with some great writing...

I figure that someone recommended this title to me, as it's not the type of book I would normally pick up on my own... Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis. I don't think I'd necessarily say it was the best novel I've ever read, and I'd be cautious to recommend it to someone due to its very raw nature. But in terms of creative and unique writing style, this ranks right up there.

The story involves Michael McGill, a struggling private investigator in New York, who is described as a "s..t magnet". Because of his unwanted ability to turn up in situations involving the seamy, ugly part of human activities, he's hired to track down a special book. The book is an alternative Constitution to be used if and when the original version stops influencing society. A whacked-out chief of staff to the President brings him up-to-date on what the government knows, and McGill has to pick up the cold thread from there. Half a million dollars for expenses and a tattooed girlfriend with unique views on sexuality, and he's off on a cross-country trip that exposes him to practices and kinks that he didn't know existed. Along the way, he has to confront his ideas as to what is right and wrong, what should and shouldn't be allowed in a free society.

The book isn't overly long (280 pages in a format about 2/3 the page size of a regular book), so the read is quick. The language would give it an R rating from page 1 if this were a movie. And the kinky practices... These are some things I've never heard of nor imagined. What's scary is that a search of the internet confirmed that these things are truly fetish practices, complete with pictures (ewww...) There's a deeper message that Ellis is trying to convey (I think), but it's definitely not a message or philosophy that would mesh with my own. For me, the best part of the book was the writing. It's reminiscent of a dark 50's PI novel, only with a bizarre cast of characters and plenty of cynicism. His prior work involved graphic novels, so it doesn't surprise me that he is able to paint a scene with few words but an abundance of detail. If you can pull off a chapter that has a single sentence and have it work, you know your stuff...

Not a book to read if you're easily offended or looking for some action-adventure mind candy. But if you're wanting something out of the mainstream with some great writing, check it out...

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Spectacular

Warren Ellis is a modern day visionary of the comic book medium, which can be seen from his various title runs whether it involve superheroes (Ultimate Galactus, The Authority), combining science fact with science fiction (Ocean, Orbiter), or just crafting masterpieces (Transmetropolitan). Crooked Little Vein finds Ellis making his fiction debut in the form of the novel, and my oh my what a marvelous and just plain insane debut it is. Telling the story of private investigator Mike McGill, who gets hired to find the real Constitution of the United States of America, which contains a hidden truth to America's past, which I will not reveal here, except to say that longtime fans of Ellis' original comic work will not be disappointed by the sheer insanity of the proceedings that McGill and his reluctant partner Trix experience on their trek across America. Incredibly funny and at times blood curdling in it's creepiness, Crooked Little Vein is a brilliant satire on the underlinings of American culture that finds Ellis at his graphic and disgusting best. Needless to say, the novel is definitely worth picking up for fans of Ellis' comic work, and for those who have never indulged in Ellis' world but crave some sci-fi craziness (and that's saying it lightly) in their lives, Crooked Little Vein is an unforgettable and addicting trip.

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Super Read

Wow. I insanely loved this book. Taken at face value, a shock read, with a little mystery thrown in, I think it was very effective. It will not go down as the next DaVinci Code, but d*&n it was good. I read it in a day. I've never been much of a comic fan, but loved this book so much I might have to check out his graphic novels. I laughed, a lot. No, not going to change your life, but a good pulp read.

reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, page 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12

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