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hakimbriki's review against another edition
5.0
In many ways, Skullcrack City reminds me of this.
"Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where? Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? Eleven. Exactly. One louder."
- Nigel Tufnel (This is Spinal Tap)
This is how I feel about this book. Having read and adored Angel Dust Apocalypse and We Live Inside You, I knew that Jeremy Robert Johnson had what it takes to produce a full-lenth stunner.
Not only did he nail it, but he outdid himself in a way that makes me feel very admirative. JRJ went all the way up to 11.
Skullcrack City is hard to describe. It is so much more than the story of a man trying to unveil a conspiracy, a lot more than strange, deadly encounters. It is a cosmically enjoyable, funny, engrossing, petrifying, well thought-out novel that us on a bumpy, jaw-dropping journey into the world of characters we grow to adore.
I rediscovered JRJ's highly successful formula from his previous books, adding horror and Bizarro to an ingredient list that again includes a healthy dose of science-fiction-influenced adventure and even comedy - a drug-, monster-laden trek that keeps us engaged and wondering what will happen next. The characters, good or evil, are sublime, with a special mention to Doyle and Dr. T, two of the most fascinating characters I have ever read about.
What appears to be a chaotic plot at first ends up making sense, in a way you would have never expected. Oh and that ending... pure class.
Definitely the best book I've read this year.
"Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where? Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do? Eleven. Exactly. One louder."
- Nigel Tufnel (This is Spinal Tap)
This is how I feel about this book. Having read and adored Angel Dust Apocalypse and We Live Inside You, I knew that Jeremy Robert Johnson had what it takes to produce a full-lenth stunner.
Not only did he nail it, but he outdid himself in a way that makes me feel very admirative. JRJ went all the way up to 11.
Skullcrack City is hard to describe. It is so much more than the story of a man trying to unveil a conspiracy, a lot more than strange, deadly encounters. It is a cosmically enjoyable, funny, engrossing, petrifying, well thought-out novel that us on a bumpy, jaw-dropping journey into the world of characters we grow to adore.
I rediscovered JRJ's highly successful formula from his previous books, adding horror and Bizarro to an ingredient list that again includes a healthy dose of science-fiction-influenced adventure and even comedy - a drug-, monster-laden trek that keeps us engaged and wondering what will happen next. The characters, good or evil, are sublime, with a special mention to Doyle and Dr. T, two of the most fascinating characters I have ever read about.
What appears to be a chaotic plot at first ends up making sense, in a way you would have never expected. Oh and that ending... pure class.
Definitely the best book I've read this year.
billymac1962's review against another edition
1.0
Not my thing. Did enjoy the couple of laughs so far but I'm not into the whole Naked Lunch vibe.
readyeddi's review
4.0
I've had this on my to-read list for a long, long while now so I was very excited when I finally decided to start reading Skullcrack City.
I started reading and Doyle's narrative was as if you were walking in the shady part of town and some junkie decided to walk next to you and tell you their life story. They pull you in when they talk about this ska/dubstep project they thought of called Skunkwave Bass and you're interested cause man you do really love ska. The dude was obviously a tweeker but they don't seem dangerous so you humor them and listen. The junkie is rambling, talking faster and faster until you barely understand what exactly they're saying anymore. And then you realize this dude might not shut up; you might be stuck listening to this junkie for the rest of your life about some crazy story of bank conspiracies and and how their turtle is their only friend and how maybe they should really call their mom back.
That's what the first quarter of the book felt like to me. I was so worried that I was going to have to DNF this book that I was so excited for because Doyle was just too much of a hex-addicted mess and I felt like I was losing my mind along with him. But then it stopped. I felt like I could breath again and then I could really, truly enjoy the oddity that is this story.
The book is bazaar. I read it so fast cause I was so invested and needed to know what happened that I have more questions than answers. But maybe I just need to take the time re-read it again to fill in the blanks. But this book is perfect for those who enjoy weird and enjoy protags who are just as fucked up as you might have been at some point in your life.
I started reading and Doyle's narrative was as if you were walking in the shady part of town and some junkie decided to walk next to you and tell you their life story. They pull you in when they talk about this ska/dubstep project they thought of called Skunkwave Bass and you're interested cause man you do really love ska. The dude was obviously a tweeker but they don't seem dangerous so you humor them and listen. The junkie is rambling, talking faster and faster until you barely understand what exactly they're saying anymore. And then you realize this dude might not shut up; you might be stuck listening to this junkie for the rest of your life about some crazy story of bank conspiracies and and how their turtle is their only friend and how maybe they should really call their mom back.
That's what the first quarter of the book felt like to me. I was so worried that I was going to have to DNF this book that I was so excited for because Doyle was just too much of a hex-addicted mess and I felt like I was losing my mind along with him. But then it stopped. I felt like I could breath again and then I could really, truly enjoy the oddity that is this story.
The book is bazaar. I read it so fast cause I was so invested and needed to know what happened that I have more questions than answers. But maybe I just need to take the time re-read it again to fill in the blanks. But this book is perfect for those who enjoy weird and enjoy protags who are just as fucked up as you might have been at some point in your life.
gertrude314's review against another edition
3.0
This is what would happen if [a:Chuck Palaniuk|17100686|Chuck Palaniuk|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png], [a:Kurt Vonnegut Jr.|2778055|Kurt Vonnegut Jr.|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1433582280p2/2778055.jpg], and [a:Christopher Moore|16218|Christopher Moore|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1460399391p2/16218.jpg] wrote a dystopian novel together. It was a funny trip with a little gimmick that didn't always make sense.
dantastic's review against another edition
4.0
Corporate slave S.P. Doyle, whose best friends are his pet turtle and his Hex addiction, sees conspiracies everywhere linking his bank to some unspeakable evil. When he's framed for murder, his conspiracies don't seem so far fetched anymore...
First off, I really hate elevator pitches but this is Office Space meets Breaking Bad meets Cthulhu.
I've lost some of my bizarro sensitivity over the years but this one was pretty strange. Doyle takes the mind-warping drug Hex and soon finds himself involved with a sinster corporation and the extra-dimensional evil it's linked to. Jeremy Robert Johnson takes some urban fantasy tropes and burns them into a fine ash before snorting them.
The writing is several notches above most bizarro fare and it has a lot of momentum once it's revealed Doyle is actually on to something and not just a burned out addict. Doyle reads like a drug-addled version of Arthur Dent, kind of a clueless guy in way over his head. There was some insta-love I didn't care for but the supporting cast was interesting when they weren't dying in horrible ways.
Aside from the previously-mentioned insta-love, the only part I didn't really care for was the end. All things considered, Skullcrack City was a cracking good read. Four out of five stars.
First off, I really hate elevator pitches but this is Office Space meets Breaking Bad meets Cthulhu.
I've lost some of my bizarro sensitivity over the years but this one was pretty strange. Doyle takes the mind-warping drug Hex and soon finds himself involved with a sinster corporation and the extra-dimensional evil it's linked to. Jeremy Robert Johnson takes some urban fantasy tropes and burns them into a fine ash before snorting them.
The writing is several notches above most bizarro fare and it has a lot of momentum once it's revealed Doyle is actually on to something and not just a burned out addict. Doyle reads like a drug-addled version of Arthur Dent, kind of a clueless guy in way over his head. There was some insta-love I didn't care for but the supporting cast was interesting when they weren't dying in horrible ways.
Aside from the previously-mentioned insta-love, the only part I didn't really care for was the end. All things considered, Skullcrack City was a cracking good read. Four out of five stars.
ambr_media's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a trip. Honestly didn't know what was happening some of the time, but the writing style was very unique and interesting to read. MC is on a drug trip? You're getting the exact thoughts he's having. Doyle is humourous and real, story isn't easy to predict and doesn't follow a basic storyline. Ending is relatively open ended and gives you just enough content to create your own conclusion on how the world will continue. I actually re-read the 3 page intro right after finishing, and that definitely tied things all together for me.
taylor_hohulin's review against another edition
5.0
Lately, reading for me has been this journey of trying to find weirder and weirder books...and Skullcrack City is definitely a weird one. Dark humor, cyberpunk, and horror all mingle in perfect proportion. You get enough world building to understand what's going on, but not so much that you ever feel you understand this setting perfectly. What a fun read.
ktjawrites's review against another edition
5.0
An exhilarating ride through the depraved funhouse that is JRJ’s mind.
sjgomzi's review against another edition
5.0
A fun futuristic action romp that takes you through one outrageous set piece after another. A sort of Island Of Dr Moreau meets The Matrix as written by William Gibson, only much much cooler! I could not possibly begin to explain all the different elements that make up this novel-so many gonzo ideas that should never come together and work as a whole, yet Johnson somehow make it all work, and work brilliantly. So many genres represented here, from science fiction to horror, to cyberpunk. There’s also humor aplenty in the middle of all the death and destruction, and a great love story to boot. Jeremy Robert Johnson is the real deal! If you loved Entropy In Bloom, a brilliant genre mashing cornucopia of ideas and one of my favorite books of the year, you’re sure to love this.