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mugsandpugs's review
4.0
"The things that make them who we love are the same things that can get them killed [...] It’s enough to make you scream sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade him for anything, for all the gold in this world."
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Book: 4/5 stars
Audiobook: 2/5 stars
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Our heros Heck, Lovina, and Jimmie are back! Circumstances force them in different directions. Heck has to face drama with his MC after his step-father's passing; Jimmie starts on a path towards a sinister conspiracy involving the founders of the Brotherhood itself; and Lovina starts investigating her strange dreams involving killer clowns and frequent abductions at a certain trailer park...
It's weird, it's kooky, it's full of music and nerd-culture references, so let's dive right in!
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The Good:
- All the queer characters! And tons of POC and QPOC, even more so than the first book! How do I become a Bitch of Selene?!?! I WANT TO BE A QUEER WEREWOLF BIKER!!!!
- The inclusion of real, modern-day issues mixed in all the magic. Lovina, a black cop, faces anti-black racism and potential police brutality from other cops, for example, or the way Max the magician struggles with a social anxiety disorder.
- Belcher is definitely up-to-date on his nerd culture. (I especially appreciated his callout on the "Captain America becomes a Nazi" BULLCRAP that Marvel ACTUALLY pulled... Though that's not too surprising, as he does own a comic shop!)
- I like that Belcher is so supportive of us younger generations. I like that he sees the value in updating old ways while keeping the spirit of a thing alive. (An example would be how younger nomads still use hobo symbols, but also invented new ones such as "Free WiFi here!" And how Jimmie's father, an aging "redneck" mechanic, talks about how useful computers are to his business.) Look, it's just refreshing to see a person of Belcher's age (I don't know the exact number, but according to interviews he had a childhood in the 70s) who ISN'T pulling a "damn kids these days!!!"
- I absolutely adore Jimmie. He's such a GOOD guy; a hero I can root for. I loved him in the first book. I loved him here, too. If anything bad ever happens to him I will FIGHT A MAN.
- More Max! I love Max. And I liked Dusty and his weird magic, too.
- I really liked the new child character, Ryan. The story took an unexpected "Stephen King's IT" detour in a "group of weird pre-teens face off against both older kid bullies AND killer clowns" sort of way, but... Well. I like Stephen King's IT. And I like these kids. I was really interested in Ryan's subplot, and how it eventually merged into Max and Lovina's plot.
- I am going to marry Yogi, and there's nothing you can do about it. There's nothing Belcher can do about it, either. TAKE ME IN YOUR FUZZY WERE-BEAR ARMS, YOGI. I'M ALL YOURS.
- The entire opening scene was (chef's kiss) PERFECTION.
- Just how unapologetically dorky and WEIRD everything is. Look, a murderous offshoot of Insane Clown Posse is dispensing human body parts all over the US as part of an apocalyptic conspiracy while toxic makeup makes them immortal and rots their brains. What other book can you read that in?!?!
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The Less-Good:
- Aside from that fantastic opening scene, our favorite trio barely worked together at all. They were all split up. I missed their dynamic. Maybe this is all just middle-book syndrome talking and things will pick up later...?
- Heck and Jimmie's subplots were nowhere near as interesting or fleshed-out as Lovina and Max's. I barely cared at all about Heck's biker drama. Whenever the plot snapped back to him, I just sighed. (And I could have done without the random sex scene with a forgettable character that sprang up out of nowhere and added nothing.)
- Going off that, Cherokee Mike and Viper just weren’t very interesting or compelling villains. The killer clowns were the REAL stars of the show, of course, but that whole subplot was just kind of a bummer after how GOOD that creepy town in Brotherhood was. (I think this is another problem of having our protags all split up. Of course there can’t be as much time/care spent developing EVERYTHING as there was last time, when they were all fighting the same baddie.)
- MORE JIMMIE, PLEASE! (I realize that Belcher is setting him up for a bigger plot in future books with the Brotherhood and the Builders, but there just wasn't enough of him!)
- The use of song references was way overdone here. In the first book, it was charming and reflected the mood of the scenes/characters, but this time it was a little too much. I don't have time to listen to ALL these songs!
- This has nothing to do with the book itself, but the audio narrator, Bronson Pinchot, is kind of awful at this job. He adds weird, inconsistent accents and awkward pauses to EVERYTHING. I didn’t mind him as much in Brotherhood, but it was very noticeable here.
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All in all, I love this series, I like the author, and I'm excited to see more of his work in the future. I wish he was more recognized, because his work is so unique and fun and strange.
(Also, I only just figured out that the "trucker code" chapter titles relate to the content of the chapters themselves (10-70 means "fire," 10-34 means "help needed" etc), and now I feel foolish for not getting that sooner.)
“The Wheel Turns.”
iam_griff's review
4.0
This series has really grown on me. I bought "Brother of the Wheel" as an impulse buy & really enjoyed it. I've enjoyed the character growth of Heck & Max. I am really curious to see where Mr. Belcher is going to take them. There were a lot of threads of story & a slew of characters & I wondered how everything would tie together, again Mr. Belcher does a wonderful job mixing the supernatural with highways, byways & now the rail. I even loved the Laytham Ballard reference. I do hope that we won't have to wait too, too long for the next installment. I would also love to create a playlist for all the music that is used in both book.
wallabystew's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
sws004's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
majean's review
5.0
(Read my full review here: https://horror.media/book-review-king-of-the-road-by-r-s-belcher)
moreadsbooks's review
3.0
vailynst's review
5.0
Notes:
I already want the next book! Maybe it'll take less than two years to come out? Maybe?
ETA: Well. Okay. Maybe the third book will come out in like 3 years? I read an article & it seems like the author has several projects lined up. Which is good! More books! Just not necessarily one here.
At the end of the story, I'm left thinking:
When is there ever a right or good time to start a story? The very beginning? Middle? Towards the end? Yet, since time moves on, there's no true end. I had a few jumpy thoughts about what I learned from this book and what may come up next. I love the current cast of characters but I want more about all the things I don't know. =P
Mysteries!
suzjustsuz's review
4.0
I liked this one even better than the first, and I love that Belcher is starting to give us a glimpse of a longer arc. I also love Bronson Pinchot's narration and voice acting, although I wish he wouldn't whisper with some of his breathier voices. His voice is so deep that when he whispers my poor ears can't hardly hear it unless I have earbuds in. That said, I don't think I'll ever be able to get my head around the character with the Scottish brogue/Hillbilly accent. I'm not sure how Pinchot manages it, but he carries it off quite well.
The story is excellent.