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Shotgun Gravy (Atlanta Burns #1)
by
Chuck Wendig (Goodreads Author)
(Warning: title features mature themes, profanity, and violence.)
“Sometimes she wakes up at night, smelling that gunpowder smell. Ears ringing. A whimpering there in the darkness. Doesn’t always hit her at night, either. Might be in the middle of the day. She should be smelling pizza, or garbage, or cat s**t wafting from the house next door, but instead what she smells is...more
“Sometimes she wakes up at night, smelling that gunpowder smell. Ears ringing. A whimpering there in the darkness. Doesn’t always hit her at night, either. Might be in the middle of the day. She should be smelling pizza, or garbage, or cat s**t wafting from the house next door, but instead what she smells is...more
Kindle Edition, 109 pages
Published
by Terribleminds
(first published October 12th 2011)
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Yesterday, we got ourselves a christmas e-reader. Also yesterday, I sent an email to Chuck Wendig asking if I could get .epub versions of some ebook PDFs of his that I'd already bought, since PDFs weren't playing nicely with the ereader - although I had known that was likely.
And here I am now, writing a review of Shotgun Gravy. This says two core things: firstly, Chuck Wendig is a kindly prince among men, and that once I picked up Shotgun Gravy I didn't put it down.
Shotgun Gravy is the first in...more
And here I am now, writing a review of Shotgun Gravy. This says two core things: firstly, Chuck Wendig is a kindly prince among men, and that once I picked up Shotgun Gravy I didn't put it down.
Shotgun Gravy is the first in...more
Atlanta Burns, the main character in Shotgun Gravy, is dealing with some serious, violent bullies. There is an undercurrent of hate through her town that is having monstrous results. The characters are teens, but is this a YA? I'm vacillating. And this doesn't mean I don't think teens should read it - I read adult books when I was a teen, so that's neither here nor there. It's just would I group this with YA or not? I think I'm leaning towards not, however, it does deal with a real issues that t...more
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With a reputation forged by a forgetful past, the protagonist of ‘Shotgun Gravy’ oozes sentiments of Sophie Littlefield’s female vigilante, Stella Hardesty. Atlanta Burns, a YA cult hero in the making accounts for her troubles and those of the class underdog by drawing upon basic human survival instinct – and a can of bear mace.
Underpinning the story is a broader conceptual look at the ramifications of bullying and those who stand against it. While Atlanta’s plight doesn’t always produce a happ...more
Underpinning the story is a broader conceptual look at the ramifications of bullying and those who stand against it. While Atlanta’s plight doesn’t always produce a happ...more
A little too light on the prose, but when it mattered, Wendig delivered one punch after another. It's a merciless novella, which deeply resonated with me. Sure, the story is a hyper-presentation of ultra-violence [not the gore fest variety, but the violence that is motivated by hatred and inspired by cruelty]. It's a story about extremes, which delivers a very simple message, which I guess has no other way to be delivered than a classic hyperbolized war between good and evil, where no one really...more
"Poke-poke, motherfuckers." If there's one thing Chuck Wendig can write well, it's damaged characters. And he does it with such ease and conviction that's it's almost scary. Scary, but damn good.
SHOTGUN GRAVY is the tale of a high-school girl with a troubled past. Atlanta Burns returns to school after an incident with a shotgun causing her to be sent away for therapy. The kids at school don't talk to her except for Shane, a boy she saves from some bullies. She doesn't want any friends it seems,...more
SHOTGUN GRAVY is the tale of a high-school girl with a troubled past. Atlanta Burns returns to school after an incident with a shotgun causing her to be sent away for therapy. The kids at school don't talk to her except for Shane, a boy she saves from some bullies. She doesn't want any friends it seems,...more
Kids these days.
That's pretty much what Chuck Wendig's Shotgun Gravy is all about. Kids these days can be crude, mean, unforgiving and downright sadistic. Bullying is every bit as bad as it's ever been, and there comes a time when a kid needs to do more than watch videos of people saying "It gets better." Atlanta Burns, for instance, wants to make things better right the hell now.
To say Atlanta is an atypical young adult heroine would be an understatement. She's a scrapper, to be sure, but she's...more
That's pretty much what Chuck Wendig's Shotgun Gravy is all about. Kids these days can be crude, mean, unforgiving and downright sadistic. Bullying is every bit as bad as it's ever been, and there comes a time when a kid needs to do more than watch videos of people saying "It gets better." Atlanta Burns, for instance, wants to make things better right the hell now.
To say Atlanta is an atypical young adult heroine would be an understatement. She's a scrapper, to be sure, but she's...more
"Shotgun Gravy" is the first installment in a series of novellas about Atlanta Burns, a teenage girl who's committed a murder in self-defense and then goes on to act as a sort of vigilante-for-hire for kids who are being bullied.
Atlanta is a great character; she was full of contradictions and felt quite real to me most of the time. However, the fact that she swears like a sailor, yet refuses to say the word "damn" (she's not religious, and gives no other explanation) seems more like a quirky ch...more
Atlanta is a great character; she was full of contradictions and felt quite real to me most of the time. However, the fact that she swears like a sailor, yet refuses to say the word "damn" (she's not religious, and gives no other explanation) seems more like a quirky ch...more
I was a bit unsure about this new territory Chuck was venturing into, but this novella just blew me away. Atlanta Burns is a gritty teenager who has had some bad experiences, but unlike most of us she stood up to her bully and took care of things. She's now helping some other poor kids deal with their bullies, and getting into a whole load of trouble with just her trusty squirrel gun for support.
I loved the tone of the writing, I loved the sense of atmosphere and, most of all, I loved the colour...more
I loved the tone of the writing, I loved the sense of atmosphere and, most of all, I loved the colour...more
I recently stumbled across Chuck Wendig's website, Terrible Minds, and bought and read one of his e-books on writing, 250--, so I figured I should go for the trifecta and check out one of his stories. Read this in one sitting, and I'm a fan. Once the posse starting coming together, I was on board. I think that was my favorite part of the story - the quirky misfit dynamic. That said, or rather because of that, I was a little put out by the epilogue, but not enough to keep me from reading the next...more
Atlanta Burns is a charmerwho really engages the reader. Trash talking and with a bad attitude that anyone can understand given the mysterious troubles i her recent past, that Wendig slowly, teasingly exposes bit by bit from the first page on, Atlanta is a girl you really come to care about. I liked her -- come to think about it, she reminded me of more than one girl I dated back in the day :)
I consider this a YA, if a strong one -- but even Harry Potter has sexual elements and graphic violence...more
I consider this a YA, if a strong one -- but even Harry Potter has sexual elements and graphic violence...more
I really liked it.
The main character, Atlanta Burns, has a fresh, honest voice (read: filthy mouth), pondering racism, flipping the essay paper bird at teachers, and becoming a vigilante to the young and bullied.
The story is fast paced, a little heart wrenching, and a lot violent.
The world is visceral with sounds and scents, but I was pulled out in few places:
At times I felt the masculine handwriting in the female point of view: not in the actions or emotions of the (seventeen-year-old?) girl, b...more
The main character, Atlanta Burns, has a fresh, honest voice (read: filthy mouth), pondering racism, flipping the essay paper bird at teachers, and becoming a vigilante to the young and bullied.
The story is fast paced, a little heart wrenching, and a lot violent.
The world is visceral with sounds and scents, but I was pulled out in few places:
At times I felt the masculine handwriting in the female point of view: not in the actions or emotions of the (seventeen-year-old?) girl, b...more
I’m a big fan of Mr Wendig. I get my ra-ra skirt and pom-poms out whenever I hear he has something new for me to read. Sorry about giving you that image.
Although this short story has a different feel to Mr Wendig’s previously published works I would recognize this as one of his works instantly. There is a definite voice that permeates his work. There is one line that I remember being used in one of his blog posts and it still made me chuckle. Some jokes just work.
Unusually I’m going to talk abou...more
Although this short story has a different feel to Mr Wendig’s previously published works I would recognize this as one of his works instantly. There is a definite voice that permeates his work. There is one line that I remember being used in one of his blog posts and it still made me chuckle. Some jokes just work.
Unusually I’m going to talk abou...more
Atlanta Burns is an angry young woman who has, in her own words, "been through some bad shit." The exact nature of that particular metaphorical excrement isn't immediately spelled out, but the aftermath has left her an outcast, feared and shunned even by her former friends. When she takes on a particularly psychotic set of school bullies, she stumbles into some local secrets that foretell more bad times ahead in future installments of this series.
The violence and language would probably scare o...more
The violence and language would probably scare o...more
I have to admit, I wasn't really sure I believed him when Chuck Wendig said Shitgun Gravy was YA noir. But by golly, he pulled it off. Not only that, but he pulled it off extremely well.
Shotgun Gravy is about takes-no-bullshit Atlanta Burns (what a name) who, dealing with her own problems and psychological issues, takes it upon herself to help out some others who are being not just bullied but absed, and finds herself face to switchblade with a group of neo-Nazi scum.
But it's not just the story...more
Shotgun Gravy is about takes-no-bullshit Atlanta Burns (what a name) who, dealing with her own problems and psychological issues, takes it upon herself to help out some others who are being not just bullied but absed, and finds herself face to switchblade with a group of neo-Nazi scum.
But it's not just the story...more
Chuck Wendig is a new author to me. He has a book coming out soon Blackbirds that sounds so amazing and who's cover totally makes my toes curl. I've never read his books so when the chance to try his novella Shotgun Gravy free on amazon presented itself I jumped at the chance like a junkie on a needle.
Shotgun Gravy was free on amazon for a short time and I am so glad I got to try this great little read to get a taste of what Chuck has to offer and boy does he write some kick ass fiction. It's s...more
Shotgun Gravy was free on amazon for a short time and I am so glad I got to try this great little read to get a taste of what Chuck has to offer and boy does he write some kick ass fiction. It's s...more
Did I enjoy this book?
Yes.
Was it well written, dark and gritty?
Yes.
Will I read the next book in the series?
Absolutely not.
Reading this book was like reading the news sites. Everything was real, all the pain, the unfairness, the bigotry and hate. Wendig really captured the hard corners of life, and I can appreciate that. Atlanta does the best she can in a shitty situation. She's well drawn, hurting but with a core of iron that came across well without in any way making her a traditional female...more
Yes.
Was it well written, dark and gritty?
Yes.
Will I read the next book in the series?
Absolutely not.
Reading this book was like reading the news sites. Everything was real, all the pain, the unfairness, the bigotry and hate. Wendig really captured the hard corners of life, and I can appreciate that. Atlanta does the best she can in a shitty situation. She's well drawn, hurting but with a core of iron that came across well without in any way making her a traditional female...more
I’m going to open by telling you what “Shotgun Gravy” isn’t.
It isn’t subtle. The prose isn’t often lyrical or poetic. It isn’t high-minded literature in that stuffy, academic sense of the word. (Though I think its theme of common-sense tolerance is perhaps the highest virtue to which we can aspire.) It isn’t lengthy. It isn’t intended as an instruction manual for bullied kids who want to bring their revenge fantasies to life. (Well, I don’t think it is anyway...)
So then what is it?
I’ll tell you....more
It isn’t subtle. The prose isn’t often lyrical or poetic. It isn’t high-minded literature in that stuffy, academic sense of the word. (Though I think its theme of common-sense tolerance is perhaps the highest virtue to which we can aspire.) It isn’t lengthy. It isn’t intended as an instruction manual for bullied kids who want to bring their revenge fantasies to life. (Well, I don’t think it is anyway...)
So then what is it?
I’ll tell you....more
Chuck Wendig is one of my favorite bloggers. Blunt, profane, and direct in the manner of a heat-seeking missile, Mr. Wendig writes with a grip your throat approach. I was really looking forward to reading this book as my first foray into his fiction.
Did the book live up to his blog? Yes and No.
First of all, let me be clear - I really liked this novella. In fact as soon as I finished reading it, I popped over to the Kickstarter for the next books in the series, because I want more! (I was to late...more
Did the book live up to his blog? Yes and No.
First of all, let me be clear - I really liked this novella. In fact as soon as I finished reading it, I popped over to the Kickstarter for the next books in the series, because I want more! (I was to late...more
I'm going to come right out and say it - Atlanta Burns is not a likable character. She is surly (often outright mean), sulky, casually racist, and violent. In the hands of most authors, this would make the novella D.O.A. But somehow Wendig turns this girl into someone who you want to read along with. She won't make you fall in love with her, but she will compel you forward.
Where Wendig really shines, however, is (as always) his amazing powers of description. He has taken the setting of a rural P...more
Where Wendig really shines, however, is (as always) his amazing powers of description. He has taken the setting of a rural P...more
Atlanta Burns is one helluva protagonist! This 17-year-old high-school junior has a reputation in her small town, one she earned with the help of a .410 shotgun. The problem with a reputation based on a spectacular act of self-preservation is that it grows in the retelling. Now Atlanta finds herself in the role of protecting and avenging spirit when a couple of groups of racist and homophobic bullies won't let her mind her own business... which is what she really prefers.
Profane, damaged, prick...more
Profane, damaged, prick...more
Chuck Wendig takes insightful writing advice, piles on a load of funny and vulgarity and guys like me eat it up. Which is to say, I respect him and when I got the chance to get this novella free I jumped all over it like Jerry Sandusky at kindergarten recess.
If that last sentence bothered you then you don’t want to read Shotgun Gravy.
I don’t really like rating things from one star to five because when you get down to it, it’s just too goddamn dumb. Stories aren’t shoes. They’re more complicated....more
If that last sentence bothered you then you don’t want to read Shotgun Gravy.
I don’t really like rating things from one star to five because when you get down to it, it’s just too goddamn dumb. Stories aren’t shoes. They’re more complicated....more
Atlanta Burns is not quite your typical high school girl. Sure, she has an attitude, like most teenagers. She is bored with school, also like a lot of teenagers. She's also back in town after an "incident" invovling one of her mother's boyfriends and a .410 squirrel gun. Most of her teachers are letting her coast through class without any effort on her part. She's quite happy with that, and wants nothing more than to keep things just the way they are. Or so she thinks.
Atlanta ends up getting in...more
Atlanta ends up getting in...more
It's a grungy story, covered in enough dust and dust ups to almost make me think of a western. Really, its not my normal kind of read at all... a sort of YA, and dark themes without actually being a crime novel. There's no mystery here, but once I picked it up I could barely put it down. The narrative is driven, less fast paced so much as barreling down an inexorable path that at no time so much as pauses for breath or stops to smell the roses of subplot.
I like Wendig's voicing, though, and the...more
I like Wendig's voicing, though, and the...more
Heartbreaking, raw, real, at times funny, utterly engaging...I thought I'd slip in a few pages before sleeping and was up until 3am to finish it. And then I lay there "OMG-ing" over the epilogue. The voice is distinct, dialogue is wonderful, the characters are all well-rounded, protagonists were each thoroughly developed and sympathetic--and Atlanta shines as the girl some of us have to be (to some degree) even if I wish it wasn't necessary in this world. It's a fantastic story and I can't wait...more
I really liked this sort-of-YA novella. I say "sort of" because it's about teens but the themes are universal.
The main character, Atlanta, has a "reputation" at school because of an infamous incident involving a shotgun.
The book shows teens coping with bullying, racism, homophobia, and more without whitewashing the topics, dialogue, and scenes.
Parents may decide the book isn't appropriate for tweens and teens because of the explicit language and violence, but that could be a shame.
Wendig is an e...more
The main character, Atlanta, has a "reputation" at school because of an infamous incident involving a shotgun.
The book shows teens coping with bullying, racism, homophobia, and more without whitewashing the topics, dialogue, and scenes.
Parents may decide the book isn't appropriate for tweens and teens because of the explicit language and violence, but that could be a shame.
Wendig is an e...more
Novella, so finished this in a couple of hours. As someone who survived rather than thrived in high school, this hit a little too close to home to be an entirely comfortable read. But comfortable is overrated. Parts of it made me laugh, parts of it made me wince. It went very quickly, even for a novella; a very spare piece of writing.
There were a couple of characters I want to know more about, and ones that I want to see what happens to. So it's a good thing this is part of a series of novellas....more
There were a couple of characters I want to know more about, and ones that I want to see what happens to. So it's a good thing this is part of a series of novellas....more
Having just finished Blackbirds, I devoured this one all in one gulp this evening. That probably says it all, really.
Chuck's work here brings to mind two other writers, for me. It's as if Stephen King and Joss Whedon got together to write a post-watershed teen drama, got angry drunk and challenged each other to find the most creative expletive. You've got the gutsy, no nonsense heroine, the cobbled together gang of misfit losers, and the overwhelming odds stacked against them, all set against th...more
Chuck's work here brings to mind two other writers, for me. It's as if Stephen King and Joss Whedon got together to write a post-watershed teen drama, got angry drunk and challenged each other to find the most creative expletive. You've got the gutsy, no nonsense heroine, the cobbled together gang of misfit losers, and the overwhelming odds stacked against them, all set against th...more
This is not the typical type of book I would pick up (or, in this case, download since it's an e-book). Giving it three instead of four stars reflects that. It's a "young adult novel" (though one with lots of profanity and violence)about a teenage rape victim turned vigilante for other victims of crime. That said, I couldn't put it down (a tired cliche, but it's true) and I'm looking forward to the next book in the series.
Also, Mr. Wendig, and I say this as a compliment: much of the time while...more
Also, Mr. Wendig, and I say this as a compliment: much of the time while...more
Atlanta Burns doesn't really want to be anyone's hero, but when she happens across a trio of bullies picking on her classmate, well.
The can of bear mace sure comes in handy.
She just wants to make it through the last couple of months of school, to stop smelling the gunpowder that sneaks up on her like a ghost, but her sudden reputation as the Get-Shit-Done Girl won't allow that, and Atlanta finds herself shotgun-deep in trouble with two bands of bullies.
Perfect for anyone who loved the hell out o...more
The can of bear mace sure comes in handy.
She just wants to make it through the last couple of months of school, to stop smelling the gunpowder that sneaks up on her like a ghost, but her sudden reputation as the Get-Shit-Done Girl won't allow that, and Atlanta finds herself shotgun-deep in trouble with two bands of bullies.
Perfect for anyone who loved the hell out o...more
Originally posted here as part of the 30 Day Book Challenge.
A Book So Emotionally Draining, I Had To Set It Aside
I've made no secret of the fact that Chuck Wendig's Miriam Black books are some of my favourites that I've read so far this year, and have encouraged several people to pick them up (most of them have liked them too, yay!) so I kind of knew what to expect going in. If you visit this book on goodreads, you'll see the following in the blurb:
A Book So Emotionally Draining, I Had To Set It Aside
I've made no secret of the fact that Chuck Wendig's Miriam Black books are some of my favourites that I've read so far this year, and have encouraged several people to pick them up (most of them have liked them too, yay!) so I kind of knew what to expect going in. If you visit this book on goodreads, you'll see the following in the blurb:
(Warning: title features mature themes, profani...more
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Chuck Wendig is a novelist, a screenwriter, and a freelance penmonkey.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at th...more
More about Chuck Wendig...
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at th...more
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