- Taschenbuch: 320 Seiten
- Verlag: Serpent's Tail (7. Februar 2006)
- Sprache: Englisch
- ISBN-10: 1852429062
- ISBN-13: 978-1852429065
- Größe und/oder Gewicht: 19,3 x 12,7 x 2,3 cm
- Amazon Bestseller-Rang: Nr. 1.523.539 in Englische Bücher (Siehe Top 100 in Englische Bücher)
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King of the Road
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Stuart MacBride Reviews King of the Road
It might seem a little odd to be recommending the third book in a series, but this was probably the best book I read last year. King Of The Road follows Royston Blake as he tries to reclaim his place in society after a particularly disastrous outing in Booze and Burn left him cooling his heels for a while in a secured psychiatric hospital. The whole Mangel series is narrated from Blake’s point of view, and a lot of the joy comes from picking up on all the clues he’s oblivious too. There are jokes aplenty, moments to make you wince, others to make you curse Blake for the idiot that he most definitely is...
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Taschenbuch .
It might seem a little odd to be recommending the third book in a series, but this was probably the best book I read last year. King Of The Road follows Royston Blake as he tries to reclaim his place in society after a particularly disastrous outing in Booze and Burn left him cooling his heels for a while in a secured psychiatric hospital. The whole Mangel series is narrated from Blake’s point of view, and a lot of the joy comes from picking up on all the clues he’s oblivious too. There are jokes aplenty, moments to make you wince, others to make you curse Blake for the idiot that he most definitely is... You could just read this on its own, or better yet: start with the first two books in the series. That way you’ll get the whole build up, and it’ll make the payoff all the sweeter.
-- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Taschenbuch .
Pressestimmen
"'Deadfolk was a fantastic debut and Fags and Lager is even better. Royston Blake is a truly original anti-hero' Mark Billingham 'Fags and Lager is yokel Tarantino... Roll on Mangel book three' Metro London 'There's a real depth to the characters... anyone famillar with small town life will appreciate the pitch-black sense of humour' Big Issue in the North (6/6/05) 'Blake is a dazzling creation of well-intentioned prejudice and overblown machismo, dripping with dramatic irony' BBC Online 'Fags and Lager is seriously funny... Anyone who's ever grown up and put up with rude boys, growlers and thugs in a crappy, rain-soaked market town in the middle of nowhere, will no doubt fall in love with this all-too-fictional nonfiction' Front"
In diesem Buch
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1 von 1 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Mad or bad?
9. August 2011
Format:Taschenbuch|Amazon Vine™ Rezension
(Was ist das?)
It's said of sociopaths that they "know the words, but not the music." Which is a good description of "King of the Road's" main character, Royston Blake, fresh from a sojourn in a mental hospital, which the reader soon learns, was an alternative to prison. How he landed there is told at intervals by conversations with his psychiatrist and flashbacks. Now Royston is trying to adjust to life on the outside in a community where everyone knows him by reputation. (Or perhaps not. As we learn early on, Royston's an unreliable narrator.) He's got a job lined up (even though there's some confusion about what the title means), but things have changed since he went in. For one thing, he may have a young son. For another, he sort of wants to settle down and "go straight," but well, several people have a proposition for him. Things are complicated.
Williams does a superb job of getting inside the head of a sociopath. He also makes Royston's upbringing chaotic enough, so that I kept switching from nature to nurture as a reason for "why" Royston ended up as he did. The only problem is that since the book is told entirely from the perspective of Royston, the reader never gets a break, and it can feel claustrophobic. Why exactly does he keep making bad choices? After awhile, I got the impression that, even with lengthy therapy and people who do care about him, there wasn't much hope for this character. Probably accurate - I've heard that sociopaths don't respond to traditional therapy - but tedious for the reader.
For some reason, this book reminded me of "Catcher In the Rye," only instead of having a protagonist who agonizes about every step, we have one who lives in the moment. There are secondary characters who do want to help, but the protagonist seems incapable of making wise decisions. As a reader, I want my protagonists to grow and change, even in minor ways, but sociopaths in reality - and in literature - are limited in character development by the fact that they really don't seem to be able to change. Can you really teach emotions?
Oh yes. There are some very grisly scenes and lots of profanity. If this was made into a movie, it would definitely be an "R" one. At least in the US.
Williams does a superb job of getting inside the head of a sociopath. He also makes Royston's upbringing chaotic enough, so that I kept switching from nature to nurture as a reason for "why" Royston ended up as he did. The only problem is that since the book is told entirely from the perspective of Royston, the reader never gets a break, and it can feel claustrophobic. Why exactly does he keep making bad choices? After awhile, I got the impression that, even with lengthy therapy and people who do care about him, there wasn't much hope for this character. Probably accurate - I've heard that sociopaths don't respond to traditional therapy - but tedious for the reader.
For some reason, this book reminded me of "Catcher In the Rye," only instead of having a protagonist who agonizes about every step, we have one who lives in the moment. There are secondary characters who do want to help, but the protagonist seems incapable of making wise decisions. As a reader, I want my protagonists to grow and change, even in minor ways, but sociopaths in reality - and in literature - are limited in character development by the fact that they really don't seem to be able to change. Can you really teach emotions?
Oh yes. There are some very grisly scenes and lots of profanity. If this was made into a movie, it would definitely be an "R" one. At least in the US.
1 von 1 Kunden fanden die folgende Rezension hilfreich
Third time loses its charm
1. Juli 2011
Format:Taschenbuch|Amazon Vine™ Rezension
(Was ist das?)
In the third installment of Charlie Williams' Mangel series, "King of the Road", the unthinkable has happened: Mangel is changing. Royston Blake, former head doorman and manager of Hoppers is released from a three year stay in Parpham, the local mental institution, to find Hoppers is gone. In its place is a swanky new shopping mall. The local stores are all being replaced by chain-style restaurants, retail outlets, and supermarkets. What some might consider progress, others find threatening - particularly the "Old Guard", a group who will go to any length to halt this so-called progress. Those familiar with Mangel may well imagine what "any length" might include. Royston's parole is timely because many believe him to be the prophetic "Chosen One" destined to save Mangel.
As is customary, Royston is the narrator. His storytelling style remains consistent, a bloke relating a yarn in common British vernacular ("togs" are clothes, "kip" is sleep, "scran" is food). Sadly, the dark charm he possessed in the first couple novels is lacking. He just seems thick, annoyingly so. Watching him spinelessly pulled to and fro by the various schemers, absent any will of his own, possessed of the attention span of a mayfly - it was all just too pathetic. In typical fashion, whatever his hands touch turns to dust. Perhaps Royston is an anti-hero in the truest sense of the word, but something is sacrificed when a character defies any emotional attachment.
On the surface, it appears that quite a bit is going on: Royston's new boss, the developer, is being blackmailed; Royston's old girl, Sal, has shacked up with someone else... in his house; a child was born to Royston during his stay at Parpham; the "Old Guard" plots against the progress; and a gang of petty thieves hatch a dangerous plan. Nonetheless, Royston's re-acclimation to the outside world is painfully slow. It is not until the halfway point or later that things really proceed in typical Mangel fashion - violently.
Royston's relationship with his father is examined in greater depth. As usual, these scenes are some of the more poignant in the novel. Interspersed in the narrative are documented interviews between the Parpham doctor and Royston. A hint is dropped about Royston's past that is never explained and a couple plot points remain unresolved. They may be enough to encourage the reader to take on the next volume in the series. Giving the author his due, while the final page was not unexpected, it was perfectly executed. It was encouraging that the novel ended on a high note.
As is customary, Royston is the narrator. His storytelling style remains consistent, a bloke relating a yarn in common British vernacular ("togs" are clothes, "kip" is sleep, "scran" is food). Sadly, the dark charm he possessed in the first couple novels is lacking. He just seems thick, annoyingly so. Watching him spinelessly pulled to and fro by the various schemers, absent any will of his own, possessed of the attention span of a mayfly - it was all just too pathetic. In typical fashion, whatever his hands touch turns to dust. Perhaps Royston is an anti-hero in the truest sense of the word, but something is sacrificed when a character defies any emotional attachment.
On the surface, it appears that quite a bit is going on: Royston's new boss, the developer, is being blackmailed; Royston's old girl, Sal, has shacked up with someone else... in his house; a child was born to Royston during his stay at Parpham; the "Old Guard" plots against the progress; and a gang of petty thieves hatch a dangerous plan. Nonetheless, Royston's re-acclimation to the outside world is painfully slow. It is not until the halfway point or later that things really proceed in typical Mangel fashion - violently.
Royston's relationship with his father is examined in greater depth. As usual, these scenes are some of the more poignant in the novel. Interspersed in the narrative are documented interviews between the Parpham doctor and Royston. A hint is dropped about Royston's past that is never explained and a couple plot points remain unresolved. They may be enough to encourage the reader to take on the next volume in the series. Giving the author his due, while the final page was not unexpected, it was perfectly executed. It was encouraging that the novel ended on a high note.
A good book if you enjoy english culture
11. Mai 2012
Format:Taschenbuch|Amazon Vine™ Rezension
(Was ist das?)
The book was fun, narrated and entertain. There is a lot of English culture, that make me stop reading and jump online for research, not the book fault but my own lack of knowledge.
I read this and One Dead Hen, both books I enjoy.
I read this and One Dead Hen, both books I enjoy.
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