“Unfortunately, no one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself.” – Morpheus
Ok, that quote and Morpheus aren’t really in Electric Barracuda, the latest offering from Tim Dorsey in the Serge Storms series. However, I thought it an appropriate quote since that’s what I felt like as I sat down to write this review: No one can be told what the Serge Storms series is. You have to experience it for yourself.
Nevertheless, as this review is a part of Tim’s blog tour in support of the book’s release I figure they are probably expecting a little more than that, so here goes…
Serge Storms is a severely in need of medication serial killer who roams the state of Florida with his perpetually stoned sidekick Coleman in tow dispensing “justice” to anyone who offends his moral sensibilities. This dynamic-duo from Hell is rude, crude, and couldn’t find socially acceptable with a preprogrammed Garmin and a month to get there.
Where we do find ourselves in Electric Barracuda is dropped into the middle of Serge’s latest scheme: offering theme vacations on his travel blog. After all, as Serge points out to Coleman, “Florida is a theme park, and the theme is weirdness.” Serge is calling his particular brand of weirdness the “Tourist Fugitive” package, with the idea being to lure people to Florida for a vacation where they pretend to be on the lam from the law, visiting the fascinating “underbelly” of the state in the process.
And visit the underbelly we do, as Serge and Coleman pinball from Kissimmee to the coast to deep into the alligator infested Everglades, all while pursued by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, a motorcycle driving KISS music blaring reality-TV bounty hunter called the Doberman, and a mysterious woman in a T-Bird convertible among others. Along the way Serge manages to find time to act as the judge, jury, and creative executioner (don’t let this man near a Home Depot) for a handful of crooks and criminals who have the misfortune to cross his path.
Serge’s near constant state of manic behavior, and a heaping helping of attention deficit disorder, combined with Coleman’s drug induced cluelessness makes for a rather gonzo style of storytelling that can be somewhat disorienting initially if you’re not familiar with it. But if you’re brave enough to choose the red pill and take a trip into Tim Dorsey’s “Storms matrix” I promise you’ll have the trip of your life.
Electric Barracuda is available from William Morrow (ISBN: 978-0061876899).
Be sure to check out all of Tim’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Thursday, February 17th: Lesa’s Book Critiques
Tuesday, February 22nd: Ted Lehmann’s Bluegrass, Books, and Brainstorms
Wednesday, February 23rd: Musings of an All Purpose Monkey
Thursday, February 24th: Stiletto Storytime
Thursday, February 24th: Lance Mannion
Monday, February 28th: Alison’s Book Marks
Tuesday, March 1st: My Random Acts of Reading
Wednesday, March 2nd: The House of the Seven Tails
Thursday, March 3rd: The Whimsical Cottage
Monday, March 7th: Ms.Bookish.com
Tuesday, March 8th: Murder, Mystery, & Mayhem
Wednesday, March 9th: Jen’s Book Thoughts
Thursday, March 10th: MariReads
Lucky Cole
September 30, 2011 - 3:55 PM