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Paint the Toon Red
Tyler Fairfax can't seem to catch a break.
A human living in the toon district of Animætropolis, the only affordable neighborhood in San Jose, he's been surviving on the kindness of strangers, his badger neighbors, and his boyfriend while he looks for a job. An unexpected encounter with a toon from the black-and-white days gets him exactly what he needs and then some.
But Tyler's problems aren't over yet; a stranger informs him people have been going missing around this toon and his live-in talent agent, and to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Tyler’s curiosity gets the better of him; he learns what happened to at least one of those people...and now it's happened to him.
He is turned into Fairfax Fawkes, a toon fox with a human mind and perception; everything a toon would be able to shrug off, he feels as if he were still human. Worse still, indulging his toon instincts erases a human trait or, potentially, a memory.
As he traces a web of lies, drugs, human trafficking, and murder for hire, he has to work around his foil’s compulsion to impede his progress. Trapped between human sensibilities and toon guidelines, Fairfax has to break a lot of rules if he has any hope of surviving this.
It’s get wacky or get whacked.
A human living in the toon district of Animætropolis, the only affordable neighborhood in San Jose, he's been surviving on the kindness of strangers, his badger neighbors, and his boyfriend while he looks for a job. An unexpected encounter with a toon from the black-and-white days gets him exactly what he needs and then some.
But Tyler's problems aren't over yet; a stranger informs him people have been going missing around this toon and his live-in talent agent, and to keep an eye out for anything suspicious. Tyler’s curiosity gets the better of him; he learns what happened to at least one of those people...and now it's happened to him.
He is turned into Fairfax Fawkes, a toon fox with a human mind and perception; everything a toon would be able to shrug off, he feels as if he were still human. Worse still, indulging his toon instincts erases a human trait or, potentially, a memory.
As he traces a web of lies, drugs, human trafficking, and murder for hire, he has to work around his foil’s compulsion to impede his progress. Trapped between human sensibilities and toon guidelines, Fairfax has to break a lot of rules if he has any hope of surviving this.
It’s get wacky or get whacked.
196 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 8, 2019
8 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 10, 2021
My son was raised on Roger Rabbit, so I spent endless hours as a mom, watching and being thoroughly enchanted by the toon population of the story. The idea of cartoon characters having a life of their own outside their on screen performance takes some effort to get your head around as an audience. Successfully melding them into a human world, as an author, takes a special kind of talent. Gary K. Wolfe, who created Roger way back in 1981 definitely had that talent and so does A.J, Mayall who credits and thanks Wolfe for giving him his blessing in his introduction to the book.
Like Roger, this story's hero, Tyler Fairfax and his toon alter-ego Fawkes are meant to be fun and entertaining. That, after all, is what toons are all about, but like his predecessor, there is also a lot that is decidedly dark about our hero and about the world he inhabits.
Mayall cautions, in his introduction, that this isn't a book you should buy for you kids, and he knows whereof he speaks. For that matter, the same can be said about Roger Rabbit. Although he loved Roger, I can remember my son curled up on my lap hiding his head against my shoulder so he didn't have to watch the scenes featuring the villain. There were a lot of moments like that during Paint the Toon Red too.
In spite of, or perhaps because of that dichotomy between the lovable toon characters and the dark lives behind the scenes, this is a great book, well written, with deep, complex characters and a story that just doesn't quit.
Whether or not you were a fan of Roger Rabbit who, incidentally, would have been completely at home in Tyler Fairfax's world, i you like suspense stories with a touch of humour and a generous dose of dark fantasy, you'll love this one, and, should you choose the audio version, the expert and enthusiastic narration of Nicholas Patrella just raises an already great story to a whole new level of excellence.
Like Roger, this story's hero, Tyler Fairfax and his toon alter-ego Fawkes are meant to be fun and entertaining. That, after all, is what toons are all about, but like his predecessor, there is also a lot that is decidedly dark about our hero and about the world he inhabits.
Mayall cautions, in his introduction, that this isn't a book you should buy for you kids, and he knows whereof he speaks. For that matter, the same can be said about Roger Rabbit. Although he loved Roger, I can remember my son curled up on my lap hiding his head against my shoulder so he didn't have to watch the scenes featuring the villain. There were a lot of moments like that during Paint the Toon Red too.
In spite of, or perhaps because of that dichotomy between the lovable toon characters and the dark lives behind the scenes, this is a great book, well written, with deep, complex characters and a story that just doesn't quit.
Whether or not you were a fan of Roger Rabbit who, incidentally, would have been completely at home in Tyler Fairfax's world, i you like suspense stories with a touch of humour and a generous dose of dark fantasy, you'll love this one, and, should you choose the audio version, the expert and enthusiastic narration of Nicholas Patrella just raises an already great story to a whole new level of excellence.
December 21, 2020
Decidedly R-Rated, if that bothers you don't read it. The romantic partners are men, if that bothers you, you are missing a great book.
The main plot is that Tyler is forcibly turned into a toon (Fairfax Fawkes) in a horrific and secret process. From there it becomes his mission to return to his own humanity and seek revenge on the evil human who did this to him. A big problem is that toons cannot hurt humans, there is a code they adhere to that prevents it. There is also an incorporation of toon contracts. But Tyler and Kyle have been with each other for some years and how to deal with him now being a G-Rated toon?
Voice actor Nicholas Patrella did a wonderful job with all the voices and really acted out the story and did not just read it. His voice brings the characters to life with His inflections entirely suited the situations and characters
I won this book in a giveaway. Yay me!
The main plot is that Tyler is forcibly turned into a toon (Fairfax Fawkes) in a horrific and secret process. From there it becomes his mission to return to his own humanity and seek revenge on the evil human who did this to him. A big problem is that toons cannot hurt humans, there is a code they adhere to that prevents it. There is also an incorporation of toon contracts. But Tyler and Kyle have been with each other for some years and how to deal with him now being a G-Rated toon?
Voice actor Nicholas Patrella did a wonderful job with all the voices and really acted out the story and did not just read it. His voice brings the characters to life with His inflections entirely suited the situations and characters
I won this book in a giveaway. Yay me!
May 2, 2020
This was my first A.J. Mayall's book. This is the first book in the Animaetropolis Series, an M/M dark urban fantasy. In some ways, it reminded me of Roger Rabbit. The story is original, dark, but some scenes are hilarious, and weird. The storyline is fast paced, complex, and entertaining. Nicholas Patrella did an outstanding job with the narration. All voices were easy to distinguish. I was given a free review copy of the audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
January 7, 2022
I want to start by saying that this book is not for children. It's very adult-rated and has adult themes. It's not for prudish people. There is lots of dark comedy, and there's body horror. I want to think of it as an adult version of Rodger rabbit. I enjoyed it. I also saw that people said the audiobook was pleasantly well. There is a sequel that I can't wait to read.
May 16, 2020
Fantastic Book, a dark gritty tale set in a toons-are-real world. The world-building is great and the action is outstanding, a fantastic mix of body horror, violence and betrayal.
Can't wait for the next book.
Can't wait for the next book.
June 18, 2023
Fantastic book. It's got action, a story that doesn't relent, a tiny bit of sex, and a very satisfying sequel setup. I knew I would probably like this book simply due to the transformation themes, but it went beyond my expectations.
April 2, 2020
I enjoyed this book but definitely not for children. Lots of violence and a little sex.
October 9, 2023
Fun book. A spiritual sequel to the Roger Rabbit franchise, it explores new angles of identity.
February 25, 2020
My favorite film of all time is "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" and am a huge fan of the original Gary Wolf novel(s) that said film is loosely adapted from. And by all accounts "Paint the Toon Red" is a genuine creative reimagining of the bare bones concept Gary Wolf introduced 40 years ago. The best way I can describe this book is if you took the logic of a Tex Avery cartoon and intermixed it with the twisted aesthetic of a Frank Henenlotter film. With all that said AJ Mayall has crafted a novel with boundless creativity and I cant wait to read the next installment (Gag Reflex). Really hoping this book catches on with readers, ecspecially those who are huge followers of the Bizarro Fiction genre.
November 21, 2023
Not your average toon
I started this book expecting an average book of the human to toon story. As it turned out it is more gritty and adult but not sexually explicit. This was well written and thought out and gives a unique viewpoint on transformation. In many ways it is reminiscent of the old detective novels of the 30's and 40's. I'm looking forward to the next book to see where Mr Mayall takes us.
I started this book expecting an average book of the human to toon story. As it turned out it is more gritty and adult but not sexually explicit. This was well written and thought out and gives a unique viewpoint on transformation. In many ways it is reminiscent of the old detective novels of the 30's and 40's. I'm looking forward to the next book to see where Mr Mayall takes us.
December 30, 2022
If Looney Tunes was R-rated and full of blood and sex, it might look like this. Full of refs to old cartoon shows, mixing humans with animated characters was a premise written well. I'd love this to be a movie...we need more 18+ animation.
Note: I imagine this book had something to do with me writing my own tale of humanoid animals in a totally dark world. So thank you for the inspiration. I met the author at a con years ago and he was very kind.
Note: I imagine this book had something to do with me writing my own tale of humanoid animals in a totally dark world. So thank you for the inspiration. I met the author at a con years ago and he was very kind.
August 22, 2019
Decidedly different
Install weaves a seriously different tale. It's like Breaking Bad had a love child with Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This tale is Not for children. Very well written.
Install weaves a seriously different tale. It's like Breaking Bad had a love child with Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This tale is Not for children. Very well written.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews