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The Kings of Cool: A Prequel to Savages (Savages 0)

4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 · rating details · 1,474 ratings · 233 reviews

In Savages, Don Winslow introduced Ben and Chon, twenty-something best friends who risk everything to save the girl they both love, O. Among the most celebrated thrillers in recent memory—and now a major motion picture directed by Academy Award–winning filmmaker Oliver Stone—Savages was picked as a best book of the year by Stephen King in Entertainment Weekly, Janet Maslin...more

ebook, 336 pages

Published June 19th 2012 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2012)

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Jul 05, 2012 Kemper rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, bad-guys-rule, crime-mystery, damn-dirty-hippies

Hey, George Lucas! Now THIS is how you do a prequel!

Don Winslow’s Savages instantly became one of my favorite crime novels, and I was a little worried about him doing another one that takes place before it. Frankly, it seemed like a rush job done to capitalize on the movie version of Savages which comes out tomorrow.

I should have had more faith in Winslow. He has expanded the backgrounds of the characters from Savages and uses their stories to give us an idea of the rise of the drug trade in so...more

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Jul 25, 2012 Lou rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, may-2012-to-read-shelf, mystery-thriller, best-published-2012

We once again visit the bad-ass trio Ben, Chon and O.

Contained within these pages you'll find sun, surfers, hippies and W.D, standing for war on drugs, wars with drugs and wars and drugs.
Surfers and hippies take you back to the origins of Chon and his family, back to when he wasn't given this oriental sounding name that has nothing to do with his ethnicity but just a funny moment in his life.
There are plenty of humorous moments delivered with sharp dialog and blistering social commentary.
The fa...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Xirxe rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: krimi, literatur

Bisher hat mich das Äußere eines Buches nur selten verleitet, darüber etwas zu schreiben. Aber in diesem Fall ist die Aufmachung so ungewöhnlich, dass ich einfach einige Worte dazu verlieren muss. Eckig und völlig schwarz kommt das Buch daher, inclusive aller Seitenschnitte; Titel, Autor usw. sind hingegen in weißen, schnörkellosen Buchstaben dargestellt. Wer die Hardcoverausgabe von 'Unendlicher Spaß' von David Foster Wallace kennt, hat hier nun die Negativform vor sich liegen.
Doch ein Buch nur...more Bisher hat mich das Äußere eines Buches nur selten verleitet, darüber etwas zu schreiben. Aber in diesem Fall ist die Aufmachung so ungewöhnlich, dass ich einfach einige Worte dazu verlieren muss. Eckig und völlig schwarz kommt das Buch daher, inclusive aller Seitenschnitte; Titel, Autor usw. sind hingegen in weißen, schnörkellosen Buchstaben dargestellt. Wer die Hardcoverausgabe von 'Unendlicher Spaß' von David Foster Wallace kennt, hat hier nun die Negativform vor sich liegen.
Doch ein Buch nur wegen seiner äußeren Erscheinung zu kaufen, machen wohl nur Wenige :-) Aber der Inhalt steht der Aufmachung in nichts nach. Erzählt wird die Geschichte von drei jungen Menschen, die mehr verbindet als nur Freundschaft. Sie sind sich die Familie, die alle drei nicht oder nur wenig hatten. Chon ist der Kämpfer, Ben der Humanist und O die Schöne. Ben und Chon sind im Marihuanageschäft, mit dem sie ihren Lebensunterhalt finanzieren, ohne jedoch weitere Ansprüche zu erheben wie Machtzuwachs oder mehr Gewinn. Sie genießen ihr Leben im sonnigen Kalifornien und so könnte es für sie weitergehen bis ans Ende ihrer Tage. Es ist eine Idylle, die jedoch nicht von Dauer ist. Denn es gibt Andere, die wollen ihren Anteil an dem gutgehenden Geschäft der Beiden. Ein Krieg bricht aus und alle Drei erkennen, dass nicht nur sie, sondern auch ihre Eltern darin verstrickt sind.
Wer wie mit wem zusammenhängt, wird in einem zweiten Erzählstrang ganz von hinten aufgerollt. Hippiezeit, peace, love - man experimentiert mit Drogen und noch basiert alles auf Vertrauen und Freundschaft. Doch die Zeiten ändern sich, es geht ums Geld, um Macht und alle versuchen, so viel wie möglich vom Kuchen abzuhaben. Auch wenn von vornherein klar ist, dass die Wurzeln der drei Freunde hier ihren Ursprung haben, bleiben die Details vorborgen (zumindest für mich). Die Auflösung kommt recht überraschend, aber wirklich unerwartet und hart ist die Nüchternheit und fast schon Kälte, mit der dies berichtet wird. Cool, einfach cool.
Winslow hat einen ungewöhnlichen Stil (zumindest in diesem Buch, ich kenne seine anderen nicht). Es wirkt, als ob die handelnden Personen einem direkt die Geschichte selbst erzählen: immer wieder kurze, auch unvollständige Sätze, die zu Beginn eher holpernd anmuten. Doch schon nach kurzer Zeit zieht einen diese Schreibweise in ihren Bann und man steckt mittendrin in dem Geschehen. Auch der atypische Satzspiegel trägt vermutlich dazu bei, dass man das Gefühl bekommt, das Tempo wird immer schneller. Es sind kurze, zum Teil sehr kurze Kapitel, die insbesondere gegen Ende immer wieder aus einer anderen Sicht berichtet werden. Dieser schnelle Perspektivenwechsel steigert die Geschwindigkeit noch zusätzlich und man rennt dem Showdown buchstäblich entgegen.
Richtig klasse gemacht und ich bin mir sicher: Dies war nicht mein letzer Winslow, den ich gelesen habe!(less)

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Sep 06, 2012 Brandon rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Brandon by: Kemper

Shelves: fiction, 2012

Honestly, after reading this, I can't believe this book was anywhere near as good as it was. In fact, it was down right awesome.

Savages is a tremendous novel. It was my first exposure to Winslow and I immediately fell for his razor sharp prose. It's just so.. cool. Is that word OK to use or does it make me look uninspired and boring? I don't care. Whatever. That being said, I didn't know what to expect with this prequel. Could this be something Winslow wrote to capitalize on the motion picture a...more

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Nov 10, 2012 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Kings of Cool" von Don Winslow ist ein Roman über Drogen und Gewalt im sonnigen Laguna Beach, in dem der Autor erneut aus dem Leben seiner Protagonisten aus "Zeit des Zorns" (unter dem englischen Titel "Savages" seit Kurzem auch im Kino) berichtet - allerdings als Prequel, sodass es Vorkenntnisse beim Lesen nicht nötig sind.

Inhalt: 2005 in Laguna Beach. Die jungen Freunde Ben, Chon und O betreiben eine erfolgreiche Marihuana-Zucht in Laguna Beach, Kalifornien. Doch ihr Erfolg ruft korrupte Poli...more "Kings of Cool" von Don Winslow ist ein Roman über Drogen und Gewalt im sonnigen Laguna Beach, in dem der Autor erneut aus dem Leben seiner Protagonisten aus "Zeit des Zorns" (unter dem englischen Titel "Savages" seit Kurzem auch im Kino) berichtet - allerdings als Prequel, sodass es Vorkenntnisse beim Lesen nicht nötig sind.

Inhalt: 2005 in Laguna Beach. Die jungen Freunde Ben, Chon und O betreiben eine erfolgreiche Marihuana-Zucht in Laguna Beach, Kalifornien. Doch ihr Erfolg ruft korrupte Polizisten und die Drogenmafia auf den Plan, die mitverdienen möchten. Während Chon als Navy Seal im Einsatz ist, versucht Ben die unterschiedlichen Parteien auszutricksen. Doch sein Spiel ist riskant und führt die drei außerdem weit in die Vergangenheit ihrer Familien...

Neben der Haupthandlung des Romans, die im Jahr 2005 angesiedelt ist, entführt der Autor seine Leser auch immer wieder in die Vergangenheit, angefangen bei den späten 60er Jahren in Laguna Beach, als der Marihuana-Handel bei Surfern und Hippies seinen Anfang nahm. Geschickt, oft überraschend und voller spannender Wendungen werden die beiden Erzählstränge miteinander verbunden und offenbaren nach und nach Zusammenhänge zwischen den beiden Generationen. Allerdings sollte sich ein zukünftiger Leser bewusst sein, dass "Kings of Cool" kein leichtes Lesevergnügen ist, denn Gewalt, Blut und Drogen prägen die spannende Handlung und hier wird weder gespart noch geschönt.

Der Schreibstil des Autors ist dabei in einem sehr positiven Sinn speziell. Kurze Sätze, von einer eher schmucklosen, lakonischen Sprache, dominieren das Bild und sorgen sowohl für ein hohes Tempo als auch für eine passende Atmosphäre mit einer Mischung aus "harter Kerl" und "easy living". Die Kapitel sind ebenfalls kurz und wechseln nicht nur manchmal in der Zeit, sondern auch im Stil von der erzählenden in die Dialogform. Trotz des eher nüchternen Stils schafft es Winslow den Leser mitzureißen, eine hohe Spannung aufzubauen und seinen rundum gelungenen, abwechslungsreichen Charakteren Leben einzuhauchen.

Zu letzt möchte ich auch noch auf die auffällige Gestaltung des Buches hinweisen. Es ist abgesehen von der hervorgehobenen, glänzend-weißen Schrift, die das Cover dominiert, von einem matten Schwarz, das sich gummiartig, aber samtig und sehr angenehm anfühlt. Auch der Seitenschnitt der gebundenen Ausgabe mit geradem Buchrücken ist schwarz gefärbt. Nicht nur der Inhalt dieses Romans ist damit der Inbegriff von harter Coolness, sondern auch das Äußere ist schon auf den ersten Blick richtig "cool".

Fazit: "Kings of Cool" ist ein sprachlich spezielles Buch mit einer spannenden, actionreichen Handlung, aber nichts für zarte Gemüter. Sicher nichts für jeden, daher empfehle ich erst einen Blick ins Buch (zum Beispiel in eine Online-Leseprobe), denn zumindest die sprachlichen Besonderheiten fallen dort sofort ins Auge. Aus meiner Sicht kann ich sagen, es lohnt sich. Mir hat es sehr gut gefallen, dafür 5 Sterne (less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Sam Quixote rated it 3 of 5 stars

Returning to his biggest success in years, “Savages”, Don Winslow makes the trip backwards from that book to tell the story of how Ben, Chon and O got together in the first place, how they began their business, and a history of the Southern California (SoCal) drug trade starting in the 60s and which inexplicably involves all of their parents.

While I’m excited whenever Winslow puts out a new novel, I was surprised to see he had written a prequel to “Savages” rather than a sequel. What needed to...more Returning to his biggest success in years, “Savages”, Don Winslow makes the trip backwards from that book to tell the story of how Ben, Chon and O got together in the first place, how they began their business, and a history of the Southern California (SoCal) drug trade starting in the 60s and which inexplicably involves all of their parents.

While I’m excited whenever Winslow puts out a new novel, I was surprised to see he had written a prequel to “Savages” rather than a sequel. What needed to be established prior to that novel? It seemed fairly contained. Having now read it, I’m again struck with the question – why? And then another thought appeared: he’s run out of ideas.

“The Kings of Cool” is basically a greatest hits summary of Winslow’s writing career. The drugs trade in SoCal has been covered in his far better novel “The Power of the Dog”; the surfer elements in the book have been written about in “The Gentlemen’s Hour” and “The Dawn Patrol”; there are cameos by both Frank Machianno (from “The Winter of Frankie Machine”) and Bobby Z (from “The Death and Life of Bobby Z”); and the protagonists are from “Savages”.

Nobody writes SoCal fiction better than Winslow – he’s got the drugs scene from the latter half of the 20th century down cold and he’s a surfer himself so he gets that culture – but doing it again in “The Kings of Cool” feels uninspired and pointless. Why go backwards? Why not write a sequel to “Savages” and go into territory he hasn’t written about before – the drugs trade and the War on Drugs in 2012? It feels cowardly and lazy to fall back on material he knows about well because he’s spent years writing that same material over and over again, only to rehash (pun intended) it again in a “new” novel. Not to mention cynical as “Savages” sold well and was turned into a film – he’s probably hoping that success carries over onto this book too so he can get more Hollywood dough.

Like “Savages”, the writing style is frenetic and imaginative, some “chapters” are a few words long (there are almost as many pages as there are chapters) with some chapters taking the form of poetry or appearing across the page in arbitrary places; some scenes are presented as if lifted from a shooting script. It makes for a fast read and I do appreciate when an author tries – and succeeds - at combining style with story, even if you have heard the story before.

I liked “The Kings of Cool”, it was enjoyable for the most part even if I thought that reading about Ben, Chon and O’s parents’ lives was pointless. The story is a bit weak in places, it’s basically about hippies slowly becoming more involved in drug dealing – it isn’t nearly as thrilling as “Savages” where there were warring cartels and a hostage plot. Plus you know Ben, Chon and O make it through any obstacles in this book because this is a prequel and they’re alive and well in the next book so there’s no real tension. If you want to read a book about the SoCal drugs scene in the 1960s onwards, give this a go, though I recommend Winslow’s more accomplished novel “The Power of the Dog” which is about the same thing. Overall I feel “The Kings of Cool” was a bit of a wasted opportunity on Winslow’s part – he could’ve gone forward with something new but decided to go back with something old. (less)

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Aug 14, 2012 RandomAnthony rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'm reviewing Winslow's Savages and the prequel, Kings of Cool, as one entity since I read the novels consecutively and separate reviews seem excessive. Also, both earn three stars, maybe three and a half, as I'd probably read more Winslow but I'm not pushing elderly women and jogger-stroller moms aside in a barefoot sprint toward the local library to snag more of his books.

Both novels read quick, noir, and pulp-y, mostly in a good way. Each contains about twelve thousand chapters but some cont...more

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Jul 16, 2012 Ben rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This prequel to "Savages" brings the same energy to the table, along with the unique format. But is it overdone? Too much? In the first (e.g. "Savages") we pick up Ben/Chon/O late in their story arc, so the author gets to explore their backstories a bit more here.

While good, it's not as compelling as his first work. And at times the backstory felt a little bit too contrived -- you'll maybe know what I mean if you read the book. That is, everything felt a little bit too convenient in terms of th...more

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Sep 25, 2012 Danna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: family-drama, crime, drugs-wars, beach-reads, sex-drugs-rock-roll, recommended, revenge, page-turner, mexico, speed-read, sick-shit, parental-advisory

The Kings of Cool is Don Winslow's prequel to earth-moving novel, Savages. The prequel aims to give the back story of Savages' protagonists, including the parents of Ben, Chon, and Ophelia; the lineage of the Baja Cartel; and the role of local and federal government in the "War on Drugs." Ben and Chon, a.k.a. B&C, are two fledging drug dealers in Laguna Beach, California. As we know from Savages, Chon brought back some killer weed from his tour in Afghanistan and Ben cross-bred it to make a...more

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Mar 20, 2013 Monica rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime-and-or-evil

Don Winslow proved he could write a great back story with Satori, and now he's done it again. The trio of doomed friends from Savages who ended so badly and too soon, are back. The story is multi generational, set partly in the 60's with the hippies and druggies who became the parents of Chon, Ben and O, and partly in the period just before Savages takes place.

Stan and Diane are crunchy granola hippies who start out running a bookstore where they sell The Anarchists' Cookbook and blotter acid. T...more Don Winslow proved he could write a great back story with Satori, and now he's done it again. The trio of doomed friends from Savages who ended so badly and too soon, are back. The story is multi generational, set partly in the 60's with the hippies and druggies who became the parents of Chon, Ben and O, and partly in the period just before Savages takes place.

Stan and Diane are crunchy granola hippies who start out running a bookstore where they sell The Anarchists' Cookbook and blotter acid. They morph into comfortably liberal therapists and become the parents of Ben, the cerebral, nonviolent idealist who develops a premium strain of Hydro that is the beginning of their rise and fall.

Doc is a surfer golden boy who deals, first pot, then coke. Kim is a beautiful waitress who is determined to land a rich husband at any cost, and then another, and then another. By Savages, she is up to six. She has become the mother that O calls Paqu - Passive aggressive queen of the universe.

Chon's father is a hard case dope dealer who's actions lead his son to run away at 14, to hang out with Doc and never look back. Chon becomes a Navy Seal, Iraq vet, hard case. He and Ben are Yin and Yang with O as their muse. It's an odd family but a real one.

The writing in these books kills me - it almost seems as if the words are going to leap off the page in flames. The dialogue is laconic, hilarious, elliptical, poetic. The point of view shifts so often is it dizzying, but in a good way. Winslow brings in sly references to music, pop culture, almost as a throwaway, but they enrich the story. There are cameo appearances by Bobby Z and Frankie Machine from two of Winslow's earlier books. The portrait of the drug scene is vivid, brutal and sometimes comic. The book is a rich treat that I couldn't put down.

In an interview with Charles McGrath of the New York Times, Winslow said “I’m actually pretty positive,” he said. “But I guess it is a pretty dark vision sometimes. I don’t know that I’d want to visit my brain except with a gun and a flashlight.” (less)

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Jul 27, 2012 Jeff Tucker rated it 5 of 5 stars

Wow! I read this book in two days. I just could not put it down. It’s definitely my idea of a page turner. In the crime/mystery/thriller genre this is one of my favorites. Be forewarned there’s lots of sex, drugs and violence. I haven’t read Savages yet but I’ll go buy it this afternoon. The author doesn’t seem to want to use any words that aren’t necessary. Many passages are in single words or short phrases. Chapters can start or end in the middle of a thought or even in the middle of a sentenc...more

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Mar 22, 2013 Ross Cumming rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've been a fan of Winslow's since reading his epic crime novel 'Power of the Dog' and have read most of his novels including a couple of his early Neal Carey books. Winslow's recent crime novels are based in Southern California and mostly involve surfers, drugs and Mexican drugs cartels.
The Kings of Cool has all these elements and tells the story of Ben, a peace loving environmentalist and Chon, a soldier and believer in taking 'an eye for an eye'. What they have in common is that they both sur...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Dave rated it 5 of 5 stars

The first Don Winslow novel I read was “The Power of the Dog” a grim, epic, and sprawling tale of the Drug War on the Mexican-American border from the 70s-90s. To this day it's still one of my favorite books I've read. So from the get go, I knew Winslow was a master of telling historically accurate, relevant and exciting tales about the people who sell drugs, the people that try to stop those sales and everyone else in between. What I didn't know yet was how funny a writer Winslow was. I discove...more
The first Don Winslow novel I read was “The Power of the Dog” a grim, epic, and sprawling tale of the Drug War on the Mexican-American border from the 70s-90s. To this day it's still one of my favorite books I've read. So from the get go, I knew Winslow was a master of telling historically accurate, relevant and exciting tales about the people who sell drugs, the people that try to stop those sales and everyone else in between. What I didn't know yet was how funny a writer Winslow was. I discovered that later in his other books like “The Death and Life of Bobby Z” and of course “Savages.” In his most recent novel “The Kings of Cool,” which is a prequel to “Savages,” Winslow displays both his skill at historical crime fiction and his wicked sense of humor. The end result is a novel that surpasses “Savages,” which I loved.

In 2010's “Savages” we got to know Laguna's top pot dealers: the humanitarian Ben; his best friend the violent ex-navy SEAL Chon, and their shared girlfriend O. By the end of that novel I loved all three characters, and in the opening chapters of “The Kings of Cool,” Winslow winds the clock back five years and readers are reintroduced to the trio right as Ben and Chon are making their mark on the California drug scene. It was like visiting with old friends. The characters remain just as engaging as they were in “Savages” and their dialogue just as funny. It's five years earlier so they're not exactly the characters they were in “Savages,” but everything I loved about the trio is still there.

Several chapters later Winslow rewinds the clock back even further to 1967 as he takes readers back to the early days of the drug scene in Laugna Beach and introduces them to a whole new set of characters that are just as interesting as Ben, Chon, and O like teenagers John and Kim, drug pusher “Doc” Halliday, and hippies Stan and Diane. These characters bounce off each other in fun and intriguing ways, but their connection to what's going on with Ben and Chon in 2005 isn't immediately clear.

That's okay though. Both narratives are equally interesting and they're made even more so by Winslow's narrative voice. Most stories that employ a third person omniscient narrator only allow said narrator to report the facts. Not Winslow though, he allows his third person narrator to be sarcastic and the results are awesome. Some of the funniest bits from “The Kings of Cool” are the narrator's sly comments on what's happening.

While the narrative with Ben, Chon, and O, takes place strictly in 2005 the story that began in 1967 slowly starts to jump forward and pick up speed. As it does Winslow starts to reveal the connections between the characters in the original drug trade and Ben, Cho, and O. Before you know it the stories have intersected and you're back in 2005 again where Winslow has set the stage for an epic, brutal, exciting, and emotionally powerful climax.

Winslow also uses “The Kings of Cool” to set the stage for what will happen later in “Savages” by allowing us to spend time with some of the supporting cast from that novel. Readers get to see how DEA Agent Dennis, drug queenpin Elena, and vicious cartel hitman Lado become the character they'll later be. They aren't the only supporting characters in the book either. Fans of Winslow's work will be excited to know that the title characters from two of his other great novels, “The Death and Life of Bobby Z,” and “The Winter of Frankie Machine” make guest appearances. They're small cameos, but they're such great characters and it's fun to spend time with them again.

So all in “The Kings of Cool” lives up to it's title and it's pedigree as a prequel to “Savages.” In fact it's a rare prequel that ends up being better than the original story that inspired it. In “The Kings of Cool” Winslow demonstrates why he's a master at his chosen craft and why he deserves to be mentioned along with Michael Connelly and Robert Crais in the category of best living California Crime Writers.(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Tim Niland rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

Don Winslow is fast becoming one of my favorite storytellers, and Savages, the book this novel was based on, was one of my favorite novels of 2010. While the conclusion of that book limited the options for a sequel, it did offer many unanswered questions about what came before, questions that Winslow spins into another excellent story with this book. This story has a split focus, one half of it following the developing marijuana empire of Ben and Chon and their lady-friend O as the develop it in...more

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Jul 07, 2012 Andre rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I liked Savages, but I loved The Kings of Cool. The prequel corrected the issues I had with the first book, which were that Ben and Chon and Ophelia were unlikeable and I couldn’t find a way to care about them. In The Kings of Cool, they are five years younger and, therefore, not yet fully formed into the people I didn’t like in Savages. Those five years made a huge difference.

The Kings of Cool is the trio’s true origin story. As is the case with most origin stories, the protagonists’ story isn’...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Margarethe rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Surferparadies Kalifornien 2005, Laguna..drei junge Surfer leben ihren Traum und finanzieren ihn mit erstklassigen Dope – nun will ihnen einer das Geschäft vermasseln und sie versuchen sich zu behaupten gegen die Drogenmafia, gegen die Polizei, diesie versuchen gegenseitig auszuspielen.
Gleichzeitig wird die Geschichte von drei jungen Surfern Doc, John und Stan erzählt in den späten sechziger Jahren, auch hier geht es um Finanzierung der Träume mit Hilfe von Drogenanbau schmuggeln und das Ausprob...more

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Jul 26, 2012 Eddie rated it 3 of 5 stars

3.5 stars

Unfortunately, everything new I read that comes from Winslow, I compare them to The Power Of Dog and the Dawn Patrol and also the second book in that series, The Gentlemen's Hour. Those three books are the actual kings of cool to me and are damn near flawless—especially Power of the Dog. This prequel to Savages was merely ok to me. I enjoyed Savages far more than I did this one and I couldn't really tell you why. What I did love about this book though, was his integration of two protago...more

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Sep 25, 2012 C_ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: deutsch, kriminell, lies, poetisch-literarisch, zz2012-09

Ein bisschen Scarface, ein bisschen Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - die ganz Großen.

Don Winslow wandert während der 349 Seiten, die man als Leser im Drogenmilieu der sonnigen Küste Südkaliforniens verbringt, auf einem schmalen Grad entlang und schwankt dabei mächtig, sodass ein Mix aus white trash-Weisheit und verblendeter Drogenextase herauskommt.

"Nein, findet Chon, das Problem mit Politikern ist nicht, dass sie auf Droge sind, sondern dass sie's nicht sind.
Dabei gibt es jetzt so gute Mittel...more

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Jan 11, 2013 Matt rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is a great prequel to Savages. You get the history of the characters and their parents, and how everyone came together in the drug loving culture of southern California. Following the characters is great fun, and as he gives you peaks into their past you are constantly trying to figure out who is who and how they got to where they are today. Wild twist (although a little too overly coincidental in my opinion) and the ending is fraught with action and excitement.

I love Don Winslow, or at lea...more

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Apr 16, 2013 Luca Lesi rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Se vi piace questo brano, probabilmente vi piacerà il libro

Barbara ann Dei Beach Boys

"Abbastanza è una parola che contraddice se stessa. Abbastanza non è mai abbastanza" ecco riassunto il mondo della droga e del crimine in california alla comparsa della cocaina.
Romanzo nato evidentemente per sfruttare il film Savage di Oliver Stone, trasposizione del più convincente Le Belve di cui, i re del mondo, è prequel.
Stile di scrittura a pensieri brevi, ritmo sostenuto, buona definizione dei personaggi....more

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Jul 23, 2012 Jaron rated it 4 of 5 stars

I admit it: when I saw this book was coming out I felt that it was a cheap way to cash in on the fact that Savages had been optioned by Oliver Stone. And maybe it was, but I found that I actually enjoyed this book more than Savages. The quirky, free-flowing style and sense of humor of Savages are kept intact here, although I found myself enjoying the style choices a bit more this time around, especially the cut-scene chapters that were handled like screenplays.

This is a 320-page book with 306 ch...more

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Oct 06, 2012 Harry rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2012

Kings of Cool. Ein etwas uncooler Titel. Und dann auch noch ein Prequel? Aber es funktioniert. Sogar ausgezeichnet. Viele Charaktere aus dem Winslow-Universum geben sich ein munteres Stelldichein. Kings of Cool macht Spass und ist...ja...cool. Während »Savages« (dt. »Zeit des Zorns«) stellenweise nur wie ein Aufguss bzw. eine Resteverwertung vom famosen »The Power of the Dog« (dt. »Tage der Toten«) gewirkt hat, weiss Kings of Cool auf ganzer Linie zu überzeugen.

Glaubhafte Charaktere und ein rasa...more

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Sep 01, 2012 Manuel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012, favorites

And now for something completely different...

I've read almost anything Don Winslow has written and this time he breaks new ground with this book in terms of narrative structure (I haven't read "Savages yet). High kinetic energy throughout the entire book!

The narrative jumps all over the place, back and forth in time, person and viewpoint.
He also occasionally switches to a movie script format during longer portions of dialogue, just to make sure that the reader is paying attention.

It doesn't...more

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Sep 24, 2012 Sheehan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So much of this book seemed like a rehash of Savages, granted it's the same characters lives leading up to Savages. This is not written to disparage the author, the same story told from a generation prior is just as engaging, and as the story goes on highlights the futility of the War on Drugs. Just like the gold rush, it's the guys selling the equipment and land that always make money, the precious metals (nay drugs) are really just for punters; like the slots in a casino...the deck is always s...more

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Mar 04, 2013 Alberto Bellini rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Prequel de Savage, I re del mondo è un'operazione assai interessante. anzitutto è un romanzo rapido, con un gran ritmo, che si svolge su più linee temporali ed in cui tutto l'armamentario del genere è utilizzato in modo assolutamente contenuto. violenza, sarcasmo, retorica, modelli narrativi, pur mostrando i caratteri del genere sono meri artifici strumentali, costituiscono solo la superficie del romanzo. anche l'idea che avendo avuto Savage un discreto successo e non potendo quello avere un seg...more Prequel de Savage, I re del mondo è un'operazione assai interessante. anzitutto è un romanzo rapido, con un gran ritmo, che si svolge su più linee temporali ed in cui tutto l'armamentario del genere è utilizzato in modo assolutamente contenuto. violenza, sarcasmo, retorica, modelli narrativi, pur mostrando i caratteri del genere sono meri artifici strumentali, costituiscono solo la superficie del romanzo. anche l'idea che avendo avuto Savage un discreto successo e non potendo quello avere un seguito, sia stato necessario scrivere un prequel per monetizzare il successo del primo romanzo, sarebbe un'idea abbastanza errata. in effetti l'autore scrive un prequel per avere la certezza di avere un pubblico definito già dalla lettura del vecchio romanzo, ma è un artificio, perchè la storia di Ben, Chon e O (ma anche quella di Doc, John, Kim, Stan)è solo il pretesto per andare molto al di là del genere e fare un romanzo intergenerazionale su due generazioni contraddittorie. quella formata da Hippie e Surfisti da un lato con le illusioni e le disillusioni comuni tutta una generazioni, ma elaborate in modo peculiare in california dove in un certo senso tutto era cominciato e quella dei trentenni d'oggi, connessi in modo assoluto, ecologisti quando si può, totalmente separati dalla res publicae, edonisti. un confronto tra chi ha dovuto fare i conti con Edipo e chi li sta facendo con Narciso per strade che in california portano entrambe alla droga ed alla violenza non voluta e probabilmente non compresa. per quanto riguarda lo stile appare ancora più evoluto di quello già messo in mostra soprattutto a livello linguistico in Savage. l'approfondimento dei personaggi, soprattutto quelli di contorno è estremamente maggiore. il meccanismo del prequel poi consente di cambiare le carte in tavola. l'autore infatti, Borgesianamente potremmo dire, cambia l'idea che il lettore si è fatto dei personaggi nel primo romanzo. leggendo i re del mondo pare cambi il contesto del romanzo successivo, non i fatti di partenza, ma i personaggi stessi. insomma il consiglio è quello di leggere prima "le belve" ovvero Savage, poi i re del mondo ed infine di nuovo Savage ed attenti che la cosa si potrebbe pure complicare perchè la possibilità di inserire un terzo libro tra due già editi è reale. insomma un centro di Don Winslow, uno dei pochi autori moderni capaci di romanzi che non sono mero riciclaggio di passati e più grandi autori (less)

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Oct 23, 2012 Saretta rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, language-eng, other-drugs-addiction, format-ebook

4.5/5

Questo è un SIGNOR prequel, talmente grandioso che sminuirlo con la parola prequel gli fa un torto.
E' comunque vero che racconta quello che è successo prima di Le belve, e chi ha nostalgia di Chon, Ben e O non può evitarne la lettura, però si addentra molto più indietro nel tempo passando negli anni '60, '70 e '80 e nel narcotraffico di quegli anni.
Ed è tutto un ciclo che poi porterà ai protagonisti de "Le belve", che ti rimangono appiccicati addosso, attraverso legami che poi si collegano...more

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Oct 12, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the Prequel to Savages, a blockbuster blood and guts epic from Oliver Stone, starring Taylor Kitsch (Tim Riggins from Friday Night Lights .. hopefully "Rig" will get out of his rut with this movie after the horrendous bombs, John Carter and Battleship).
Kings of Cool looks at Life Behind the Orange Curtain - Orange County, California - specifically the glitzy corridor between San Diego and Seal Beach. The bullseye is Laguna Beach. It's kind of like a less funny California style Blues Brot...more

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Jul 18, 2012 Andrew Nette rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime

The Kings of Cool is Don Winslow’s latest book. That’s the Don Winslow who wrote The Power of the Dog, Satori and Savages, the last of which has been made into what, by nearly all accounts, is an excellent film by Oliver Stone. For many people, that’s all I really need to say. However if you need a bit more than the elevator pitch, here goes.

This book is the prequel to Savages, Winslow’s story of three Southern California drug dealers whose success in selling high quality, hydroponically grown m...more The Kings of Cool is Don Winslow’s latest book. That’s the Don Winslow who wrote The Power of the Dog, Satori and Savages, the last of which has been made into what, by nearly all accounts, is an excellent film by Oliver Stone. For many people, that’s all I really need to say. However if you need a bit more than the elevator pitch, here goes.

This book is the prequel to Savages, Winslow’s story of three Southern California drug dealers whose success in selling high quality, hydroponically grown marijuana attracts the unwelcome and deadly attention of a Mexican drug cartel. Ben is an ethical slacker and the business brains behind the operation. Chon is the muscle – he comes into his own when things get rough. O, the most annoying of the three is… well… I’m not really sure what she is. Let’s just settle on the messed up rich girl, the group’s mascot and popular culture cypher.

The Kings of Cool looks at the three friends as they start out in the drug business in the 90s, as well as exploring their complicated histories and how they first met up. Interwoven into this is the story of another group of counter cultural types in Southern California back in the 60s, and the evolution of their decision to become drug traffickers, from the amateurish beginnings to the more serious consequences as the Summer of Love fades and the trade mutates into a high stakes business. Friendship gives way to paranoia and organised crime gets involved – including what for Winslow connoisseurs is a very entertaining cameo by a mafia enforcer called Frankie Machine.

Yes, the two sets of characters from the two different periods are somehow related. Yes, the plotline involves a group of older guys trying to shake down Ben, Chon and O. But to say more might spoil it for you.

The Kings of Cool is the kind of high-octane crime thriller you expect from Winslow, however what makes it really interesting is his attempt to paint an alternative history of Southern California. This is depicted in terms of the changes in the drug culture and the people who inhabit it. It also includes what for me is some fascinating detail about the logistics involved in the large-scale cultivation of hydroponic marijuana.

I find Winslow’s writing has a fluid, almost effortless feel. It’s like he’s so on top of his game and knows what he’s saying so well that he can knock books out between beers over a lazy weekend. I’m sure that’s not the reality but whatever the case, his ability to impart complex backstory and character descriptions in a minimum of paragraphs is incredible.

The only thing about Kings of Cool I didn’t like was Winslow’s decision to write in the style of a film script every now and again. Thankfully, he doesn’t do it all that often, because at times it does feel like you’re sitting in the middle of a pitch for the film rights. Otherwise it’s another terrific book by an author who keeps on getting better.(less)

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Jul 03, 2012 Ethan rated it 5 of 5 stars

A couple years ago, Don Winslow made waves with his fast and edgy novel, "Savages", in which young drug "entrepreneurs", Ben and Chon, embarked in a war against a Mexican drug group who kidnapped their shared girlfriend, O. It was, arguably, one of the best thrillers of that year and even spawned a film adaptation by director Oliver Stone. Now, Winslow returns to this version of California in a prequel, "The Kings of Cool".

The novel centers on two main stories, one taking place around 2005 and t...more A couple years ago, Don Winslow made waves with his fast and edgy novel, "Savages", in which young drug "entrepreneurs", Ben and Chon, embarked in a war against a Mexican drug group who kidnapped their shared girlfriend, O. It was, arguably, one of the best thrillers of that year and even spawned a film adaptation by director Oliver Stone. Now, Winslow returns to this version of California in a prequel, "The Kings of Cool".

The novel centers on two main stories, one taking place around 2005 and the other beginning in the 1960's. Both portions are presented in alternating sections until the two narratives meet in the latter portion of the book. The 1960's story tells the tale of young Californians experimenting with the various drugs of the time. A few characters, from various backgrounds, discover the potential business opportunities that these drugs posses, and become involved with the drug trade.

In 2005, Ben, Chon and O, are all recent high school graduates. Instead of following the traditional paths of their peers, they grow their own highly potent marijuana. As they become recognized for their superior product, their competitors begin to take notice. They are required to pay a portion of their earnings to their competitors in order to continue selling their drugs (think a kind of business tax). In the course of a couple of weeks, Chon receives orders to take his third deployment to the war in Iraq, O begins to search for her unknown father, and Ben is left to deal with the business. After his competitors murder a couple of his street peddlers, Ben must try to deal with the problem.

"The Kings of Cool" is the best thriller I have read this year. Winslow's unique writing style is the perfect vehicle for a story like this. His bare prose and timely observations provide a contemporary edge that breathes life into this unconventional tale. The characters are so convincing that you can't help but root for theses drug dealing criminals to beat out their competitors. The two story lines seamlessly weave together, all driving towards an ending with the perfect amount of twist and resolution. I thought that perhaps with all of the praise that "Savages" received, Winslow was somehow pressured into writing another novel with the same characters. Fortunately, he avoided the traps that many series authors fall in to, creating a story that felt naturally conceived and executed flawlessly. I understand that the subject matter and the way it is presented may be unappealing to some, but for those looking for a thriller that is a bit outside of their normal reading habits, this is a must read.(less)

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May 01, 2012 David Langford rated it 4 of 5 stars

Don Winslow pulls off a neat trick with The Kings of Cool. We see how Ben, Chon, and O come together, and all the pieces for Savages are set up. Within in that twisty plot we're treated to some surprise walk-on's by characters from some of his other novels, bring the Winslow universe that much closer together. I won't say who, not because it ruins anything plot-wise, but it was a nice surprise as a reader, and feel it should be left as such. A nice bit of gravity is given to each of the main cha...more

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About Don Winslow

Don Winslow was born in New York City but raised in South Kingstown, Rhode Island. At various times an actor, director, movie theater manager, safari guide and private investigator, Don has done many things on his way to being a novelist.

His first novel, A Cool Breeze On The Underground, was nominated for an Edgar, and a later book, California Fire and Life, received the Shamus Award. The Death An...more

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Quotes from The Kings of Cool: A P...

“Smart people sometimes get stupid, but stupid people never get smart. Never. Ever. "You can come down the evolutionary ladder," Chon has observed to Ben and O; "you can't climb up.” — 5 people liked it

“What happened? Stan repeats.
To us?
To the country?
What happened when childhood ends in Dealey Plaza, in Memphis, in the kitchen of the Ambassador, your belief your hope your trust lying in a pool of blood again? Fifty-five thousand of your brothers dead in Vietnam, a million Vietnamese, photos of naked napalmed children running down a dirt road, Kent State, Soviet tanks roll into Prague so you turn on drop out you know you can't reinvent the country but maybe you reimagine yourself you believe you really believe that you can that you can create a world of your own and then you lower that expectation to just a piece of ground to make a stand on but then you learn that piece of ground costs money that you don't have.
What happened?
Altamont, Charlie Manson, Sharon Tate, Son of Sam, Mark Chapman we saw a dream turn into a nightmare we saw love and peace turn into endless war and violence our idealism into realism our realism into cynicism our cynicism into apathy our apathy into selfishness our selfishness into greed and then greed was good and we
Had babies, Ben, we had you and we had hopes but we also had fears we created nests that became bunkers we made our houses baby-safe and we bought car seats and organic apple juice and hired multilingual nannies and paid tuition to private schools out of love but also out of fear.
What happened?
You start by trying to create a new world and then you find yourself just wanting to add a bottle to your cellar, a few extra feet to the sunroom, you see yourself aging and wonder if you've put enough away for that and suddenly you realize that you're frightened of the years ahead of you what
Happened?
Watergate Irangate Contragate scandals and corruption all around you and you never think you'll become corrupt but time corrupts you, corrupts as surely as gravity and erosion, wears you down wears you out I think, son, that the country was like that, just tired, just worn out by assassinations, wars, scandals, by
Ronald Reagan, Bush the First selling cocaine to fund terrorists, a war to protect cheap gas, Bill Clinton and realpolitik and jism on dresses while insane fanatics plotted and Bush the Second and his handlers, a frat boy run by evil old men and then you turn on the TV one morning and those towers are coming down and the war has come home what
Happened?
Afghanistan and Iraq the sheer madness the killing the bombing the missiles the death you are back in Vietnam again and I could blame it all on that but at the end of the day at the end of the day
we are responsible for ourselves.
We got tired, we got old we gave up our dreams we taught ourselves to scorn ourselves to despise our youthful idealism we sold ourselves cheap we aren't
Who we wanted to be.” — 4 people liked it

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