Buster Callan

by Brian McNaughton

Buster Callan's lips twitched in a stillborn smile. "Bad news, Jewboy. You;re dead."

"It was an accident," Dave told him. "I;ll get you another dog."

Callan shook his head, and he actually smiled. "You got it wrong. I don't want your shekels. I want your blood."

204 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Brian McNaughton was an American writer of horror and fantasy fiction who mixed sex, satire and black humour. He also wrote thrillers.

Reviews

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be less of a review than a correction of the description given of the book here on Goodreads. Buster Callan is about prejudice, etc., but it is Buster himself who personifies these traits. This is the first McNaughton book I've read that didn't have a 'supernatural' edge to it, and he writes a mean thriller. Buster Callan is a 're-write' of a 1978 novel titled 'Poacher'. Buster is basically a Neo-Nazi who survives mainly off of outlaw poaching. I never read it in that form, so I'm not sure exactly how much it differs, but many things seem to have stayed 'stuck' in time. Because it's central to part of the plot, for instance, the main character uses a typewriter, although it's 2001. There are a few other anachronisms, but they can be set aside. McNaughton's characters, as usual, are flawed. They drink, cheat, steal, lie, and act vindictively. If you like books with black/white characters, you won't care for his work much. I can only give this book four stars in genre because there are one or two instances where I think the characters act...well...'out-of-character', but they do so to further the plot on one hand and to make a character point in another instance. As most McNaughton critics will tell you, if you've never read his work before, I would start with the excellent 'Throne of Bones'. If you like McNaughton's work, you will most likely find something here to enjoy. Unfortunately, I have only one last book of his to enjoy that's still in print.