Biased Review of Gil’s All Fright Diner
I have recently discovered the work of A.Lee Martinez and have instantly become a cult fan. Ive read all his work and done my first very first review blog on him, here’s my take on his first novel.
I discovered this book accidentally when I was searching at a booksite for a “funny horror” read, in retrospect after doing research on the author, i find out that he doesnt really take to kindly to being called a funny writer(he wont argue about it though), he would go as far as being called a “professional reluctantly funny novelologist” (his own words)
That seems to be the one thing all his work has in common, it wasnt written to be funny but since this author is naturally humorous, it just spills out on the pages.
Gil’s All Night Diner gave me so much laughs that i just have to say it was a funny read (sorry Lee)
The main characters are Duke (the silent type werewolf) and Earl (a very grumbly undead/vampire), the premise of their friendship alone cracks me up, not to mention all the delicious supernatural detail that the author infuses in this story, cow zombies, naive ghosts, lesser gods with names you can barely pronounce.
The thing that gets me about htis book is how A. Lee manages to set a world where zombies are a normal site, where a werewolf and vampire share a beer, yet manages to endear you to the most mundane traits of his characters, like say a vampires commitment issues.
If youre the type who looks for hunk heroes with perfect save-the-world-i-am-perfectly-invincible type of trait then this book is not for you, in fact my first though on reading this book was “how in the hell are they gonna make a hollywood movie out of this one (if beauty sells movies)”
Its hard to describe this read in a single statement, the closest i could get to trying to explain it is, try to picture the world as A.Lee describes it, no pre conceived ideas, you have two accidental heroes with not a lot of redeeming qualities and definitely a lot of emotional baggage to be called debonaire or suave, now throw them into this alternate universe the author has created and watch them deal with circumstances like an everyday joe would.
This is definitely a book that I would recommend to all my friends, even for just the fun of quoting some insane banter in it.
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BOOK DESCRIPTION
Bloodier than Fried Green Tomatoes! Funnier than The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!
Welcome to Gil’s All Night Diner, where zombie attacks are a regular occurrence and you never know what might be lurking in the freezer. . .
Duke and Earl are just passing through Rockwood county in their pick-up truck when they stop at the Diner for a quick bite to eat. They aren’t planning to stick around-until Loretta, the eatery’s owner, offers them $100 to take care of her zombie problem. Given that Duke is a werewolf and Earl’s a vampire, this looks right up their alley.
But the shambling dead are just the tip of a particularly spiky iceberg. Seems someone’s out to drive Loretta from the Diner, and more than willing to raise a little Hell on Earth if that’s what it takes. Before Duke and Earl get to the bottom of the Diner’s troubles, they’ll run into such otherworldly complications as undead cattle, an amorous ghost, a jailbait sorceress, and the terrifying occult power of pig-latin.
And maybe–just maybe–the End of the World, too.
Gory, sexy, and flat-out hilarious, Gil’s All Fright Diner will tickle your funnybone–before ripping it out of its socket!
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BUY KINDLE EDITION
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Gil’s has been awarded the Alex Award by the ALA (2006) as well as the Best Book for Young Adults Award it has also been optioned by New Line Cinema for a film adaptation (cant wait to see who they pick for Earl)
for more in formation on the author visit
for a blog i created (also extremely biased) on the author and the rest of his books you can click on the link below
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