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Moondogs
A singularly effervescent novel pivoting around the disappearance of an American businessman in the Philippines and the long-suffering son, jilted lover, slick police commissioner, misguided villain, and supernatural saviors who all want a piece of him.
Mourning the recent loss of his mother, twentysomething Benicio—aka Benny—travels to Manila to reconnect with his estranged father, Howard. But when he arrives his father is nowhere to be found—leaving an irritated son to conclude that Howard has let him down for the umpteenth time. However, his father has actually been kidnapped by a meth-addled cabdriver, with grand plans to sell him to local terrorists as bait in the country’s never-ending power struggle between insurgents, separatists, and “democratic” muscle.
Benicio’s search for Howard reveals more about his father’s womanizing ways and suspicious business deals, reopening the old hurts that he’d hoped to mend. Interspersed with the son’s inquiry and the father’s calamitous life in captivity are the high-octane interconnecting narratives of Reynato Ocampo, the local celebrity-hero policeman charged with rescuing Howard; Ocampo’s ragtag team of wizardry-infused soldiers; and Monique, a novice officer at the American embassy whose family still feels feverishly unmoored in the Philippines.
With blistering forward momentum, crackling dialogue, wonderfully bizarre turns, and glimpses into both Filipino and expat culture, the novel marches toward a stunning climax, which ultimately challenges our conventional ideas of family and identity and introduces Yates as a powerful new voice in contemporary literature.
Mourning the recent loss of his mother, twentysomething Benicio—aka Benny—travels to Manila to reconnect with his estranged father, Howard. But when he arrives his father is nowhere to be found—leaving an irritated son to conclude that Howard has let him down for the umpteenth time. However, his father has actually been kidnapped by a meth-addled cabdriver, with grand plans to sell him to local terrorists as bait in the country’s never-ending power struggle between insurgents, separatists, and “democratic” muscle.
Benicio’s search for Howard reveals more about his father’s womanizing ways and suspicious business deals, reopening the old hurts that he’d hoped to mend. Interspersed with the son’s inquiry and the father’s calamitous life in captivity are the high-octane interconnecting narratives of Reynato Ocampo, the local celebrity-hero policeman charged with rescuing Howard; Ocampo’s ragtag team of wizardry-infused soldiers; and Monique, a novice officer at the American embassy whose family still feels feverishly unmoored in the Philippines.
With blistering forward momentum, crackling dialogue, wonderfully bizarre turns, and glimpses into both Filipino and expat culture, the novel marches toward a stunning climax, which ultimately challenges our conventional ideas of family and identity and introduces Yates as a powerful new voice in contemporary literature.
339 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2011
15 people are currently reading
695 people want to read
About the author
Alexander Yates
8 books153 followersAlexander Yates grew up in Haiti, Mexico and Bolivia. He graduated high school in the Philippines, where he later returned to work as a contractor in the US Embassy. He holds an MFA from Syracuse University, where he edited the literary journal Salt Hill and won Joyce Carol Oates awards in fiction and poetry. His fiction and reviews have appeared in Salon, American Fiction, Fivechapters.com and the Kenyon Review Online. He currently lives in Vietnam.
If you'd like to contact Alex, the best way to do so is on insta or twitter, where is can be found at @theotheryates
If you'd like to contact Alex, the best way to do so is on insta or twitter, where is can be found at @theotheryates
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
December 14, 2025
3.3 stars
An incredibly unique and sort of confusing story?
Personally, I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, and while the story itself was really interesting I think that lack of connection made me somewhat bored and uninterested, leading to me kind of waiting for the book to be over.
Benny was by far my favourite character, but beyond that I didn't really feel like the rest of the plot points were sufficiently interesting enough, especially not Monique's which is a shame considering there's not many women present in the story, and when they are they're more in relation to the leading man of a narrative.
It just would have been nice to see things taken in a little different of a direction, but I can't put my finger where exactly that direction should have gone. Yates's writing was really interesting though, and I'll be honest, I'm interested in reading more. Hopefully I'll be able to understand the perspectives a little better than this one.
An incredibly unique and sort of confusing story?
Personally, I didn't feel very connected to any of the characters, and while the story itself was really interesting I think that lack of connection made me somewhat bored and uninterested, leading to me kind of waiting for the book to be over.
Benny was by far my favourite character, but beyond that I didn't really feel like the rest of the plot points were sufficiently interesting enough, especially not Monique's which is a shame considering there's not many women present in the story, and when they are they're more in relation to the leading man of a narrative.
It just would have been nice to see things taken in a little different of a direction, but I can't put my finger where exactly that direction should have gone. Yates's writing was really interesting though, and I'll be honest, I'm interested in reading more. Hopefully I'll be able to understand the perspectives a little better than this one.
June 19, 2017
According to the author, moondogs are the halo-like coronae that appear around the moon on particularly clear night skies. What this has to do with the singularly weird but entertaining novel "Moondogs" by Alexander Yates is still rather unclear to me, but it doesn't detract from my enjoyment of the story, much of which, like the title, kind of went over my head anyway.
First off, it's about The Phillipines. I've never been to the Phillipines, and, after reading this book, I doubt it will ever make it on my top ten places to visit list. It is, apparently, a place replete with a rich history, some of which reflects poorly on the United States.
The story begins with the kidnapping of an American businessman named Howard, who is the epitome of the Ugly American: fat, rich, disrespectful, and careless.
On the same day he is kidnapped, his estranged son Benicio arrives in Manila, in the hopes of repairing their broken relationship.
Meanwhile, the American ambassador to the Philipines, Monique, awakes one day to find that her husband and children have left. Surprisingly, it is not because she has been carrying on a steamy months-long affair with Reynato, a Filipino police detective with an almost celebrity-like status as a supercop.
In the '70s and '80s, an actor named Carlos played Reynato in a series of popular action films, and now Carlos is running for Senate.
Oh, and Reynato has been secretly putting together a death squad comprised of soldiers with supernatural powers, a commando unit he calls Ka-Pow.
I know this sounds like a weird Filipino soap opera/peyote vision a la David Lynch's "Twin Peaks", and it certainly has that feel at times. It's also a pretty suspenseful thriller, a hard-boiled crime drama, a rollicking fantasy-comedy, and a not-so-flattering travelogue of the Philipines.
Yates writes well, and while his inspiration clearly emanates from the novels of Thomas Pynchon and Tom Robbins, he has his own unique voice. I think this is Yates's debut novel (don't quote me on that), which, if true, is pretty damned impressive.
First off, it's about The Phillipines. I've never been to the Phillipines, and, after reading this book, I doubt it will ever make it on my top ten places to visit list. It is, apparently, a place replete with a rich history, some of which reflects poorly on the United States.
The story begins with the kidnapping of an American businessman named Howard, who is the epitome of the Ugly American: fat, rich, disrespectful, and careless.
On the same day he is kidnapped, his estranged son Benicio arrives in Manila, in the hopes of repairing their broken relationship.
Meanwhile, the American ambassador to the Philipines, Monique, awakes one day to find that her husband and children have left. Surprisingly, it is not because she has been carrying on a steamy months-long affair with Reynato, a Filipino police detective with an almost celebrity-like status as a supercop.
In the '70s and '80s, an actor named Carlos played Reynato in a series of popular action films, and now Carlos is running for Senate.
Oh, and Reynato has been secretly putting together a death squad comprised of soldiers with supernatural powers, a commando unit he calls Ka-Pow.
I know this sounds like a weird Filipino soap opera/peyote vision a la David Lynch's "Twin Peaks", and it certainly has that feel at times. It's also a pretty suspenseful thriller, a hard-boiled crime drama, a rollicking fantasy-comedy, and a not-so-flattering travelogue of the Philipines.
Yates writes well, and while his inspiration clearly emanates from the novels of Thomas Pynchon and Tom Robbins, he has his own unique voice. I think this is Yates's debut novel (don't quote me on that), which, if true, is pretty damned impressive.
April 2, 2011
Having gone to the Philippines for a month a couple of years ago, I have a fondness for pretty much anything Filipino. I was intrigued to discover this novel set in the Philippines as not many novels published in the US are set there. Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The author does a fine job putting you right in the Philippines without going overboard. Somehow, Yates takes blends family drama, a police procedural involving a kidnapping, and characters with fantastical mystical powers. A poor kid from the South who can but a bullet into any target he can conjure in his mind. An embassy worker who can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. A guy who can shape shift into any animal. If this all sounds preposterous and possibly corny, Yates pulls it off and makes it work. I enjoyed the quirkiness and strong writing of this novel. I hope others discover this fine debut novel.
June 1, 2017
This book was bizarre and felt all over the place. There were three different storylines going on, two of which barely connected to the main one (but connected to each other) for how much room they were given in the book. I think Monique was an unnecessary character. The story didn't gain anything from her chapters and perspective. I would have been okay with the other two storylines intertwining and admittedly after a certain point I skimmed her chapters only looking for anything important. The bit of magic in the book was interesting, I enjoyed those characters. If this had been two separate books, one with Benicio and Howard, the other with Reynato, Efrem and the 'family,' each given more attention, I think it would have made for two amazing novels. Overall, being off-kilter balanced the intense nature of the rest of the story and it still felt worth the read.
June 1, 2012
WOW! Where should I start with this unique and fantastical tale? There is something for just about everybody in this book. Mystery, politics, mysticism, romance, family saga, satire, you name it...
This book is completely different from anything I have ever read before and I could not wait to get back to it. In fact, my 10 year-old found me on the couch late one night barely able to keep my eye lids open and told me I really needed to go to bed, but I just wanted more.
The main story follows a son, Benicio, and is father, Howard Bridgewater, who have had a falling out as a result of Howard's unfaithfulness to Benicio's mother. After Benicio's mother passes away, he decides that it's time to reconcile with his father, thus begins the fantastical tale previously mentioned.
Benicio's decides to fly to the Philippines, where his father resides, to go on a diving trip with Howard. Before Benicio arrives in the Philippines, his father is kidnapped by Ignacio, a taxi driver who carries around his green smoking rooster and eventually tries to sell Howard to local terrorists.
It takes about a week for people to realize that Howard has been kidnapped and an adulteress Monique from the US Embassy is assigned to manage his case and seek out the location of Howard Bridwater's kidnapper's. Monique is having an affair with Reynato Ocampo, who heads Task Force Ka-Pow and is a local police officer idolized by the community after a television show was created for him because he's known to stick up for the unstuck up for.
Task Force Ka-Pow consists of four bruhos that have varying talents, from changing into another living thing to shooting someone who's miles away and out of the normal sight range. Task Force Ka-Pow is charged with recovering Howard Bridgewater, but where money is concerned there is always someone that gets their priorities mixed up.
There are so many interesting characters in this book and so many other side stories I could touch on, but I will save those for the reader to discover. I cannot recommend this book enough.
NOTE FOR THE SENSITIVE READER: There is some foul language and sex in this one
This book is completely different from anything I have ever read before and I could not wait to get back to it. In fact, my 10 year-old found me on the couch late one night barely able to keep my eye lids open and told me I really needed to go to bed, but I just wanted more.
The main story follows a son, Benicio, and is father, Howard Bridgewater, who have had a falling out as a result of Howard's unfaithfulness to Benicio's mother. After Benicio's mother passes away, he decides that it's time to reconcile with his father, thus begins the fantastical tale previously mentioned.
Benicio's decides to fly to the Philippines, where his father resides, to go on a diving trip with Howard. Before Benicio arrives in the Philippines, his father is kidnapped by Ignacio, a taxi driver who carries around his green smoking rooster and eventually tries to sell Howard to local terrorists.
It takes about a week for people to realize that Howard has been kidnapped and an adulteress Monique from the US Embassy is assigned to manage his case and seek out the location of Howard Bridwater's kidnapper's. Monique is having an affair with Reynato Ocampo, who heads Task Force Ka-Pow and is a local police officer idolized by the community after a television show was created for him because he's known to stick up for the unstuck up for.
Task Force Ka-Pow consists of four bruhos that have varying talents, from changing into another living thing to shooting someone who's miles away and out of the normal sight range. Task Force Ka-Pow is charged with recovering Howard Bridgewater, but where money is concerned there is always someone that gets their priorities mixed up.
There are so many interesting characters in this book and so many other side stories I could touch on, but I will save those for the reader to discover. I cannot recommend this book enough.
NOTE FOR THE SENSITIVE READER: There is some foul language and sex in this one
May 9, 2011
Moondogs by debut novelist Alexander Yates set in present day Philippines combines magic, action, and satire. Yates draws on his own knowledge of the Philippines where he graduated from high school and later returned to work for the political section of the US Embassy. His familiarity with and knowledge of the place and its people comes across. While the persons, places, and events are fictionalized, his Filipino and expat characters are familiar enough that Yates could have written about people we know.
The lead character is Benicio Bridgewater, the son of a Columbian mother and American father. His parents had divorced years ago and Benicio has had a strained relationship with his father for years, but following Benicio’s mother’s funeral he’s decided to visit his father in the Philippines to repair the relationship. When his father stands him up in the airport, Benicio is left angry and hurt. It turns out that his father Howard had been kidnapped by a meth-addled cabdriver and his strange companions. When the crime is discovered, local celebrity hero Reynato Ocampo and his special operations unit nicknamed Ka-Pow is called in to rescue Howard. Each member of the Ka-Pow team has a unique magical talent which Ocampo learns to harness. The characters in Moondogs run the gamut: yayas, drivers, and hotel staff, “political consultants” and actors turned politicians, pampered and privileged kids from the International School Manila, expat businessmen and “exotic dancers”, desperate hustlers, kidnappers, military men, and terrorists from the South. Yates seems to have captured much of the Philippine experience and added his own special stamp creating an unusual, rollicking read.
The lead character is Benicio Bridgewater, the son of a Columbian mother and American father. His parents had divorced years ago and Benicio has had a strained relationship with his father for years, but following Benicio’s mother’s funeral he’s decided to visit his father in the Philippines to repair the relationship. When his father stands him up in the airport, Benicio is left angry and hurt. It turns out that his father Howard had been kidnapped by a meth-addled cabdriver and his strange companions. When the crime is discovered, local celebrity hero Reynato Ocampo and his special operations unit nicknamed Ka-Pow is called in to rescue Howard. Each member of the Ka-Pow team has a unique magical talent which Ocampo learns to harness. The characters in Moondogs run the gamut: yayas, drivers, and hotel staff, “political consultants” and actors turned politicians, pampered and privileged kids from the International School Manila, expat businessmen and “exotic dancers”, desperate hustlers, kidnappers, military men, and terrorists from the South. Yates seems to have captured much of the Philippine experience and added his own special stamp creating an unusual, rollicking read.
March 23, 2011
Moondogs is a terrific novel. It's the kind of book that brings desperate elements together in an unusual location (for me) in a surprisingly off kilter way. There's a grieving son, an estranged Father, soldiers with wizard-y superpowers, a local celebrity hero cop who has inspired a series of over the top action movies, adulterous embassy employees, a meth-addicted cab driver, a smoking rooster, a prostitute and a actor with political ambitions. All these characters come together in the Philippines when the estranged Father is kidnapped by wannabe terrorists before he can reunite with the grieving son.
Too many years of retail and visits from sales reps have me aching to tell you that Moondogs is blank meets blank. Not because this novel is a mish-mash of the creativity of others but because it is so original that referencing Moondogs to even the smallest similarities in other works would give you a better idea of what to expect when you read it than my tiny mind can produce. This is a twenty first century screwball comedy. The situations are realistic enough to make you appreciate the humanity in the story but at the same time so broad that the humor and almost Tall Tale qualities carry you along on a very enjoyable ride.
Moondogs author Alexander Yates gets a big round of applause for this his first novel. He has balanced the unsavory with the farcical in this novel like a pro. His writing is crisp and colorful and his story is inventive and well paced. Adventure and comedy may jump off the page in Moondogs but not at the expense of a heartfelt Father Son story.
Too many years of retail and visits from sales reps have me aching to tell you that Moondogs is blank meets blank. Not because this novel is a mish-mash of the creativity of others but because it is so original that referencing Moondogs to even the smallest similarities in other works would give you a better idea of what to expect when you read it than my tiny mind can produce. This is a twenty first century screwball comedy. The situations are realistic enough to make you appreciate the humanity in the story but at the same time so broad that the humor and almost Tall Tale qualities carry you along on a very enjoyable ride.
Moondogs author Alexander Yates gets a big round of applause for this his first novel. He has balanced the unsavory with the farcical in this novel like a pro. His writing is crisp and colorful and his story is inventive and well paced. Adventure and comedy may jump off the page in Moondogs but not at the expense of a heartfelt Father Son story.
June 5, 2017
Found the book difficult to get through. Even though later in the book the story got more life. It's a book that illustrates life, the good, the bad and the ugly!
January 23, 2020
A brilliant read from a unique voice. Moondogs is a roller coaster of human failings, magical realism, crime and punishment, and family - playing out against the backdrop of an election in the Philippines. It's like Eat, Pray, Love taking place in the most unfortunate timeline. I think - I never read Eat, Pray, Love. This cinematic tale is filled with a host of characters that (purposefully) leave something to be desired, but keep you invested anyway. Perfect read for your next flight to a country you never plan to return to.
Read
February 5, 2021Recently some of my friends and I amused ourselves with the question, "On the scale of 1 to 10, how weird would you say you are?" Moondogs is s novel that starts out reading like a normal story. Maybe I'd give it at most a 2 on the weirdness scale, one for being set in the exotic locale of the Philippines, and another one for having a rooster introduced on page one as a character and a villain. But Benicio (who travels to the Philippines to re-connect with his estranged father) and his girlfriend Alice seem like normal people. Monique (an American diplomat in the Philippines) and her trailing family seem like normal people. Dysfunctional, but normal.
Then on page 49 Effrem Khalid Bakkar raises his rifle and shoots dead a man 30 miles away. The needle on the weirdness meter just shot up to a good 8 or 9. Turns out this is a book about superheroes. Except they aren't heroes. Superheroes only use their powers for good. These bruhos, one who can turn himself into an animal, one who turns violence into magic tricks, one who always gets hurt, but (so far, anyway) never dies, use their powers for... what do they use their powers for? Combined as the Task Force Ka-Pow, they go out after criminals because... because their boss Reynato Ocampo tells them to, because it's just what they do, because it's fun. They are, "Beautiful. Powerful. Scary. And bad."
The short version of the story is that American businessman Howard Bridgewater is kidnapped, and the Task Force Ka-Pow goes to rescue him. But there is no short version. It's about Benicio and his father. It's about Benicio and his girlfriend. It's about Monique and her affair. It's about Monique and her marriage. It's about a local prostitute named Solita who says Howard fathered her son. It's about Charlie Fuentes, movie star turned politician. And then there are the minor characters. I admit that I got confused at times. Wait. Who is Edilberto again? Who is Bobby Dancer? All of these threads and characters, who at first seem to have nothing to do with each other, will end up tied in a single (messy) knot, and watching them draw together is a pleasure. Along the way, pretty much anything may happen. Because this is a weird book. Weird in a good way.
Then on page 49 Effrem Khalid Bakkar raises his rifle and shoots dead a man 30 miles away. The needle on the weirdness meter just shot up to a good 8 or 9. Turns out this is a book about superheroes. Except they aren't heroes. Superheroes only use their powers for good. These bruhos, one who can turn himself into an animal, one who turns violence into magic tricks, one who always gets hurt, but (so far, anyway) never dies, use their powers for... what do they use their powers for? Combined as the Task Force Ka-Pow, they go out after criminals because... because their boss Reynato Ocampo tells them to, because it's just what they do, because it's fun. They are, "Beautiful. Powerful. Scary. And bad."
The short version of the story is that American businessman Howard Bridgewater is kidnapped, and the Task Force Ka-Pow goes to rescue him. But there is no short version. It's about Benicio and his father. It's about Benicio and his girlfriend. It's about Monique and her affair. It's about Monique and her marriage. It's about a local prostitute named Solita who says Howard fathered her son. It's about Charlie Fuentes, movie star turned politician. And then there are the minor characters. I admit that I got confused at times. Wait. Who is Edilberto again? Who is Bobby Dancer? All of these threads and characters, who at first seem to have nothing to do with each other, will end up tied in a single (messy) knot, and watching them draw together is a pleasure. Along the way, pretty much anything may happen. Because this is a weird book. Weird in a good way.
March 13, 2019
3.5 stars
I picked this book up because it was touted as a "thrilla' in Manila", and as a Filipino-Australian, I was keen to read a book set in my home country. Moondogs did not disappoint in that regard - in fact, I was overjoyed when I realised the story later moved to Magallanes and Tagaytay because I have an even more personal connection to those areas! I loved reading about the various Filipino foods and customs that Yates referenced, as it really gave the story an authentic feel.
Moondogs follows the interconnected stories of four characters - Howard, Benicio, Efrem and Monique. Each character's story is denoted by a picture tile at each chapter heading, which was pretty neat (albeit a bit unnecessary as their stories were quite distinct anyway). These characters were all quite diverse, with only one of them actually being a full-born Filipino.
They all had interesting backstories, but were quite unlikeable characters. Beyond this main cast, other significant characters, like Reynato and Solita, were even more off-putting. While this made sense for the plot of the story, my dislike for the characters made it difficult for me to connect with them.
I liked the supernatural elements of the story, and I found Efrem's powers to be quite novel. For all the fantastical things that happen in the book however, there is a nice parallel to real life tensions in the Philippines. For example, the political races, the Moro insurgencies, the ex-pat culture. I'd recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the Philippines, or anyone just wanting to dip their toe in something a bit different from traditional Western-focused stories.
I picked this book up because it was touted as a "thrilla' in Manila", and as a Filipino-Australian, I was keen to read a book set in my home country. Moondogs did not disappoint in that regard - in fact, I was overjoyed when I realised the story later moved to Magallanes and Tagaytay because I have an even more personal connection to those areas! I loved reading about the various Filipino foods and customs that Yates referenced, as it really gave the story an authentic feel.
Moondogs follows the interconnected stories of four characters - Howard, Benicio, Efrem and Monique. Each character's story is denoted by a picture tile at each chapter heading, which was pretty neat (albeit a bit unnecessary as their stories were quite distinct anyway). These characters were all quite diverse, with only one of them actually being a full-born Filipino.
They all had interesting backstories, but were quite unlikeable characters. Beyond this main cast, other significant characters, like Reynato and Solita, were even more off-putting. While this made sense for the plot of the story, my dislike for the characters made it difficult for me to connect with them.
I liked the supernatural elements of the story, and I found Efrem's powers to be quite novel. For all the fantastical things that happen in the book however, there is a nice parallel to real life tensions in the Philippines. For example, the political races, the Moro insurgencies, the ex-pat culture. I'd recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the Philippines, or anyone just wanting to dip their toe in something a bit different from traditional Western-focused stories.
September 14, 2010
Set against the lush backdrop of the Philippines within the context of the politics and history that shape the country, MOONDOGS is a gorgeous and fantastical debut novel from Alexander Yates that challenges our conventional ideas of family, cultural identity, and how we define the place we call home. At its heart, MOONDOGS is a story of relationships—suffering and loss, love and betrayal, redemption and forgiveness, sprinkled with magical realism.
After Benicio loses his mother to a fatal car crash, he agrees to spend the summer in the Philippines with his businessman father, Howard, in an effort to heal their broken relationship. But, when Benicio arrives in Manila, Howard is nowhere to be found—leaving Benicio to fend for himself in a country that feels very foreign and so far removed from his life in the States. As Benicio searches for Howard he learns more about his father’s womanizing ways and shady morals, suspicious business deals, and the possibility of an illegitimate son born to a prostitute. When his girlfriend Alice joins him in Manila, her presence is a stabilizing force for Benicio, as he seeks to escape the shadow of his father and the predictions of his mother.
Interspersed with Benicio’s story are the interconnecting narratives of Monique, the American Citizen Services department head at the US Embassy whose family is falling apart under the stress of living in the Philippines; Renato Ocampo, local celebrity-hero policeman charged with finding Howard, and his rag-tag team of soldiers who each have a special magical ability; and Ignacio, a cabdriver who has kidnapped Howard and has plans to sell him to terrorists. Although MOONDOGS is primarily Benicio’s story, the rest of the characters who populate the novel reaffirm the theme of identity. Who can we call family? How can we fit in? Where is our place in the world?
This is an amazing novel and Yates is a fresh new voice in contemporary literature... someone to watch!
After Benicio loses his mother to a fatal car crash, he agrees to spend the summer in the Philippines with his businessman father, Howard, in an effort to heal their broken relationship. But, when Benicio arrives in Manila, Howard is nowhere to be found—leaving Benicio to fend for himself in a country that feels very foreign and so far removed from his life in the States. As Benicio searches for Howard he learns more about his father’s womanizing ways and shady morals, suspicious business deals, and the possibility of an illegitimate son born to a prostitute. When his girlfriend Alice joins him in Manila, her presence is a stabilizing force for Benicio, as he seeks to escape the shadow of his father and the predictions of his mother.
Interspersed with Benicio’s story are the interconnecting narratives of Monique, the American Citizen Services department head at the US Embassy whose family is falling apart under the stress of living in the Philippines; Renato Ocampo, local celebrity-hero policeman charged with finding Howard, and his rag-tag team of soldiers who each have a special magical ability; and Ignacio, a cabdriver who has kidnapped Howard and has plans to sell him to terrorists. Although MOONDOGS is primarily Benicio’s story, the rest of the characters who populate the novel reaffirm the theme of identity. Who can we call family? How can we fit in? Where is our place in the world?
This is an amazing novel and Yates is a fresh new voice in contemporary literature... someone to watch!
January 25, 2011
Moondogs
I only have one problem, I do not like this book it is all over the place.
There were times when I thought, "ok I get this now" then I don't. It is a bit hard to keep my mind wrapped around it
What I did get out of it was that, Benico, Benny, who lives in Virginia, had a mother who died in January in Chicago. Benico's Father Howard lives in the Philippines. Now Howard wants to try a reconciliation with his son, he asks him to come to the Philippines. When Benico arrives he cannot find his father, he is angry that his father appears to be playing his usual games. But it doesn't take too long for him to find out that his father had been kidnapped. The kidnapper is a drug addict/taxi driver that is trying to find some terrorists group to buy Benico's American father. Howard is in the Hotel business making him a good target for kidnappers.
In his quest to find his father's kidnappers Benico has to face the fact that his father is an objectionable character, even though he really does mean to do the right thing by his son
Oh did I mention the Rooster? Kelog, apparently the rooster has the coloring of a Kellogg cereal box, ergo the name Kelog. His likeness is featured on the cover of this book.
If you are into intrigue then you will probably enjoy this
I only have one problem, I do not like this book it is all over the place.
There were times when I thought, "ok I get this now" then I don't. It is a bit hard to keep my mind wrapped around it
What I did get out of it was that, Benico, Benny, who lives in Virginia, had a mother who died in January in Chicago. Benico's Father Howard lives in the Philippines. Now Howard wants to try a reconciliation with his son, he asks him to come to the Philippines. When Benico arrives he cannot find his father, he is angry that his father appears to be playing his usual games. But it doesn't take too long for him to find out that his father had been kidnapped. The kidnapper is a drug addict/taxi driver that is trying to find some terrorists group to buy Benico's American father. Howard is in the Hotel business making him a good target for kidnappers.
In his quest to find his father's kidnappers Benico has to face the fact that his father is an objectionable character, even though he really does mean to do the right thing by his son
Oh did I mention the Rooster? Kelog, apparently the rooster has the coloring of a Kellogg cereal box, ergo the name Kelog. His likeness is featured on the cover of this book.
If you are into intrigue then you will probably enjoy this
October 10, 2017
It's a bit of a struggle to categorize this debut novel, and that's a good thing. It's partly about a recent college grad seeking to make amends with his estranged father, who lives in the Philippines. It's partly about a famous Manila cop who is the basis for a wildly popular series of action films and his affair with a consular officer at the American Embassy. It's partly about her marriage and kids. It's partly about a low-end meth dealer who impulsively kidnaps the estranged father, but has no idea how to monetize him. Finally, it's about a special police squad made of male witches, including a sniper who can shoot and kill across hundreds of miles. And those are just the main characters...
So although the main plotline is centered around the kidnapping, the story takes so many detours down so many colorful paths that it's much more than that. The book ends up being a really a surprisingly effective examination of families and feelings, even when it takes the reader into some graphic violence. Full of imagination and color, it's definitely worth checking out if you've got any interest in the Philippines or debut fiction of promise. I'll definitely be tracking down the author's next book.
So although the main plotline is centered around the kidnapping, the story takes so many detours down so many colorful paths that it's much more than that. The book ends up being a really a surprisingly effective examination of families and feelings, even when it takes the reader into some graphic violence. Full of imagination and color, it's definitely worth checking out if you've got any interest in the Philippines or debut fiction of promise. I'll definitely be tracking down the author's next book.
March 21, 2011
This was a very different book which touched on many genres in the fiction realm; including action, paranormal and suspense. There was a long list of very complex characters, many of whom were corrupt, immoral and dishonest people. I had a hard time finding characters that I really liked, because most of them were so flawed.
The story focuses around Benicio Bridgewater who is traveling to the Philippines to visit his estranged father, Howard, with whom he is trying to reestablish a relationship. Benicio is a likeable enough character who has fought his own demons over the years mostly because of relationship problems with his own parents. Before Benicio arrives in Manila, his father is kidnapped. The ensuing action in the story focuses on recovering Howard, the complexities of the relationship between Benicio and his father, and the sub-plots that the other supporting characters create in the action related to those events. All in all, it was an interesting and well-written book.
Thank you Goodreads First-Reads and Doubleday Publishing for the gift of this book. I look forward to following this author in the future.
The story focuses around Benicio Bridgewater who is traveling to the Philippines to visit his estranged father, Howard, with whom he is trying to reestablish a relationship. Benicio is a likeable enough character who has fought his own demons over the years mostly because of relationship problems with his own parents. Before Benicio arrives in Manila, his father is kidnapped. The ensuing action in the story focuses on recovering Howard, the complexities of the relationship between Benicio and his father, and the sub-plots that the other supporting characters create in the action related to those events. All in all, it was an interesting and well-written book.
Thank you Goodreads First-Reads and Doubleday Publishing for the gift of this book. I look forward to following this author in the future.
March 21, 2011
This book had me hooked and entertained more than I have been on a book in a good six months, and I've been reading a lot lately. I have seen other reviews mention that there are so many characters - and there are - but I really enjoyed how it all weaved together. I was pretty fascinated by Ka-Pow - I'd read a whole book on them!
But, I am a sucker for a happy ending and if the last section of the book - book 2 - had been done differently this would have been one of my favorites of all time, no contest. I especially hated that the victim didn't ever get a break - I never like to see people suffer at random - and that Efrem was brought into a group that would just end up dissolving, and I felt like Benicio didn't get closure and should've been able to keep himself from being so tempted. The suspense of whether or not the victim would get rescued kept me into it even when I didn't like how the ending was shaping up.
Still, four stars because the story is freaking awesome! I just didn't like the last 50 or so pages. I would absolutely love to see more from this author.
But, I am a sucker for a happy ending and if the last section of the book - book 2 - had been done differently this would have been one of my favorites of all time, no contest. I especially hated that the victim didn't ever get a break - I never like to see people suffer at random - and that Efrem was brought into a group that would just end up dissolving, and I felt like Benicio didn't get closure and should've been able to keep himself from being so tempted. The suspense of whether or not the victim would get rescued kept me into it even when I didn't like how the ending was shaping up.
Still, four stars because the story is freaking awesome! I just didn't like the last 50 or so pages. I would absolutely love to see more from this author.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2014
4.5 stars
I fell in love with this book from page 1, where a pinoy meth addict and a chicken are introduced as villains. This is a story set in the Philippines and is consist of, perhaps, the most complex and interesting characters I've read in a while.
We have a kidnapping pinoy meth addict, a villainous chicken, and his not-so-bright younger brother; an estranged father and son both seeking for re connection; a special task force team a la X-Men lead by a Dirty Harry like leader, a shapeshifter who can transform into any animal, a man who can absorb everybody's bad luck and also doesn't have the ability to die, someone who can shoot a man accurately from any distance as long as he have a name, and someone who can do magic; we have a woman who mothers two foster child and who cheats from his insomniac husband; a movie star turned senator, a prostitute, a campaign manager who got beaten up for switching sides, and a kid.
I thank myself, or Ka, for bumping into this book. Such a satisfying read.
I fell in love with this book from page 1, where a pinoy meth addict and a chicken are introduced as villains. This is a story set in the Philippines and is consist of, perhaps, the most complex and interesting characters I've read in a while.
We have a kidnapping pinoy meth addict, a villainous chicken, and his not-so-bright younger brother; an estranged father and son both seeking for re connection; a special task force team a la X-Men lead by a Dirty Harry like leader, a shapeshifter who can transform into any animal, a man who can absorb everybody's bad luck and also doesn't have the ability to die, someone who can shoot a man accurately from any distance as long as he have a name, and someone who can do magic; we have a woman who mothers two foster child and who cheats from his insomniac husband; a movie star turned senator, a prostitute, a campaign manager who got beaten up for switching sides, and a kid.
I thank myself, or Ka, for bumping into this book. Such a satisfying read.
March 22, 2011
I won this book from Goodreads, First Reads a few weeks ago. I was in the middle of Pillars of the Earth, so wanted to wait until I was done with that to delve into this. Interesting book. It was a little bit scattered, but once you got your head around all of the characters and a bit of the backtracking within the story, it was pretty good. I feel a little let down by the ending. I really enjoyed the whole Ka-Pow crew, and wished they would have had a stronger presence in the book and had not turned out the way they did in the end. Benny's character was a bit annoying to me. Be seemed to really not mature in the book the way I think he should have. I feel the same about him at the end as I did at the beginning, confused and wary.Some things were just strange and didn't make sense to me - I didn't really get Monique's character, or Solito. Solito just didn't seem developed enough. Overall a good, quick read!
October 29, 2011
I usually stick to the epic fantasy genre but I am glad I stepped out of the box for this one. I was reading Chuck Sambuchino's Guide to Literary Agents blog and Yates wrote a guest post offering advice to writers. By leaving a comment, I entered a contest to win a signed copy of his book and it arrived in the mail a week later.
It was a quick read, fast-paced, and interesting as well. Yates does an amazing job putting the reader in the Philippines. His knowledge of the culture and setting was obvious. The mixture of quirky humor with action, and the magical properties of the characters, came together well to tell an interesting story.
While a great read, the only thing I wish he had changed was to draw out the climax a little. With the fast pace of the entire novel I can see how it would be hard to slow things down, but in my opinion it would have tipped the scale closer to five stars.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alexander Yates.
It was a quick read, fast-paced, and interesting as well. Yates does an amazing job putting the reader in the Philippines. His knowledge of the culture and setting was obvious. The mixture of quirky humor with action, and the magical properties of the characters, came together well to tell an interesting story.
While a great read, the only thing I wish he had changed was to draw out the climax a little. With the fast pace of the entire novel I can see how it would be hard to slow things down, but in my opinion it would have tipped the scale closer to five stars.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Alexander Yates.
March 19, 2011
The author's writing style is colorful, which catches the flavor of the setting in Manilla and surrounding areas. The characters are equally colorful and full of quirks and flaws. Several of the characters have odd powers, some with more control over them than others. Then there are a few damaged relationships and politics thrown into the mix. It was an engaging story, and a fairly quick read, with plenty of action and enough double-crossing to keep you reading to find out where it would all go next. I wasn't as disturbed by the non-linear time jumping as some reviewers because I felt the author gave adequate hints to allow you to place each chapter into it's proper part of the overall narrative, and that added to the quirkiness overall. The end wasn't exactly what I'd hoped, but it wraps things up well.
August 22, 2016
Fascinating, well-written "magical realism" novel set that in the Philippines that resists easy classification. There are terrorists, U.S. diplomats, kidnappings, super-powered hit squads, martial arts chickens...
Yates obviously knows what he's writing about. His portrayals of life in the Philippines (from high society Manila to countryside cock fighting), U.S. Embassy "country team" meetings, even scuba diving are not only accurate but artistically drawn. The only thing that kept this from a fifth star was the ending, which I found a little unresolved. But otherwise, a thoroughly enjoyable read from an upcoming author I'm sure I'll be seeing more from.
(This book was recommended to me by my son, who had it recommended to him by his creative writing teacher at JMU. Good call, Will!)
Yates obviously knows what he's writing about. His portrayals of life in the Philippines (from high society Manila to countryside cock fighting), U.S. Embassy "country team" meetings, even scuba diving are not only accurate but artistically drawn. The only thing that kept this from a fifth star was the ending, which I found a little unresolved. But otherwise, a thoroughly enjoyable read from an upcoming author I'm sure I'll be seeing more from.
(This book was recommended to me by my son, who had it recommended to him by his creative writing teacher at JMU. Good call, Will!)
July 17, 2016
Magic-Realism in a Philippine (or should I say Phil-Am) setting. Slow at the beginning but got pretty exciting as it ends, it was more of a nagging curiosity about what will eventually happen to the characters. Having read 3/4ths of the book I really wanted to know, and so I ended up staying up until 2 AM to finish it. Because of this, I knew that I liked this book even if my first impression was I that I won't.
October 26, 2011
bibliovermis.com Illustrated Review
Good for: People who like ensemble casts and magical realism. The sometimes brutal graphic violence—even by … Continue reading →
January 11, 2016
I loved this book. I loved the way Manila and the Philippines is a character of its own. I love the way several characters wrestle with unknown and dangerous interiors more forbidding than the jungles and cities they're in.
Read
October 2, 2011I hesitate to describe Alexander Yates’ debut novel as surreal. Sure, among others, there’s a retired fighting cock who likes to smoke cigarettes—and who happens to be the sidekick of one meth-addled taxi driver turned inept kidnapper—but, you know, this novel feels strangely home. Its strangeness so familiar but compelling nonetheless. Its strangeness I’ve realized to be so patently Filipino. [Obviously, it is not uncommon to find a feral rooster smoking Philip Morrises in this glorious country. Ahem.]
Is this novel an accurate representative of my country? Does it matter? Heh. But, you know, like all works earnest, I think Moondogs lends an honesty rarely seen, rarely tried—especially by authors technically strangers to the land/culture/people whose stories it dares tell. A factor is the palpable affection to place. Another is the fact that Yates deals with people—in extraordinary circumstances, sure; some of them with supernatural capabilities, yes—but the novel steadfastly holds on to its characters’ emotional and psychological arcs.
But let’s begin with the camp and the cray-cray. Because it’s fun. And this novel is a lot of fun. Ahem. The aforementioned rooster and his owner, who opens the novel in a fine ka-blam entrance worthy of artsy-grainy films:
Oh, yeah, there is also an actor-turned-politician—which is, in all seriousness, one of the most common slashie occupations in this country:
Too awesome for words, especially when you realize that Charlie Fuentes is a composite of every actor who’s decided to put his brusque good looks on campaign posters, to use his easy charm to lull legions of fans into committing his name to a ballot. [Having paid more than my usual attention to the last election dude: the speeches here, how Charlie pounces on drama and vote-mongering? So sweetly real, haha.]
And, dear god, Task Force Ka-Pow, a small, merry band of special operatives who happen to have superpowers and are, thus, truly shitspilling themselves? There’s a shapeshifter, there’s a man who specializes in magic tricks [only, ya know, realer and deadlier], and there’s the group’s official shit magnet—if a bullet’s meant for a teammate, it will always find its way to this poor guy’s chest. And then, of course, there’s Efrem Khalid Bakkar of the Boxer Boys of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who happens to shoot anything, anyone, from any distance—and making that shot count.
Yes, several times, the novel’s energy comes close to collapsing into itself—this reader flipping pages in a mad dash to figure where the hell I was, when the bleeping shit I’m in actually took place—and the cast lead seemingly disparate lives for most of the novel [although they eventually gather into the spectacle of this novel]. You follow all these characters, superpower-ed and otherwise, and it can be overwhelming to do so; there were plenty of opportunities for Yates to tighten his narrative, or at least his telling. But, demmet, I flipped pages, didn’t I? The fun I was experiencing overshadowed any confusion that I’d suffered.
Mucho characters, mucho energy. But it’s a wonderful contrast and complement between these larger-than-life characters and their more quiet counterparts. There is Monique, US Embassy bigwig-slave, dealing with the pressures of her job, adapting to a culture she’d only experienced very young, and trying to appease a family [especially her “trailing spouse”] itching to get far, far away from this sticky place and its penchant for banana ketchup.
And, you know, at the center of the novel is, after all, Benicio Bridgewater, a man forced to confront the Philippines in all its mad glory, hand-in-hand with the kidnapping of his estranged hotel [and other shady deals]-magnate father. It is Benicio who must reconcile hurts of the past—including the death of a much-loved mother—and even faces off with them in the present. His father’s womanizing ways? The prostitute in his father’s hotel room who, still a stranger the night before, had given him a hard-on. The insistence that he is not his father, god no? See Benicio rubbing shoulders with the country’s political elite, all their whims and caprices, their dangerous slyness, their sheen—the power they convince him he possesses. Moondogs is, essentially, Benicio Bridgewater’s journey. Appropriate, pun-ish name, and all that. Something needs to shake him up, and, yes, by this novel’s lyrically calm conclusion, this poor boy has been shook hard.
But no one is simply larger-than-life, no one is simply a—sorry—a Muggle. The novel insists on digging into these people, uncovering the humanity beneath their assumed roles. And, we realize, along with them, that no one is who they seem. Secrets have been deliberately kept, and, sometimes, we even follow the characters discover things about themselves that they’d rather not discover, or hadn’t even considered. And that’s where Moondogs really hits the mark for me.
The novel—for all its focus on special operatives with superpowers, on the glitz of actors-turned-politicians, on the spectacle of a kidnapping carried out by pseudo-terrorists—insists on grounding itself on questions about family, about home, and how the places we find ourselves in influence our very identity. That’s the earnestness, that’s the bigger risk.
Its realism may be playfully skewed, with comic book tropes turning camp and vice versa, but this book is all heart, with a keen sensitivity to emotional narrative regardless of the spectacles. And yes, it’s so rare to see a novel about the cray-cray capital that is Manila (and I say that with much fondness) as engagingly, as sensitively—as inoffensively, haha—as Yates has crafted.
Beyond being bruhos and token expats and mainstays in seedy-sensational Manila, these are people, ya hear? People who apologize through locked doors, people who keep boxes full of returned letters, people who are sick and tired of “food cooked in vinegar and soy sauce . . . [and] spaghetti with sugar and hotdogs”—people who, dammit, would like to figure out what home means exactly, even for just a single clearest moment, even if through the crosshairs of a sniper rifle’s viewfinder.
Oh, and that cover? I want that on a shirt.
Is this novel an accurate representative of my country? Does it matter? Heh. But, you know, like all works earnest, I think Moondogs lends an honesty rarely seen, rarely tried—especially by authors technically strangers to the land/culture/people whose stories it dares tell. A factor is the palpable affection to place. Another is the fact that Yates deals with people—in extraordinary circumstances, sure; some of them with supernatural capabilities, yes—but the novel steadfastly holds on to its characters’ emotional and psychological arcs.
But let’s begin with the camp and the cray-cray. Because it’s fun. And this novel is a lot of fun. Ahem. The aforementioned rooster and his owner, who opens the novel in a fine ka-blam entrance worthy of artsy-grainy films:
A man and a rooster exit a taxi idling on a crowded street. The man is short and thin, and the rooster is green, and the rooster belongs to him. The taxi belongs to him as well. He’s wearing a fresh shirt, the blood all washed out, and his polyester slacks shine a little in the afternoon light. He’s too young to be balding but is. His mouth is a rotten mess, owing to bad hygiene and a shabu habit. His name is Ignacio. He and the rooster are villains.
Oh, yeah, there is also an actor-turned-politician—which is, in all seriousness, one of the most common slashie occupations in this country:
Charlie Fuentes stars as Reynato Ocampo, the hardest cop in the country, maybe in the whole damn world. The one and only Mr. Tough Knocks, the Dirty Harry of the Wild Wild East, Old Snaggletooth himself. They’ve all been to movie houses to watch him stick up for the unstuckup for, fixing the nation one dead criminal at a time. They’ve all seen him press Truth, his famous shitspilling pistol, into the foreheads of men who deserve it.
Too awesome for words, especially when you realize that Charlie Fuentes is a composite of every actor who’s decided to put his brusque good looks on campaign posters, to use his easy charm to lull legions of fans into committing his name to a ballot. [Having paid more than my usual attention to the last election dude: the speeches here, how Charlie pounces on drama and vote-mongering? So sweetly real, haha.]
And, dear god, Task Force Ka-Pow, a small, merry band of special operatives who happen to have superpowers and are, thus, truly shitspilling themselves? There’s a shapeshifter, there’s a man who specializes in magic tricks [only, ya know, realer and deadlier], and there’s the group’s official shit magnet—if a bullet’s meant for a teammate, it will always find its way to this poor guy’s chest. And then, of course, there’s Efrem Khalid Bakkar of the Boxer Boys of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, who happens to shoot anything, anyone, from any distance—and making that shot count.
Yes, several times, the novel’s energy comes close to collapsing into itself—this reader flipping pages in a mad dash to figure where the hell I was, when the bleeping shit I’m in actually took place—and the cast lead seemingly disparate lives for most of the novel [although they eventually gather into the spectacle of this novel]. You follow all these characters, superpower-ed and otherwise, and it can be overwhelming to do so; there were plenty of opportunities for Yates to tighten his narrative, or at least his telling. But, demmet, I flipped pages, didn’t I? The fun I was experiencing overshadowed any confusion that I’d suffered.
Mucho characters, mucho energy. But it’s a wonderful contrast and complement between these larger-than-life characters and their more quiet counterparts. There is Monique, US Embassy bigwig-slave, dealing with the pressures of her job, adapting to a culture she’d only experienced very young, and trying to appease a family [especially her “trailing spouse”] itching to get far, far away from this sticky place and its penchant for banana ketchup.
And, you know, at the center of the novel is, after all, Benicio Bridgewater, a man forced to confront the Philippines in all its mad glory, hand-in-hand with the kidnapping of his estranged hotel [and other shady deals]-magnate father. It is Benicio who must reconcile hurts of the past—including the death of a much-loved mother—and even faces off with them in the present. His father’s womanizing ways? The prostitute in his father’s hotel room who, still a stranger the night before, had given him a hard-on. The insistence that he is not his father, god no? See Benicio rubbing shoulders with the country’s political elite, all their whims and caprices, their dangerous slyness, their sheen—the power they convince him he possesses. Moondogs is, essentially, Benicio Bridgewater’s journey. Appropriate, pun-ish name, and all that. Something needs to shake him up, and, yes, by this novel’s lyrically calm conclusion, this poor boy has been shook hard.
But no one is simply larger-than-life, no one is simply a—sorry—a Muggle. The novel insists on digging into these people, uncovering the humanity beneath their assumed roles. And, we realize, along with them, that no one is who they seem. Secrets have been deliberately kept, and, sometimes, we even follow the characters discover things about themselves that they’d rather not discover, or hadn’t even considered. And that’s where Moondogs really hits the mark for me.
The novel—for all its focus on special operatives with superpowers, on the glitz of actors-turned-politicians, on the spectacle of a kidnapping carried out by pseudo-terrorists—insists on grounding itself on questions about family, about home, and how the places we find ourselves in influence our very identity. That’s the earnestness, that’s the bigger risk.
Its realism may be playfully skewed, with comic book tropes turning camp and vice versa, but this book is all heart, with a keen sensitivity to emotional narrative regardless of the spectacles. And yes, it’s so rare to see a novel about the cray-cray capital that is Manila (and I say that with much fondness) as engagingly, as sensitively—as inoffensively, haha—as Yates has crafted.
Beyond being bruhos and token expats and mainstays in seedy-sensational Manila, these are people, ya hear? People who apologize through locked doors, people who keep boxes full of returned letters, people who are sick and tired of “food cooked in vinegar and soy sauce . . . [and] spaghetti with sugar and hotdogs”—people who, dammit, would like to figure out what home means exactly, even for just a single clearest moment, even if through the crosshairs of a sniper rifle’s viewfinder.
Oh, and that cover? I want that on a shirt.
May 27, 2017
Colorful and enchantingly mystical, but rather disjointed.
September 21, 2017
4.5 I loved this.
January 5, 2019
Good, colourful use of the language and a vivid description of the Philippines. Entertaining noir.
October 15, 2019
Was a decent read. Nothing I would recommend to a friend. Maybe I was expecting a more at the ending.
March 20, 2011
This review first appeared on my blog: http://www.knittingandsundries.com/20...
A quirky, unusual tale where a cigarette-smoking rooster is one of the bad guys, a band of bruhos (witches) nicknamed Task Force Ka-Pow are an arm of the good guys (or are they?), and a movie star whose fame is based on the real life of the leader of Task Force Ka-Pow is elected as a senator. Mix them with the kidnapping of a wealthy American national whose son comes to the Phillipines to visit him before anyone knows he's been kidnapped, a prostitute named Solita who claims her son June is the American's son, and an acting foreign service chief who may have her own bruha powers, and you have a tale that is wildly imaginative and inventive, with action and dialogue that will keep you turning pages.
There are lots of characters here, but the author does such a wonderful job at giving us solid introductions to each of them that as you're reading, the connections between all of the individual stories begin to form, and each slice of each character is entertaining on it's own. You're never quite sure what's going to come next, and the turn of a page can lead you to another surprise.
I'll bet you haven't read anything quite like this before. This is a wonderful debut novel, and I'll be looking forward to much more from Mr. Yates.
QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):
The men on Efrem's island agreed that he'd been sent by God - sent for a reason. The Holy Man, someone who knew a lot about God, said it first. Efrem would take the world apart, so they could build it better. The gift was nothing to be afraid of. The angel of death was still an angel.
It takes a moment for the pain to register, because his ear couldn't have just been sliced off. It's his ear. Ignacio staunches the bleeding with a dishcloth and crams the cloth into Howard's mouth to stop him screaming. Because he's screaming now. Because his ear's been cut off.
...Benicio really started crying. He wasn't even embarrassed about it, he just cried. Because this was so f---ing awful. Because somebody had hurt his father. They'd probably hurt him badly. And they would maybe kill him. And his father's best hope for being rescued was this guy, who, let's face it, was looking more and more like a maniac.
Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Characters: 5 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 5 out 5 stars
BOOK RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
A quirky, unusual tale where a cigarette-smoking rooster is one of the bad guys, a band of bruhos (witches) nicknamed Task Force Ka-Pow are an arm of the good guys (or are they?), and a movie star whose fame is based on the real life of the leader of Task Force Ka-Pow is elected as a senator. Mix them with the kidnapping of a wealthy American national whose son comes to the Phillipines to visit him before anyone knows he's been kidnapped, a prostitute named Solita who claims her son June is the American's son, and an acting foreign service chief who may have her own bruha powers, and you have a tale that is wildly imaginative and inventive, with action and dialogue that will keep you turning pages.
There are lots of characters here, but the author does such a wonderful job at giving us solid introductions to each of them that as you're reading, the connections between all of the individual stories begin to form, and each slice of each character is entertaining on it's own. You're never quite sure what's going to come next, and the turn of a page can lead you to another surprise.
I'll bet you haven't read anything quite like this before. This is a wonderful debut novel, and I'll be looking forward to much more from Mr. Yates.
QUOTES (from an ARC; may be different in final copy):
The men on Efrem's island agreed that he'd been sent by God - sent for a reason. The Holy Man, someone who knew a lot about God, said it first. Efrem would take the world apart, so they could build it better. The gift was nothing to be afraid of. The angel of death was still an angel.
It takes a moment for the pain to register, because his ear couldn't have just been sliced off. It's his ear. Ignacio staunches the bleeding with a dishcloth and crams the cloth into Howard's mouth to stop him screaming. Because he's screaming now. Because his ear's been cut off.
...Benicio really started crying. He wasn't even embarrassed about it, he just cried. Because this was so f---ing awful. Because somebody had hurt his father. They'd probably hurt him badly. And they would maybe kill him. And his father's best hope for being rescued was this guy, who, let's face it, was looking more and more like a maniac.
Writing: 5 out of 5 stars
Plot: 5 out of 5 stars
Characters: 5 out of 5 stars
Reading Immersion: 5 out 5 stars
BOOK RATING: 5 out of 5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews