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The Snake Handler
Let he who is without sin… COME GET SOME.
All his life, Reverend Clyde Hilburn has fought to protect his downtrodden flock in the tiny town of Palestine, West Virginia from the evils of the modern world. To that end, he has held a monopoly on not only their souls, but also their thriving drug addiction.
But times have changed, and forces larger than him have moved in to take control of both the church and the flow of narcotics.
When he suffers a lethal bite from a rattlesnake someone placed in his mailbox, a dying, venom-addicted Clyde has only hours to undo a lifetime of sin, avenge his own murder and save his godforsaken town from the human monsters he’s unleashed.
THE SNAKE HANDLER
All his life, Reverend Clyde Hilburn has fought to protect his downtrodden flock in the tiny town of Palestine, West Virginia from the evils of the modern world. To that end, he has held a monopoly on not only their souls, but also their thriving drug addiction.
But times have changed, and forces larger than him have moved in to take control of both the church and the flow of narcotics.
When he suffers a lethal bite from a rattlesnake someone placed in his mailbox, a dying, venom-addicted Clyde has only hours to undo a lifetime of sin, avenge his own murder and save his godforsaken town from the human monsters he’s unleashed.
THE SNAKE HANDLER
154 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 8, 2017
7 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
Cody Goodfellow
162 books384 followersCODY GOODFELLOW has written nine novels and five collections, and has won three Wonderland Book Awards for Bizarro Fiction. He wrote, co-produced and scored the short Lovecraftian hygiene films Stay At Home Dad and Baby Got Bass, which have become viral sensations on YouTube. He has appeared in numerous short films, TV shows, music videos and commercials as research for his previous novel, Sleazeland. He also edits the hyperpulp zine Forbidden Futures. He “lives” in San Diego. Find out more at codygoodfellow.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
September 17, 2017
"They knew angels watched over our mountains, but we were devils in our wrath."
"No one is trying to shoot me. I get out of the car. In this moment, I don't want to die. I just want to live long enough to go to Walmart."
Lines such as these make this book a savage treat. How the two authors of this novel stitched the story together so seamlessly is beyond my comprehension. With a tight plotline and a solid array of disparate characters, Cody Goodfellow and J David Osborne fill the pages full of venom, pain, hallucinatory moments and scathing justice. There is beauty in the ignoble. There is reverence in a candle-lit downfall. Soak up the blood and toxins and seek the light.
"No one is trying to shoot me. I get out of the car. In this moment, I don't want to die. I just want to live long enough to go to Walmart."
Lines such as these make this book a savage treat. How the two authors of this novel stitched the story together so seamlessly is beyond my comprehension. With a tight plotline and a solid array of disparate characters, Cody Goodfellow and J David Osborne fill the pages full of venom, pain, hallucinatory moments and scathing justice. There is beauty in the ignoble. There is reverence in a candle-lit downfall. Soak up the blood and toxins and seek the light.
September 24, 2017
"I could never repent, because that was not my role, any more than it's yours. Heaven needs Hell. And Man needs a scapegoat for all the lies he tells himself."Although the narrative lacked the momentum I was hoping for, this book is nowhere near safe or formulaic. This story of serpent handling evangelist preacher and small town drug dealer Clyde Hilburn being forced to confront his sins after he's bit by a snake someone put in his mailbox is still pretty memorable and has lots of things to say about sin, God, and morality. The tone of the novel really works to parallel Clyde's slow succumbing to the snake venom that he should be used to by now. I loved the writing and the fact that it's written as a prayer to God. It's an unflinching and savage collaboration between two great authors. And the redneck shootout in Walmart will probably go down as one of my favorite scenes in any book this year.
This is yet another brave and unique piece of work from Broken River Books, one of the best publisher's out there.
September 17, 2017
“Help me Jesus, help me clean my wounds. He says he cannot heal that kind.” The lyrics of that song were often in my head as I read this book. Goodfellow and Osborne cohesively spin a tale rich in character development and dialogue. Connections between poverty, religion and drug addiction in the small town of Palestine are fodder for great storytelling. Though I tried, I could not discern which author was writing what, though I have read a decent amount of their material in the past. The Snake Handler is quick, brutal and entertaining with the perfect touches of mysticism and dreaminess.
April 2, 2021
What's not to like? Fallen preacher falls sideways, which is way more dangerous than just down, all hopped up on deadly snake venom but carrying the confidence boost of a Monster Energy six-pack, running amok and righting wrongs and cleaning house before he expires. Reads like Harry Crews script-doctored the Dennis Quaid remake of D.O.A., but directed by Ken Russell, and someone cut the brake lines. Bonus: if you liked that scene in Kingsman where Mr. Darcy slaughters those Westboro Baptist types mid-sermon, this book has a scene that'll make your heart grow three sizes that day. Also, this narrative left me with two very distinct (but no less exhilarating) experiences: At first, I assumed the rival halves of the novel had been divided between the authors, but a closer inspection (a.k.a. wild assumption) now makes me think that Goodfellow may have just been imitating Osborne, and vice versa. So, the first half is this dreamier, more Southern Gothic sort of experience, where the enjoyment is more sentence level, even making you feel vaguely edified 'n' shit, meaning you don't have to have read Crews' A Feast of Snakes to enjoy these early chapters, but it might enhance the experience? The same way you don't have to be an asshole to enjoy Limp Bizkit's discography but I've found it helps me get through the last two albums in particular. The second half of the book is more of a freewheeling bloodbath where you can practically hear Harry Nilson's "Jump in the Fire" playing as our hero gleefully spirals. Similar to the escalation of mayhem that made Goodfellow's Repo Shark (and his The Last Goddam Hollywood Movie with John Skipp) such gonzo delights, this fable of a snake-bit preacher living on borrowed time and blasting away at Walmarts and football games and Halloween stores (several American arenas of faith are present here) is definitely worth a look. These authors are always entertaining, sure, but as the venom eats Clyde away from the inside out (but somehow avoiding all the vitals that keep his faith chugging along), it feels kinda timely, too, with moments like the gibbering glossolalia sequences that, due to the abundance of skill on hand, both mock the mania but also somehow slips a little snake tongue of empathy into your ear holes.
February 16, 2023
Just straight up fucking fun from beginning to end. This novel takes off at a dead sprint and doesn't let off for a second until the end. Really really liked it.
For a book so tight and hyperfocused it did a great job with the world-building. Very quickly established the delicate balance between multiple crime families, big pharma, the cartels, a lone-wolf incel redpill crimelord, the cops, and the protag's own small weird congregation and double life and then threw some snakes at it.
Felt a lot like the kind of movie they don't make anymore. A little bit Crank, a little bit Jackie Brown. This would definitely make a really good movie..
For a book so tight and hyperfocused it did a great job with the world-building. Very quickly established the delicate balance between multiple crime families, big pharma, the cartels, a lone-wolf incel redpill crimelord, the cops, and the protag's own small weird congregation and double life and then threw some snakes at it.
Felt a lot like the kind of movie they don't make anymore. A little bit Crank, a little bit Jackie Brown. This would definitely make a really good movie..
July 21, 2022
Well that was a different but one hell of a awesome ride. Damn this was just a gritty crazy story about drugs religion revenge survival and the ultimate test of faith. I really liked this one and I don't want to give anything away but the characters the story the writing all together in a tight little chaotic mess that doesn't let up till the very end. 5 venomous stars from me
July 30, 2017
This is the type of rural noir where the most upright citizens--the law and the clergy--are the most crooked, and everyone else is crooked as shit as well. the pace is set from page one with the narrator taking a venomous sneak attack from a diamondback in his mailbox. we are quickly introduced to the preacher's vices, and his friends and enemies--who are mostly both things to him. The Snake Handler is a fast, fun, violent, gross, and funny read that contains a pulpy story in the hands of literary masters that take it to seedy, painful, and interesting depths that few others could pull off so wonderfully.
February 8, 2021
"All his life, Reverend Clyde Hilburn has fought to protect his downtrodden flock in the tiny town of Palestine, West Virginia from the evils of the modern world. To that end, he has held a monopoly on not only their souls, but also their thriving drug addiction.
But times have changed, and forces larger than him have moved in to take control of both the church and the flow of narcotics.
When he suffers a lethal bite from a rattlesnake someone placed in his mailbox, a dying, venom-addicted Clyde has only hours to undo a lifetime of sin, avenge his own murder and save his godforsaken town from the human monsters he’s unleashed." This is the books outline.
A gritty sweaty romp through a small southern zip code, with an ex-religious snake handler, Clyde Hilburn, attempting to out run the clock after having been snake-bit, and retracing the dark underbelly of the small towns religious and drug inflicted residents power struggle, which Clyde is at the heart of and having to come to terms with while trying to find out who poisoned him and facing his demons all at once. The dueling voices of Goodfellow and Osborne are quite complimentary, giving heavy doses of Osbornes small-town gritty low income experience in all its gross grimy pork-belly covered in dirt, garbage, syringes and hard truths while Goodfellow ramps up the pacing, hallucinations and wry wit embroiled chaos.
Well balanced while covering lesser known territories, this tale will drag you against your will to places your conscious would warn you to avoid. Worth the fight and adventure!
But times have changed, and forces larger than him have moved in to take control of both the church and the flow of narcotics.
When he suffers a lethal bite from a rattlesnake someone placed in his mailbox, a dying, venom-addicted Clyde has only hours to undo a lifetime of sin, avenge his own murder and save his godforsaken town from the human monsters he’s unleashed." This is the books outline.
A gritty sweaty romp through a small southern zip code, with an ex-religious snake handler, Clyde Hilburn, attempting to out run the clock after having been snake-bit, and retracing the dark underbelly of the small towns religious and drug inflicted residents power struggle, which Clyde is at the heart of and having to come to terms with while trying to find out who poisoned him and facing his demons all at once. The dueling voices of Goodfellow and Osborne are quite complimentary, giving heavy doses of Osbornes small-town gritty low income experience in all its gross grimy pork-belly covered in dirt, garbage, syringes and hard truths while Goodfellow ramps up the pacing, hallucinations and wry wit embroiled chaos.
Well balanced while covering lesser known territories, this tale will drag you against your will to places your conscious would warn you to avoid. Worth the fight and adventure!
October 30, 2020
they excel at a certain kind of cunning, a ferocious husbandry of grudges and a lot of places to hide their mistakes.
We join Reverend Clyde Hilburn as his life crashes and burns. Snake handling, dope dealing..... everything is changing. He finds a surprise in the mailbox that starts this episode of the downward spiral and all attempts to regain control slip through his hands.
7/10
We join Reverend Clyde Hilburn as his life crashes and burns. Snake handling, dope dealing..... everything is changing. He finds a surprise in the mailbox that starts this episode of the downward spiral and all attempts to regain control slip through his hands.
7/10
July 25, 2017
Dedicated to the great Harry Crews, this is a fast, fun, rude novella that drips with seedy Southern darkness. My favorite scene involves a hallucinogenic conversation with a snake. Fans of offbeat, cartoonish, gory action sequences will find plenty to like here, yet the characters lack the depth and pathos of Harry Crews or Flannary O'Connor's brethren. Having read some of Goodfellow's and Osborne's other work, I tried to spot each author's separate stylistic contributions and feel I mostly failed in that endeavor; however, there were a few moments of grisly, uncomfortable poetic realism that I swore were Osborne's, a unique voice and flavor second to none.
September 27, 2017
I would read the phone book if Cody co-wrote it. Pretty combo of two excellent authors, full review coming...
September 22, 2017
I hate snakes.
The Snake Handler begins with one biting the town reverend from his mailbox, sending him on a hurried mission to right his wrongdoings as death tightens its grip. From there, we meet characters that no doubt live in the same nightmarish modern world that we do, and we learn that Clyde Hillburn has contributed his fair share of toxicity to those around him.
The Snake Handler is a refreshing trip, fueled by rattlesnake venom, following the lives of the wicked and broken.
The Snake Handler begins with one biting the town reverend from his mailbox, sending him on a hurried mission to right his wrongdoings as death tightens its grip. From there, we meet characters that no doubt live in the same nightmarish modern world that we do, and we learn that Clyde Hillburn has contributed his fair share of toxicity to those around him.
The Snake Handler is a refreshing trip, fueled by rattlesnake venom, following the lives of the wicked and broken.
August 19, 2017
Pure pulpy venom-induced madness. I didn’t expect any less from two writers that I always love to read. As soon I saw this book, I was like fuck yeah! I bought it immediately. Needless to say, it only sat on my shelf for a few days before I picked it up to lays eyes on it.
The story is told from the perspective of Reverend Clyde Hilburn who runs a snake handling church as well as the local drug ring. In an assassination attempt, Clyde is bitten by a particularly venomous breed of a snake and spends the rest of his day trying to track down the culprit and avert the pending drug war brewing in this small town of Palestine, West Virginia. I noted the following hilarious quote I think you will appreciate once you get this far in the book: “It’s not too much to hope for, on a day like today. I was supposed to die this morning, so everything since then has been pure gravy”. Cody Goodfellow does something he does very well in this book, writing action-packed hilarious Tarintino style scenes. Also, Osborne’s touch is noticeable throughout the book as well, particularly as Clyde suffers the effects of the venom circulating through his veins. There is a haziness to the narrative that I feel is a particularly awesome JDO flavor.
The book is dedicated to Harry Crews. I have one read Feast Of Snakes by the author, which I loved, and can definitely recommend this book if you enjoy that Harry Crews book. I also definitely recommend this if you a previous fan of Goodfellow, especially his work with Broken River Books, like the novel Repo Shark. Also, if you are a fan of pretty much any of Osborne’s previous books like Black Gum or Low Down Death Right Easy then The Snake Handler should be as much of a treat for you as it was for me,
The story is told from the perspective of Reverend Clyde Hilburn who runs a snake handling church as well as the local drug ring. In an assassination attempt, Clyde is bitten by a particularly venomous breed of a snake and spends the rest of his day trying to track down the culprit and avert the pending drug war brewing in this small town of Palestine, West Virginia. I noted the following hilarious quote I think you will appreciate once you get this far in the book: “It’s not too much to hope for, on a day like today. I was supposed to die this morning, so everything since then has been pure gravy”. Cody Goodfellow does something he does very well in this book, writing action-packed hilarious Tarintino style scenes. Also, Osborne’s touch is noticeable throughout the book as well, particularly as Clyde suffers the effects of the venom circulating through his veins. There is a haziness to the narrative that I feel is a particularly awesome JDO flavor.
The book is dedicated to Harry Crews. I have one read Feast Of Snakes by the author, which I loved, and can definitely recommend this book if you enjoy that Harry Crews book. I also definitely recommend this if you a previous fan of Goodfellow, especially his work with Broken River Books, like the novel Repo Shark. Also, if you are a fan of pretty much any of Osborne’s previous books like Black Gum or Low Down Death Right Easy then The Snake Handler should be as much of a treat for you as it was for me,
January 16, 2018
So well crafted that it overcomes that I would normally have avoided the subject matter. Vivid, captivating, hell the writers even got me... empathizing... with the rural preacher.
August 18, 2017
It was cleansing, in these contentious times, to read a certain chapter where alt-righters get fucked right the fuck up. Great book.
August 2, 2017
There's a lot of beauty in the brutality (and brutality in the beauty) of Goodfellow and Osborne's prose. As Clyde, high on rattlesnake venom, works to rid his southern town of the drug-fueled ills he brought upon it, he is forced to confront enemies as well as his own failings as a pastor, husband, and man. There are some great moments of dark humor and some blistering lines in here. The Snake Handler moves at an unrelenting pace, which is impressive, but I wished for a bit more syrupy slow-down in Clyde's drug-addled brain. The authors' impressive tone and style more than make up for that in this entertaining and gritty read.
July 21, 2017
Snakes, morally grey characters, hallucinations, and underworld layers within layers. Good stuff.
April 24, 2019
There are two ways to read this book: with your heart or with your head.
The first way will provide you a colorful, albeit formulaic crime thriller in the vein of Jim Thompson, but the other way will usher you into the symbolic funhouse that is Reverend Clyde's reality. The snakes in this novel are both real and metaphorical and everywhere. So is the poison. It's an interesting little novel about faith that doesn't sacrifice any of its fun to make a point.
The first way will provide you a colorful, albeit formulaic crime thriller in the vein of Jim Thompson, but the other way will usher you into the symbolic funhouse that is Reverend Clyde's reality. The snakes in this novel are both real and metaphorical and everywhere. So is the poison. It's an interesting little novel about faith that doesn't sacrifice any of its fun to make a point.
December 3, 2025
I was excited to try out Cody Goodfellow’s work for a while, my first taste was In the Shadow of Swords and that shit was awesome. So I figure I try a different Cody Goodfellow Story. This is one that while I didn’t exactly think was the shit, I can appreciate this story.
The story is super quick pace and while the action is sparse and the narrative doesn’t seem all that engaging to me, I really love Cody’s writing here, it’s downright beautiful to read on Clyde’s thoughts about something and I can appreciate the cool action set pieces that the story sprinkles in.
I think this is one of the few books that needed a bit of a slower pace to help me appreciate Cody’s writing a lot more.
The story is super quick pace and while the action is sparse and the narrative doesn’t seem all that engaging to me, I really love Cody’s writing here, it’s downright beautiful to read on Clyde’s thoughts about something and I can appreciate the cool action set pieces that the story sprinkles in.
I think this is one of the few books that needed a bit of a slower pace to help me appreciate Cody’s writing a lot more.
May 19, 2024
I f**kin loved this book. A drug dealing, gun-toting, snake-handling Pentecostal preacher who gets bit by a rattlesnake with its rattle cut off that someone plants in his mailbox, which sets off a chain of events where he has only few hours to save his own life and his town. Cartel villains, megachurches, Walmart shootouts, this book had everything I needed in it.
One thing I found really special was Goodfellow and Osborne’s ability to write in the language that these type of religious fanatics and dope dealer people talk.
One thing I found really special was Goodfellow and Osborne’s ability to write in the language that these type of religious fanatics and dope dealer people talk.
November 3, 2017
Great book. It gets compared to Harry Crews (maybe because of the dedication) but I don't really feel it. Crews often adds an air of silliness to his odd characters but there was none of that here. Except maybe for the Dover church stuff. Great book though. Great action writing. Looking forward to more collaborations between Goodfellow and Osborne. They are also great writers on their own. Buy their books!
November 14, 2022
I don't usually visualize books I read in film terms, but I really want to see this movie directed by Jeremy Saulnier (Green Room, Blue Ruin)
Fast paced, sacrilegious, violent as fuck, lots of internal dialogue. I just loved it. Not my normal kind of reading, but I sure am glad my buddy lent it to me.
Fast paced, sacrilegious, violent as fuck, lots of internal dialogue. I just loved it. Not my normal kind of reading, but I sure am glad my buddy lent it to me.
September 1, 2018
Pulp Squared
This is old school southern noir profane pulp. Old school drugs, revivalist snake handling preacher, neo nazis, Mexican drug dealers. All mashed together in a rip roaring violent plot. Read it.
This is old school southern noir profane pulp. Old school drugs, revivalist snake handling preacher, neo nazis, Mexican drug dealers. All mashed together in a rip roaring violent plot. Read it.
November 26, 2022
Nothing to complain about here, some good old fun reading involving snake wielding preachers, drugs, betrayl and guns in a poor desert town. Clyde finds a snake in his mailbox and is sure that it didn't get there on its own, and it's all action from there. Especially loved the Walmart scene!
January 14, 2026
We almost deteriorate together; the reader and Clarke feel the crushing of life force as the venom coursed through Clyde's veins. I was grateful that not a page nor a sentence nor a word was forfeited in Clyde's conclusion of his affairs, I wish to mimic his time management in my own life.
February 4, 2019
A reverend who's into snakes and drugs runs into trouble. Awesome read!
March 17, 2019
Story races by so quickly there’s probably loads of details i missed. Extremely violent, gory and not completely serious. Joe Lansdale + Lowlife + Preacher + maybe even a little of my own book?
Read
June 12, 2022DNF
September 10, 2024
Goddamn
February 25, 2023
Ultra-violent neo-noir anti-western with plenty of venom!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews