Clown Fellas
Clown Fellas - Carlton Mellick III 3/5
I received the latest CMII novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've just finished an advanced copy of the latest CMIII novel and I have to admit I'm still not sure what to write. I've been a fan of bizarro for almost five years and I often wondered what would happen if mainstream publishers decided finally start releasing bizarro titles. We now have the answer. Carlton's latest release is being published by the Random House imprint Hydra, and I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand this Carlton Mellick III. The guy's an underground legend and I delved into this with the idea that it would be an instant classic. Problem is this doesn't feel like a Mellick book. This is being touted as Urban Fantasy and yeah, I guess it fits, but this is the guy who gave us surreal classics like The Haunted Vagina, and the Menstruating Mall. I was expecting the usual surreal Mellick that writes these bizarro fantasies that often mess with your head.
Clown Fellas is a new direction and a new style that some will love, and others will keep checking the cover just to make sure it's who the cover says it is. These are six novellas that center around the Bozo family who are clowns and also in the mafia. This is exactly why Mellick is a legend and while some elements of his style seem watered down the story telling is top notch, This is a writer trying to branch out and try something different, but I kept waiting for the old Mellick to emerge, but he just doesn't. If you have a fear of clowns this is certainly a book to avoid. These aren't your typical clowns and each novella shows a different side of the Bozo family.
I found that each novella was well written, and if anyone deserves mainstream success it's Mellick. Clown Fellas is an interesting take on the mafia genre. If anyone was going to create a clown mafia it would be this guy. This may be a newer style for Mellick but it's an easy read that you quickly become absorbed in. I did have mixed feelings about this one and still do but as I look at each novella I can see that Mellick's style in Clown Fellas really fits what this book is about. Is it violent? Of course but you expect that from a book like this and while I hate the idea that mainstream publishers have finally discovered bizarro fiction I wonder how safe and watered down it'll become.
While it may not be my favorite Mellick book it is an interesting 3 star read. I didn't exactly hate it but I didn't love it either. The idea is solid but in the end it just seemed to run out of steam. This will be officially released on July 14 and you can pre-order this now but so far it's a Kindle only release.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QP3RO8W?tag=randohouseinc7986-20
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clownfellas-carlton-mellick-iii/1120871638?cm_mmc=affiliates-_-linkshare-_-vd9*lkiwnd8-_-10%3a1&ean=9780804179355&isbn=9780804179355&r=1
http://carltonmellick.com/
I received the latest CMII novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I've just finished an advanced copy of the latest CMIII novel and I have to admit I'm still not sure what to write. I've been a fan of bizarro for almost five years and I often wondered what would happen if mainstream publishers decided finally start releasing bizarro titles. We now have the answer. Carlton's latest release is being published by the Random House imprint Hydra, and I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand this Carlton Mellick III. The guy's an underground legend and I delved into this with the idea that it would be an instant classic. Problem is this doesn't feel like a Mellick book. This is being touted as Urban Fantasy and yeah, I guess it fits, but this is the guy who gave us surreal classics like The Haunted Vagina, and the Menstruating Mall. I was expecting the usual surreal Mellick that writes these bizarro fantasies that often mess with your head.
Clown Fellas is a new direction and a new style that some will love, and others will keep checking the cover just to make sure it's who the cover says it is. These are six novellas that center around the Bozo family who are clowns and also in the mafia. This is exactly why Mellick is a legend and while some elements of his style seem watered down the story telling is top notch, This is a writer trying to branch out and try something different, but I kept waiting for the old Mellick to emerge, but he just doesn't. If you have a fear of clowns this is certainly a book to avoid. These aren't your typical clowns and each novella shows a different side of the Bozo family.
I found that each novella was well written, and if anyone deserves mainstream success it's Mellick. Clown Fellas is an interesting take on the mafia genre. If anyone was going to create a clown mafia it would be this guy. This may be a newer style for Mellick but it's an easy read that you quickly become absorbed in. I did have mixed feelings about this one and still do but as I look at each novella I can see that Mellick's style in Clown Fellas really fits what this book is about. Is it violent? Of course but you expect that from a book like this and while I hate the idea that mainstream publishers have finally discovered bizarro fiction I wonder how safe and watered down it'll become.
While it may not be my favorite Mellick book it is an interesting 3 star read. I didn't exactly hate it but I didn't love it either. The idea is solid but in the end it just seemed to run out of steam. This will be officially released on July 14 and you can pre-order this now but so far it's a Kindle only release.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00QP3RO8W?tag=randohouseinc7986-20
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/clownfellas-carlton-mellick-iii/1120871638?cm_mmc=affiliates-_-linkshare-_-vd9*lkiwnd8-_-10%3a1&ean=9780804179355&isbn=9780804179355&r=1
http://carltonmellick.com/
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