05 June 2024

Books: Stringers By Chris Panatier (2022)

“Ben is NOT a genius, but he can spout facts about animals and wristwatches with the best of experts. He just can’t explain how he knows any of it. He also knows about the Chime. What it is or why it’s important he couldn’t say. But this knowledge is about to get him in a whole heap of trouble. After he and his best friend Patton are abducted by a trash-talking, flesh-construct alien bounty hunter, Ben finds out just how much he is worth… and how dangerous he can be. Hopefully Patton and a stubborn jar of pickles will be enough to help him through. Because being able to describe the mating habits of Brazilian bark lice isn’t going to save them.”

Stringers is the sort of book that went where I didn’t expect. I liked the premise, the idea was intriguing, but it quickly devolved into a turgid tale of bad jokes and giggling like 8 year-olds that pickles look like penises. So the comedy is a bit childish, as well, boarding on dull scatological humor –humor for those who think Larry the Cable Guy is actually funny. There are few jokes that work, but mostly this was an exhausting comedy/science fiction/alien invasion, blah, blah, blah. The technical jargon was also dense, and added to the slowness of the book.

Maybe I’m just too old –at 61 I’m, not the demographic this novel was seemly going for? Not trying sound egotistical, maybe I’m too intellectual for this type of tale?

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