Monday, November 19, 2018

Smoke City

Ridiculously original, I can't even think of a book to compare this too. Joan of Arc's executioner has been reincarnated time and again and finds himself living a droll existence as a record store owner in Portland, Oregon. Marvin has never lived past 57 so he knows his time is near. He's all but resigned to the fact when he sees a woman on a daytime talk show claim to be Joan of Arc reincarnated. Is this it? Is this Marvin's chance to break the cycle of reincarnation and make amends for killing Saint Joan? He starts to hitchhike down to LA to find Joan of Arc and in the process joins Mike Vale, a former art icon and current drunk. Their road trip turns out to be more than adventurous. Their trip is dotted with smokes, ghostly apparitions that are starting to appear on the east coast. Know one knows what smokes want, but they they don't hang around long. Hundreds appear and disappear and a sense of doom is falling over California. Ghosts, booze, sarcasm, and a 14th century reincarnated executioner make this novel and unforgettable and fun read.

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