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Me and Mr. Cigar
From legendary Butthole Surfers front-man Gibby Haynes comes a darkly humorous speculative YA debut about a lost Texas teen and his supernatural dog, and the power of found family.
For the past five years seventeen-year-old Oscar Lester has never been without his dog, Mr. Cigar. The two have made a pretty good life for themselves in North Texas. Oscar spends most of his time organizing drug-fueled dance parties with his best friend, Lytle Taylor. And all three benefit from the care of Carla Marks, the genius behind the mysterious IBC corporation. Oscar's deceased CEO father "discovered" Carla, though Oscar's mother spends all her time with her new boyfriend. As for Oscar's older sister, Rachel . . . she fled Texas after Mr. Cigar bit off her left hand. Oscar was twelve. But he alone knows now as he knew then: his beloved pet is no menace. Mr. Cigar is a supernatural companion.
After years of silence, Rachel—now a twenty-two-year-old artist living in New York—phones Oscar out of the blue. She's being held hostage and will only be released if she pays a debt she owes. At the same time, Carla Marks warns Oscar to get out of town. Nefarious forces are after his dog. Suddenly Oscar, Lytle, and Mr. Cigar find themselves on the run to New York, to save Rachel and to save themselves. And in the end, the truth of Rachel's circumstances ultimately uncovers the truth of Oscar's own . . . and the truth about Mr. Cigar.
For the past five years seventeen-year-old Oscar Lester has never been without his dog, Mr. Cigar. The two have made a pretty good life for themselves in North Texas. Oscar spends most of his time organizing drug-fueled dance parties with his best friend, Lytle Taylor. And all three benefit from the care of Carla Marks, the genius behind the mysterious IBC corporation. Oscar's deceased CEO father "discovered" Carla, though Oscar's mother spends all her time with her new boyfriend. As for Oscar's older sister, Rachel . . . she fled Texas after Mr. Cigar bit off her left hand. Oscar was twelve. But he alone knows now as he knew then: his beloved pet is no menace. Mr. Cigar is a supernatural companion.
After years of silence, Rachel—now a twenty-two-year-old artist living in New York—phones Oscar out of the blue. She's being held hostage and will only be released if she pays a debt she owes. At the same time, Carla Marks warns Oscar to get out of town. Nefarious forces are after his dog. Suddenly Oscar, Lytle, and Mr. Cigar find themselves on the run to New York, to save Rachel and to save themselves. And in the end, the truth of Rachel's circumstances ultimately uncovers the truth of Oscar's own . . . and the truth about Mr. Cigar.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 14, 2020
31 people are currently reading
664 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 115 reviews
October 11, 2019
I have no idea what I just read.
August 24, 2021
3.5 Stars
Review:
I was expecting this to be far weirder and more nonsensical, based on reviews I'd read. In actuality, it was just a story about a drug-dealing, bank-robbing, high school teenager getting into strange shenanigans with his friend, his supernatural dog, and some advanced technology. They got into some unusual situations, and there were definitely some random supernatural things thrown in, but I was never confused as to what was happening, and the plot made sense in a "this event leads to this event leads to this event" way.
Anyway, I liked it! It was funny and a bit weird, and the writing had a great style and voice. It was very snappy too, great for keeping my attention.
The author's note says this is the kinda book he would've wanted as a 13-year-old. I don't know what age I'd recommend this for since I don't know teens and every teen reader is different. I'll just say, keep in mind that the main character is in high school, he makes money by throwing parties with drug dealing, he's given drugs without his consent multiple times, and he does some drug running and bank robbing.
The audiobook narration by Matt Godfrey and Brian Hutchison was great! Both sounded natural and did the voice of the story and the main character justice, especially whoever did the main 1st person POV part of the book. It was also usually easy to tell characters apart.
Overall, I enjoyed this strange, snappy, fun, shenanigan-filled adventure!
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes snappy writing, strong voice, a bit of sci-fi and fantasy, shenanigans, and fun stories.
More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
I was expecting this to be far weirder and more nonsensical, based on reviews I'd read. In actuality, it was just a story about a drug-dealing, bank-robbing, high school teenager getting into strange shenanigans with his friend, his supernatural dog, and some advanced technology. They got into some unusual situations, and there were definitely some random supernatural things thrown in, but I was never confused as to what was happening, and the plot made sense in a "this event leads to this event leads to this event" way.
Anyway, I liked it! It was funny and a bit weird, and the writing had a great style and voice. It was very snappy too, great for keeping my attention.
The author's note says this is the kinda book he would've wanted as a 13-year-old. I don't know what age I'd recommend this for since I don't know teens and every teen reader is different. I'll just say, keep in mind that the main character is in high school, he makes money by throwing parties with drug dealing, he's given drugs without his consent multiple times, and he does some drug running and bank robbing.
The audiobook narration by Matt Godfrey and Brian Hutchison was great! Both sounded natural and did the voice of the story and the main character justice, especially whoever did the main 1st person POV part of the book. It was also usually easy to tell characters apart.
Overall, I enjoyed this strange, snappy, fun, shenanigan-filled adventure!
*Rating: 3.5 Stars // Read Date: 2021 // Format: Audiobook*
Recommended For:
Anyone who likes snappy writing, strong voice, a bit of sci-fi and fantasy, shenanigans, and fun stories.
More Reviews @ Metaphors and Moonlight
July 1, 2019
To begin with, I was drawn to this book because of its writer, Gibby Haynes, who's never come across as a writer to me. He still doesn't. On the other hand, every book has its points, even though Haynes's style comes across much like that of a jaded raconteur, a man who's told a lot of tales, perhaps filtered through eons of drugs and alcohol, and, perhaps mainly, a man whose sense of style and plot follows the irregularities of his old band, the Butthole Surfers.
The book started quite uneventful, but suddenly changed direction:
I won't go into detail because of spoilers, but Haynes's best trait is his fantastical descriptions, but throughout the book, I kept feeling that he could have done something with both plot and dialogue; where somebody like Jonathan Franzen can provide excellent dialogue, Haynes lets the dialogue turn into a lull, a kind of mindless drawl, almost, which doesn't really fit in with the rhythm of what the book could have been. An example of this:
If only Haynes had let the fun of the twists in the book and allowed it to breathe more, it wouldn't feel as uncontrolled as it is. The boons of the book are its contorted twists and turns through a literary landscape where Haynes shows that anything is possible. This book is not predictable, at least when it changes direction.
For me, this book is too uncontrollable in a bad way; I love books that take you on a ride, but when they carry the sound of a completely neophyte author who is in need of a strong editor's hand, I can't help feel that a lot of promise has been wasted. I'm still looking forward to what I hope will be Haynes's second book.
P.s. Nobody who knows their music—especially that of the Buttholes—will miss the music references, e.g. "Locust Street" and "MC5".
The book started quite uneventful, but suddenly changed direction:
Then one Friday, Oscar returned from school and Mr. Cigar was on Oscar’s bed instead of his usual place in front of the closet. Curiously, Oscar examined the closet to find the thing missing. Where is it? Oscar thought and sat next to Mr. Cigar on the bed. Mr. Cigar gave him an unfamiliar glance, then rolled over to reveal something remarkable.
There, clinging to Mr. Cigar’s underside, was an odd, doglike animal that was about five inches long. The little creature stared at Oscar with inviting, humanlike eyes and yawned, revealing a mouth full of tiny razor-sharp teeth. It had fur like a dog, four legs and a tail like a dog. The ears were smaller and pointier than a dog’s.
Most amazingly, however, this creature had wings—wings that were slightly fur-covered and batlike. Without regard to consequence, Oscar reached to touch the critter, and in an instant, it took flight. After rapidly circling the room several times, it landed on Oscar’s desk and then promptly disappeared. What just happened? thought Oscar. What had he seen? Was any of it real? After answering, I don’t know, to all these questions, Oscar realized the creature had not disappeared, but had somehow changed the color of its wings to match the color of its surroundings.
I won't go into detail because of spoilers, but Haynes's best trait is his fantastical descriptions, but throughout the book, I kept feeling that he could have done something with both plot and dialogue; where somebody like Jonathan Franzen can provide excellent dialogue, Haynes lets the dialogue turn into a lull, a kind of mindless drawl, almost, which doesn't really fit in with the rhythm of what the book could have been. An example of this:
I tell Mike, “I’m not feeling so good. I’m glad I’m not doing any of that Molly. I might not be able to handle it.”
“Double wow,” Mike says as we ease onto FM 66. “I assumed you saw me dump that huge blast into your Red Bull. I also put a little orange microdot in there. Just to round out the experience.”
“Uh . . . What’s ‘orange microdot,’ Mike?”
“Acid, dude. You know: the old Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. It’s super clean . . . I got it off a totally legit deadhead in Copenhagen.”
I feel panicked.
“Holy shit, man!”
“Don’t worry, dude; it’s totally for reals. Homeboy got it from Petaluma Al in Amsterdam. You’ll thank me later . . . The colors are awesome.”
Oh, great, I regret to myself, Petaluma Al: the Pablo Escobar of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide . . . LSD
“No, you don’t understand, Mike. I don’t do drugs.” He laughs.
“That’s the same way I am, man. It’s a complete misnomer to call psychedelics ‘drugs.’ I think of ’em as a sort of a mind Band-Aid. When your reality gets scraped, you need a little first aid. I feel so-o-o good . . . Wow, cool, this is great. I’m never going to eat again. Cool. Wow.”
I laugh too. Wow. Wow, cool. Mike is kind of funny, though. Actually, really funny. Then he lets out this laugh that sounds like Richard Widmark pushing an old lady down a flight of stairs in a funky old noir flick. I’m not sure if I say this out loud or just think it.
“That’s what I’m famous for.”
He cackles and starts up in with the wow-cool-wow stuff again. It’s getting kind of crispy at the edges of my field of vision. Why am I laughing?
If only Haynes had let the fun of the twists in the book and allowed it to breathe more, it wouldn't feel as uncontrolled as it is. The boons of the book are its contorted twists and turns through a literary landscape where Haynes shows that anything is possible. This book is not predictable, at least when it changes direction.
For me, this book is too uncontrollable in a bad way; I love books that take you on a ride, but when they carry the sound of a completely neophyte author who is in need of a strong editor's hand, I can't help feel that a lot of promise has been wasted. I'm still looking forward to what I hope will be Haynes's second book.
P.s. Nobody who knows their music—especially that of the Buttholes—will miss the music references, e.g. "Locust Street" and "MC5".
February 7, 2020
I can't even tell you what this book was about.... Like what in the world did I just read?
March 19, 2025
"Wer’e the government…. with an invisible hand. With an invisible dog that steals snickers bars. Yeah, an invisible tax that snickers at stealing dogs."
What kind of fucking ending was that?
RTC
What kind of fucking ending was that?
RTC
January 23, 2020
Voice - a compelling, authentic voice - is what gets me to read books I'd normally never go near. The author is a founding member of a band called "Butthole Surfers" - that should have stopped me, right? And on the cover, a dog has a severed hand in its mouth. Well, I had to know whose hand it was, so I got the book - against all my better judgment - and started reading.
We find out in the prologue how the hand got detached from its owner, so I could have stopped reading before I got to Chapter One. But I kept reading all the way to the end. And I laughed. Out loud. At stuff that should not amuse a mother whose mission in life is to keep her children from doing the stuff Oscar does. Oscar, the first-person POV narrator, is only age seventeen but he's hosting parties with illegal substances and profiting from it, and dodging the cops, and doing a number of insanely risky things.
The dialogue cracked me up - I posted a photo from the funniest chapter because my Kindle has spoiled me and I hate typing things out by hand now. "His may-outh," the woman with the southern accent says. Why was that funny? Why was I reading this book? Because the VOICE of this teenage protagonist reeled me in and I couldn't put the book down.
I don't want to talk about the second-to-the-last chapter, or even think about it, and thanks to the forbidden SPOILER alert, I'm off the hook there. But I have to say the last chapter kinda-sorta makes it all ok, but not really, not for this middle-aged mother of three.
Oscar and his friend Lytle and his incredibly awesome friend Carla, the inventor, take the reader on a wild ride. Mr. Cigar is an awesome dog. We never find out precisely what the government experiments were about, but we do know Mr. Cigar will evade his would-be captor. (Trust me, that was not a spoiler - you have no idea HOW this dog will continue to evade the military experiments.)
If you like unconventional, unpredictable, off-the-wall stories, this book is for you--no matter how many kids you've raised without a jail sentence or every mother's worst fears being realized. What happens in this story is so wild, one can only hope the whole thing was a hallucination and none of this stuff actually happened. It's a trip. And I can't believe I liked it.
NOTE: Amazon rejected my original review, and then my revised review, so what you just read was my THIRD version. The second version, I forgot to save a copy, so I had to type another all-new review. (Ugh.) Here is Version One, just FYI. No, I don't expect anyone to read it. But it's here for the record.
THE REJECTED REVIEW
Random phrases often make me think "That'd be a great name for a rock band," but not Butthole Surfers. Ugh. No. I've not yet called them up on You-Tube. Normally by now I would have, knowing the book I'm reading was written by a rock star (or any kind of musician). Had I flipped through pages of this book in a store, the line drawings alone would have had me thinking "too middle school for me."
Ahhh, but juvenile delinquent stupidity and good times have a certain allure.
I read the book, in spite of the severed hand on the cover. Or maybe because of it. I had to know whose hand it was, and how it came to be in the mouth of that dog.
The answer comes in the prologue, so I could have quit reading before I even got to Chapter One.
But this teenage boy narrating this story has a fresh, original voice, and it was so compelling, he kept me listening to his crazy, drug-induced tales. It was like being at a party where everyone is stoned and describing their hallucinations--except, I've never done that, so this got me as close to experiencing it as I'll ever get. And if what happened in the second-to-last chapter really did happen, I'm totally not "going there," trip-wise. (Pass the molly to the next guest at the party; count me out.)
Molly. Parties hosted by a teenager who hires a clown. Dodging the police. Getting out of one tight situation after another. This teen protagonist sounds like a 60-something guy boasting of his crazy youthful exploits, but not really, because Oscar's voice (or that of Gibby Haynes) is more original and entertaining.
We see Mr. Cigar kicked and abused in the prologue, but he recovers, more or less, and I kept reading to the very end. I'm still kinda blinking in surprise that I did this.
There's a visual impact to this book, an artistry involving white space and page layout. Only one chapter is more than two pages long. Some are less than one page long. In a paperback, this is a carbon footprint one can hardly justify, but ok, we get a lot of blank pages here, and it is somehow fitting. Thank you, trees, for your sacrifice.
A lot of this story is really funny - you'd think it's a "You had to be there" kind of humor, but I laughed out loud, which very few books ever make me do despite the "LOL" shorthand we all use.
Carla is totally awesome, a woman with tech-skills and inventions that the military would kill for (and maybe did). Any 17-year-old with a friend like her is beyond lucky. Oscar and his pal Lytle accidentally flee as certain bad scene with one of Carla's inventions, but in Ferris Buehler style, they put her devive to excellent use. Or really brainless, hazardous, unfortunate, yet oddly successful use. I don't know how to describe this book without spoilers or judgment. I am a mother. Three children - all of whom survived to adulthood - even though one of them AFTER college took part in that bizarre hobby of Millennials, jumping from bridges into dirty rivers in the dark of night. More than one mother's child who survived the teen years has died of a bacteria that got into the bridge-jumper's ear, but teenagers and 20-somethings are immortal.
Mr. Cigar and Oscar seem to be immortal, but like the narrative itself, this is hazy.
We never find out what military experiment might involve Mr. Cigar, but exposing the truth isn't the point of this story. Someone is out to get Mr. Cigar for some nefarious purpose, and Oscar will keep running with his extraordinary dog, and we'll never know what our government was up to in regards to this dog, and it's ok. In the end, no matter what happened (I'm not the only one blinking and wondering), it's all ok. Pass me a cigar. Live in the now. Enjoy the ride. It's trippin'.
I'm still shaking my head in disbelief: I read this story in which a teenage boy does things I prayed God my own children would never do, and I laughed with him during his most ill-conceived and egregious adventures.
Call me crazy.
We find out in the prologue how the hand got detached from its owner, so I could have stopped reading before I got to Chapter One. But I kept reading all the way to the end. And I laughed. Out loud. At stuff that should not amuse a mother whose mission in life is to keep her children from doing the stuff Oscar does. Oscar, the first-person POV narrator, is only age seventeen but he's hosting parties with illegal substances and profiting from it, and dodging the cops, and doing a number of insanely risky things.
The dialogue cracked me up - I posted a photo from the funniest chapter because my Kindle has spoiled me and I hate typing things out by hand now. "His may-outh," the woman with the southern accent says. Why was that funny? Why was I reading this book? Because the VOICE of this teenage protagonist reeled me in and I couldn't put the book down.
I don't want to talk about the second-to-the-last chapter, or even think about it, and thanks to the forbidden SPOILER alert, I'm off the hook there. But I have to say the last chapter kinda-sorta makes it all ok, but not really, not for this middle-aged mother of three.
Oscar and his friend Lytle and his incredibly awesome friend Carla, the inventor, take the reader on a wild ride. Mr. Cigar is an awesome dog. We never find out precisely what the government experiments were about, but we do know Mr. Cigar will evade his would-be captor. (Trust me, that was not a spoiler - you have no idea HOW this dog will continue to evade the military experiments.)
If you like unconventional, unpredictable, off-the-wall stories, this book is for you--no matter how many kids you've raised without a jail sentence or every mother's worst fears being realized. What happens in this story is so wild, one can only hope the whole thing was a hallucination and none of this stuff actually happened. It's a trip. And I can't believe I liked it.
NOTE: Amazon rejected my original review, and then my revised review, so what you just read was my THIRD version. The second version, I forgot to save a copy, so I had to type another all-new review. (Ugh.) Here is Version One, just FYI. No, I don't expect anyone to read it. But it's here for the record.
THE REJECTED REVIEW
Random phrases often make me think "That'd be a great name for a rock band," but not Butthole Surfers. Ugh. No. I've not yet called them up on You-Tube. Normally by now I would have, knowing the book I'm reading was written by a rock star (or any kind of musician). Had I flipped through pages of this book in a store, the line drawings alone would have had me thinking "too middle school for me."
Ahhh, but juvenile delinquent stupidity and good times have a certain allure.
I read the book, in spite of the severed hand on the cover. Or maybe because of it. I had to know whose hand it was, and how it came to be in the mouth of that dog.
The answer comes in the prologue, so I could have quit reading before I even got to Chapter One.
But this teenage boy narrating this story has a fresh, original voice, and it was so compelling, he kept me listening to his crazy, drug-induced tales. It was like being at a party where everyone is stoned and describing their hallucinations--except, I've never done that, so this got me as close to experiencing it as I'll ever get. And if what happened in the second-to-last chapter really did happen, I'm totally not "going there," trip-wise. (Pass the molly to the next guest at the party; count me out.)
Molly. Parties hosted by a teenager who hires a clown. Dodging the police. Getting out of one tight situation after another. This teen protagonist sounds like a 60-something guy boasting of his crazy youthful exploits, but not really, because Oscar's voice (or that of Gibby Haynes) is more original and entertaining.
We see Mr. Cigar kicked and abused in the prologue, but he recovers, more or less, and I kept reading to the very end. I'm still kinda blinking in surprise that I did this.
There's a visual impact to this book, an artistry involving white space and page layout. Only one chapter is more than two pages long. Some are less than one page long. In a paperback, this is a carbon footprint one can hardly justify, but ok, we get a lot of blank pages here, and it is somehow fitting. Thank you, trees, for your sacrifice.
A lot of this story is really funny - you'd think it's a "You had to be there" kind of humor, but I laughed out loud, which very few books ever make me do despite the "LOL" shorthand we all use.
Carla is totally awesome, a woman with tech-skills and inventions that the military would kill for (and maybe did). Any 17-year-old with a friend like her is beyond lucky. Oscar and his pal Lytle accidentally flee as certain bad scene with one of Carla's inventions, but in Ferris Buehler style, they put her devive to excellent use. Or really brainless, hazardous, unfortunate, yet oddly successful use. I don't know how to describe this book without spoilers or judgment. I am a mother. Three children - all of whom survived to adulthood - even though one of them AFTER college took part in that bizarre hobby of Millennials, jumping from bridges into dirty rivers in the dark of night. More than one mother's child who survived the teen years has died of a bacteria that got into the bridge-jumper's ear, but teenagers and 20-somethings are immortal.
Mr. Cigar and Oscar seem to be immortal, but like the narrative itself, this is hazy.
We never find out what military experiment might involve Mr. Cigar, but exposing the truth isn't the point of this story. Someone is out to get Mr. Cigar for some nefarious purpose, and Oscar will keep running with his extraordinary dog, and we'll never know what our government was up to in regards to this dog, and it's ok. In the end, no matter what happened (I'm not the only one blinking and wondering), it's all ok. Pass me a cigar. Live in the now. Enjoy the ride. It's trippin'.
I'm still shaking my head in disbelief: I read this story in which a teenage boy does things I prayed God my own children would never do, and I laughed with him during his most ill-conceived and egregious adventures.
Call me crazy.
February 8, 2020
This is probably the weirdest young adult book in the history of young adult books. The story is bananas and I loved every f'n minute of it. I hope Gibby Haynes keeps writing.
October 20, 2020
This was actually an enjoyable read for a YA novel. It's a science fiction (think Repo Man) meets Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas coming-of-age story. Years ago, we tried to write something similar but deemed it too ridiculous. Maybe we should go back and rework it. Unlike Gibby Haynes though, we are not in a legendary underground punk band.
I wonder how much is actually drawn from Haynes own childhood because it is little hard to tell what year it is supposed to be set in. The protagonist makes his money hosting raves and has a smartphone. The absurd plot about a teen and his immortal dog that is actually an escapee from a top secret government project, really doesn't matter as much as the scatological observations and wordplay.
Is this really intended for kids? I doubt it. Most would not even understand the jokes. Especially the characters' penchant for mashing up long names like "Buddy Rich Little Stevie Ray Charles Manson Family Affairs of the Heart of Darkness at the Edge of Townes Van Zandt."
I wonder how much is actually drawn from Haynes own childhood because it is little hard to tell what year it is supposed to be set in. The protagonist makes his money hosting raves and has a smartphone. The absurd plot about a teen and his immortal dog that is actually an escapee from a top secret government project, really doesn't matter as much as the scatological observations and wordplay.
Is this really intended for kids? I doubt it. Most would not even understand the jokes. Especially the characters' penchant for mashing up long names like "Buddy Rich Little Stevie Ray Charles Manson Family Affairs of the Heart of Darkness at the Edge of Townes Van Zandt."
June 23, 2021
i just. don’t even know what to say. I have no idea what I just read it was 245 pages of word vomit. the ending made no sense. i don’t even know why i bothered finishing it
i think the author had to have been on acid while writing this LOL
i think the author had to have been on acid while writing this LOL
February 27, 2020
Several misplaced asynchronous bong hits and a very good dog who might not be mortal
November 20, 2020
If you could somehow transpose the Butthole Surfers’ discography into a novel, that novel would be Me and Mr. Cigar. I’m not sure that a more delightfully demented teen novel exists.
November 27, 2023
Bruh GoodReads kicked me out now I have to rewrite it. Whatever. This book was absolutely BONKERS in an amazing way. I adored it. I hope I’m not biased for giving it FIVE FREAKING GOLDEN STARS because it is written by my favorite (and BEST) singer/songwriter, Gibby freaking Haynes. Whether he wasn’t or was a rockstar, I would say that this book is still awesome. I was given this book on my birthday, hard cover, autographed edition (fanned over this SO hard). Parts about this whole book that I loved was Gibby’s writing style and the illustrations in the book. I love the cover, the illustration for the chapters, the drawings including in some chapters. This book has so many wild turns that keeps you hooked in the novel. I love to see how Gibby writes and thinks while reading this novel. I really liked how Gibby incorporated Oscar’s thoughts into the story, it made it fun and easy to read. The first half of the book I read in a Texas drawl, I wonder why. Before I end this review, I want to mention that sometime whilst reading the book, I fainted. NOT because of the book, but because the lack of water and food in my body. To end this review of Me & Mr. Cigar, I want to mention AGAIN how this book is so freaking cool. It keeps you hooked. The book is so funky and weird and TOTALLY matches Butthole Surfers and Gibby Haynes and his Problem songs in some way. If you’re considering on reading it, REAAAD IT!
February 3, 2020
Gibby Haynes, best known as the singer and songwriter of the Butthole Surfers, has gotten sober and written a YA novel. It is a crazy action thriller about a rather normal Texas teen and his possibly immortal, seemingly clairvoyant dog, Mr. Cigar. I know that books aimed at teens have gotten a bit more adult in recent years, but the drugs and criminal activities described in this book may not be appropriate for younger teens. Otherwise it is an original story with a few ridiculous turns and a major puzzling loose end. Its an entertaining quick read, chapters are only 1-4 pages long, recommended for anyone interested in a quirky escapist novel.
January 15, 2022
None of that made any sense to me.
April 21, 2024
I chose this book for the cover but came out pretty interesting, a pretty good twist at the end. 5/5
February 22, 2021
I didn’t really enjoy this book. I just didn’t jive with the writing style and the plot and characters felt messy and rushed. Overall If you want to spend a few hours reading a really weird and bizarre novel, this one might be for you.
March 21, 2020
A number of reviewers seem to be confused, concluding Haynes' debut with a scratch of the head and a baffled, "Who was that masked man?" I suspect this is a book that will earn an audience that is ready for excessive drug use. And absent family. And some violence. And an invisibility cloak. And some strangeness that exists solely for the purpose of being weird. If logical story is what you need, look elsewhere. But if a fanciful, stoned, MDMA-rich frolic down the long, strange road of life is you jam, this could be your read.
Despite its surreal, sci-fi trappings, this is basically a love letter to 1) Texas and 2) chosen family. The edgy prose and short chapters will be appealing to casual readers, the kinds of folks who may not know what wonders books can be. When they are done with this, they'll head off to Supermarket and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
Despite its surreal, sci-fi trappings, this is basically a love letter to 1) Texas and 2) chosen family. The edgy prose and short chapters will be appealing to casual readers, the kinds of folks who may not know what wonders books can be. When they are done with this, they'll head off to Supermarket and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
June 4, 2021
I'm a pretty big fan of the Butthole Surfers. I listen to their entire discography pretty regularly. They're not for everyone and I like it that way. They are psychedelic and weird and at times abrasive. So good!! When I became aware of a YA novel written by lead singer Gibby Haynes, it was obvious that I had to read it.
Now, Charles Dickens, Gibby is not, and that's totally fine with me. Me and Mr. Cigar, much like the Butthole Surfers, probably isn't for everyone. Haynes crafts a weird and out-there story and was engaging, funny, and entertaining. Aside from the 20 page prologue, each chapter is between one and three pages. I was able to bang it out in only a couple hours.
The book isn't without its faults. There are quite a few strengths. And much like the Butthole Surfers next album, I look forward to Gibby's next book! If you know anything about the Surfers, you will realize that neither are guaranteed.
Now, Charles Dickens, Gibby is not, and that's totally fine with me. Me and Mr. Cigar, much like the Butthole Surfers, probably isn't for everyone. Haynes crafts a weird and out-there story and was engaging, funny, and entertaining. Aside from the 20 page prologue, each chapter is between one and three pages. I was able to bang it out in only a couple hours.
The book isn't without its faults. There are quite a few strengths. And much like the Butthole Surfers next album, I look forward to Gibby's next book! If you know anything about the Surfers, you will realize that neither are guaranteed.
October 19, 2019
This treat of a zany and sweet buddy story between a boy and his loyal (albeit abnormally talented) dog is a wild ride from start to finish. Butthole Surfers frontman Gibby Haynes has concocted this cocktail of absolute absurdity that follows Oscar and his dog, Mr. Cigar, as they navigate their life together. From biting off his sister's hand to being seemingly immortal, Oscar loves every ounce of Mr. Cigar. But when Mr. Cigar's history starts to come to light and the pair find themselves in danger, the truth will have to come out to save their lives. An absolute joy to read and a great coming of age novel, "Me & Mr. Cigar" is a perfect example of animal companionship and the way we connect with our pets.
October 26, 2021
Good story with a twist at the end. One character was introduced, but barely showed up again and it seemed like a major situation. (Maybe a sequel with bring him/her/it back?) Also, the twist was not explained. (Again, sequel?)
My main concern was all of the drug references, and drug themes. This is for young adults, but I wouldn't want my teenager reading about all of those drugs/drug use and the monetary gains and losses.
I loved the dog, Mr. Cigar.
My main concern was all of the drug references, and drug themes. This is for young adults, but I wouldn't want my teenager reading about all of those drugs/drug use and the monetary gains and losses.
I loved the dog, Mr. Cigar.
March 31, 2020
I thought the premise sounded cool with promises of a telepathic dog.
It was terrible. The writing is juvenile at best. The plot makes little to no sense. This, I believe, is what a “drug trip” might look like in a novel form.
Terrible, awful, and dumb.
It was terrible. The writing is juvenile at best. The plot makes little to no sense. This, I believe, is what a “drug trip” might look like in a novel form.
Terrible, awful, and dumb.
August 5, 2020
You never quite know what you are reading, which can be alternately wonderful and frustrating. A part of me does wish I'd read this when I was 13 just to see how it would have shaped my mind moving forward. I'd certainly known more about MDMA and bank robbery, that's for certain.
March 14, 2020
I really liked this book until the end. It’s really dumb so I feel like I wasted my time.
March 14, 2020
Kind of spastic and a mess to read at times but I enjoyed it nonetheless.
July 2, 2021
I have all the Butthole Surfers albums, but I'm not the biggest fan. I mean, I like and respect them, but they're a bit artsy for me sometimes. Sometimes I just don't get it. So I didn't know what to expect when I saw that the singer of the Butthole Surfers, Gibby Haynes, wrote a YA book - but it went to the top of my TBR. I give this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. Here are my thoughts:
1. I didn't know what to expect. I thought maybe it would be a YA Naked Lunch - Something that was all over the place and hard to read. Instead, I got a very comprehensible story. I mean it's out there, but it's easy to follow. It's also a lot of fun. Maybe one of the funnest books I've read in a while. This book has a lot going on: Immortal dogs, spy tech, secret government projects, drug trips, road trips, and heists. What more could you want?
2. I'm not really familiar with YA books, but some of this stuff seems inapproriate for a 14 year old. Like the main character is a drug-dealing rave promoter that (inadvertently) does drugs. But I'm old so what do I know. I guess if my 13-year old kid wanted to read this, I would let them.
3. I loved that there were tons of short chapters - like 90 chapters. Short chapters are my favorite thing and I wish more authors did that.
4. I felt there were a few loose threads that were teased but never really got tied up. Like, I wanted to learn more about the dog and it's spawn. I also wanted to learn more about Lionel and what happens with him, but overall, it was a satisfying read.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this quick read. It's got a lot going on, so you have to be in for the ride. I know I will be reading Gibby Haynes next book on day one.
1. I didn't know what to expect. I thought maybe it would be a YA Naked Lunch - Something that was all over the place and hard to read. Instead, I got a very comprehensible story. I mean it's out there, but it's easy to follow. It's also a lot of fun. Maybe one of the funnest books I've read in a while. This book has a lot going on: Immortal dogs, spy tech, secret government projects, drug trips, road trips, and heists. What more could you want?
2. I'm not really familiar with YA books, but some of this stuff seems inapproriate for a 14 year old. Like the main character is a drug-dealing rave promoter that (inadvertently) does drugs. But I'm old so what do I know. I guess if my 13-year old kid wanted to read this, I would let them.
3. I loved that there were tons of short chapters - like 90 chapters. Short chapters are my favorite thing and I wish more authors did that.
4. I felt there were a few loose threads that were teased but never really got tied up. Like, I wanted to learn more about the dog and it's spawn. I also wanted to learn more about Lionel and what happens with him, but overall, it was a satisfying read.
Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this quick read. It's got a lot going on, so you have to be in for the ride. I know I will be reading Gibby Haynes next book on day one.
January 2, 2023
i’m a huge, massive fan of gibby haynes and the butthole surfers. i find them to be so subversive and provocative, and as an artist i can only dream to evoke the radical discomfort they’re infamous for.
it wasn’t until about 1/3 through the book i realized this was a y.a fantasy, idk what i expected, but i don’t think it was that. once i framed it that way the stylistic choices haynes employs started to make a lot more sense. but by the end i was left a bit unsatisfied. i, as a reader, enjoy when things don’t make sense, abstract methods of storytelling are really effective to me. but that wasn’t this. it was, mostly, a pretty grounded story that wasn’t hard to understand because it was too complex, but rather, because it wasn’t told very effectively. it’s not a bad book by any means. but the longer i think about the ending, and the way we got there, the more frustrated i find myself.
i think the authors voice is one of the strongest i’ve read and has distinguished itself from anything i’ve read before. however, that doesn’t save the story from itself. which reminds me of probably the biggest problem i have with this book, it’s length. it’s technically 245 pages but it’s really more like 125. had they extended the length by even 50 extra pages and really dug more into the antagonists of the story it could’ve worked better.
this book was incredibly entertaining, but bogged down by a clunky narrative. i’d still highly recommend it to most, especially young adult readers looking for something provocative and dangerous.
it wasn’t until about 1/3 through the book i realized this was a y.a fantasy, idk what i expected, but i don’t think it was that. once i framed it that way the stylistic choices haynes employs started to make a lot more sense. but by the end i was left a bit unsatisfied. i, as a reader, enjoy when things don’t make sense, abstract methods of storytelling are really effective to me. but that wasn’t this. it was, mostly, a pretty grounded story that wasn’t hard to understand because it was too complex, but rather, because it wasn’t told very effectively. it’s not a bad book by any means. but the longer i think about the ending, and the way we got there, the more frustrated i find myself.
i think the authors voice is one of the strongest i’ve read and has distinguished itself from anything i’ve read before. however, that doesn’t save the story from itself. which reminds me of probably the biggest problem i have with this book, it’s length. it’s technically 245 pages but it’s really more like 125. had they extended the length by even 50 extra pages and really dug more into the antagonists of the story it could’ve worked better.
this book was incredibly entertaining, but bogged down by a clunky narrative. i’d still highly recommend it to most, especially young adult readers looking for something provocative and dangerous.
January 1, 2024
This book is a wild ride, one I enjoyed despite its flaws. Gibby Haynes has an unsurprisingly great imagination and does a fantastic job of describing the near metaphysical nature of the story “. My only complaints are one, pacing. At times the story flowed well with great details , but at others it felt like the story was being rushed to jump to the next major plot point. Two, the dialogue felt lacking at times, but overall it showed how teenage boys talk to those around them. And three, the ending. Not a big fan of how this book ends, the last 20 pages or so definitely seemed like the most rushed section and its abrupt conclusion threw me off. Overall this is a fun, pretty quick read that I know I would have absolutely loved at 16 or so.
And just for fun, my favorite quote from the book: “My people turned out to be this jovial array of misshapen primates playfully dancing upright in a void of myopic singularity”
And just for fun, my favorite quote from the book: “My people turned out to be this jovial array of misshapen primates playfully dancing upright in a void of myopic singularity”
January 22, 2023
Only leaving a review to beg people not be tricked by the tantalizing promise of a cool alien dog and his owner attempting to save his sister while being chased down by mysterious assailants. You will get an incomprehensible story that barely has anything to do with its own premise and spends half its time meandering in the backstory of characters, despite setting the stage quite well by the first few chapters.
It reads like the roughest of first drafts where someone is just trying to slap ideas down to get started. Everyone speaks in the exact same cryptic and nonsensical pattern that is trying SOOO hard to be witty, satirical and edgy that it really feels like a tween wrote it. For the love of Christ someone take mr cigar out of this book and give him a real plot to run around in
It reads like the roughest of first drafts where someone is just trying to slap ideas down to get started. Everyone speaks in the exact same cryptic and nonsensical pattern that is trying SOOO hard to be witty, satirical and edgy that it really feels like a tween wrote it. For the love of Christ someone take mr cigar out of this book and give him a real plot to run around in
Read
July 25, 2024I’m guessing a lot of people interested in this book will be like me and happen to see the author’s name and pick it up.
It’s as weird as you’d expect.
Lots of drugs (dealing & taking)
Bad boyfriends
Lots of insects
A hand amputation
Death
Bank robbery
Bad government agents
Crooked cops
A reincarnation
Lots of tech that doesn’t exist yet
Invisibility
And love between a boy & his dog.
I don’t know that I’d personally recommend this for a YA audience given some of the themes; but all kids are different. I don’t know that a lot of kids would relate to many of the references, either. Lots of older musicians and music related references I think would likely go over your average 12/13 year old’s head.
It’s as weird as you’d expect.
Lots of drugs (dealing & taking)
Bad boyfriends
Lots of insects
A hand amputation
Death
Bank robbery
Bad government agents
Crooked cops
A reincarnation
Lots of tech that doesn’t exist yet
Invisibility
And love between a boy & his dog.
I don’t know that I’d personally recommend this for a YA audience given some of the themes; but all kids are different. I don’t know that a lot of kids would relate to many of the references, either. Lots of older musicians and music related references I think would likely go over your average 12/13 year old’s head.
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