People who are members of PETA may not want to read Gary A. Braunbeck’s animal-unfriendly KEEPERS. And people who aren’t may not want to, either.
As this new horror novel opens, collectibles dealer Gil witnesses an old man chasing a hat (and being chased by two rabid dogs) into the highway, whereupon he gets flattened like a pancake. Just before he dies, the man ominously warns Gil that “the Keepers are coming.” He arrives home to find a mutilated, maggot-ridden dog on his lawn, and news reports pop up regarding beached whales and unexplained bear-in-the-city sightings. This place is a zoo!
Something Is Wrong in the animal kingdom, and the attacks and other surrounding events are predicted in the homemade, spiral-bound comic books of Gil’s nephew, who has Down’s syndrome. This plot point was too much – simply too silly – for me to take, although the crazed-critters premise is one I thought harbored major potential for something slick and cinematic. Instead, Braunbeck turns it into a muddled narrative messily encompassing the Kent State shootings and the apparent resurrection of a decades-dead girlfriend.
And I was just looking forward to the insane animals. Guess I’d better re-read PET SEMATARY.
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Animal-unfriendly? WTF? I read Keepers, and it’s the most pro-animal-rights book I’ve read in a long time. And the narrative wasn’t muddled — maybe you weren’t smart enough to understand it. Seriously, dude, you should work on the ol’ reading comprehension before you call yourself a book reviewer.
“Animal-unfriendly” in what happens to some of man’s best friends, not “animal-unfriendly” as to Braunbeck’s personal views.
I find it amusing that anyone who disagrees with a review immediately calls my intellect into question. I may criticize an author’s work, but at no point do I make it personal by resorting to name-calling.
I’m with you on Keepers, dude! I thought the novel had a lot of potential but I was confused throughout (see Douglas Clegg’s I Come When You Call Me) and it was not a satisfying read. Mr. Hands, however, was very good and the prologue was way too long. I appreciated the addition of Kiss of the Mudman as it was unlikely to see print since its original incarnation.