D*U*C*K

Rickey and G-Man #5

by Poppy Z. Brite

Poppy Z. Brite’s first piece of original fiction since the levees broke, the long new novella D*U*C*K revisits Brite’s popular characters Rickey and G-man (The Value of X, Liquor, Prime, Soul Kitchen).

Following a life-threatening assault by a waiter and the defection of one of his best cooks to a trendy new restaurant, Chef John Rickey accepts a gig catering the annual banquet for the South Louisiana branch of hunting/conservation group Ducks Unlimited. Held in the Cajun prairie town of Opelousas, this all-duck banquet mightn’t seem a great opportunity for a chef to restore his wounded pride…but the guest of honor is Rickey’s childhood football hero, former New Orleans Saints quarterback Bobby Hebert.

Rickey’s crew is unstoppable, his menu is perfect, and the ducks are thick in the marshes this year. In Louisiana, though, every important occasion has a nutcase waiting in the wings…and all too often, the nutcase is an elected official. Will Rickey get the chance to cook for his idol, or will it end in chaos?

Genres: Fiction, Queer, LGBT, M M Romance, Food, Contemporary, Romance

132 pages, Hardcover

First published January 30, 2007

About the author

Poppy Z. Brite (born Melissa Ann Brite, now going by Billy Martin) is an American author born in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Born a biological female, Brite has written and talked much about his gender dysphoria/gender identity issues. He self-identifies almost completely as a homosexual male rather than female, and as of 2011 has started taking testosterone injections. His male name is Billy Martin.

He lived in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and Athens, Georgia prior to returning to New Orleans in 1993. He loves UNC basketball and is a sometime season ticket holder for the NBA, but he saves his greatest affection for his hometown football team, the New Orleans Saints.

Brite and husband Chris DeBarr, a chef, run a de facto cat rescue and have, at any given time, between fifteen and twenty cats. Photos of the various felines are available on the "Cats" page of Brite's website. They have been known to have a few dogs and perhaps a snake as well in the menagerie. They are no longer together.

During Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Brite at first opted to stay at home, but he eventually abandoned New Orleans and his cats and relocated 80 miles away to his mother's home in Mississippi. He used his blog to update his fans regarding the situation, including the unknown status of his house and many of his pets, and in October 2005 became one of the first 70,000 New Orleanians to begin repopulating the city.

In the following months, Brite has been an outspoken and sometimes harsh critic of those who are leaving New Orleans for good. He was quoted in the New York Times and elsewhere as saying, in reference to those considering leaving, "If you’re ever lucky enough to belong somewhere, if a place takes you in and you take it into yourself, you don't desert it just because it can kill you. There are things more valuable than life."

Reviews

[S.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wonderful novella makes me sad. D*U*C*K is a sweet, optimistic love story from an author who decided to write about New Orleans as if Katrina had never happened. It’s a quick read, featuring much of the trauma and drama we’ve come to expect from the Liquor universe, but on the whole it’s much lighter.

What makes me sad is the fact that Poppy Z. Brite has no plans to return to G-Man and Rickey’s colorful, crazy world. From the sounds of it, no other novel will come from Brite’s awesome imagination.

That guts me. I’m sure it guts Brite100-times more. Brite wrote two of my favorite horror novels ever, Lost Souls and Drawing Blood. Here was an author who used gay characters in horror novels! Wow. I’ve re-read each of those books and still am in awe of them.

When Brite started writing the Liquor series, the successful leap from horror to Southern Gothic comedy stunned me. Different genre, different writing style— still wonderful.

Farewell, G-man and Rickey. I loved reading about your tantrums, successes, fuck-ups, failures, and fabulous returns from the brink of defeat.

Hugs for Brite… I can’t quite imagine what I’d do if my characters stopped speaking to me.

I’m hoping maybe they’ll start speaking to Billy Martin. What can I say, sometimes even I can be an optimist.

[Nick Fagerlund · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was trying to figure out what to call this book—was it a novella, a novelette, fuck you I'm not counting the words in this thing—and it occurred to me that, independent of its form, it was kind of like a children's book for grown-ups. It's light and fluffy; the characters don't face much in the way of overwhelming troubles, and it doesn't really go anywhere particularly exciting. It reminded me of a bunch of mostly-forgotten kids' books where people come up with a project, and they do stuff, and then it's the end. And there is extensive description of food.

I don't know if it was _exactly_ what I needed right now, but it was pretty darn close. My brain seems to be recompiling important modules from source or something, and I am almost completely incapable of reading fiction right now; a rather specific part of my attention span is fried, and I can't seem to hold narrative threads in my short-term memory for the length of the page they're on.

(It's irritating timing. I'm about a third of the way from the end of _Return of the King,_ and literally cannot progress any further in it; I've also got an _enormous_ queue of books lined up on my shelf, since that's basically what my family got me for Christmas, and theoretically have the free time I'd need to start plowing through it. And plus, Robert's reading _Lolita_ right now, and I wanted to play book-club with him. No dice, though.)

Anyway, point is: it's precisely the right time to read something fluffy and character-based and largely plotless and kind of hand-holding and not particularly subtle. Cheers, _D*U*C*K._

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

More a novella than a novel, the fourth book in Poppy Z. Brite's "Liquor" series is clearly her love song to pre-Katrina New Orleans. It is a quiet, gentle book where small amounts of violence still happen, but overall it is a memorial of a New Orleans where people can go about their daily lives, where the biggest tragedy to befall the Dome is the sports team that plays inside it, and where even though you can take the boys out of New Orleans, you can't take the New Orleans out of the boys.

No murders. No foul play. No dirty politics. Just New Orleans.

And you know? For this book, I'm good with that.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't realize how much I'd missed Rickey and G-man--and will miss them if PZB never writes them again--until I read this book. They're such great characters and fit each other perfectly, which PZB shows rather than tells.

Short novella, but so great for fans of the characters and the Liquorverse.

[audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book always makes me feel like my eyes aren't worthy to read it. Dang.

[James Garman · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the 4th in the series about G-man and Rickey and their restaurant, Liquor, they have a catering job in a small town several miles south of New Orleans. The small town is host to an environmental group of hunters that specialize in hunting wild duck while keeping the marshlands livable.

As is often the case in Louisiana, there are "home town" characters involved, in this case, a politician who manages to throw at least a tiny clinch in things. But the catering job is still a fun excursion from the city and some interesting things happen.

What is amazing about Poppy's writing is the amount of material she manages to pack into a mere 132 pages. Not only does she share more than I care to follow about the menu (I am not detail-oriented and don't know anything about cooking especially that required for fine dining.) she manages to work in other relatively unrelated events into the story as well.

Well written and more that worth the two-three hours it took me to read it. Yes, I did it at one sitting.

[Rogue Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poppy Z. Brite is amazing and so is D*U*C*K. Wish there were more of these sentimental, romantic chef stories.

[Trin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird and wild and perfect end to this series. Surprisingly sweet but not saccharine. Somehow comforting despite starting with a gay bashing (the gay bashes back). I'm gonna miss these guys.

[Doujia2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

Though I’ll always want to read more of Rickey and G-man, this novella offers the best possible ending to their story, and I’m glad to part with them this way.

[Seth · Rating 3 out of 5]

All the Liquorverse stories are very personal in how they deal with small moments in private lives, usually without a grand story arc or a ticking clock; PZB has always been good at showing how character development and Freytag's pyramid don't have to sync up simplistically. DUCK feels more personal than most, though, because it's intimately tied to PZB's personal experience of the Katrina disaster.

That connection is discussed in the forward and mostly disappears in the main action--a trip out of New Orleans for the Liquor crew to serve a 300 person banquet in Cajun country, but it return in full force at the end, rising slowly over the last chapters, and succeeded in choking me up. And I'm a cynical bastard who's never even been to New Orleans.

If you know and love the Liquorverse, you've got enough of a review already: Ricky has a new chef rivalry, they get roped into leaving New Orleans (always a sure sign of trouble), they prepare a large banquet (not their forte), it's a gimmick menu using a variety of wild-shot ducks Ricky and G-Man know nothing about, and they're cooking a gumbo for hundreds of Cajuns. To top it all off, Ricky's personal hero, former football star Bobby Herbert, is the guest of honor, leaving Ricky star-struck and nervous. That's the makings of a Liquor novel.

But if you're a PZB or Liquor fan, this is also a book that marks a turning point in the author's life, and PZB has been open about it, as usual. The book was originally titled Waiting for Bobby Herbert but that got changed in the publishing cycle; a throwaway Robert Altman reference in the middle of the book became the theme for the new title and the cover art. Author/Publisher relations soured and the next book (Dead Shrimp Blues) looks like it's gone.

And every author, like every other New Orleans resident, has had to deal with Katrina in some way. DUCK dodges the issue, because PZB was overwhelmed with the devastation and its effects of his own life as well as a period of severely deteriorating health. In fact, with the trouble with Dead Shrimp Blues and general life unrest, PZB indicated he didn't intend to write fiction again, or at least not for a long time.

So I put off reading DUCK for a couple of years, thinking it would be depressing no matter the content. It was mostly a mistake. The story, like most of PZB's career, is a love letter to New Orleans and the surrounding area, to its people, and to its cultures. This one is more culturally inclusive than most and it ends on a moment--entirely in character, yet surprising--of tolerance and patience from Ricky. Tolerance and patience are two major qualities PZB returned to in repeated blog posts after Katrina and they underly everything in the Liquor/Stubbs stories. If this is the last book in that world, it ended well.

But I hope it's not. PZB has published some short stories since DUCK (see Antediluvian Tales), most of which are Stubbs stories plus a couple of Dr. Brite tales, but all were written before Katrina. I look forward to non-blog writing from post- or non-diluvian PZB.


[Before I get comments on pronouns: Yes, PZB is a biofem. Yes, PZB is a hot biofem. PZB generally identifies as male, however, so that's the pronoun of choice.]

[Kassa · Rating 3 out of 5]

D*U*C*K is a series of vignettes put together featuring G-man and Rickey. They’re somewhat related but also has a random feel to the collection. I guess there is an over reaching arc in that a former employee is rising to kind of challenge Rickey while Liquor is getting ready to serve at an out of town banquet featuring Rickey’s hero crush. The stories do have common elements but they also feel disconnected and arbitrary. That said it’s a fun, quick novella to read without the punch and impact of previous novels.

I’m reading the Liquor stories out of order so if there is anything that affects the knowledge and enjoyment, please let me know. I assume each novel can be read as a stand alone, they certainly seem that way, while the stories are more meaningful in the larger context of the series. D*U*C*K features G-man and Rickey as they go about their daily routine working in Liquor. These stories feel more like day in life slices than anything and they work decently as such. It’s an easy way to revisit the duo and New Orleans without a lot of drama or investment.

There is a pseudo plot revolving around a former employee that is now the head chef at a popular restraurant. This vignette revolves around how touch the job is, more difficult than Shake assumed, and pokes a little fun at both Rickey’s temper and Shake’s ego. There are some pretty funny scenes of Shake navigating the media (not well) and dealing with family and foodies. These scenes will likely be huge hits with any professional chefs as they’ll recognize the inside jokes and nods. For the lay reader they work just as well as it’s easy to envision these stereotypes existing.

The trip out of town for the banquet is amusing and easy to read but somewhat lengthy and without purpose. This story, kind of like the novella in general, feels directionless. While amusing and easy to read, the stories drift along without a firm sense of purpose. They’re fun, sure, but somewhat meaningless in the larger character and story arcs of the series. This isn’t a bad thing as it’s a nice way to revisit the characters without too much reading commitment and investment.

As always the New Orleans descriptions are incredible and bring the city to life with such vibrancy that these details alone are worth the reading. This isn’t a novella I’d read again but it’s a nice inclusion into the series.

[Traci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rickey and G-man are back in this all-too-short novella. Things are the usual at their restaurant, Liquor, with the cooking references coming fast and furious. That is, until Rickey is assaulted while taking out the trash. Feeling he needs to be distracted, he considers an offer to cater a dinner for the South Louisiana branch of a hunting/conservation group called Ducks Unlimited. (If you've been keeping up with the series, you know that Rickey is pretty much the king of "novelty menus" - that is, keeping one main ingredient in each and every dish). Rickey has pretty much sworn off these sorts of invitations but this one is different; the special guest of the evening is none other than his childhood sports hero, former New Orleans Saints QB Bobby Hebert.

Knowing that Rickey has had a crush on Bobby for just about forever, G-man encourages him to take the gig. Only problem being that these chefs have never encountered these ducks before - WILD ducks. Of course! There are several comedies of errors and Rickey, as usual, has one of his near-nervous breakdowns before the big meal. Will they pull it off? Will he look like a fool in front of Bobby? Do ducks fly? Sorry, couldn't resist!

As I said in the beginning, the biggest beef I have with this book is that it's too short! I truly enjoy the Rickey and G-man series just as much or maybe even more than Brite's early works. (Sadly, she does not enjoy talking about those early books, it seems. Then again, if I had people who only wanted to talk about my early years, I'd probably get sick of that subject, too!) Be warned, though - these entries are more like entrees, guaranteed to have your mouth watering.

[Tara · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's no secret among my friends that I have mixed feelings about Poppy Z. Brite. I devoured her early fiction during my teenage years. I think she has a great talent, but that her characters were often too stereotypical - caricatures of goths and gays. With the "Liquor" novels, I feel she really came into her own. The characters of Rickey and G-Man were better developed, more accessible, and their preferences less distracting. With this in mind, I decided to pick up D*U*C*K, her novella regarding these beloved characters. Rickey and G-Man were as engaging as ever, and as a foodie, I love reading about the culinary world, but there my affection for this book stopped. My primary problem is that there seemed to be absolutely no point. In the story, Rickey and G-Man are hired to prepare an all-duck banquet for their football hero and a bunch of hunters. After untold pages of worry, the banquet comes off without a hitch ... end of story?

Wait! What did we learn? Where was the conflict? What action was there? Were there any problems OR any resolutions? Not that I could tell. I'm a strong believer that there must be a point to a story ... if not, why should the reader care? This novella just lacked some elements I believe are crucial in fiction. That being said, I still think Poppy is a great writer, I'm still intrigued by these characters, and I really hope she releases Dead Shrimp Blues someday!

[Don Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very quick read -- only about 137 pages. Set in a kinda-sorta parallel-universe New Orleans without levee failures, the book is about a pair of gay chefs who run a New Orleans restaurant called "Liquor" where every dish contains liquor. Not a bad gimmick, really!

The "gay chef" angle was a little ham-handed, I thought, with all the ball fondling and yanking of cranks and such a little gratuitous. The kitchen scenes, too, were a little hackneyed, with lots of kitchen shenanigans, cocaine snorting, ass kickings, and the like.

I enjoyed the fairly detailed descriptions of preparing for a huge, all-wild-duck banquet out in Cajun country, however; really, I can't pan a book that's all about duck cookery.

All in all, though, I found this book uninspired, especially given the impression I get that all of this author's books are about the same. But, hey, you can read it in under two hours, so why not check it out from the library?

[J.R. Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was incredibly nervous when I heard there was going to be another book in the series following this one, and then the author halted the series after this. Whenever that happens, there's always a chance it might end with loose ends.

That wasn't the case with D.U.C.K. It was a sweet conclusion to an otherwise intense series. The reality though, was that it lacked a lot of what made the rest of the series. The mystery, the murder, the intensity. That said, this was a really sweet way to end the series, and I was happy to see it end on this note instead of something darker. Rickey and G-man are the kind of characters you find yourself rooting for and thinking about long after the series ends. They're truly meant to be, and the way this series concludes leaves me with the hope that one day, I'll find the G-man to my Rickey.

[Wysterria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sadly, this was only a novella, so I blew through it and it ended too quickly. As usual, I loved the follies of G-Man and Ricky, two Lower Ninth Ward lovers who also are immaculate chefs. One thing I should mention, though, I'm not sure I personally would actually eat the food they make. Guess I'm more of a comfort food person myself. Or maybe I've just never eaten food from the South. Either way, this book left me anxiously anticipating the next installment of these two guys.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love her writing, though this book feels more like a visit to old friends instead of something new and exciting. Still, the culture of food is very strong here, and her writing style is alway so smooth and easy to enjoy.

[Natty Soltesz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish I could read Poppy Z's "Liquor" books ALL THE TIME and NOTHING ELSE.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about New Orleans(without the disaster), food and friendship.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so great.

[Black Heart Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read our review at http://blackheartmagazine.com/2010/07...

[Laura Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can read my review of this title at Black Heart Magazine, here:
http://blackheartmagazine.com/2010/07...

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm going to have to read more Poppy Z. Brite. If she can make the preparations for a banquet dinner that interesting, I wonder what else she can do. And this book made me really hungry.

[Chrissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am really excited to read this book and I would like to meet the charters.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little romp...nice seeing old friends Rickey & G-Man!

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weakest of the Liquor books but a good read regardless.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Surreal, funny as hell, touching.

[bluetyson]

D*U*C*K by Poppy Z. Brite (2007)

[Matt Jorgenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I must find some juniper sorbet now!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Where was the plot? I loved the other books in the series, but this one lacks a conflict.