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A review by ojtheviking
Play Dead by Michael a. Arnzen
3.0
This was a pretty cool read. An interesting idea, first of all, that I think the author executed well. The overall feel of the story reminded me of an urban Western of sorts, except instead of cowboys preparing for a duel at dawn, we have a number of distinct characters - albeit sometimes borderline caricature-like, but I believe intentionally so - preparing for a card game that's literally a matter of life and death. I can imagine it would be in the vein of a grindhouse flick if it was ever adapted into a movie.
The way the story is divided into 52 chapters to complete a full deck of cards is also clever, and it never really feels like the author is padding the story just to churn out enough chapters. There is a constant energy in the story, driving the plot forward, building suspense, raising the stakes, serving up a healthy dose of violence and brutality along the way, but Arntzen still evens it out with moments that allow us to become familiar with all the players involved, so that we get more emotionally invested in them.
As mentioned, though, the characters are in danger of being a bit like caricatures - a good example of that is the Preacher, constantly yelling or mumbling about sinners and damnation, temptation and forgiveness, etc. - but in the context of this novel, it sort of fits. They become archetypical, as if they themselves are cards belonging to an even larger game. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, except they are card players instead of gunslingers.
In short, it's a story that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, and sometimes that's exactly how it should be.
The way the story is divided into 52 chapters to complete a full deck of cards is also clever, and it never really feels like the author is padding the story just to churn out enough chapters. There is a constant energy in the story, driving the plot forward, building suspense, raising the stakes, serving up a healthy dose of violence and brutality along the way, but Arntzen still evens it out with moments that allow us to become familiar with all the players involved, so that we get more emotionally invested in them.
As mentioned, though, the characters are in danger of being a bit like caricatures - a good example of that is the Preacher, constantly yelling or mumbling about sinners and damnation, temptation and forgiveness, etc. - but in the context of this novel, it sort of fits. They become archetypical, as if they themselves are cards belonging to an even larger game. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, except they are card players instead of gunslingers.
In short, it's a story that doesn't try to be anything other than what it is, and sometimes that's exactly how it should be.