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6 of 7 found the following review helpful:
Do Yourself a Favor - Read This Book Jul 16, 2008
By Lee Widener
"Curmudgeon"
Murderland I - H8 is a novel about a time in the not so distant future where serial killers are celebrity athletes. Their exploits are discussed on television as spectator sport. Just as people today rehash the previous evening's game ad naseum, so do people discuss the latest grizzly murder. It's not too far off the mark today with cable channels and websites galore dedicated to detailing true life crime.
The protagonist of this novel is Jeremy - a rather mild mannered pharmacist whose live in girlfriend is obsessed with these celebrity killers - as is most of the rest of society. Jeremy, however, has a secret. He's actually the greatest serial killer ever, and nobody knows it. He's also one of the very few people aware there are Lovecraftian type alien Dark Ones all around us looking for potential hosts for their seed so they can spread their kind across the Earth.
Murderland I - H8 is told mostly through Jeremy's inner dialogue and he is one sick puppy. Author Cook took a great risk choosing to show us events only filtered through such a twisted perspective but he's got the skill to pull it off. Jeremy's inner world is what makes the book so compelling. Jeremy perceives the world around him as a personal Hell - a world gone mad. This simple fact is what pulls us in and makes us accept Jeremy as a sympathetic character even though he's a psychopathic killer. This is what makes the book work.
Cook also has a great ear for language. I found myself reading a great part of this book aloud to myself - it cries out for a voice. The prose flies, never falters. It's an exciting read, a delicate balance between plot development, character details and tidbits about the future society woven together with great care. Its depiction of "Reap society" seems similar to Clockwork Orange, but not overly so. As we learn more about this world, where murdered victim's families are ridiculed for mourning their slain family members we can relate to Jeremy's hatred of much of what he sees around him. This, to me is the great strength of the book - it managed to make me relate to a twisted serial killer who sees evil alien beings all around him and LIKE him.
All in all, the book works on many levels - it's an exciting plot driven read. It's a captivating character study. It has a unique voice. Like all good science fiction it makes a statement about the world today. It's not going to be for everyone- if you're easily offended or if you have no appreciation for the weird- it's not for you. If, however, you enjoy discovering new territory, discovering new voices, enjoy fiction that pushes the envelope, challenges you, then this is right up your alley.
I have a few quibbles. Evil Nerd Empire really needs a proofreader. There were enough mistakes in the text to catch my attention, and that always bugs me. Also, this book is the first volume in a trilogy, and it reads like it. It's mostly exposition. I would have liked just a little more plotwise. Lastly, there's a development right at the end that, to me, seemed unmotivated. These points, I must emphasize, are really minor. None of them detracted from my enjoyment of an excellent first novel. I am eagerly awaiting the next volume in the series.
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
Beyond Good And Evil Jun 15, 2010
By mykle
This book is so beyond good and evil ... it's beyond positive and negative reviews, beyond star-counting, beyond being liked or disliked. It describes a future in which serial killing, as a practice, has been rehabilitated through media exploitation and liberal sensitivity until it's finally legalized as a sport, with its own scorekeeping commentators and an infatuated subculture of filking fanboys. And then against that dire background, Garret Cook tells a love story -- a love triangle, actually, between a sweet young fangirl, her caring boyfriend, and the voices in his head telling him to kill.
If you have the serial-killer infatuation, then you've got to read this book. Cook's portrayal of Reap culture disturbs because it's so utterly how the world could be, if serial killer infatuation was just ten or fifteen percent broader than it is already.
I'm impressed by the ambition of this book. It's an interesting new step for the psychonovel; the first-person madman as a mixture of identities and warring tendencies barely aware of each other is a spot-on model of a certain kind of human mind. The best parts, worthy of Jim Thompson, are those subtle moments where we see the warring personalities complaining about one another, manipulating one another, sneaking past each other like grumpy housemates in dark hallways.
5 of 6 found the following review helpful:
Good clean (?) fun Jul 14, 2008
By P. Berard
This was a fun read. It's sort of like "Watchmen" but for serial killers, if it makes any sense. "h8" seems to be a leadup to what promises to be a pretty excellent series of whacked-out thrillers and it leaves you looking forward to the next piece. It's also considerably more interestingly written than one expects from books about pharmacists-cum-serial-killer-killers (or is Jenkins just a serial killer too? Who knows?!) and has a not inconsiderable amount of heart. Recommended!
4 of 5 found the following review helpful:
Bizarro Horror .... like a dystopian Dexter with more paranoia Jul 20, 2008
By J. Krall
"Horror/Bizarro/Noir Author"
Murderland I: H8 is Garrett Cook's first novel and it's an impressive one.
Immediately it is evident that the author has taken a lot of time to create the language he uses for this book. It takes place in the near future where serial killers are superstars akin to athletes and movie stars.
The book takes on different perspectives, back and forth from first person and third person, using both narratives and journal entries. It works well.
On the back of the book, the description states that "Jeremy's earth shattering two-fisted pulp destiny begins." The problem I have with that is that this is far from pulp. That word underestimates the merits of this book. This is truly interesting and dark dystopian bizarro story.
Using experimental and occasionally stream of consciousness writing, Cook shows us a world that is actually eerily similar to our own. Serial killer groupies who worship people who do things that they don't have the guts to do themselves, an idea that does have parallels in today's world. The worship of violence which is evident in the youth's worship of "gangsta rap" and violent video games. Cook creates and explores a society where our society's acceptance of violence is finally out in the open.
Mixed in with this future is the idea of beings from another dimension are turning people into "terrifying automatons and breeding machines." I found that this idea was just as interesting (if not more) than the world itself.
The writing itself is excellent and does show that the author has indeed worked on his craft before submitting this work to his publisher.
Because it is a first novel, I think it deserves 5 stars. I have not read a debut novel that was this good in a long time (or as far as I could remember.) However, because it is a first novel in a series of books.. I did find that the plot lacked a climax. It felt like this was just an intro to some more intense action. It feels like it should be the first third of a longer work. That doesn't make it any less enjoyable, really, but it makes the reader want more.
Lastly, Cook has a keen eye for observations about society. This book is filled with ideas about obsession, paranoia, self-doubt, and self-control.
This is an author to look out for. I believe that any further Murderland novels will be classics and this first installment is a great introduction.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Fun, Deep, Engaging Jan 18, 2011
By Kirk Jones
"Carnival Ring Leader"
Murderland could probably be read in one night, but I wouldn't suggest doing so. This book is the kind of thing you want to savor. I found myself putting it down relatively frequently to reflect on the social message underlying the storyline, but that's just me. If you're a reader who just wants to have a good time, there's plenty for you here as well.
As an author who is just becoming familiar with marketing, I'm drawn to the one-word title that is irresistible to the target audience.
As a writer, I envied Cook's ability to splice the intellectual and the entertaining.
As someone who enjoys material that stimulates reflection and is simultaneously capable of engaging the reptilian within, I can't recommend this book enough. This is a modern response to Poe's early detective works guised by a post-modern veneer. This is a work of fiction that encapsulates everything criminal justice majors devour during their studies, with a prophetic twist. If you find yourself appalled by the acts of atrocity described, let the plot and the prose guide you, and you'll find that the author has given you a voice in the world he has created.
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