A review by johnald1266
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon

4.0

A fun read. What is, perhaps, most appealing is Chabon's general thesis of the work rather than the novel itself. I am, like Chabon, a staunch critic of the notion that "Literature" and "plot" (even-gasp-*adventure*) are mutually exclusive. This foray into adventure I see as a salvo in his literary campaign and for that I applaud it. As someone who cut my readerly teeth on the swords and sorcery genre (Gentlemen of the Road is dedicated to Michael Moorcock) I particularly enjoyed the familiar action and witty repartee among buddy warriors fused with Chabon's elegant prose. While I was not particularly transfixed by the characters or the plot I can see Chabon working toward something great; I'm now even more eager to read "The Yiddish Policeman's Union" which is Chabon's endeavor into the detective genre. Chabon is ballsy to start laying into the norms of the literati so soon after being lauded as one of their (here it comes) wonder boys and even if I didn't agree with him I'd probably respect him just for that.