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Jenkins Cycle #1
Kick
They say suicides are damned for eternity. But if coming back to life in the bodies of violent criminals is Hell, then Dan Jenkins will take it. And he does, every time a portal arrives to whisk him from his ghostly exile in limbo.
Dan rides the living like a supernatural jockey, pushing out their consciousness and taking over. They're bad guys, right? Killers and brutes of every sort, which makes it okay. He doesn't know where their minds go while he's in charge, and for the most part doesn't care. For three weeks at a time, it's a chance to relax and watch movies, read fantasy novels, and have random conversations with perfect strangers.
Normally, before the villain returns to kick him out, Dan dishes out a final serving of justice and leaves the world a safer place. It's one of the rules if he wants more rides, and he's happy to oblige. For a part-time dead guy, it’s a pretty good gig ... until someone changes the rules.
"Kick" is the first book in a series of dark fantasy paranormal thrillers. If you like "Quantum Leap" and "Every Day," you'll love this gritty, hilarious, and original take on the body hijacking hero story. Vividly written, "Kick" is a wild ride with a sharp sarcastic wit and a flawed yet likable main character.
Dan rides the living like a supernatural jockey, pushing out their consciousness and taking over. They're bad guys, right? Killers and brutes of every sort, which makes it okay. He doesn't know where their minds go while he's in charge, and for the most part doesn't care. For three weeks at a time, it's a chance to relax and watch movies, read fantasy novels, and have random conversations with perfect strangers.
Normally, before the villain returns to kick him out, Dan dishes out a final serving of justice and leaves the world a safer place. It's one of the rules if he wants more rides, and he's happy to oblige. For a part-time dead guy, it’s a pretty good gig ... until someone changes the rules.
"Kick" is the first book in a series of dark fantasy paranormal thrillers. If you like "Quantum Leap" and "Every Day," you'll love this gritty, hilarious, and original take on the body hijacking hero story. Vividly written, "Kick" is a wild ride with a sharp sarcastic wit and a flawed yet likable main character.
260 pages, ebook
First published July 4, 2013
81 people are currently reading
1316 people want to read
About the author
John L. Monk
21 books133 followersJohn L. Monk lives in Virginia, USA, with his wife, Dorothy. A writer with a degree in cultural anthropology, he boldly does the dishes, roots out evil wherever it lurks, and writes his own stunts.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 158 reviews
July 19, 2016
My original Kick audiobook review and many others can be found at Audiobook Reviewer.
When Dan was a confused college kid having issues with his girlfriend, he committed suicide. Since then he’s been in – what he calls – “the Great Wherever” but regularly gets sent by “the Great Whomever” into the bodies of living humans – usually violent criminals – to dispense justice. Typically, he has about 3 weeks to figure out what the person, or his “ride” as Dan calls it, has done and what vigilante action is required. Then he is kicked out of the body again by the original owner’s consciousness.
It took me a little while to become fully invested in this story, as it started off with a couple of episodes showing the usual cycle Dan goes through. At that stage, the story seemed to lack continuity. It was almost like listening to a string of short stories, but I can appreciate why the author structured it in this manner. Then Dan enters the body of Nate, who seems to be totally different from his usual rides, and by that stage, I was hooked. Dan was a very likable character, remorseful, generous and a bit of a nerd, and in spite of the fantastical nature of the story, he felt like a very authentic person. The story was well-paced and delivered in a snappy, lighthearted style with plenty of wit and some very funny remarks, although the plot was obviously quite dark and at times violent.
Steve Phelan did a great job portraying the protagonist Dan in exactly the way you would imagine him. His normal voice, pacing, and rhythm were very pleasant for listening and the male characters were portrayed well and with distinct voices. The female characters, however, not so much. It was the common case of a male voice artist making females sound like Minnie Mouse or worse. Because of the type of story it was, it wasn’t too frustrating and I would definitely listen to Mr. Phelan again, as the rest of his performance was excellent. There were no problems with the quality of the production, which contained some nice sound effects.
I’m hoping John L. Monk’s sequel, Fool's Ride, will also be made available on audio.
Creative, well-written and enjoyable, I would certainly recommend this if you like supernatural thrillers or remember Quantum Leap and Dexter with fondness.
Audiobook provided by the audiobookreviewer.com
When Dan was a confused college kid having issues with his girlfriend, he committed suicide. Since then he’s been in – what he calls – “the Great Wherever” but regularly gets sent by “the Great Whomever” into the bodies of living humans – usually violent criminals – to dispense justice. Typically, he has about 3 weeks to figure out what the person, or his “ride” as Dan calls it, has done and what vigilante action is required. Then he is kicked out of the body again by the original owner’s consciousness.
It took me a little while to become fully invested in this story, as it started off with a couple of episodes showing the usual cycle Dan goes through. At that stage, the story seemed to lack continuity. It was almost like listening to a string of short stories, but I can appreciate why the author structured it in this manner. Then Dan enters the body of Nate, who seems to be totally different from his usual rides, and by that stage, I was hooked. Dan was a very likable character, remorseful, generous and a bit of a nerd, and in spite of the fantastical nature of the story, he felt like a very authentic person. The story was well-paced and delivered in a snappy, lighthearted style with plenty of wit and some very funny remarks, although the plot was obviously quite dark and at times violent.
Steve Phelan did a great job portraying the protagonist Dan in exactly the way you would imagine him. His normal voice, pacing, and rhythm were very pleasant for listening and the male characters were portrayed well and with distinct voices. The female characters, however, not so much. It was the common case of a male voice artist making females sound like Minnie Mouse or worse. Because of the type of story it was, it wasn’t too frustrating and I would definitely listen to Mr. Phelan again, as the rest of his performance was excellent. There were no problems with the quality of the production, which contained some nice sound effects.
I’m hoping John L. Monk’s sequel, Fool's Ride, will also be made available on audio.
Creative, well-written and enjoyable, I would certainly recommend this if you like supernatural thrillers or remember Quantum Leap and Dexter with fondness.
Audiobook provided by the audiobookreviewer.com
January 6, 2015
Dan is my hero!
The first rides were great but THEN when he was in the sexy Nate (whistles)
From about a fourth into the book I was so hooked I stayed up late and sick to read it!
Great pacing, storyline, tensions, and humor mixed in this bag of crazy awesomeness! gah gah gah! I want number two nawooooo!
This book is good enough to make a mother wanna dance yo!
EASY five stars :D *****
The first rides were great but THEN when he was in the sexy Nate (whistles)
From about a fourth into the book I was so hooked I stayed up late and sick to read it!
Great pacing, storyline, tensions, and humor mixed in this bag of crazy awesomeness! gah gah gah! I want number two nawooooo!
This book is good enough to make a mother wanna dance yo!
EASY five stars :D *****
November 14, 2014
And absolutely brilliant ride!
December 5, 2014
What an awesome surprise. I added this book at random because Steelwhisper five stared it & she’s wildly critical so if she “slow clapped it” I felt it was a must. Damn this was good. I read the first few chapters, had dinner with the Hubs while talking about it, & then ran back to finish the rest. Afterwards I laid in bed thinking…like that shit…it made me smile…it kept me guessing. You know a books good when you discuss it and it has you thinking about life, God, good versus evil….all that. The book was a crazy ride, but I loved it. It’s weird I finished feeling really good about life & hoping Dan was really out there enjoying his ride, getting a good one every now and then.
By far one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I’m going to start recommending it to everyone I know, strangers passing on the street, HEY IF YOUR READING THIS READ THIS FUCKING BOOK!!!!!
By far one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. I’m going to start recommending it to everyone I know, strangers passing on the street, HEY IF YOUR READING THIS READ THIS FUCKING BOOK!!!!!
March 11, 2014
I didn't know what to expect with Kick. It had an unusual cover and I could tell from the blurb that it was going to either be awesome, or very bizarre. Fortunately this book was more than worth the asking price! It didn't take long for the plot to grab me at all, especially when coupled with the witty easy-to-read style Monk employs.
I read almost the entire book in one sitting as I struggled to put it down until I got to the end. I really loved it. It held a familiarity to that show from the 90's - Quantum Leap but Monk's ideas and method of narration still kept it quite different too. I loved the whole 'conscience' aspect of it, like there was a certain karma attached to all things and that if Dan worked hard enough from kick to kick he might just make up for his failings.
Monk has a rare talent for not only immersing the reader in the story but in portraying the plot in a lighthearted and humorous way despite some of the darker underlying themes. His attention to detail was impressive, bringing every moment of Dan's journey to life with a sense of realism.
Though Monk individuality remains his own, I found hints here and there reminiscent of my greatest inspirations - Stephen King.
I think it was in the way he managed to provide back-story and detail in places the reader would never have known it was lacking, and yet never detract from the pace of the story. Well done Mr Monk, I can't wait to see more of your work. :)
I read almost the entire book in one sitting as I struggled to put it down until I got to the end. I really loved it. It held a familiarity to that show from the 90's - Quantum Leap but Monk's ideas and method of narration still kept it quite different too. I loved the whole 'conscience' aspect of it, like there was a certain karma attached to all things and that if Dan worked hard enough from kick to kick he might just make up for his failings.
Monk has a rare talent for not only immersing the reader in the story but in portraying the plot in a lighthearted and humorous way despite some of the darker underlying themes. His attention to detail was impressive, bringing every moment of Dan's journey to life with a sense of realism.
Though Monk individuality remains his own, I found hints here and there reminiscent of my greatest inspirations - Stephen King.
I think it was in the way he managed to provide back-story and detail in places the reader would never have known it was lacking, and yet never detract from the pace of the story. Well done Mr Monk, I can't wait to see more of your work. :)
March 14, 2016
Black, morbid humor.
This was an entertaining book about a guy who committed suicide in the worst, most horrible way possible and ended up "body-jumping" into criminal's bodies who are still alive... I guess to help bring justice... or something. Some interesting ideas there in the book, would recommend to give it a go.
And I just realized how awful and warped and not right the second sentence of this review reads... yeah, not right at all- suicide is hardly entertaining... but let me repeat- humor, black, morbid!
This was an entertaining book about a guy who committed suicide in the worst, most horrible way possible and ended up "body-jumping" into criminal's bodies who are still alive... I guess to help bring justice... or something. Some interesting ideas there in the book, would recommend to give it a go.
And I just realized how awful and warped and not right the second sentence of this review reads... yeah, not right at all- suicide is hardly entertaining... but let me repeat- humor, black, morbid!
March 12, 2014
To say that I liked it would be to do a disservice. I loved Kick, and feel like we are going to see great things from Mr. Monk. This type of story has been done, mostly in the other way, mostly where an evil force enters a body and wreaks havoc, in Kick we have the opposite. Bad people are entered by a force of good, or rather, an average soul who takes it upon himself to right some wrongs.
What we have is an episodic story that shows up what the protagonist (Dan) does while he rides these bad people, and must turn the tides before he is "kicked" out of the body. He does, however, try to have some fun along the way.
The larger story seems to lay foundations for this to be a series, while there is far too many of these "series" stories, this will be a welcomed one. The twist on the premise is fresh, the protagonist like-able and realistic despite the fantastical nature of the story. The writing is that of a seasoned veteran, not that of a novice. There is nothing uncertain, no misfires, no glaring errors in plot or character, in essence, Monk writes like he has written all his life and this is on amazing debut.
What we have is an episodic story that shows up what the protagonist (Dan) does while he rides these bad people, and must turn the tides before he is "kicked" out of the body. He does, however, try to have some fun along the way.
The larger story seems to lay foundations for this to be a series, while there is far too many of these "series" stories, this will be a welcomed one. The twist on the premise is fresh, the protagonist like-able and realistic despite the fantastical nature of the story. The writing is that of a seasoned veteran, not that of a novice. There is nothing uncertain, no misfires, no glaring errors in plot or character, in essence, Monk writes like he has written all his life and this is on amazing debut.
January 3, 2014
I've said in the past that I had yet to read a self-published book that convinced me that they could be as good as one that came out of traditional publishing. I'm not sure if this is this book, but it definitely kept me entertained more than many books put out by a major publisher.
Kick is unique both in setting and structure. The novel tells the story of Daniel, a suicide victim, who keeps coming back to possess the bodies of serial killers and other unsavory characters, then uses them to punish them in a way the law never could. It's like Robert Silverberg's Passengers in reverse; or, if you prefer, a mix of Dexter and Quantum Leap.
The structure of the novel is much more episodic than I expected from a full-length novel. I found it a bit jarring at first, but I grew to appreciate the format and went along with it. Daniel returns to possess a new criminal, then has to figure out what's going on and why the person he's possessing is guilty and should be punished. Rinse and repeat a few times. It makes for a quick page-turner, because stories are wrapped up quickly and we move on to a new mystery to unravel.
The prose is snappy and engaging. Daniel is a geek and has a sharp tongue, and the writing is often funny and unexpected. It's not great literature, and it does sometimes tend to prefer a witty retort to something that would have sounded more true and vulnerable; but it's fun and entertaining all the same.
If there's one aspect of the story that I found disappointing, it's that we never really understand what makes Daniel tick. We know why he's in this predicament, and we have an idea of the guilt that drives him, but besides the circumstances of his death, he remains mostly a blank slate. I would have liked the story to be more driven by Daniel's internal conflicts and contradictions; it does happen somehow near the end, but for long stretches of the novel we only glimpse Daniel through his determination to punish the killers he possesses.
These characters are often despicable all the way through, so they don't allow for a lot of moral conflict on Daniel's part. It's hard not to root for him when he decides to mess up a rapist criminal biker, for instance. I would have liked to see him deal with situations that offered more moral doubt and internal conflict.
Overall, Kick is entertaining and original, and for its short length, it doesn't overstay its welcome. Its setting is original and the writing is snappy and fun, making it a quick and memorable read.
Disclaimer: The author of Kick sent me a copy of his book when he saw me rail against the quality of self-published novels in general. It was sent to me free and without conditions, with the genuine hope that I would sincerely liked it, which I did.
Kick is unique both in setting and structure. The novel tells the story of Daniel, a suicide victim, who keeps coming back to possess the bodies of serial killers and other unsavory characters, then uses them to punish them in a way the law never could. It's like Robert Silverberg's Passengers in reverse; or, if you prefer, a mix of Dexter and Quantum Leap.
The structure of the novel is much more episodic than I expected from a full-length novel. I found it a bit jarring at first, but I grew to appreciate the format and went along with it. Daniel returns to possess a new criminal, then has to figure out what's going on and why the person he's possessing is guilty and should be punished. Rinse and repeat a few times. It makes for a quick page-turner, because stories are wrapped up quickly and we move on to a new mystery to unravel.
The prose is snappy and engaging. Daniel is a geek and has a sharp tongue, and the writing is often funny and unexpected. It's not great literature, and it does sometimes tend to prefer a witty retort to something that would have sounded more true and vulnerable; but it's fun and entertaining all the same.
If there's one aspect of the story that I found disappointing, it's that we never really understand what makes Daniel tick. We know why he's in this predicament, and we have an idea of the guilt that drives him, but besides the circumstances of his death, he remains mostly a blank slate. I would have liked the story to be more driven by Daniel's internal conflicts and contradictions; it does happen somehow near the end, but for long stretches of the novel we only glimpse Daniel through his determination to punish the killers he possesses.
These characters are often despicable all the way through, so they don't allow for a lot of moral conflict on Daniel's part. It's hard not to root for him when he decides to mess up a rapist criminal biker, for instance. I would have liked to see him deal with situations that offered more moral doubt and internal conflict.
Overall, Kick is entertaining and original, and for its short length, it doesn't overstay its welcome. Its setting is original and the writing is snappy and fun, making it a quick and memorable read.
Disclaimer: The author of Kick sent me a copy of his book when he saw me rail against the quality of self-published novels in general. It was sent to me free and without conditions, with the genuine hope that I would sincerely liked it, which I did.
December 22, 2014
The main character is dead. He doesn't know what he is, but he knows he's dead because he killed himself. He doesn't know where he is (has been for the last 15-20 years) so he calls it "the Great Wherever". He also doesn't know who sends him into living humans' bodies to dispense justice, so he calls it "the Great Whomever". Back-tracking, he has figured out that he's supposed to dispense justice, whether that's true or not, he keeps getting sent back so he keeps doing it.
The story starts when he's about to finish up a "ride". The title of the book -- "Kick" -- refers to what happens when the human he's inhabiting starts working on kicking him out of their body. He has about 3 weeks to figure out what the person has done wrong and what he's supposed to do about it. It's a lot of guess work and it's pretty fascinating.
This is an indy effort, but the writing is as good as professionally published authors are putting out there, IMO, and the story is very engaging. I'm going to start the second book in the series soon but I wanted to cleanse my palate with some frivolous romance first. "Kick" is a dark story and the reader is seeing it through the eyes of a man who isn't always likable himself. In the meantime, he's likely in the body of someone who's done something truly terrible, so that's something to consider.
"Kick" is unlike most urban/contemporary fantasy books I've been reading lately. It has no romance, the character is extremely limited in what he can do given the short amount of time he has to complete his "mission". But it's a very intriguing set-up, with organic plot points and a many-layered protagonist.
The story starts when he's about to finish up a "ride". The title of the book -- "Kick" -- refers to what happens when the human he's inhabiting starts working on kicking him out of their body. He has about 3 weeks to figure out what the person has done wrong and what he's supposed to do about it. It's a lot of guess work and it's pretty fascinating.
This is an indy effort, but the writing is as good as professionally published authors are putting out there, IMO, and the story is very engaging. I'm going to start the second book in the series soon but I wanted to cleanse my palate with some frivolous romance first. "Kick" is a dark story and the reader is seeing it through the eyes of a man who isn't always likable himself. In the meantime, he's likely in the body of someone who's done something truly terrible, so that's something to consider.
"Kick" is unlike most urban/contemporary fantasy books I've been reading lately. It has no romance, the character is extremely limited in what he can do given the short amount of time he has to complete his "mission". But it's a very intriguing set-up, with organic plot points and a many-layered protagonist.
September 28, 2015
An excellent idea for a story and very we'll executed.
November 10, 2014
Holy Cow! This was a great read!
This paranormal thriller hooked me in with the first few pages and held my attention through out.
I read it in one sitting! It’s rather late as I am typing this review up, but I just have to share with you all just how much I loved this story.
Dan is a troubled soul lingering in the abyss of purgatory. He is sent by some greater power, back into a physical existence to "right the wrongs" in that life.
While not always pretty, and at times rather violent, Dan does his best to dispense justice (and whenever possible have a little fun) while on Earth.
This is an action packed story that has a decent dose of spiritual pondering.
I enjoyed following Dan on his journey into the lives of his hosts (rides) and after as he explored the spiritual lessons of his lives.
Some of the scenes in this book may not be suitable for young readers.
However, I feel that readers of Paranormal and supernatural mysteries will enjoy this book.
This paranormal thriller hooked me in with the first few pages and held my attention through out.
I read it in one sitting! It’s rather late as I am typing this review up, but I just have to share with you all just how much I loved this story.
Dan is a troubled soul lingering in the abyss of purgatory. He is sent by some greater power, back into a physical existence to "right the wrongs" in that life.
While not always pretty, and at times rather violent, Dan does his best to dispense justice (and whenever possible have a little fun) while on Earth.
This is an action packed story that has a decent dose of spiritual pondering.
I enjoyed following Dan on his journey into the lives of his hosts (rides) and after as he explored the spiritual lessons of his lives.
Some of the scenes in this book may not be suitable for young readers.
However, I feel that readers of Paranormal and supernatural mysteries will enjoy this book.
January 4, 2015
Interesting premise. Interesting application
I liked the book's premise and found it interesting and was hooked by some of the earlier stories. What I didn't like is that after a short while it started to feel like a book of short stories all individually interesting but collectively it didn't feel like it was serving any particular point. If you like interesting experiences loosely tied together in the end then you should enjoy this book.
I liked the book's premise and found it interesting and was hooked by some of the earlier stories. What I didn't like is that after a short while it started to feel like a book of short stories all individually interesting but collectively it didn't feel like it was serving any particular point. If you like interesting experiences loosely tied together in the end then you should enjoy this book.
August 21, 2018
3.5 stars
September 15, 2013
One of two questions can keep me turning pages (or scrolling) in a novel: (1) How on earth will the main character get out of this mess? Or, (2) I think I know the answer to this mystery–will I be right?
Halfway through Kick, I thought I might know the answer, and from that point on, I was reading not just because I was entertained by the writing and fascinated by the action and the characters, but because I wanted to learn if I was right. I even contacted the author, John L. Monk, and shared my suspicion. His answers were vague, so not to spoil the ending, but he did answer! A nice guy.
The main character of Kick is Dan Jenkins, a dead nice guy who keeps hitching uncomfortable rides in the living bodies of bad people. Now this premise could result in a gruesome story, but Monk keeps it light. Even though, sadly, Dan got this way because he committed suicide.
It can’t be easy to write convincingly of evil deeds in a comic voice. Monk carries it off with clever turns of phrase and a self-deprecating tone. In his many bad-guy bodies, Dan shares his qualms and quirky observations. Like the very first line: “Helen had a face that had launched a thousand customer complaints.”
Priceless.
And oh, yes. I was right.
(This review is from my blog. Follow me at carolervin.com/blog)
Halfway through Kick, I thought I might know the answer, and from that point on, I was reading not just because I was entertained by the writing and fascinated by the action and the characters, but because I wanted to learn if I was right. I even contacted the author, John L. Monk, and shared my suspicion. His answers were vague, so not to spoil the ending, but he did answer! A nice guy.
The main character of Kick is Dan Jenkins, a dead nice guy who keeps hitching uncomfortable rides in the living bodies of bad people. Now this premise could result in a gruesome story, but Monk keeps it light. Even though, sadly, Dan got this way because he committed suicide.
It can’t be easy to write convincingly of evil deeds in a comic voice. Monk carries it off with clever turns of phrase and a self-deprecating tone. In his many bad-guy bodies, Dan shares his qualms and quirky observations. Like the very first line: “Helen had a face that had launched a thousand customer complaints.”
Priceless.
And oh, yes. I was right.
(This review is from my blog. Follow me at carolervin.com/blog)
December 26, 2013
This was a very different kind of read for me, not my typical type of book. I have to say I was hooked right away, mainly because the book made me laugh out loud several times in the first several pages. I was alone at lunch, so people were looking at me pretty strange. :)
The writing is good: with a decent pace and a unique story. Dan is dead and gets sent into the bodies of various people on earth. Usually it's to end their lives, as they are less than stellar humans. There is also a lesson there for him, which becomes apparent at the end.
I liked Dan a lot and I liked the whole premise. A good read that I'd recommend to anyone who wants to read something that isn't the same 'ol thing. You'll be glad you did.
By the way, I also am an author, so I want to let readers of this review know that. However, I've been an avid reader a whole lot longer, so I feel I have the right to still review books. :) The author didn't ask me to read the book, I happened to pick it up because of a post he made in an author's forum where authors were asked to leave the opening line of their novel. His made me laugh enough that I decided to give the book a try. I'm so glad I did!
The writing is good: with a decent pace and a unique story. Dan is dead and gets sent into the bodies of various people on earth. Usually it's to end their lives, as they are less than stellar humans. There is also a lesson there for him, which becomes apparent at the end.
I liked Dan a lot and I liked the whole premise. A good read that I'd recommend to anyone who wants to read something that isn't the same 'ol thing. You'll be glad you did.
By the way, I also am an author, so I want to let readers of this review know that. However, I've been an avid reader a whole lot longer, so I feel I have the right to still review books. :) The author didn't ask me to read the book, I happened to pick it up because of a post he made in an author's forum where authors were asked to leave the opening line of their novel. His made me laugh enough that I decided to give the book a try. I'm so glad I did!
November 1, 2013
What a great book. Thoroughly enjoyable. Dan Jenkins, the narrator, is extremely likable even in the face of his questionable decisions and actions, which says much about the lovely character development in the story. I even marked some of my favorite Dan-quips:
"This guy was beyond lucky. He was Midas with a better attorney, or the owner of a Monkey's Paw version 2.0, or Richard Cory on Prozac."
"What I wouldn't give to look like Leonard Nimoy or Dionne Warwick -- basically the same person, if you squint."
"As altruism goes, mine is more of a compulsion in search of an endorphin kick."
Some real beauts there. "Richard Cory on Prozac." *snort* LOL.
Don't let this mislead you, though. This novel isn't a comedy. It's more a paranormal, serial-killer thriller, with the foundation of a reluctant quest for redemption. There's blood and gore, truly heinous acts and enough crime to fill Cell Block C at the county jail. Sound horrific and mean? It might have been, but it wasn't ... because of Dan Jenkins. Because of how Dan told his story.
I loved it. Highly recommended.
"This guy was beyond lucky. He was Midas with a better attorney, or the owner of a Monkey's Paw version 2.0, or Richard Cory on Prozac."
"What I wouldn't give to look like Leonard Nimoy or Dionne Warwick -- basically the same person, if you squint."
"As altruism goes, mine is more of a compulsion in search of an endorphin kick."
Some real beauts there. "Richard Cory on Prozac." *snort* LOL.
Don't let this mislead you, though. This novel isn't a comedy. It's more a paranormal, serial-killer thriller, with the foundation of a reluctant quest for redemption. There's blood and gore, truly heinous acts and enough crime to fill Cell Block C at the county jail. Sound horrific and mean? It might have been, but it wasn't ... because of Dan Jenkins. Because of how Dan told his story.
I loved it. Highly recommended.
October 2, 2013
Kick by John L. Monk
This book is far from a kick. It makes you consider the consequences of you actions. Dan Jenkins face reality through eyes other than his own and sees the consequences of their actions.
This is an unusual book. It is vignettes of violence interspersed with introspection. I’m struggling here to describe the book without giving away the basic premise. Dan’s life is a living hell or perhaps purgatory. He discovers there is more to his internal self image than he ever imagined.
Imagined is a good word as Mr. Monk has imagined a very interesting scenario. There are parts of the book that are not for the faint of heart but they fit the plot so plow on through.
I recommend this book!
This book is far from a kick. It makes you consider the consequences of you actions. Dan Jenkins face reality through eyes other than his own and sees the consequences of their actions.
This is an unusual book. It is vignettes of violence interspersed with introspection. I’m struggling here to describe the book without giving away the basic premise. Dan’s life is a living hell or perhaps purgatory. He discovers there is more to his internal self image than he ever imagined.
Imagined is a good word as Mr. Monk has imagined a very interesting scenario. There are parts of the book that are not for the faint of heart but they fit the plot so plow on through.
I recommend this book!
August 10, 2015
Such an awesome story! I absolutely loved this novel and will be purchasing the next in the series. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started reading this. The plot is just so unique and unlike anything I have read before. There is so much action in this book that it is difficult for the reader to become bored. Kudos to the author!
October 16, 2016
I found this author last year and was lucky enough that another in the series had already been published. I love the premise of him being a suicide and being able to inhabit someone's body to usually end up having them jailed or killed, it's just good reading. Can't wait for the next one.
April 7, 2014
Very enjoyable paranormal mystery. More detailed review to follow.
June 14, 2014
For a debut novel, this book is amazing applesauce awesomeness. And that's all I'm going to say - you have to read it yourself.
April 26, 2014
After Logan Keys's excellent, witty, funny book review, I'm afraid to touch this one. Ah well, I can say lots of things with words that his hilarious video review can't.
KICK got me with the first sentence, a nod to Helen of Troy (but this woman could launch a thousand customer complaints). Dan is cool and cynical, witty and full of surprises–so if anyone besides me is suffering withdrawal from America’s favorite serial killer (Dexter), I have good news: a much better hero is dispatching bad guys, and his name is Dan Jenkins. I’ve read the first and last of the Jeff Lindsay novels that launched the TV show. John L. Monk tops him, easily. The prose is better, the man is better–oh, all right, the man is DEAD, but hey, that doesn’t stop him from finding bullies and administering vigilante justice to them, American style. By that, I mean with cunning, wit, plotting, planning, and good old fashioned bullets. Or whatever means of death is at hand.
Sorry, I’m doing no justice to this novel at all. It’s so much more than a Dexter adventure. Ethics, theology, how best to combat evil in our world, all these things require thought. And I just spent a good part of my day (and a chunk of last night) reading KICK because, darn it, I couldn’t put it down. The dishes still aren’t done, and it’s bedtime. I’m mad at John L. Monk for distracting me from the long list of other things that demanded my attention today, but no, KICK got all my attention. Thanks, John. Send over a maid, okay?
With 5,000 titles in my Kindle Fire, I’ve skimmed a lot of page-one or chapter-ones, but rarely, oh, too rarely, does a new book grab me like this one.The voice is authentic,darkly comic, sometimes snarky, sometimes poignant, and consistently thoughtful. John Monk reminds me that reading a book is a great way to get to know a person. I haven’t met John L. Monk, but just from reading his novel, I’d like to. And I’ve often entertained the same thought he attributes to Daniel: “If there were a bar in America with people like the cast from Cheers, I’d go there every chance I could.” Shakespeare spent a lot of time at just such a bar. Hemingway and his ex-patriot friends in Paris did, too. These bars exist. We all just live too far apart to hang out together. Hmm, considering the brilliant output of writers who hang out in bars enjoying great conversations with quirky friends, I suspect I should take up drinking.
Ah, back to Daniel Jenkins, the Rider of all Riders. Dexter–never mind his Dark Passenger; KICK is unique, not derivative–Dexter wasn’t so easy to like. He was a monster, as he liked to remind us. Daniel is no monster. He might have been a morose young man who foolishly took his own life after being dumped by his first girlfriend, but he’s learned a lot since then, and suffered more than enough remorse by now to break free of this cycle of coming back to occupy some bad guy’s body for a few weeks, body after body, like those poor Buddhist souls who come back as bugs, birds, cows, then peasants, then royalty, until Nirvana frees them at last from living in human bodies. Luckily for readers like me, Daniel is much too fond of food and fast cars to quit his gig any time soon. I’m ready for Book 2. Wait, no, no, I need a maid first. KICK is about as addictive as an illegal substance. Like the Surgeon General’s warning on liquor bottles, the Good Housekeeping Seal of Disapproval should warn readers to clean up BEFORE they read this novel. Okay. That coffee pot isn’t going to clean itself. It’s bedtime, but I will start those breakfast dishes, now that I finished reading and raving over KICK.
NEXT DAY: I’m back. I still don’t have time to share all the great lines I loved in this novel, but there’s a share page at amazon (I love it and over-use it) where you can see how many lines I highlighted in my Kindle. There were more, but I’d be repeating the whole novel, at the rate I was going. This line is one of my favorites:
– Families and their intrigues exist at the edge of maps, beyond which read, “Here there be dragons.”
Ah, there are so many.
– When you weep in a dream over something and laugh it off in the morning, you’re telling a convenient lie
– my conscience and I were barely on speaking terms
– There’s more to the story, all of it bad, but I’ll hold off there until you’ve gotten to like me more
– killing a scumbag like Stump or Jake rated less trouble than a four-pound tug on a plastic trigger
– Shooting him wasn’t a crime in my book. Knowing his ultimate destination and shooting him anyway? Well, I could almost dwell on that if I were the dwelling type
– Because I have no goals in life or expectations, there aren’t many things that worry me. Not even mall Santas.
– I was struck by a feeling I’d lost something precious to me. But then she saw me, and before I could lay my finger on it, time sped up again.
– he still loved to begin his sentences with the word “actually”–a rhetorical trick he used to place himself in a position of authority in any conversation.
– to just enjoy the little things. Rather than renting a private jet and flying to Hong Kong to buy diamonds at an exclusive auction, perhaps in the company of celebrities like Dionne Warwick or Leonard Nimoy, I ate at the Sweetwater Tavern every night and McDonald’s every morning. I read my book, watched movies and took naps whenever I felt tired. This might seem mundane to some, but to me these ordinary experiences have an unlimited shelf life.
– God or whatever you call him has decided not to interfere in the world unless it’s through an emissary for Good–you know, priests, nuns, Dairy Queen employees
– when God gave out free will, he didn’t give it to man alone–he gave it to the physical universe as a whole. Natural selection is a perfect example of this. God didn’t make the animals, he made the process. That process is randomness.
Okay, I will stop now. Nobody likes long reviews. Just read the book and you’ll see for yourself that it’s even better than I say it is. And don’t think it’s treading old ground. That scene with the camper, the former school teacher and his two former students? I contacted John L. Monk, since he so fearlessly posts his email address in the book, welcoming feedback. Just as I suspected, John wrote that scene before Breaking Bad was ever on his radar. As an author and work shopper, I’ve seen so many cases of this happening. I hadn’t even heard of Dexter until I googled serial killers in fiction, and I dropped the vigilante mother from my own novel after I started watching Dexter.
Don’t let me get started on dreams. The overpass dream with the angels? Powerful scene, vivid, authentic–it just had to be a real dream that the author dreamed in real life. I dared to ask if I was right. Indeed. Now that’s the kind of genuine, believable, fully human touch that makes me love a novel the way I love KICK.
Other reviewers point out minor flaws in the novel. My degree is in English teaching; I’m a book critic; I find plot holes in all stories and TV shows. Dexter has more plot holes than the poor battered face of the moon. And yet I was riveted to every episode.
–Yes! I will stop talking now and let you read KICK. But, before you go, remember to look for John on facebook and twitter and his blogsite. John, don’t worry, I won’t do the Stephen King thing (Misery). Unless you fail to get that sequel out soon. Then an army of angry fans might lock you up on a cabin and not let you out until you deliver more of Dan Jenkins, America’s favorite new serial killer.
KICK got me with the first sentence, a nod to Helen of Troy (but this woman could launch a thousand customer complaints). Dan is cool and cynical, witty and full of surprises–so if anyone besides me is suffering withdrawal from America’s favorite serial killer (Dexter), I have good news: a much better hero is dispatching bad guys, and his name is Dan Jenkins. I’ve read the first and last of the Jeff Lindsay novels that launched the TV show. John L. Monk tops him, easily. The prose is better, the man is better–oh, all right, the man is DEAD, but hey, that doesn’t stop him from finding bullies and administering vigilante justice to them, American style. By that, I mean with cunning, wit, plotting, planning, and good old fashioned bullets. Or whatever means of death is at hand.
Sorry, I’m doing no justice to this novel at all. It’s so much more than a Dexter adventure. Ethics, theology, how best to combat evil in our world, all these things require thought. And I just spent a good part of my day (and a chunk of last night) reading KICK because, darn it, I couldn’t put it down. The dishes still aren’t done, and it’s bedtime. I’m mad at John L. Monk for distracting me from the long list of other things that demanded my attention today, but no, KICK got all my attention. Thanks, John. Send over a maid, okay?
With 5,000 titles in my Kindle Fire, I’ve skimmed a lot of page-one or chapter-ones, but rarely, oh, too rarely, does a new book grab me like this one.The voice is authentic,darkly comic, sometimes snarky, sometimes poignant, and consistently thoughtful. John Monk reminds me that reading a book is a great way to get to know a person. I haven’t met John L. Monk, but just from reading his novel, I’d like to. And I’ve often entertained the same thought he attributes to Daniel: “If there were a bar in America with people like the cast from Cheers, I’d go there every chance I could.” Shakespeare spent a lot of time at just such a bar. Hemingway and his ex-patriot friends in Paris did, too. These bars exist. We all just live too far apart to hang out together. Hmm, considering the brilliant output of writers who hang out in bars enjoying great conversations with quirky friends, I suspect I should take up drinking.
Ah, back to Daniel Jenkins, the Rider of all Riders. Dexter–never mind his Dark Passenger; KICK is unique, not derivative–Dexter wasn’t so easy to like. He was a monster, as he liked to remind us. Daniel is no monster. He might have been a morose young man who foolishly took his own life after being dumped by his first girlfriend, but he’s learned a lot since then, and suffered more than enough remorse by now to break free of this cycle of coming back to occupy some bad guy’s body for a few weeks, body after body, like those poor Buddhist souls who come back as bugs, birds, cows, then peasants, then royalty, until Nirvana frees them at last from living in human bodies. Luckily for readers like me, Daniel is much too fond of food and fast cars to quit his gig any time soon. I’m ready for Book 2. Wait, no, no, I need a maid first. KICK is about as addictive as an illegal substance. Like the Surgeon General’s warning on liquor bottles, the Good Housekeeping Seal of Disapproval should warn readers to clean up BEFORE they read this novel. Okay. That coffee pot isn’t going to clean itself. It’s bedtime, but I will start those breakfast dishes, now that I finished reading and raving over KICK.
NEXT DAY: I’m back. I still don’t have time to share all the great lines I loved in this novel, but there’s a share page at amazon (I love it and over-use it) where you can see how many lines I highlighted in my Kindle. There were more, but I’d be repeating the whole novel, at the rate I was going. This line is one of my favorites:
– Families and their intrigues exist at the edge of maps, beyond which read, “Here there be dragons.”
Ah, there are so many.
– When you weep in a dream over something and laugh it off in the morning, you’re telling a convenient lie
– my conscience and I were barely on speaking terms
– There’s more to the story, all of it bad, but I’ll hold off there until you’ve gotten to like me more
– killing a scumbag like Stump or Jake rated less trouble than a four-pound tug on a plastic trigger
– Shooting him wasn’t a crime in my book. Knowing his ultimate destination and shooting him anyway? Well, I could almost dwell on that if I were the dwelling type
– Because I have no goals in life or expectations, there aren’t many things that worry me. Not even mall Santas.
– I was struck by a feeling I’d lost something precious to me. But then she saw me, and before I could lay my finger on it, time sped up again.
– he still loved to begin his sentences with the word “actually”–a rhetorical trick he used to place himself in a position of authority in any conversation.
– to just enjoy the little things. Rather than renting a private jet and flying to Hong Kong to buy diamonds at an exclusive auction, perhaps in the company of celebrities like Dionne Warwick or Leonard Nimoy, I ate at the Sweetwater Tavern every night and McDonald’s every morning. I read my book, watched movies and took naps whenever I felt tired. This might seem mundane to some, but to me these ordinary experiences have an unlimited shelf life.
– God or whatever you call him has decided not to interfere in the world unless it’s through an emissary for Good–you know, priests, nuns, Dairy Queen employees
– when God gave out free will, he didn’t give it to man alone–he gave it to the physical universe as a whole. Natural selection is a perfect example of this. God didn’t make the animals, he made the process. That process is randomness.
Okay, I will stop now. Nobody likes long reviews. Just read the book and you’ll see for yourself that it’s even better than I say it is. And don’t think it’s treading old ground. That scene with the camper, the former school teacher and his two former students? I contacted John L. Monk, since he so fearlessly posts his email address in the book, welcoming feedback. Just as I suspected, John wrote that scene before Breaking Bad was ever on his radar. As an author and work shopper, I’ve seen so many cases of this happening. I hadn’t even heard of Dexter until I googled serial killers in fiction, and I dropped the vigilante mother from my own novel after I started watching Dexter.
Don’t let me get started on dreams. The overpass dream with the angels? Powerful scene, vivid, authentic–it just had to be a real dream that the author dreamed in real life. I dared to ask if I was right. Indeed. Now that’s the kind of genuine, believable, fully human touch that makes me love a novel the way I love KICK.
Other reviewers point out minor flaws in the novel. My degree is in English teaching; I’m a book critic; I find plot holes in all stories and TV shows. Dexter has more plot holes than the poor battered face of the moon. And yet I was riveted to every episode.
–Yes! I will stop talking now and let you read KICK. But, before you go, remember to look for John on facebook and twitter and his blogsite. John, don’t worry, I won’t do the Stephen King thing (Misery). Unless you fail to get that sequel out soon. Then an army of angry fans might lock you up on a cabin and not let you out until you deliver more of Dan Jenkins, America’s favorite new serial killer.
October 29, 2015
3.5 rounded up to 4
I rather enjoyed Kick, but for a few small niggles. Firstly, the good stuff…
When Dan Jenkins was a mixed up, emotionally confused college kid, he committed suicide. There were issues with his girlfriend, and with himself, and he did something terrible, an act for which he now feels guilty. From the ‘Great Wherever’ where he finds himself after death Dan is dispatched onto ‘missions’ by an unseen, unheard, purely inferred-by-Dan-himself being he calls the ‘Great Whomever’. Each mission sees him ‘possessing’ criminals and responsible for bringing them to some form of justice—usually exposing their nasty ways before ‘suiciding’. Generally, Dan gets about three weeks in each body, before the original consciousness starts kicking him out. In that time, Dan likes to eat bad food, watch movies, fish and hand out fistfuls of cash to those in need, in between finding out what brand of sicko his ride is and doling out the justice.
The first half of Kick takes us through a couple of these rides—a serial killer, a rapist/drug trafficking bikie and a drug addict/serial killer/identity thief. An extended sojourn through the muck at the very bottom of society, just to enforce the next part of the story. Throughout Dan’s rides in these scum-of-the-earth types, he keeps wondering why he can’t have a ‘vacation’. Someone nice he just relax in for a while without having to do the dirty work at the end. As the author himself notes at one point…
“There’s an important lesson to be learned here: never screw around with foreshadowing.”
The foreshadowing did get a little heavy handed at times. All the talk of wanting to find a nice ride for once, naturally, means he does, and when he does, this is when the niggles start.
When Dan wakes up in the body of a healthy, rich, seemingly nice guy, he spends a while trying to find the evil. What he finds instead is a drop dead gorgeous fiancé, a rapidly closing in wedding and a couple of not-quite-right friends and family. Dan passes a week doing his usual routine of going to nice restaurants, giving away the dollars and trying to work out just what it is that’s odd about the fiancé. It all comes to a head on the day of the wedding.
For the most part, the story is very good, helped along by above-average writing. Even the episodic nature of the first half of the book doesn’t detract from the overall plot. If all the separate ‘rides’ had somehow linked together, creating an interwoven, slightly more intricate plot, then the niggles wouldn’t have mattered as much. Still, the lack of connection isn’t a problem, just a missed opportunity.
As far as he goes, Dan is a decent character. Several flashbacks to his younger years when he was alive give some insight into why he did what he did. He can be generous, with other people’s money, and he cares about the innocents his ‘rides’ hurt. We know he feels guilty for how his suicide impacted his family and friends. He has his morals he tries his hardest to stick to. He thinks he’s funny. But apart from this, we never learn much about him. Nothing really about his childhood, his family, his friends, his personal experiences with his own life. There are the flashbacks, but they’re isolated instances, used to highlight a single point, not illuminate the whole character. His progression as a person seems stalled at twenty, when he died. After living, even short term, in many other bodies, witnessing the horrid depths to which humans can descend, Dan still acts like a bratty college kid. His missions don’t appear to affect him. For all that, he’s not an offensive character, just a tad shallow. Another missed opportunity was the connection between Dan having committed suicide, and the fact he basically ‘suicides’ a lot of the baddies he rides. There’s a sad irony there that was missing.
The twist mentioned in the blurb isn’t that big of a surprise, thanks to the foreshadowing. It’s pretty easy to pick it and what the eventual outcome will be, so much so at times I berated Dan for not picking it up as quickly. For not picking it up at all, in fact, until it’s come down to the guns and bad-guy explanation scene. This in itself isn’t a big problem, either.
Further, there were a couple of instances where I think the author was trying to be funny but it just came across as misogynistic. For example…
“She gave me another one of those great kisses in the driveway and then drove off to Victoria’s Secret or wherever girls like that go when they’re not with their stud boyfriends.”
“But even within species, there are differences. Men are larger and have stronger muscles, and women hurtle down expressways applying cosmetics while talking on cell phones.”
Innocent, flippant misogyny, which it could be argued is worse than deliberate misogyny, as it comes with a sense thoughtlessness, but in this case, I really do think the author just thinks he’s being funny. However, this one…
“Most of all, I admired the brave face she presented to a world filled with hypocritical acrimony. For her, a fallen woman taken with child, bravely bearing society’s scarlet letter upon her heaving breasts.”
…can’t really be excused. Even if Dan died in the early nineties and hasn’t evolved emotionally since then, this is a very nineteenth century opinion and sticks out like the offensive proverbial.
Gay guys get a bit of the same treatment…
““Something’s different about you,” Superman said, in an elevated nasal tone, making me think he was either gay or had a high-pitched cold.”
Still, these moments didn’t detract me from the story as a whole. Overall, Kick is an easy, quick read with a few genuinely fun moments. A bit more depth of character wouldn’t go astray and perhaps that’ll come along in future instalments.
I got Kick as a free download via the author’s mailing list.
I rather enjoyed Kick, but for a few small niggles. Firstly, the good stuff…
When Dan Jenkins was a mixed up, emotionally confused college kid, he committed suicide. There were issues with his girlfriend, and with himself, and he did something terrible, an act for which he now feels guilty. From the ‘Great Wherever’ where he finds himself after death Dan is dispatched onto ‘missions’ by an unseen, unheard, purely inferred-by-Dan-himself being he calls the ‘Great Whomever’. Each mission sees him ‘possessing’ criminals and responsible for bringing them to some form of justice—usually exposing their nasty ways before ‘suiciding’. Generally, Dan gets about three weeks in each body, before the original consciousness starts kicking him out. In that time, Dan likes to eat bad food, watch movies, fish and hand out fistfuls of cash to those in need, in between finding out what brand of sicko his ride is and doling out the justice.
The first half of Kick takes us through a couple of these rides—a serial killer, a rapist/drug trafficking bikie and a drug addict/serial killer/identity thief. An extended sojourn through the muck at the very bottom of society, just to enforce the next part of the story. Throughout Dan’s rides in these scum-of-the-earth types, he keeps wondering why he can’t have a ‘vacation’. Someone nice he just relax in for a while without having to do the dirty work at the end. As the author himself notes at one point…
“There’s an important lesson to be learned here: never screw around with foreshadowing.”
The foreshadowing did get a little heavy handed at times. All the talk of wanting to find a nice ride for once, naturally, means he does, and when he does, this is when the niggles start.
When Dan wakes up in the body of a healthy, rich, seemingly nice guy, he spends a while trying to find the evil. What he finds instead is a drop dead gorgeous fiancé, a rapidly closing in wedding and a couple of not-quite-right friends and family. Dan passes a week doing his usual routine of going to nice restaurants, giving away the dollars and trying to work out just what it is that’s odd about the fiancé. It all comes to a head on the day of the wedding.
For the most part, the story is very good, helped along by above-average writing. Even the episodic nature of the first half of the book doesn’t detract from the overall plot. If all the separate ‘rides’ had somehow linked together, creating an interwoven, slightly more intricate plot, then the niggles wouldn’t have mattered as much. Still, the lack of connection isn’t a problem, just a missed opportunity.
As far as he goes, Dan is a decent character. Several flashbacks to his younger years when he was alive give some insight into why he did what he did. He can be generous, with other people’s money, and he cares about the innocents his ‘rides’ hurt. We know he feels guilty for how his suicide impacted his family and friends. He has his morals he tries his hardest to stick to. He thinks he’s funny. But apart from this, we never learn much about him. Nothing really about his childhood, his family, his friends, his personal experiences with his own life. There are the flashbacks, but they’re isolated instances, used to highlight a single point, not illuminate the whole character. His progression as a person seems stalled at twenty, when he died. After living, even short term, in many other bodies, witnessing the horrid depths to which humans can descend, Dan still acts like a bratty college kid. His missions don’t appear to affect him. For all that, he’s not an offensive character, just a tad shallow. Another missed opportunity was the connection between Dan having committed suicide, and the fact he basically ‘suicides’ a lot of the baddies he rides. There’s a sad irony there that was missing.
The twist mentioned in the blurb isn’t that big of a surprise, thanks to the foreshadowing. It’s pretty easy to pick it and what the eventual outcome will be, so much so at times I berated Dan for not picking it up as quickly. For not picking it up at all, in fact, until it’s come down to the guns and bad-guy explanation scene. This in itself isn’t a big problem, either.
Further, there were a couple of instances where I think the author was trying to be funny but it just came across as misogynistic. For example…
“She gave me another one of those great kisses in the driveway and then drove off to Victoria’s Secret or wherever girls like that go when they’re not with their stud boyfriends.”
“But even within species, there are differences. Men are larger and have stronger muscles, and women hurtle down expressways applying cosmetics while talking on cell phones.”
Innocent, flippant misogyny, which it could be argued is worse than deliberate misogyny, as it comes with a sense thoughtlessness, but in this case, I really do think the author just thinks he’s being funny. However, this one…
“Most of all, I admired the brave face she presented to a world filled with hypocritical acrimony. For her, a fallen woman taken with child, bravely bearing society’s scarlet letter upon her heaving breasts.”
…can’t really be excused. Even if Dan died in the early nineties and hasn’t evolved emotionally since then, this is a very nineteenth century opinion and sticks out like the offensive proverbial.
Gay guys get a bit of the same treatment…
““Something’s different about you,” Superman said, in an elevated nasal tone, making me think he was either gay or had a high-pitched cold.”
Still, these moments didn’t detract me from the story as a whole. Overall, Kick is an easy, quick read with a few genuinely fun moments. A bit more depth of character wouldn’t go astray and perhaps that’ll come along in future instalments.
I got Kick as a free download via the author’s mailing list.
February 23, 2019
Surprisingly light read. I blasted through this book in no time and had a very good time while doing so.
I'm surprised this book has this few ratings, I only started reading this because it was on some recommended list and assumed this book was tried and tested.
No matter, I have tested this and I definitely approve.
P.S. Author has good humor.
I'm surprised this book has this few ratings, I only started reading this because it was on some recommended list and assumed this book was tried and tested.
No matter, I have tested this and I definitely approve.
P.S. Author has good humor.
September 26, 2013
To be fair, my official review number would be a 4.5 out of 5, but that isn't doable on Amazon. I reserve a rating of 5/5 for a perfect book, and although this book was very fun to read, I don't believe it was perfect (I have only ever given one 5/5 review and that was for Cline's Ready Player One).
As a junior high teacher, I read Levithan's novel Every Day over the summer, and I enjoyed the premise (main character wakes up every day in a new person and highjacks their body for a 24 hours period) but I wasn't super connected to the book. The protagonist, A, was a bit too whiny for me (I have similar issues with Harry Potter, Bella Swan ad Percy Jackson). Well, Monk's book is a great take on that same idea. It's "body highjacking", but it goes in a much darker direction. And one that is a lot more fun. I felt the process of why Dan, the protagonist in Kick, jumps from one body to the next was well done (punishment for a suicide) and if not believable then at least feasible and easy to follow.
Similar to Levithan's Every Day, but aimed at adults
What I liked about the book was that Monk seemed to really enjoy writing it. There are some story lines that don't further the plot except to give you more detail about Dan's life and personality. That's just fun. It was fun to "ride" with Dan through this bodies and follow his thinking. The "journey" in the book was fun. I would connect it to a Hiassen and Grisham novel in that I don't have to care about the main character, I just enjoy the writing and the journey. That's what John gives us. A few journey. Plus, I kind of liked Dan. He's still a bit whiny (but what would you expect from an emotionally stunted adolescent suicide), but he's likeable.
I wish I could give a "if you liked XXX, then you'd like this book" kind of review, but aside from a more fun version of Every Day, I can't think of a connection. This book was just well written and fun to read. It's impressive for a first time author (I checked for other books), but at the same time it's the kind of bold storytelling that comes from not having publisher restrictions.
Try the sample. If you like the opening, then you'll enjoy the entire book. The writing stays consistent throughout the whole thing.
As a junior high teacher, I read Levithan's novel Every Day over the summer, and I enjoyed the premise (main character wakes up every day in a new person and highjacks their body for a 24 hours period) but I wasn't super connected to the book. The protagonist, A, was a bit too whiny for me (I have similar issues with Harry Potter, Bella Swan ad Percy Jackson). Well, Monk's book is a great take on that same idea. It's "body highjacking", but it goes in a much darker direction. And one that is a lot more fun. I felt the process of why Dan, the protagonist in Kick, jumps from one body to the next was well done (punishment for a suicide) and if not believable then at least feasible and easy to follow.
Similar to Levithan's Every Day, but aimed at adults
What I liked about the book was that Monk seemed to really enjoy writing it. There are some story lines that don't further the plot except to give you more detail about Dan's life and personality. That's just fun. It was fun to "ride" with Dan through this bodies and follow his thinking. The "journey" in the book was fun. I would connect it to a Hiassen and Grisham novel in that I don't have to care about the main character, I just enjoy the writing and the journey. That's what John gives us. A few journey. Plus, I kind of liked Dan. He's still a bit whiny (but what would you expect from an emotionally stunted adolescent suicide), but he's likeable.
I wish I could give a "if you liked XXX, then you'd like this book" kind of review, but aside from a more fun version of Every Day, I can't think of a connection. This book was just well written and fun to read. It's impressive for a first time author (I checked for other books), but at the same time it's the kind of bold storytelling that comes from not having publisher restrictions.
Try the sample. If you like the opening, then you'll enjoy the entire book. The writing stays consistent throughout the whole thing.
November 19, 2015
Ever wonder what happens to that creepy guy who kills himself to prove his love after his girlfriend dumped his crazy ass? If so, you should read this book which tells you a version of what may happen and have you rethink pretty much everything you thought about that guy, and well the afterlife in general.
This book made me laugh, it made me sad, and it made me contemplate God and the afterlife, and in the process totally entertained me. Monk’s take on what a suicide gets for its punishment in the afterlife is spot on and makes a bunch of sense. I loved the idea of how Dan takes a “ride” for a short while in the bodies of heinous people and while plotting how to take care of that person enjoys reading, binging on junk food, and reading up on trivia before he gets kicked out. At the beginning of this book I felt sorry for Dan and his previous situation while he was still living—suicide is one of those hot points where I will refrain from voicing my thoughts on it and just go with “sad” because ultimately that is what it is. Normally Dan hitched a ride with an evil person and this time he is offered a ride in a truly good person and has to figure out WTF before his time is up.
While he is in Nate’s body for this ride he does his normal routine of eating junk food and taking Nate’s Ferrari out for a spin. However, some how he starts to really wonder about everything and what is going on and he doesn’t really find out until the end. But, man the ending is remarkable and you read how Dan finally takes stuff seriously and tries to untangle the mess that was made of Nate’s life and he also finally “gets it” regarding his “love” for his ex-girlfriend and his actions surrounding the whole situation with her.
It only took a decade or two.... lol
This book made me laugh, it made me sad, and it made me contemplate God and the afterlife, and in the process totally entertained me. Monk’s take on what a suicide gets for its punishment in the afterlife is spot on and makes a bunch of sense. I loved the idea of how Dan takes a “ride” for a short while in the bodies of heinous people and while plotting how to take care of that person enjoys reading, binging on junk food, and reading up on trivia before he gets kicked out. At the beginning of this book I felt sorry for Dan and his previous situation while he was still living—suicide is one of those hot points where I will refrain from voicing my thoughts on it and just go with “sad” because ultimately that is what it is. Normally Dan hitched a ride with an evil person and this time he is offered a ride in a truly good person and has to figure out WTF before his time is up.
While he is in Nate’s body for this ride he does his normal routine of eating junk food and taking Nate’s Ferrari out for a spin. However, some how he starts to really wonder about everything and what is going on and he doesn’t really find out until the end. But, man the ending is remarkable and you read how Dan finally takes stuff seriously and tries to untangle the mess that was made of Nate’s life and he also finally “gets it” regarding his “love” for his ex-girlfriend and his actions surrounding the whole situation with her.
It only took a decade or two.... lol
August 2, 2016
I found the main character, Dan, very engaging - he's a wise ass who just can't seem to keep his mouth shut. He's sympathetic, even when I want to give him a good shake. He's kind-hearted and generous, but often selfish and short sighted which gets him into all kinds of trouble. His flaws also trip him into making mistakes.
Dan is a guy who committed suicide at a young age. Since then he's existed in what he calls the Great Whatever. From time to time, the Great Whatever gives him a job to do by dropping him into the body of some horrible scumbag or another. It's up to Dan to figure out what these guys have done so he can bring a richly deserved justice down on them.
He only has a limited amount of time before he is "kicked" out of his borrowed body, so... Dan likes to goof off. Mostly, nothing bad happens because of it. But sometimes, yes, oh yes, very bad things happen when Dan gets distracted from the main goal of justice.
I think that's why I liked the book so much. Dan isn't a perfect hero. He really is screwed up, and having to deal with so many scumbags and making them pay for what they've done is screwing him up even more. He really is a good person, but he struggles hard to be better. Sometimes not hard enough.
The structure of the book is episodic. He goes from one awful person to another, with each situation being different from the last. There are also asides mentioning other bad people that he's dealt with in the past. The only overarching theme seems to be his continuing attachment to a woman named Susan who he was in love with in his own life. I won't say any more, I don't want to spoil anything.
I enjoyed this book enough that I immediately bought the second one, and will buy the next one soon.
Dan is a guy who committed suicide at a young age. Since then he's existed in what he calls the Great Whatever. From time to time, the Great Whatever gives him a job to do by dropping him into the body of some horrible scumbag or another. It's up to Dan to figure out what these guys have done so he can bring a richly deserved justice down on them.
He only has a limited amount of time before he is "kicked" out of his borrowed body, so... Dan likes to goof off. Mostly, nothing bad happens because of it. But sometimes, yes, oh yes, very bad things happen when Dan gets distracted from the main goal of justice.
I think that's why I liked the book so much. Dan isn't a perfect hero. He really is screwed up, and having to deal with so many scumbags and making them pay for what they've done is screwing him up even more. He really is a good person, but he struggles hard to be better. Sometimes not hard enough.
The structure of the book is episodic. He goes from one awful person to another, with each situation being different from the last. There are also asides mentioning other bad people that he's dealt with in the past. The only overarching theme seems to be his continuing attachment to a woman named Susan who he was in love with in his own life. I won't say any more, I don't want to spoil anything.
I enjoyed this book enough that I immediately bought the second one, and will buy the next one soon.
November 25, 2015
I picked this up through Bookbub, and immediately became intrigued by it. Most of my Bookbub books end up getting lost in the abyss of books on my kindle, but the first chapter really grabbed my attention. So, I kept reading.
Told through Dan's perspective, we spend a lot of time in his head with just him. He landed in his body-hopping gig after he killed himself in college, as a kind of penance I guess. Although a little lost, he's a genuinely nice guy who enjoys his time living in truly evil people's bodies until he has to kill them or get them arrested before they kick him out.
You watch Dan go through a pretty significant learning experience when he lands in Nate's body. While the people you see him in before are truly big bad guys, Nate's not. This is confusing for Dan, since that's not his usual M.O. But the bad guys are around Dan. I don't want to give out spoilers, but seriously, I got annoyed when he didn't notice right away who the real baddie was.
I seriously loved this book. Well written, great twists and turns and an interesting main character to boot. I loved watching him learn and grow, and seeing how everything fell into place.
I highly recommend this book.
Also, for some reason this reminded me of How To Date Dead Guys. I think people who like either series would like the other too.
Told through Dan's perspective, we spend a lot of time in his head with just him. He landed in his body-hopping gig after he killed himself in college, as a kind of penance I guess. Although a little lost, he's a genuinely nice guy who enjoys his time living in truly evil people's bodies until he has to kill them or get them arrested before they kick him out.
You watch Dan go through a pretty significant learning experience when he lands in Nate's body. While the people you see him in before are truly big bad guys, Nate's not. This is confusing for Dan, since that's not his usual M.O. But the bad guys are around Dan. I don't want to give out spoilers, but seriously, I got annoyed when he didn't notice right away who the real baddie was.
I seriously loved this book. Well written, great twists and turns and an interesting main character to boot. I loved watching him learn and grow, and seeing how everything fell into place.
I highly recommend this book.
Also, for some reason this reminded me of How To Date Dead Guys. I think people who like either series would like the other too.
December 17, 2016
A great surprise.
Have not expected to like this book so much, because of a few factors:
1. Popularity and rating. This book has a low rating and and a low number of voters, usually it's says something, but not always. I have seen it before with "Iron Age" trilogy, which despite it's rating and lack of popularity was a great trilogy. So I decided to give it a shot.
2. The 30% or so of the book, are so so.. I left it at 35%, and began a new one.
But, when I resume to this book, it suddenly picked up, and the fun begun.
The author has not a bad sense of humor, and it shows. Not that the book has a lot of "laugh out loud"/"piss your pants" moments, but it's fun with funny remarks.
It more Paranormal than Urban fantasy with magic book, thus, there are not a lot of unnatural in it, but I think that it has exactly the right amount of it.
I'm very impressed with this book, and awaiting for the 2 other books in the series which did not yet come out on audio book, but out on print.
By the way, the audio book was great too. The performance was good, and the quality was either.
Very recommended to all.
Have not expected to like this book so much, because of a few factors:
1. Popularity and rating. This book has a low rating and and a low number of voters, usually it's says something, but not always. I have seen it before with "Iron Age" trilogy, which despite it's rating and lack of popularity was a great trilogy. So I decided to give it a shot.
2. The 30% or so of the book, are so so.. I left it at 35%, and began a new one.
But, when I resume to this book, it suddenly picked up, and the fun begun.
The author has not a bad sense of humor, and it shows. Not that the book has a lot of "laugh out loud"/"piss your pants" moments, but it's fun with funny remarks.
It more Paranormal than Urban fantasy with magic book, thus, there are not a lot of unnatural in it, but I think that it has exactly the right amount of it.
I'm very impressed with this book, and awaiting for the 2 other books in the series which did not yet come out on audio book, but out on print.
By the way, the audio book was great too. The performance was good, and the quality was either.
Very recommended to all.
March 1, 2015
“Kick” follows Dan Jenkins, a 20-something year old who committed suicide but has not yet crossed over into full-on death. Instead, he is allowed to roam through the “Great Wherever,” as he calls it, in between catching “rides” in criminals’ bodies. It is his job to prevent them from hurting anyone else, whether that means fixing the situation or even removing them from life before he moves on to the next body. According to the book’s summary, everything is going just fine for Dan until someone changes all of the rules.
I was very disappointed with this book—it had a great premise, but its execution was not great. The plot twist hinted at on the back doesn’t occur until about 80% of the way through the book. It was somewhat dragged out and the writing itself was a bit iffy. While I found myself liking the protagonist, Dan, at first, his character seemed to regress rather than progress throughout the book, which was very confusing. 2 stars—I will not be reading any more in this series.
I was very disappointed with this book—it had a great premise, but its execution was not great. The plot twist hinted at on the back doesn’t occur until about 80% of the way through the book. It was somewhat dragged out and the writing itself was a bit iffy. While I found myself liking the protagonist, Dan, at first, his character seemed to regress rather than progress throughout the book, which was very confusing. 2 stars—I will not be reading any more in this series.
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