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Green River Rising
Serving a sentence at Green River Prison, Dr. Ray Klein works in the AIDS-infested prison infirmary, while forensic psychologist Juliette Devlin conducts research on the criminal mind and a mentally challenged man waits for a sign from God. Reprint. NYT.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 101 reviews
April 1, 2013
I love, love, love Tim Willocks. I've read The Religion at least 5 times and finally have gotten my hands on another one of his books and I'm not disappointed. It is a 180 from The Religion but that's okay. Same argument as The Historian and The Swan Thieves. Two different books by the same author. Good deal. It's said this is the best prison story ever and I tend to agree. Mr. Willocks, a psychiatrist by day is nothing if not intense. No holds barred and nothing is ever held back. He is into realism, depicting human nature at it's worst as well at it's best and all points in between. The lines are drawn, and the bad are very bad and sometimes they get worse. Ahhh, but sometimes the monsters are not who they seem to be. The heart can be as vast and open as the sky even while being denied that sky. I highly recommend this book if this type of book appeals to you. Tim Willocks is one hellava writer.
February 18, 2017
As this novel opens, Green River State Penitentiary is a pot of hatred and violence about to boil over. It’s run by a megalomaniacal, unstable warden and packed with four cell blocks of angry men waiting for their chance to lash out--in short, not a place anyone in their right mind would want to be. Unfortunately, our hero Ray Klein is stuck in the middle of it, imprisoned on a false rape charge and with only days left to go on his sentence. When things go critical Klein is prevented from simply holing up in his cell by the presence of Juliette Devlin, a psychiatrist visiting the prison that he has (of course) fallen in love with.
Every book I’ve read by Willocks has been a variation on this admittedly powerful theme; a reluctant hero forced to brave an anarchic maelstrom of violence for the ones he loves. I think Willocks’ most masterful use of this plot was probably in the ridiculously-gore-soaked Twelve Children of Paris, but this one certainly gives that book a hell of a run for its money. The author immediately throws us into this hellish world of racial hatred, squalor, and rape and like Klein we have to sink or swim. GRSP is wonderfully imagined and it takes no effort to visualize the settings, whether they be a birds’ eye view of the entirety of its panoptic machinery or the myriad tunnels, cells, and rooms it contains.
The characters are typically strong as per usual for Willocks. Aside from our heroes Klein and Devlin (a woman tough enough to earn the moniker “motherfucker” from an admiring prisoner) we have a large cast of prisoners and staff both harmless and well-meaning and psychotically violent. I have to take issue with the couple reviews I’ve seen online of this book calling it racist, because I’m not sure if these people even read the book. There’s a couple black antagonists but mostly it’s the white dudes starting the shit--for god’s sakes, the two Big Bads in the form of Warden Hobbes and Nev Agry are fucking white, and its the inmates of the white cell block that cause the most mayhem.
I have to admit when I tried my first Willocks ( The Religion) I was confused and irritated by his style. He goes for broke with the ornamentation and artsy complexity with his prose (some would certainly call it purple) but is basically writing violent adventure thrillers. I used to think that art and entertainment were mutually exclusive, but how wrong I was. I remember comparing his work to Botticelli painting porn and I think that’s a pretty good comparison. You get the chewy, ornate writing of the hated Literature with the full-throttle momentum and adrenaline of a gory action movie. What’s not to like?! (Don’t answer that.)
Every book I’ve read by Willocks has been a variation on this admittedly powerful theme; a reluctant hero forced to brave an anarchic maelstrom of violence for the ones he loves. I think Willocks’ most masterful use of this plot was probably in the ridiculously-gore-soaked Twelve Children of Paris, but this one certainly gives that book a hell of a run for its money. The author immediately throws us into this hellish world of racial hatred, squalor, and rape and like Klein we have to sink or swim. GRSP is wonderfully imagined and it takes no effort to visualize the settings, whether they be a birds’ eye view of the entirety of its panoptic machinery or the myriad tunnels, cells, and rooms it contains.
The characters are typically strong as per usual for Willocks. Aside from our heroes Klein and Devlin (a woman tough enough to earn the moniker “motherfucker” from an admiring prisoner) we have a large cast of prisoners and staff both harmless and well-meaning and psychotically violent. I have to take issue with the couple reviews I’ve seen online of this book calling it racist, because I’m not sure if these people even read the book. There’s a couple black antagonists but mostly it’s the white dudes starting the shit--for god’s sakes, the two Big Bads in the form of Warden Hobbes and Nev Agry are fucking white, and its the inmates of the white cell block that cause the most mayhem.
I have to admit when I tried my first Willocks ( The Religion) I was confused and irritated by his style. He goes for broke with the ornamentation and artsy complexity with his prose (some would certainly call it purple) but is basically writing violent adventure thrillers. I used to think that art and entertainment were mutually exclusive, but how wrong I was. I remember comparing his work to Botticelli painting porn and I think that’s a pretty good comparison. You get the chewy, ornate writing of the hated Literature with the full-throttle momentum and adrenaline of a gory action movie. What’s not to like?! (Don’t answer that.)
June 12, 2021
Second time reading this book - I'm trying to whittle down my shelves of paperbacks - and I hadn't remembered how good this was so it stays on my shelf. Yes, it's brutal and violent but there is heart in it!! It was exciting and fast paced and if I leave it another 10 years, I can read it again and not remember what happened! Excellent thriller for those with a strong stomach. I have no idea how realistic it is - probably not very these days, but I didn't care. It took me on an adventure and I'm sad it's over.
September 14, 2021
Green River Rising starts strong and from there begins to diverge into absolute drivel. By the end what you have a terrible movie script complete with large brawl and heroics. Also, any semblance of nuance in the characters that might have existed is gone.
Our first introduction to Juliette Devlin, a fairly major character (and sole woman), is a good indicator that Willocks has no clue on how to write a woman.
From that moment on we know exactly what is going to go down later, and although Devlin proves to be more than a walking sex toy, when it comes to Devlin sex is never far off of the mind. And when the sex does happen, well...
A few tidbits can't really do justice to just how hilariously terrible, and then just terrible, the sex scene(s) in this book are. I stared at the book for a full five minutes in absolute shock that it could be that bad. I almost stopped reading entirely.
Other characters fare better, although many of them are stereotypes themselves and seem just as unrealistic as Devlin herself including the main character Klein who seriously calls himself a warrior, and totally knows that he's an arsehole. He is not, as far as I'm concerned, a likeable character at all, and in some respects feels like he was written by somebody much younger than Willocks.
Suffice to say, though, it isn't all bad.
Willocks does have his moments where he shines as author, the problem is that I spent at least half my time sighing because I was nowhere near finished and I was bored. Some of this comes down to the prose, which while good at times, is sometimes fairly bad. Sentences of the same length are stuck together so that there isn't any sense of rhythm to the writing and the reading becomes monotonous, and everything seems duller than it is.
Our first introduction to Juliette Devlin, a fairly major character (and sole woman), is a good indicator that Willocks has no clue on how to write a woman.
"Under her jeans, as was her habit, she wore a G string."
From that moment on we know exactly what is going to go down later, and although Devlin proves to be more than a walking sex toy, when it comes to Devlin sex is never far off of the mind. And when the sex does happen, well...
"He bit her lips, her face...he grabbed the flesh of her back in handfuls....arching her belly into his cock, her mouth, red and wet..."
A few tidbits can't really do justice to just how hilariously terrible, and then just terrible, the sex scene(s) in this book are. I stared at the book for a full five minutes in absolute shock that it could be that bad. I almost stopped reading entirely.
Other characters fare better, although many of them are stereotypes themselves and seem just as unrealistic as Devlin herself including the main character Klein who seriously calls himself a warrior, and totally knows that he's an arsehole. He is not, as far as I'm concerned, a likeable character at all, and in some respects feels like he was written by somebody much younger than Willocks.
Suffice to say, though, it isn't all bad.
Willocks does have his moments where he shines as author, the problem is that I spent at least half my time sighing because I was nowhere near finished and I was bored. Some of this comes down to the prose, which while good at times, is sometimes fairly bad. Sentences of the same length are stuck together so that there isn't any sense of rhythm to the writing and the reading becomes monotonous, and everything seems duller than it is.
May 24, 2015
Green River Rising is about a prison riot. It is violent, tough, has plenty of tension, a menacing atmosphere and great characters.
It also happens to be my all time favourite five star book.
It is the book I will never forget and the book that changed my life.
Green River Rising was published in 1994 when I was 20 years old. I had not read a work of fiction for years. Reading books for enjoyment?!? Are you crazy? I had read books in my youth but not any more. Books are boring!
I was (and still am) a big movie fan and Reservoir Dogs was my favourite film. It had introduced me to a whole new world of film. It also influenced many movies and books.
I read a review of Green River Rising which placed it in the same vein as Reservoir Dogs (agree? disagree?) which got my attention. I went to my local book store (a strange unknown place to me) and there on display at the front was Green River Rising.
The cover leapt out at me (the 1994 paperback cover is not on goodreads) and I immediately bought the book. I read it in a few days.
I discovered a whole new world (book stores and finding secondhand books hidden in charity shops)and the pleasure of reading (all time classics and genre fiction). I set off on my book journey, which has brought me here.
It also happens to be my all time favourite five star book.
It is the book I will never forget and the book that changed my life.
Green River Rising was published in 1994 when I was 20 years old. I had not read a work of fiction for years. Reading books for enjoyment?!? Are you crazy? I had read books in my youth but not any more. Books are boring!
I was (and still am) a big movie fan and Reservoir Dogs was my favourite film. It had introduced me to a whole new world of film. It also influenced many movies and books.
I read a review of Green River Rising which placed it in the same vein as Reservoir Dogs (agree? disagree?) which got my attention. I went to my local book store (a strange unknown place to me) and there on display at the front was Green River Rising.
The cover leapt out at me (the 1994 paperback cover is not on goodreads) and I immediately bought the book. I read it in a few days.
I discovered a whole new world (book stores and finding secondhand books hidden in charity shops)and the pleasure of reading (all time classics and genre fiction). I set off on my book journey, which has brought me here.
July 26, 2017
La letteratura di libri ambientati in carcere è piena: spesso lo scrittore è un ex detenuto che racconta la propria esperienza diretta sotto forma di biografia, o romanzo,. A volte lo scrittore è 'solo' uno scrittore, che magari ha fatto lunghe ricerche. Qualunque sia il caso è indubbio che il 'tema' (per le caratteristiche del carcere, struttura chiusa e vissuta solo da detenuti, secondini e poco altro) interessa e in qualche modo affascina.
Il risultato purtroppo è che, anche quando ben scritti, questi libri si somigliano po' tutti. Essere originali non è facile.
E' qui che si colloca la prima parte de "Il fine ultimo della creazione". La lettura è scorrevole, piacevole nonostante la crudezza del linguaggio, gli eventi sono ben raccontati e ogni personaggio ha il proprio tratto distintivo ben definito; si raggiunge anche qualche livello di profondità, ma la sensazione di non essere davanti a qualcosa di nuovo è davvero molto forte.
Nelle pagine successive c'è lo scoppio della rivolta all'interno del carcere.
Il libro si trasforma nel più classico dei film d'azione americani, di quei film nei quali l'azione non finisce mai, proprio mai. Annoia. Una sforbiciata (almeno della metà!) non avrebbe tolto nulla alla storia.
E poi c'è questa donna, la psicologa, e una sorta di storia d'amore poco credibile e da romanzo rosa (rosa/rosso).
Infine l'epilogo: sembra buttato via in cinque minuti.
La letteratura di libri ambientati in carcere è piena: di questo, probabilmente, non vi era nessuna necessità.
Il risultato purtroppo è che, anche quando ben scritti, questi libri si somigliano po' tutti. Essere originali non è facile.
E' qui che si colloca la prima parte de "Il fine ultimo della creazione". La lettura è scorrevole, piacevole nonostante la crudezza del linguaggio, gli eventi sono ben raccontati e ogni personaggio ha il proprio tratto distintivo ben definito; si raggiunge anche qualche livello di profondità, ma la sensazione di non essere davanti a qualcosa di nuovo è davvero molto forte.
Nelle pagine successive c'è lo scoppio della rivolta all'interno del carcere.
Il libro si trasforma nel più classico dei film d'azione americani, di quei film nei quali l'azione non finisce mai, proprio mai. Annoia. Una sforbiciata (almeno della metà!) non avrebbe tolto nulla alla storia.
E poi c'è questa donna, la psicologa, e una sorta di storia d'amore poco credibile e da romanzo rosa (rosa/rosso).
Infine l'epilogo: sembra buttato via in cinque minuti.
La letteratura di libri ambientati in carcere è piena: di questo, probabilmente, non vi era nessuna necessità.
October 15, 2012
This book is superb .. i was torn between not being able to put it down & forcing myself to slow down as i didn't want it to finish ... From the first chapter a knot of anxiety grew in my stomach and i felt a dreadful sense of foreboding, something terrible is about to happen in Green River. I've seldom read a book that paint's such a detailed description of it's setting that not only could i see the prison but i could smell it's sweat-soaked malice & taste it's rancid misery. I was frightend for these character's ... for Klein and Coley and the rest of the castaway's stranded in this version of Hell ... the one thing i couldn't shake was Marlon Brando's face every time i read about Hobbes, but as the author himself make's the comparison between his Warden & Colonel Kurtz it's hard not to. Are we also to think that Klein is the author's version of Captain Willard too ??
Is Green River his Heart of Darkness ?? It's certainly dark ... it's also a nasty, violent and bloody enviroment where the predators stalk their designated patch's raping, maiming and stealing at will and paranoia & fear is all around.
Teaming with frustration, graphically dirty, beautifully claustrophobic & strong with the stench of primevil base instinct ... a outstanding must read.
Is Green River his Heart of Darkness ?? It's certainly dark ... it's also a nasty, violent and bloody enviroment where the predators stalk their designated patch's raping, maiming and stealing at will and paranoia & fear is all around.
Teaming with frustration, graphically dirty, beautifully claustrophobic & strong with the stench of primevil base instinct ... a outstanding must read.
February 8, 2017
I first "met" Tim Willocks when I picked up a copy of The Religion at a book sale to read on the bus from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore.
I enjoyed The Religion A LOT. So when I got a chance to pick this up I was looking forward to one of his other works.
It's an interesting tale, set in a high-security prison in the middle of nowhere. I enjoyed the characters as well as the storytelling.
It seems a bit convenient, though, that the series of events that set off the story happen just when our main character's about to be released on parole.
I enjoyed the author's amount of detail including the disturbing amount of sex, violence and disease that would naturally be present in a prison situation but are obviously down-played or skimmed over by prison documentaries.
A worthwhile read!
I enjoyed The Religion A LOT. So when I got a chance to pick this up I was looking forward to one of his other works.
It's an interesting tale, set in a high-security prison in the middle of nowhere. I enjoyed the characters as well as the storytelling.
It seems a bit convenient, though, that the series of events that set off the story happen just when our main character's about to be released on parole.
I enjoyed the author's amount of detail including the disturbing amount of sex, violence and disease that would naturally be present in a prison situation but are obviously down-played or skimmed over by prison documentaries.
A worthwhile read!
January 20, 2012
Tim Willocks' Green River Rising, a prison novel, begins bogged down in overly descriptive language, a little too "flowery" and odd when given the subject matter. However I sloshed through the initial first chapter and wadded into the Willocks' imaginary penitentiary. He nails a few characters. He picks up on some prison idioms. He falls prey to some clichés. And righteously blows it with shit that just doesn't ring true – yet in the end he has a compelling story. And other than miserably destroying one character's dialogue by insisting on using ineffectual slang, I forgave the discrepancies and rode it all the way to the end.
April 23, 2007
This is an amazing book- just brilliant. Dr. Ray Klein is a wrongly convicted man on the verge of parole from Green River State Pen. in Texas when the prisoners suddenly riot, leaving him trapped inside. Willocks description of life in prison is vivid and his characters are well thought out. This is an intense, fast-paced read. It's graphic at times and not for the faint-of-heart.
August 4, 2015
Every year or so I return to this epic novel, it reminds me of what a book can achieve. Willocks' tale of a prison riot is brutal and uncompromising with a story that will shock and hold the reader in its grasp. Never has a story held such power over me. Without a doubt one of the best books of the last 30 years: powerful and thought provoking. An example of the perfect novel.
May 13, 2013
One of those books you start and cannot put down. Willocks has a fabulous skill of getting inside the head of his protagonists and writing visceral, brutally realistic stories. I'd recommend this with the rider that it is violent and the language is the language of prisoners in a very unpleasant prison. Having said that, it's well worth the read.
April 2, 2020
One of the most realistic books I've read about a prison riot which takes you deep into the politics and racial hatred of Americans top security Penitentiary prison. You will not put it down until you've finished.😎
May 13, 2014
Started well and then slid into what seemed to be a very bad action film script. Undoubtedly written with one eye on Hollywood.
April 20, 2023
Poco da dire: AVVINCENTE!
Un libro ed un autore che non avrei mai incontrato se non dietro suggerimento (IMPOSIZIONE?) di un amico che gestisce una libreria di seconda mano.
Praticamente si legge da solo, ecco.
Un libro ed un autore che non avrei mai incontrato se non dietro suggerimento (IMPOSIZIONE?) di un amico che gestisce una libreria di seconda mano.
Praticamente si legge da solo, ecco.
June 19, 2023
J'ai eu du mal à me mettre dans l'histoire puis je me suis laissée embarquée tout doucement.
December 18, 2019
Non saprei esattamente, se me lo chiedessero, se consigliare o meno la lettura di questo libro. A tratti bello ed entusiasmante con l'ambientazione carceraria riprodotta molto bene, a tratti troppo prolisso e di scrittura ricercata che è al di fuori dell'ambientazione stessa e dunque e mal si mescola con la trama e a tratti decisamente fuori dalle righe per via: della profusione di sesso (quel troppo che stroppia e che risulta alla fine in alcuni personaggi come quello della dottoressa Devlin, inverosimile), linguaggio (mi sta bene che l'ambientazione lo impone, ma credo si sia esagerato) e la caraterizzazione del personaggio principale, che all'inizio pare anche troppo composto e alla fine sembra un'incarnazione di Rambo. Insomma l'dea e la storia del libro è da apprezzare, anche la chiusura finale, anche se prevedibile ci sta bene, ma sembra che si sia voluto cuocere un pezzo di carne con troppo fuoco e troppa paprika, rovinandone in superfcie tutto il gusto. Per ritrovarlo e riuscire ad apprezzare la storia bisogna insomma scartare quell'eccesso di scrittura che ha rovinato in parte quello che poteva essere un buon libro da quattro stellette. L'ambientazione carceraria è riprodotta e riportata al lettore davvero superbamente e i personaggi che ci vivono in costrizione sono pennellati molto bene e devo dire sono molto più gradevoli loro nell'insieme, che i due protagonisti principali, che a dire il vero sembrano troppo "sopra le righe" per risultare infine credibili o quanto meno simpatici al lettore. Un libro che può piacere ai fan di film come "Fuga da Alcatraz", "Le ali della libertà" e del filone carcerario, ma che per essere apprezzato appieno deve essere edulcorato da quel "troppo" di cui si accennava prima.
January 31, 2013
If all you were to do was to skim read it might be easy to see why it is that those who criticize this extraordinary novel for being clichéd: for portraying the inmates as brutal, brutalized, racist, sexist, homophobic: for demeaning whites and for ennobling blacks, Hispanics, Latinos etc., do so. However, a closer reading would find that this was far from the truth. I suspect those making the criticism haven't been within a hundred miles of the kind of institution upon which the Green River State Penitentiary is based. This reviewer hasn't either but if those depicted in any U.S. prison documentary that I have ever seen are half way near being true portrayals then this book certainly has the ring of truth. It's even been criticized for having a female character who likes sport - imagine that!
There are no criticisms levelled at this book that could not also be levelled at movies such as Shawshank, Brubaker, Cool Hand Luke, American History X, Felon etc. and it is from such as these that the vast majority of readers will have taken their mental images of high security prisons in the U.S. It is not a documentary; it is fiction and should be taken at face value and in purely fictional terms that value is extremely high.
The book is vividly plotted, the prose style mesmerizing and the characters three-dimensional but it is definitely not for the faint-hearted being as it is punctured, periodically, by unsavoury and brutal depictions of the bestiality inherent in human beings endeavouring to survive in the most nightmarishly vicious of environments: this is truly Darwinism in action.
If you're looking for brilliantly realized drama of epic proportions that will keep you reading long into the night - you need look no further!
There are no criticisms levelled at this book that could not also be levelled at movies such as Shawshank, Brubaker, Cool Hand Luke, American History X, Felon etc. and it is from such as these that the vast majority of readers will have taken their mental images of high security prisons in the U.S. It is not a documentary; it is fiction and should be taken at face value and in purely fictional terms that value is extremely high.
The book is vividly plotted, the prose style mesmerizing and the characters three-dimensional but it is definitely not for the faint-hearted being as it is punctured, periodically, by unsavoury and brutal depictions of the bestiality inherent in human beings endeavouring to survive in the most nightmarishly vicious of environments: this is truly Darwinism in action.
If you're looking for brilliantly realized drama of epic proportions that will keep you reading long into the night - you need look no further!
July 11, 2023
I first read this book in 1995 on the back of a glowing review in the then hugely popular lad's magazine Loaded. I remember enjoying this tale of a vicious Texas prison riot a fair amount at the time but not much in the way of its details so I decided to give Green River Rising (1994) another go. Well, 20 year old Ty Ty and his 48 year old future self would probably not have much in common with literature as this clearly-made-to-be-a-movie tale (which it has yet to become one) has a bit too much cheese on its cracker. The debut novel of British psychiatrist Tim Willocks (who had at the time never been to Texas or to prison) is an ambitious affair based somewhat on Helen of Troy, with a racist white con starts a deadly prison riot to save his 'girl' who had been transferred to the black-poulated part of the prison. Our hero (a conveniently karate trained doctor a day away from parole) joins a wily lifer, a boxer with a heart of gold, a 'Lenny' like giant and a female doc who mostly serves to provide out-of-place graphic sex scenes, to save the day. Yea, this is silly and very much designed to entertain young men with a thirst for action and violence but it has a solid atmosphere and a clear good vs evil theme. But did there have to be so many erections in it?
September 1, 2020
This starts so well, the rumblings of discontent leading up to a prison riot, philosophical musings on the politics and ethics of incarceration, and the action - though at times almost gleefully brutal - builds at a pace.
Something seems to happen towards the ending though: the visiting female psychiatrist is oversexed and shags two inmates, during the riot yet (it's okay, because we get clarification that they both are innocent men), and then some hoarily clunking prose such as
which wouldn't seem out of place in a novel thirty or more years earlier, much less at the turn of the century.
Something seems to happen towards the ending though: the visiting female psychiatrist is oversexed and shags two inmates, during the riot yet (it's okay, because we get clarification that they both are innocent men), and then some hoarily clunking prose such as
He slapped his belly, a taut, satisfying sound. He was a fine figure of a man, by God, and he was alive. Devlin was a lucky woman, goddamn it.
which wouldn't seem out of place in a novel thirty or more years earlier, much less at the turn of the century.
September 4, 2010
I found this book by chance more than ten years sgo when I was browsing a bookstore. I thought the title was interestingg (the Spanish translation) and bought it.
I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it, ssince I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
The story is simple enough, a man is about to be released from prison and the day he gets the parole there is a riot. With this simple premise what we get is a gritty story about the motivation dribing desperate me, violence, blood, gore and also humanity, hope and evenrthing society is when taken to the extreme.
It is, without doubt, one of my favorite books ever.
I was pleasantly surprised when I started reading it, ssince I had no idea what I was getting myself into.
The story is simple enough, a man is about to be released from prison and the day he gets the parole there is a riot. With this simple premise what we get is a gritty story about the motivation dribing desperate me, violence, blood, gore and also humanity, hope and evenrthing society is when taken to the extreme.
It is, without doubt, one of my favorite books ever.
April 10, 2023
Wow! What a read…a powerfully descriptive prison book, savage, brutal,gut wrenching….stabbings,beatings, rapes are an every day occurrence it is a cesspit of human misery.
You do what it takes to survive, turn a blind eye it’s not my business…ain’t nobody gonna help you.
Ray Klein has survived and now has one day to go, he’s won his parole, things are looking up….but on that day a riot breaks out, white against black, any grudges held, well now it’s payback time…hell has risen.
Great characters, a real page turner, you smell the fear and the sweat, you feel the misery seeping out of every pore,it’s a brilliant read.
You do what it takes to survive, turn a blind eye it’s not my business…ain’t nobody gonna help you.
Ray Klein has survived and now has one day to go, he’s won his parole, things are looking up….but on that day a riot breaks out, white against black, any grudges held, well now it’s payback time…hell has risen.
Great characters, a real page turner, you smell the fear and the sweat, you feel the misery seeping out of every pore,it’s a brilliant read.
February 19, 2022
When I first read Green River Rising...yikes, almost 30 years ago now, I thought it was a stunning piece of work.
Recently re-reading it again, it hasn't lost any of its power. Each day I looked forward to returning to this intense epic of a riot in a brutal Texas prison that spectacularly gets worse and worse.
Action-packed, disgusting, engrossing, gruesome, horrifying, startling, terrifying and even laugh-out-loud funny at times, Green River Rising is unforgettable.
Recently re-reading it again, it hasn't lost any of its power. Each day I looked forward to returning to this intense epic of a riot in a brutal Texas prison that spectacularly gets worse and worse.
Action-packed, disgusting, engrossing, gruesome, horrifying, startling, terrifying and even laugh-out-loud funny at times, Green River Rising is unforgettable.
November 24, 2010
Just in case you were unsure, you DO NOT want to be in an old East Texas prison run by a madman when there's a race riot. Really.
Fascinating book, compelling hero, badass heroine, and a cast of characters all motley and mean and flawed and depraved and surprising. Green River Rising is claustrophobic and filthy and violent, but I loved it. Incredible writing.
Fascinating book, compelling hero, badass heroine, and a cast of characters all motley and mean and flawed and depraved and surprising. Green River Rising is claustrophobic and filthy and violent, but I loved it. Incredible writing.
July 28, 2011
Possibly the first prison drama I'd read since Papillon. Not quite so much of the smuggling stuff around stuck up your arse, but makes up for it with lots of cheery postmodern brutality. Not bad as it goes.
January 8, 2013
I sat on this for a while thinking it might be average, I was very wrong. This is a tough, brutal read but very appropriate for the story line. It was full of violence, but also very empathetic and well researched. An excellent read.
May 29, 2014
Absolutely brilliant novel. Set in an American prison the story follows the events during a riot. It's the most thought-provoking novel I've read for a long and will haunt me for a long time to come.
July 22, 2018
A thriller about a prison in East Texas whose prison population is ready to blow up with racial tension. The warden is bipolar and has stopped taking his medication, and in his mania, decides to help the tension along a little bit, causing the prison to explode into a riot.
August 4, 2021
Decent prose, but Willocks has no idea how to write a convincing woman, and his attempt at a torrid sex scene was embarrassing. Women don't usually get hot and bothered by being bitten repeatedly on the face.
January 26, 2023
Tarde la vida en leerlo, no entendí ni la mitad y encima me recuerda a el trauma que es coger los buses de autocares serrano para ir a la uni (que es donde leía esta absoluta pesadilla de libro).
Una pena, el argumento prometía y hay algún que otro personaje salvable.
Una pena, el argumento prometía y hay algún que otro personaje salvable.
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