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Rencor: Life in Grudge City
Ciudad Rencor (aka ‘Grudge City’) — the cross-cultural border mecca of wrestling and lucha libre — sees its streets bathed in blood after a bizarre museum robbery and hysterical reports of living mummies on the loose. It’s up to the unlikely team of the city’s most noble ‘tecnico’ El Victor and its most notorious ‘rudo’ El Mil Calaveras to stop pounding on each other, put aside their families' three-generation-old rivalry, and bring back the glory days of masked ‘lucha-heroes’ battling Mexican monsters on the march.
Written by Matt Wallace (Envy of Angels, The Failed Cities, Slingers), the former pro-wrestler-turned-scribe of the hit supernatural comedy series Sin du Jour, from a story by From Parts Unknown ‘zine-maestro Keith J. Rainville, Rencor: Life in Grudge City is like 48 Hours or Starsky and Hutch fused with El Santo and the Aztec Mummy. No mere ring or steel cage can contain the blood-feuds, body slams, brass knuckles and bandages that spill onto the streets, turning the city of Rencor itself into one giant arena.
Written by Matt Wallace (Envy of Angels, The Failed Cities, Slingers), the former pro-wrestler-turned-scribe of the hit supernatural comedy series Sin du Jour, from a story by From Parts Unknown ‘zine-maestro Keith J. Rainville, Rencor: Life in Grudge City is like 48 Hours or Starsky and Hutch fused with El Santo and the Aztec Mummy. No mere ring or steel cage can contain the blood-feuds, body slams, brass knuckles and bandages that spill onto the streets, turning the city of Rencor itself into one giant arena.
190 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 17, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 18, 2016
The nitty-gritty: A big, raucous tale of masked wrestlers and crime fighters, steeped in family tradition, with all the humor you'd expect from Matt Wallace.
“You don’t know anything about being a villain. You’re just a bad guy.”
I’m a huge fan of Matt Wallace’s Sin du Jour series, so when the author asked me if I’d like to read his latest from Mexican wrestling pop culture purveyors From Parts Unknown, my answer was an immediate “Hell yes!” Even though the story revolves around two rival families of luchadores, Mexican wrestlers, and I’m the type to run screaming from a room when any discussion of sports comes up, I immediately found myself sucked into Wallace’s hysterically funny and surprisingly emotional story (and yes, fascinated by the luchadores/monster movie subculture). Any Angel fans out there? Rencor: Life in Grudge City reminded me of the Season Five episode The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco, which also tackles the Mexican wrestling culture. Matt Wallace has taken his personal experience in wrestling and created a layered story about two multi-generational luchadores families, the Victors and the Calaveras, whose bitter rivalry must be set aside in order to bring down a common foe. Even though the story itself didn’t quite grab me like Wallace’s other books, I was surprised how much I connected with two families of macho wrestlers who never take off their masks.
Ten years ago, Victor III defeated his rival Calaveras III in the infamous “Loser-Leaves-Town” match, in the town of Rencor, a city steeped in lucha libre traditions. Since then, the old ways have started to die off, and the days of the enmascarado heroes who helped rid the city of crime have come to an end. But when someone breaks into the Egyptian wing of the local museum and raids a sarcophagus, private investigator Gus calls on Victor to help him solve the crime. Little does Victor know that Calaveras has been asked by the FBI to join the investigation, and that after ten long years, their paths are about to cross once more.
A slouching figure wrapped in dirty rags has been seen shambling around the city. Could it be the mummy from the sarcophagus? In order to solve the mystery, Victor and Cal will have to join forces—at least temporarily—and use all their wrestling skills to find out who is behind the museum heist.
Fans of Matt Wallace will love his trademark humor and hysterically funny dialog. I have to admit I was a bit underwhelmed by the story of a museum robbery, which seems tame compared to a lot of the fiction I’ve been reading lately. But what really makes this story special are the characters. I’m not sure how the author made me, a die-hard loather of sports, fall for a bunch of burly, mask-wearing, hard-drinking Mexican wrestlers, but he did. Such is the magic of a talented writer. Part of the charm of the characters is that three generations of men—grandfathers, fathers and sons—have continued the family tradition through the years. The rivalry between the Victors and the Calaveras is legendary, and the citizens of Rencor have watched their thrilling matches for years.
Some of my favorite parts of the book were the descriptions of the elder wrestlers who, back in the day, made monster movies for their fans, complete with werewolves and chupacabras. Nowadays, the aging wrestlers sign movie posters during wrestling matches, their glory days long gone. Wallace captures the poignancy of these men who don’t quite have a place in the present day but are unable to let go of their past.
The scenes between the younger Victor and Calaveras are simply comedy gold. As you can imagine these rivals want nothing to do with each other, and one of my favorite parts in the story is when they meet unexpectedly in an alley and try to beat the crap out of each other. Wallace puts his own wrestling experience to good use as he describes what I can only imagine are actual wrestling moves, and creates a sense of spectacle around these larger-than-life figures.
I was happy to see two tough but likable female characters in the story. Stella is the FBI agent assigned to the museum case, and she’s the one who recruits Calaveras, who reluctantly comes back to Rencor after being literally tossed out ten years ago. And Gypsy is Victor’s assistant who turns out to be a damn good wrestler in her own right. Both women are mostly secondary characters, but I could see them playing bigger roles in future stories.
I was hoping for a bit more of a supernatural element, but even though it’s uncertain whether the mummy is real or not, I loved the way the author ties the mummy to the luchadores monster movies of the past. It's as if the younger generation has come full circle and embraced the traditions of their grandfathers.
Rencor: Life in Grudge City was just long enough to capture my imagination and leave me wanting more. This story is full of humor, but there’s plenty of heart as well. It’s a story of old enemies and grudging friendships, dying traditions and hopeful beginnings. And at the end is a hint that there may be more stories about Victor and Calaveras in the future. Here’s hoping.
Big thanks to the publisher for supplying a review copy. This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy
August 16, 2016
I’m a big hardcore fan of Matt Wallace, but I did not like this book… maybe because I’m Mexican and just like lucha libre once in a while when tourists come visit and ask to go; or maybe because is not just good enough.
Very weak story and characters and it’s not fun or interesting; big disappointment and a little waste of time... sorry.
Very weak story and characters and it’s not fun or interesting; big disappointment and a little waste of time... sorry.
May 5, 2017
Rencor is a town on the border of the US and Mexico, where the masked vigilante superheroes and villains are also lucha libre wrestlers. El Victor, a former good guy wrestler--tecnico--and his nemesis Cal, a villain wrestler--rudo--have to join forces after a series of bizarre crimes sweeps Rencor. I'm not sure what exactly I was expecting from this book--besides an entertaining story, which I've come to expect from Matt Wallace--but what I got was an very enjoyable buddy-cop type story as Vic and Cal and their various allies take on the bad guys, bursting with energy and humor. Fingers crossed for more stories set in Grudge City.
February 22, 2017
In Grudge City, the rudos are supervillains and the técnicos are superheroes. El Victor was once Rencor’s Superman, and El Calaveras was its Lex Luthor. Now, a decade after their ultimate showdown, they have to team up to solve a crime.
I loved this book. It has an honest gusto. Both characters are larger than life, and their backstories are a good chunk of the book's setup, but it’s done in a way where it enhances the main plot rather than detract from it.
When Calaveras and Victor meet for the first time in a decade, I was leaning forward, hunched over the book with such a spine twisting intensity so to not miss a detail.
Body slams, cross chops, and below-the-belt kicks ensued.
The story takes place a decade after the era of Calaveras’s and Victor’s fame. Now, they have dwindled from the public eye, and their former glory has become mostly nostalgia. A big part of both luchadores story is learning to respect their heritage while still moving forward and evolving.
To an extent, Rencor: Life in Grudge City felt like a cartoon. In a good way, the kind that’ll put a smile on your face while this unlikely duo dropkick their way through the bad guys.
I don’t know anything about lucha libre, or any kind of wrestling, but I don’t think you need to in order to enjoy this book. It thrives on its characters, and you’ll want to spend more time with all of them.
I loved this book. It has an honest gusto. Both characters are larger than life, and their backstories are a good chunk of the book's setup, but it’s done in a way where it enhances the main plot rather than detract from it.
When Calaveras and Victor meet for the first time in a decade, I was leaning forward, hunched over the book with such a spine twisting intensity so to not miss a detail.
Body slams, cross chops, and below-the-belt kicks ensued.
The story takes place a decade after the era of Calaveras’s and Victor’s fame. Now, they have dwindled from the public eye, and their former glory has become mostly nostalgia. A big part of both luchadores story is learning to respect their heritage while still moving forward and evolving.
To an extent, Rencor: Life in Grudge City felt like a cartoon. In a good way, the kind that’ll put a smile on your face while this unlikely duo dropkick their way through the bad guys.
I don’t know anything about lucha libre, or any kind of wrestling, but I don’t think you need to in order to enjoy this book. It thrives on its characters, and you’ll want to spend more time with all of them.
September 20, 2017
Former arch-rivals of the wrestling ring are forced to work together to track down what may be a genuine (pre-)Mayan Mummy, back from the dead.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable bit of lucha libre-themed silliness, clearly taking a lot of inspiration from the careers of wrestling stars such as El Santo, which is let down only by the ending. Or lack thereof. It's possible to start a potential series while still delivering a complete initial story, but unfortunately Wallace hasn't really done that.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable bit of lucha libre-themed silliness, clearly taking a lot of inspiration from the careers of wrestling stars such as El Santo, which is let down only by the ending. Or lack thereof. It's possible to start a potential series while still delivering a complete initial story, but unfortunately Wallace hasn't really done that.
December 12, 2019
Fun and Satisfying
To me, the worst sin a work of fiction can have is to be boring. This novel was gleefully funny, and had a great deal of heart and soul in between the action scenes. There's a lot of room for the luchadores and cast of Rencor to stretch and grow, and I hope to see many more episodes showing just that.
To me, the worst sin a work of fiction can have is to be boring. This novel was gleefully funny, and had a great deal of heart and soul in between the action scenes. There's a lot of room for the luchadores and cast of Rencor to stretch and grow, and I hope to see many more episodes showing just that.
July 25, 2018
I've read a ton of books in my life. Everything from dense historical classics and biographies to cheesey, pulpy horror, fantasy and sci-fi...and a little of everything in between. I suppose I'm probably not alone when it comes to that, at least amongst folks using this website.
That being said, I have never once read a book like this. Its fantastic mix of so many fun, yet familiar themes it can't help but feel cinematic.
Essentially, it's part noir detective novel, part b-movie creature feature, and part Scooby-Doo-esque caper. Now, deliver it with all the flamboyant pageantry and lore of luchadore wrestling.
My one critique? TOO SHORT! At the same time, I can understand how something like this might not be able to sustain itself for much longer than a novella before losing steam. I'd rather have a great book that ends to soon than a piece of garbage that drags. I hope Wallace can figure out how to give us MORE for the [fingers crossed] sequel.
That being said, I have never once read a book like this. Its fantastic mix of so many fun, yet familiar themes it can't help but feel cinematic.
Essentially, it's part noir detective novel, part b-movie creature feature, and part Scooby-Doo-esque caper. Now, deliver it with all the flamboyant pageantry and lore of luchadore wrestling.
My one critique? TOO SHORT! At the same time, I can understand how something like this might not be able to sustain itself for much longer than a novella before losing steam. I'd rather have a great book that ends to soon than a piece of garbage that drags. I hope Wallace can figure out how to give us MORE for the [fingers crossed] sequel.
June 22, 2017
This is a fast, fun read for anyone who is a fan of Mexican lucha libre. The author loves the world and history of lucha and has constructed an alternate universe in which masked wrestlers have long fought crime side by side with the cops like real-life superheroes - while the lucha villains, or rudos, became supervillains - a kind of lucha noir that draws from the film careers of famous luchadors like Santo and Blue Demon. In Ciudad Rencor (literally "City of Grudges") , a township between the USA and Mexican borders, wrestlers still settle their most spectacular feuds in the ring. But the age of masked heroes is fading, the last luchador has just been let go from the police force, and nobody really remembers whether the heroes' great adventures actually happened or were just B-movies with cheap props - until a bizarre crime brings hero and villain back together. I hope there's a sequel to this, because the lucha rudos and tecnicos are so fondly written with such great detail, the action is fun, and it's a field ripe for more stories.
December 5, 2016
From Parts Unknown hits another home-run.Rencor:Life in Grudge City by Matt Wallace is a perfect companion piece to Christa Faust's Hoodtown.Received it from Amazon 4 days ago and have read it twice since.I'm a huge fan of masked wrestler flicks a.k.a Mexiluchahero movies and this book had me hooked within the first few pages.Imagine a world where everything you ever saw in Santo,Blue Demon and Mil Mascaras movies was real.I do wish it had more illustrations by Jesse Justice though.But that's not going to stop me from giving the book 5 Stars.I can't recommend this book enough.
July 16, 2016
Ha!
I had no idea what this book would be like, but trusted Mr. Wallace's ability to tell an entertaining story.
This story was great fun. I know very little about luchadores, and I loved the idea of them having been crime fighters. With the villain and the hero reluctantly teaming up to solve a crime, what could be better?
The book ends with a wide opening to continue the story, and I am hopeful we will see (at least) a book two.
I had no idea what this book would be like, but trusted Mr. Wallace's ability to tell an entertaining story.
This story was great fun. I know very little about luchadores, and I loved the idea of them having been crime fighters. With the villain and the hero reluctantly teaming up to solve a crime, what could be better?
The book ends with a wide opening to continue the story, and I am hopeful we will see (at least) a book two.
September 14, 2016
I wanted to enjoy this, but I just couldn't get into it. Gave up around chapter 5.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews