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26th out of 275 books
—
274 voters
Penny Dreadful (Phineas Poe #2)
When Phineas Poe is enlisted by his old ally, Detective Moon, to find a missing cop named Jimmy Sky, he is drawn into the Game of Tongues, a violent fantasy game played by the disaffected and delusional in the punk clubs, rooftops, and sewers of Denver. With everyone he meets possessing multiple personalities and his own identity slipping away, Poe realizes if he can hang...more
Paperback, 309 pages
Published
November 1st 2006
by MacAdam/Cage Publishing
(first published 2000)
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As much as I really liked Kiss Me, Judas, I loved Penny Dreadful that much more. To steal an overused cliché, this book was a "tour de force" (which I'm not really even sure what that means other than perhaps, tour of force?). Either way, overused descriptions aside, this book is in a word, awesome.
Baer really outdid himself. I enjoyed the first entry but was a little weary about starting this one (despite the fact that I went on and on about how much I enjoyed it). I think it was partly due to...more
Baer really outdid himself. I enjoyed the first entry but was a little weary about starting this one (despite the fact that I went on and on about how much I enjoyed it). I think it was partly due to...more
Mar 01, 2010
Colin Miller
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
novels,
cant-remember-well-enough-to-review
Two stars.
Omnibus review:
Will Christopher Baer is a more respectable version of Chuck Palahniuk. They’re very similar—both are dark, first-person storytellers with a predilection for the twisted underworld of sex and violence—but I’d place Baer more on the side of dark storyteller and Palahniuk on the side of shock writer. Plus Palahniuk bled one narrator into (many, but for sure his initial) four novels; Baer just accepted his love for that voice and made a trilogy.
The Phineas Poe trilogy—Kiss...more
Omnibus review:
Will Christopher Baer is a more respectable version of Chuck Palahniuk. They’re very similar—both are dark, first-person storytellers with a predilection for the twisted underworld of sex and violence—but I’d place Baer more on the side of dark storyteller and Palahniuk on the side of shock writer. Plus Palahniuk bled one narrator into (many, but for sure his initial) four novels; Baer just accepted his love for that voice and made a trilogy.
The Phineas Poe trilogy—Kiss...more
In Penny Dreadful, the various identity crises from the first book are smashed to pieces. Without the security of being close to Jude, Phineas struggles to regain a foothold on his life back in Denver. His withered sense of self finds an outlet however: the vicious game of tongues, which at least half of Denver has succumbed to (including everyone from lowly video store clerks to cops). The disintegration of the characters' identities is what drives the plot. The narration in the chapters altern...more
Riassunto della puntata precedente (senza spoiler):
"Baciami Giuda"
Phineas Poe, ex poliziotto le cui responsabilità per la morte della moglie sono ancora tutte da chiarire, una sera si reca in un bar. Qui conosce Jude, e la mattina dopo si risveglia in una vasca senza un rene. Seguono allucinanti vicende, durante le quali Phineas, che nel frattempo ha sviluppato una massiccia assuefazione da morfina, gira per gli Stati Uniti con Jude e con una borsa frigo, contenente il proprio rene.
"Penny Drea...more
"Baciami Giuda"
Phineas Poe, ex poliziotto le cui responsabilità per la morte della moglie sono ancora tutte da chiarire, una sera si reca in un bar. Qui conosce Jude, e la mattina dopo si risveglia in una vasca senza un rene. Seguono allucinanti vicende, durante le quali Phineas, che nel frattempo ha sviluppato una massiccia assuefazione da morfina, gira per gli Stati Uniti con Jude e con una borsa frigo, contenente il proprio rene.
"Penny Drea...more
Will C. Baer's first novel "Kiss Me Judas" was a dark beauty, an existential nightmare drenched in neo-noir style, but Baer's reach exceeds his grasp in this disappointing follow-up. Damaged ex-cop Phineas Poe is back, but this time he finds himself in the middle of the dangerous "game of tongues," which is intriguing at first but soon proves to be Baer's dumping ground for a boatload of tired ideas about fractured identity and reality vs illusion. Baer treats this well-worn material with crushi...more
Apr 07, 2008
Shannon
marked it as to-read
Recommends it for:
palahniuk fans who fell on their heads
Shelves:
own
I started reading this and, literarily speaking, it's horrible. Someone below said they'd recommend it to Palahniuk fans. There are plenty of negative things to say about Palahniuk but, he is definitely more clever than this guy. At least his stuff is intriguing. Baer is trying WAY too hard to be shocking, I can tell. Something about that always annoys me. You can't FORCE disturbing imagery. Either you have a knack for it (see: The Museum of Love by Steven Weiner) or you don't. Also apparently t...more
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Just re read this guy. This time I ran through the MacAdam hardcover. First time I read it was my old $1, used Viking hardcover. The MacAdam's a much cooler design. Anyway, the story's an awesome head trip. Of the Phineas Poe Trilogy, this one, as the middle novel, is the odd cow. It's a cool juxtaposition of noir and reality games -- nearly a fantasy. Rather than stay in Phineas' point of view as the other two books do, Baer takes you into all of the primary character's heads. You get to see th...more
well i never heard of this author and after i read the excellent "smonk", yes i know books don't go in quotes, i looked on some of the user lists on amazon that list that book... anyway, tom franklin, of smonk fame, was listed by this guy as one of the edgy new authors akin to palahniuk and franklin.
i will readily admit, the writing was strong, i had to reread many sentences in the first quarter of the book to figure out what exactly was going on, and the writing is just the way i like it... gr...more
i will readily admit, the writing was strong, i had to reread many sentences in the first quarter of the book to figure out what exactly was going on, and the writing is just the way i like it... gr...more
Apr 16, 2008
Michael
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
fans of the Kiss Me, Judas and mental disturbances
I was worried by the original Kiss Me, Judas that any follow-up wouldn't be able to to match up to the disturbing depth and noir nature of the book, and though not far off, Penny Dreadful is by no means something to pass on. The sequel contains what it should, with a rather original plotline from its predecessor and some new interesting style concepts thrown in. A for effort, but 3 stars because it just seems like Baer is trying too hard for a cynically-inspired philosophy to emerge, taking away...more
Trying to offer another view of Italy beyond the romanticized images of such books as Under the Tuscan Sun, Jones looks at Italian politics, football, television, child rearing, gender roles and more. Corruption abounds and somehow most all of it involves Silvio Berlusconi. Excellent for a more well-rounded, authentic view of life in Italy for Italians. For a good time, read it on a flight to Rome.
Reviewed by:
Mark Janda
Social Studies Teacher
Reviewed by:
Mark Janda
Social Studies Teacher
PENNY DREADFUL is a sequel to Baer’s novel, KISS ME, JUDAS, though, never having read the first one, I didn’t realize this was a sequel until after I’d finished it. I could pretty much keep up, I just thought the author jumped into the story pretty quickly without giving much background information. The book follows an ex-cop who is searching for his missing friend, Detective Sky. His leads bring him to investigate a strange, drug-induced role-playing game, “The Game of Tongues.” The plot is biz...more
Book two in the Phineas Poe Trilogy has a distinctively different feel from Kiss Me, Judas. It revolves a lifelike roll playing game in which Phineas becomes caught up. Again, much like Kiss Me, Judas, and absolute must read for everyone!
This is my second reading of this book.
This is my second reading of this book.
-one of the few books I've ever willingly given away to charity
-one of the few books I hated from the first line
-one of the very few books I didn't finish at a time when I finished nearly every book I started
-the only book that has ever given me a headache
-one of the few books I hated from the first line
-one of the very few books I didn't finish at a time when I finished nearly every book I started
-the only book that has ever given me a headache
This is a hard one to rate. Baer's writing is so descriptive, sometimes alarmingly so. When he describes a look, smell, taste, etc, it's real. But it took me 1/2 the book to start really following it and the "underworld" he created never really drew me in.
A big improvement on the way he writes. I just feel he needs to come up with better stuff to write about. Mainly his story line it's like the guy just doesn't know where to go with the story and doesn't much care.
Not as good as Kiss Me, Judas, but still worth reading if for no other reason than there is simply a dearth of noir fiction being written. Baer knows how to set a mood and torture his characters.
And this is one of those rare sequels that, in a lot of ways, eclipses the accomplishments of the previous tale. Astounding. Also disturbing, but in really terrific and interesting ways.
Here we go again down the rabbit hole that is Phineas Poe's drug-addled schizophrenic world, but in this book almost all the characters have multiple personalities, and cops are disappearing. Not as satisfying as Baer's first injection, but isn't that how it is with drugs, always chasing after that first high.
Second in the Phineas Poe trilogy, and just as dark and disturbing as the first (Kiss Me, Judas). They're not for everybody, but they do hold your interest throughout.
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11134865
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11134865
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10305444
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/10305444
Continuacion de Kiss me Judas. Una narrativa bastante interesante.
One of my favorite book series. And nobody has heard of him, and it makes me sad.
I'm not sure if I liked this more or less than Kiss Me, Judas. It felt very different... I'll think about it.
This was an interesting book. It could have been excellent. It aspired to a level it didn't quite reach in terms of meaningful existentialism. It became a little pretentious in its literary references and suffered from small fits of overwrought analogy.
But it was still a good story, and I felt compelled to read until the end.
But it was still a good story, and I felt compelled to read until the end.
Not as good as kmj but still better than most.
one of the strangest books i have ever read, i thought it was awful but now i find myself thinking about it like nine months later, so thats why it gets a three and not a two star rating. also i liked that it was written about my town.
This book was weird, in my opinion, a total departure from Kiss Me Judas. I wasn't as fond of this book as the first, but still Baer is an incredible writer. 'm looking forward to see what's coming.
The Pale is what makes this all worthwhile. A hallucinogenic drink that makes you part of an underworld Dungeons and Dragons Game. This is my favorite of the trilogy, and is so dirty.
Kiss Me, Judas may be the first Baer (and you never forget your first) but this may be my favorite. The game of tongues is so rich and deceptive, a captivating read. Neo-noir.
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Will Christopher Baer is an American author of noir fiction, often delving into sex, violence, mystery and erotica. Currently published works include Kiss Me, Judas, Penny Dreadful and Hell's Half Acre, all of which have since been published in the single volume Phineas Poe. His long-awaited fourth novel, Godspeed, was originally set to be published in 2006, but saw several delays before publisher...more
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“A friend is like anything else. A dog, a plant. You ignore them and they tend to die on you.”
—
6 people liked it
“I have saved no one but myself and now I watch for the other universe to unravel in my skull, for the sky to become my own skin and fill with stars.”
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4 people liked it
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