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Nowhere, AZ
“Always going somewhere. Never getting anywhere.”
Negative energy haunts the nameless Narrator, who's been on the run for twelve years.
A convicted killer on the loose, he has no one left to rely on and no place to call home, so he heads west.
"Those who will remember will say it's all my fault."
He has no control of what he's capable of and does his best to avoid any type of confrontation at all costs.
Words are said, things are done. Friends turn into enemies.
"They call me a monster."
Just as he's about to reach his destination, his past starts catching up quickly.
Negative energy haunts the nameless Narrator, who's been on the run for twelve years.
A convicted killer on the loose, he has no one left to rely on and no place to call home, so he heads west.
"Those who will remember will say it's all my fault."
He has no control of what he's capable of and does his best to avoid any type of confrontation at all costs.
Words are said, things are done. Friends turn into enemies.
"They call me a monster."
Just as he's about to reach his destination, his past starts catching up quickly.
148 pages, Paperback
First published September 30, 2012
6 people want to read
About the author
Chris Nunley
3 books4 followersChris Nunley has been writing ever since he could put a pen to paper.
In tenth grade, he wrote a spec episode of "Seinfeld" for his creative writing class, and realized that writing wasn't an assignment, it was a passion. He went on to write several other screenplays, including an adaptation of Albert Camus' "The Stranger."
Chris graduated with a degree in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, then went on to work for the television show "MADtv" as a Writers' Assistant as well as selling material as a Contributing Writer.
His first novel "Nowhere, AZ" - a story about karma and its implications, as well as his second novel "The Pouch - A Story About Sacking Up" are both available for purchase as paperbacks or for a Kindle device at Amazon.com.
In tenth grade, he wrote a spec episode of "Seinfeld" for his creative writing class, and realized that writing wasn't an assignment, it was a passion. He went on to write several other screenplays, including an adaptation of Albert Camus' "The Stranger."
Chris graduated with a degree in Screenwriting from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, then went on to work for the television show "MADtv" as a Writers' Assistant as well as selling material as a Contributing Writer.
His first novel "Nowhere, AZ" - a story about karma and its implications, as well as his second novel "The Pouch - A Story About Sacking Up" are both available for purchase as paperbacks or for a Kindle device at Amazon.com.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 8, 2014
Nowhere, AZ is a 2012 self published novel written by Chris Nunley. I was provided a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
A man traveling constantly, unable to settle, narrates this story explaining his rather bleak life to us. If our story teller were to become stressed, threatened, or bullied in any way, it could be a bad deal for the person causing him distress. So, keeping this guy on an even keel would be a good idea, and that's what our narrator attempts to do. It 's kind of like that line in the old Incredible Hulk TV show- "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry". It's not like our guy goes out looking for trouble. Trouble does come calling from time to time because life is full of those incidences when we are faced with a situation out of our control and we have to defend ourselves or in some cases the honor of others.
If that weren't enough to deal with we find out this poor guy has not been told all there was to tell about his family and who he is which brings him to a terrible place in his life.
The name of our protagonist is never revealed throughout the entire story. The first person narrative decribes the guy's life in the present and in flashbacks which bring us finally to a crossroads. Where could this person find any peace? Will he settle in the aptly named Nowhere?
A very dark, paranormal tale the gives the reader a lot to ponder. This book is in between a novella and a novel in length with about 148 pages. So, the story moves along at fair clip telling one odd encounter after another until a sort of climax occurs which changes everything . It is really hard to write reviews for this type of book because it's hard to explain things without giving away key information about the plot. It is also a story that just has to be read for one's self. I happen to enjoy a dark and twisty tale from time to time and this one will certainly keep you engaged. I rather liked it and thought the author did a great job of building his nameless protaganist into a character we care about even though he is quite dangerous. There is a cast of secondary characters that add to this story by being a bit "out there" and so they play their part very well in this sort of story. If you like paranormal, horror, anything that requires a little thought, or your looking for something a little out of the ordinary you should check this one out. I 'm going to give this one an A.
A man traveling constantly, unable to settle, narrates this story explaining his rather bleak life to us. If our story teller were to become stressed, threatened, or bullied in any way, it could be a bad deal for the person causing him distress. So, keeping this guy on an even keel would be a good idea, and that's what our narrator attempts to do. It 's kind of like that line in the old Incredible Hulk TV show- "You wouldn't like me when I'm angry". It's not like our guy goes out looking for trouble. Trouble does come calling from time to time because life is full of those incidences when we are faced with a situation out of our control and we have to defend ourselves or in some cases the honor of others.
If that weren't enough to deal with we find out this poor guy has not been told all there was to tell about his family and who he is which brings him to a terrible place in his life.
The name of our protagonist is never revealed throughout the entire story. The first person narrative decribes the guy's life in the present and in flashbacks which bring us finally to a crossroads. Where could this person find any peace? Will he settle in the aptly named Nowhere?
A very dark, paranormal tale the gives the reader a lot to ponder. This book is in between a novella and a novel in length with about 148 pages. So, the story moves along at fair clip telling one odd encounter after another until a sort of climax occurs which changes everything . It is really hard to write reviews for this type of book because it's hard to explain things without giving away key information about the plot. It is also a story that just has to be read for one's self. I happen to enjoy a dark and twisty tale from time to time and this one will certainly keep you engaged. I rather liked it and thought the author did a great job of building his nameless protaganist into a character we care about even though he is quite dangerous. There is a cast of secondary characters that add to this story by being a bit "out there" and so they play their part very well in this sort of story. If you like paranormal, horror, anything that requires a little thought, or your looking for something a little out of the ordinary you should check this one out. I 'm going to give this one an A.
January 20, 2014
An ARC was provided for me in return of an honest review.
Giving this one a 3.5. Probably entirely for the fact that I’m not a fan of short stories, and this one was a brisk 130+ page novel.
It was written entertainingly, and the story was interesting, but I look for more in a story than what can be put into a small page numbered book. The hand-drawn pictures on the inside were a nice touch, adding to the tone of the book. I enjoyed seeing them every now and again.
When comparing what I read on the back cover and what I read on the pages, I was completely taken off guard when the freaky stuff started happening. I was expecting more along the lines of a poor, dirty escaped convict simply trying to survive on his own out in the world, and I did get all of that, minus the ‘simply’ part. I won’t say too much without spoiling, but I will make mention that the bad mojo following our nameless main character was quite freaky.
What was really interesting, though, was the way we followed the main character’s life. We jump back-and-forth between the past and the present, crossing the loose wires at the end. While I’m still confused about this strange, strange town, I really liked the way it was organized, and how the struggles and explanations were introduced.
So, a 3.5 is kind of a harsh rating considering that I’ve made mention of only the good things I liked, and that’s because, while I enjoyed my time reading this story, it’s length left me hoping for a little more. A more solid ending, or maybe some more character development here, or you could have built up the government of the town a bit more. But I understand; that’s where the story ended, and I’ll just have to put my big boy pants on and deal with it.
Overall, I enjoyed it!
Giving this one a 3.5. Probably entirely for the fact that I’m not a fan of short stories, and this one was a brisk 130+ page novel.
It was written entertainingly, and the story was interesting, but I look for more in a story than what can be put into a small page numbered book. The hand-drawn pictures on the inside were a nice touch, adding to the tone of the book. I enjoyed seeing them every now and again.
When comparing what I read on the back cover and what I read on the pages, I was completely taken off guard when the freaky stuff started happening. I was expecting more along the lines of a poor, dirty escaped convict simply trying to survive on his own out in the world, and I did get all of that, minus the ‘simply’ part. I won’t say too much without spoiling, but I will make mention that the bad mojo following our nameless main character was quite freaky.
What was really interesting, though, was the way we followed the main character’s life. We jump back-and-forth between the past and the present, crossing the loose wires at the end. While I’m still confused about this strange, strange town, I really liked the way it was organized, and how the struggles and explanations were introduced.
So, a 3.5 is kind of a harsh rating considering that I’ve made mention of only the good things I liked, and that’s because, while I enjoyed my time reading this story, it’s length left me hoping for a little more. A more solid ending, or maybe some more character development here, or you could have built up the government of the town a bit more. But I understand; that’s where the story ended, and I’ll just have to put my big boy pants on and deal with it.
Overall, I enjoyed it!
April 3, 2024
Cracks and snaps like a thunderstorm
Nunley's novella tells a nightmarish tale that echos the best of postwar noir. Fast paced, violent and complimented by wonderful art work by Lynda May.
Nunley's novella tells a nightmarish tale that echos the best of postwar noir. Fast paced, violent and complimented by wonderful art work by Lynda May.
January 27, 2014
*Book source ~ Many thanks to the author for providing a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
He’s been on the run for 12 years, never staying in one place too long, always heading vaguely west. There’s someplace he needs to go, something unknown is pushing him. He needs to get there. He needs to keep moving because if he stays too long in one place, people get hurt and he doesn’t want people to be hurt. It’s not his fault. Not really.
This is a strange book. This well-written piece is told by a nameless man. Never once, in the whole book, is his name mentioned. Weird, but it fits with the whole odd story. It alternates between present time and flashbacks that slowly tell his tale, why he’s on the run and why he can’t stay in one place too long or people get hurt. He eventually ends up in Nowhere, AZ and finally feels like he could fit in, but something is still pushing him to head west. The ending sort of leaves it up to the reader to decide what this guy’s ultimate decision is. This isn’t a bit of light reading before bed. It’s a dark tale about a poor guy who got a bum deal and lived with it as best he could. However, I choose to think of the ending with hope. Because, that’s the way I am.
He’s been on the run for 12 years, never staying in one place too long, always heading vaguely west. There’s someplace he needs to go, something unknown is pushing him. He needs to get there. He needs to keep moving because if he stays too long in one place, people get hurt and he doesn’t want people to be hurt. It’s not his fault. Not really.
This is a strange book. This well-written piece is told by a nameless man. Never once, in the whole book, is his name mentioned. Weird, but it fits with the whole odd story. It alternates between present time and flashbacks that slowly tell his tale, why he’s on the run and why he can’t stay in one place too long or people get hurt. He eventually ends up in Nowhere, AZ and finally feels like he could fit in, but something is still pushing him to head west. The ending sort of leaves it up to the reader to decide what this guy’s ultimate decision is. This isn’t a bit of light reading before bed. It’s a dark tale about a poor guy who got a bum deal and lived with it as best he could. However, I choose to think of the ending with hope. Because, that’s the way I am.
June 18, 2016
When I first started reading it, I honestly didn't think I would like it. I am happy to say that I actually really enjoyed it and read it in one sitting! With the short chapters, it's one of those books you can't seem to put down. It started off very mysterious which I think is great because it really grabbed my attention.
I would describe this as almost like an adult, supernatural kind of read. It wasn't at all what I was expecting based off the back cover. The pictures added a lot to the descriptions and tone of the book, in my opinion. The chapters tend to go back and forth to his past and the present. This kept things interesting and helped you put different pieces of the history together. But this also meant that there were quite a few characters and names to remember, which confused me at first but is very easy to catch on to.
This is one of those books that tie up the loose ends, and answer all your questions, but at the same time has an opening ending that a reader can be okay with. I definitely recommend this for any young adult/ adult fiction reader!
I would describe this as almost like an adult, supernatural kind of read. It wasn't at all what I was expecting based off the back cover. The pictures added a lot to the descriptions and tone of the book, in my opinion. The chapters tend to go back and forth to his past and the present. This kept things interesting and helped you put different pieces of the history together. But this also meant that there were quite a few characters and names to remember, which confused me at first but is very easy to catch on to.
This is one of those books that tie up the loose ends, and answer all your questions, but at the same time has an opening ending that a reader can be okay with. I definitely recommend this for any young adult/ adult fiction reader!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews