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33rd out of 61 books
—
82 voters
Smonk
by
Tom Franklin (Goodreads Author)
It's 1911 and the secluded southwestern Alabama town of Old Texas has been besieged by a scabrous and malevolent character called E. O. Smonk. Syphilitic, consumptive, gouty and goitered, Smonk is also an expert with explosives and knives. He abhors horses, goats and the Irish. Every Saturday night for a year he's been riding his mule into Old Texas, destroying property, k...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
August 22nd 2006
by William Morrow
(first published January 1st 2006)
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smonk!
excuse me, smonk!!!
smonk smonk smonk smonk smonk
now isn't that fun to say??
one more time: smonk
i would rather just keep saying "smonk" than write this book report, even though i thoroughly enjoyed the book. it is just too tempting to smonk.
now i understand...
okay, but for serious, because goodreads is a place for the serious reviews of books, not just a place for made-up words that shout at you float after float after float.
this is my second tom franklin, and while i don't think it was a...more
excuse me, smonk!!!
smonk smonk smonk smonk smonk
now isn't that fun to say??
one more time: smonk
i would rather just keep saying "smonk" than write this book report, even though i thoroughly enjoyed the book. it is just too tempting to smonk.
now i understand...
okay, but for serious, because goodreads is a place for the serious reviews of books, not just a place for made-up words that shout at you float after float after float.
this is my second tom franklin, and while i don't think it was a...more
51 likes · like · see review
view all 27 comments
Rating: 3.9* of five
The Publisher Says: It's 1911 and the secluded southwestern Alabama town of Old Texas has been besieged by a scabrous and malevolent character called E. O. Smonk. Syphilitic, consumptive, gouty and goitered, Smonk is also an expert with explosives and knives. He abhors horses, goats and the Irish. Every Saturday night for a year he's been riding his mule into Old Texas, destroying property, killing livestock, seducing women, cheating and beating men all from behind the twin b...more
The Publisher Says: It's 1911 and the secluded southwestern Alabama town of Old Texas has been besieged by a scabrous and malevolent character called E. O. Smonk. Syphilitic, consumptive, gouty and goitered, Smonk is also an expert with explosives and knives. He abhors horses, goats and the Irish. Every Saturday night for a year he's been riding his mule into Old Texas, destroying property, killing livestock, seducing women, cheating and beating men all from behind the twin b...more
23 likes · like · see review
It is a testament to pressing matters that I finished this two days ago and truly didn't find the space to put it to wraps. Smonk worried me. Several times I feared I would injure myself laughing. I was also worried that memebers of an unnamed disease cult would butcher me. Tom Franklin has a sense of pitch which astonishes me. No doubt his craven Christian is named Portis for obvious reasons. I liked that touch.
Enclosed in the back of the novel was a receipt. I treasure such discoveries. This...more
Enclosed in the back of the novel was a receipt. I treasure such discoveries. This...more
Unlike any other book I can think of, reading "Smonk" is a lot like climbing a mountain. In the beginning, I found it hard to get into (particularly since i found the lack of quotation marks unbelievably irritating) , but the momentum I gathered from the fact that it is a super quick read propelled me halfway through the book before I even had time to process my misgivings. And I am very glad for that because, much like its rabid characters, once the story gets its claws in you it won't let go....more
"Insanity" is the only accurate way I've found the describe Smonk to anyone who may ask.
This book will pick you up by the shirt collar and drag you through it, all the way from Smonk's first appearance and subsequent assault of a small town, through the final act and all the craziness involved. Franklin delves into some of the most despicable and heartfelt characters that have ever been put on a page. The book never takes itself too seriously (as it shouldn't given the characters involved) but...more
This book will pick you up by the shirt collar and drag you through it, all the way from Smonk's first appearance and subsequent assault of a small town, through the final act and all the craziness involved. Franklin delves into some of the most despicable and heartfelt characters that have ever been put on a page. The book never takes itself too seriously (as it shouldn't given the characters involved) but...more
Feb 27, 2013
Sheldon Moss
rated it
2 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
early-mid-20th-century-fiction
A "could have been" interesting fable that didn't work for me.
I really liked Tom Franklin's first novel, "Hell at the Breech." But I thought this little novel was just plain silly. I'm sure Franklin intended the orgy of blood, violence, perversion, sadism, etc. etc. to make a larger point, ... I just missed it.
To me, it was like a really bad B-movie, maybe like the "chain saw massacre" thing, just not as clean, wholesome, or compassionate.
According to the list of positive reviews listed inside t...more
I really liked Tom Franklin's first novel, "Hell at the Breech." But I thought this little novel was just plain silly. I'm sure Franklin intended the orgy of blood, violence, perversion, sadism, etc. etc. to make a larger point, ... I just missed it.
To me, it was like a really bad B-movie, maybe like the "chain saw massacre" thing, just not as clean, wholesome, or compassionate.
According to the list of positive reviews listed inside t...more
Revolting, hysterical, revoltingly hysterical, and hysterically revolting.
Take equal parts of the morbidly violent white trash Southern Gothics of early Cormac McCarthy, and hallucinogenic gutter sex satirical perversity of William S. Burroughs, simmer for six weeks, skim off any remaining liquid, and you should be able to scrape this book out of the sludge at the bottom of the pot.
I couldn't decide whether this one deserved five stars or only one, so I compromised at three, then rounded it up a...more
Take equal parts of the morbidly violent white trash Southern Gothics of early Cormac McCarthy, and hallucinogenic gutter sex satirical perversity of William S. Burroughs, simmer for six weeks, skim off any remaining liquid, and you should be able to scrape this book out of the sludge at the bottom of the pot.
I couldn't decide whether this one deserved five stars or only one, so I compromised at three, then rounded it up a...more
A low-down raunchy "southern" (as opposed to a western) set in Old Texas, Arkansas. Smonk is a hypercephalic goitered tank of a bastard who could (and does) pop a man's head with one hand. With his sidekick Ike, they discover some nasty secrets around town. There is a parallel story, one of Evavangeline, who is on the lamb from a born-again Christian Deputy Walton, who stumbles Quixote-like into the fracas.
Tom Franklin has balls, for sure... Some parts are hilarious, some (most) are disgusting,...more
Tom Franklin has balls, for sure... Some parts are hilarious, some (most) are disgusting,...more
Graphic. Gory. Disgusting. Franklin definitely has a way of describing sickening scenes and Smonk is chock-full of them. Sometimes less is more, though, and the absurd level of vileness in this short novel left me rolling my eyes each time he would try to up the ante on gross. Where Cormac McCarthy can paint a grim period piece with a few choice nasty scenes (see Outer Dark) Smonk goes way overboard.
The story is good, however, and the characters are well-crafted. If you can get past all of the...more
The story is good, however, and the characters are well-crafted. If you can get past all of the...more
This novel is an absurdist western adventure. With an intention to offend every possible group with an underlying purpose, Franklin's work reminds me of some of Todd Solondz's films. With intensely honest human moments placed in the context of ridiculous sex, violence, and religious fervor each of the main characters in the novel seem to break away from the absurdity, if only for a moment, to exemplify something honest. Also spliced in are a few meta-fictional moments, which add the final layer...more
This is a tough book to describe, but it basically follows two stories, one being that of E.O. Smonk, an outrageous villain who has terrorized the town of Old Texas, Alabama for some time, and that of Evavangeline, a teenage prostitute making her way through the Gulf Coast area. It takes place in 1911, but it reads like a Western set anytime between 1870 and1900. It is dark and licentious, and not for those easily offended, or maybe I should say it’s only for those who are hard to offend. There...more
One of the most charmingly raunchy books I have ever read. Violent, foul-mouthed, and downright salty, I absolutely adored SMONK. Has to be read to be believed.
I'm not going to go into details (and I assure you, they would be gory details), but if you like a really well-written, yet violently absurd yarn, this is the book for you. The period style of the writing only illuminates the graphic nature of the scenes.
After reading this, I immediately went out and bought two of Tom Franklin's other bo...more
I'm not going to go into details (and I assure you, they would be gory details), but if you like a really well-written, yet violently absurd yarn, this is the book for you. The period style of the writing only illuminates the graphic nature of the scenes.
After reading this, I immediately went out and bought two of Tom Franklin's other bo...more
I learned of this book from author Alden Bell when reading an interview with him for my review of his book The Reapers are the Angels. He listed this as one of his favorite books, and I said at that time that after reading the synopsis for Smonk, I could see where he got his inspiration for his character Temple of The Reapers are the Angels.
This book is a rip-roaring ride! I had mentioned to my friends early on that this book was the most vile and obscene book I’d ever read, and yet the most ent...more
This book is a rip-roaring ride! I had mentioned to my friends early on that this book was the most vile and obscene book I’d ever read, and yet the most ent...more
Oct 18, 2009
David Nadolny
added it
I can tell from reading this that the writer is good, but this particular book contains so many disgustingly described sexual exploits that it was just terrible to read. And I am the far from a prude! If a story calls for it, I don't care if something is described explicitly. However, this book hardly leaves a page in between some degenrate sexual description. Most penthouse forum letters are less graphic. And most it isn't needed for the author to further the story. It even lost the shock value...more
I certainly am glad I had read Franklin's other two novels first because if I'd read this one first I would probably would not have read the others. This book begins with an unrelenting dark tone but sounds like a dime store Western. Then it just gets darker and darker and, I might add, weird. The novel ends with a grotesque fairy tale ending. Oh well! It reads a bit like a satire of Cormac McCarthy's style, but I can't seem to fathom Franklin's point in all this. I guess I'll just move and hope...more
Wow. This book is hilariously, disgustingly, fun. The main character, E.O. Smonk is a cross between Yosemite Sam and the Devil. There are few (okay, no) redeemable characters in the book, and there is a twist ending involving rabies.
While I think Franklin was going through a slight "I want to be Cormac McCarthy" phase, the book is a lot of fun.
Not for the faint of heart or mind, and definately not for the easily offended.
Many thanks to Dr. Keith Perry for his recommendation.
While I think Franklin was going through a slight "I want to be Cormac McCarthy" phase, the book is a lot of fun.
Not for the faint of heart or mind, and definately not for the easily offended.
Many thanks to Dr. Keith Perry for his recommendation.
E.O. Smonk is a nightmare, a dream and on the verge of death. For years, he has terrified and tormented the town of Old Texas, Arkansas. But the town has dark secrets and Smonk knows them all. He is evil, or is he the hand of God come to punish the townspeople?
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, brutal, violent and gory book. A great mix of Western, adventure, and gothic with characters and scenes that haunt long after the last page. Not for everyone, but the right audience will love it.
I thoroughly enjoyed this fast-paced, brutal, violent and gory book. A great mix of Western, adventure, and gothic with characters and scenes that haunt long after the last page. Not for everyone, but the right audience will love it.
The characters in this book are rather Carl Hiaasen-esque, namely larger than life and peppered with idiosyncrasies, and quite insane. If this was made into a movie it would make Tarantino's best seem like a sweet fairytale. Set in the wild west around the turn of the century it is a riotous and crazy story, and I loved it.
If you are squeamish or easily upset it's probably not for you! If you are looking for something very different then give it a go.
If you are squeamish or easily upset it's probably not for you! If you are looking for something very different then give it a go.
One of the most depraved, violent, hysterical and excellent reads. I flew through this book. Tom Franklin has quickly risen to a prominent position in my personal list of favorite authors. If you are not easily offended by foul language, graphic word play or explosive violence, then read Smonk. It erupts from the beginning and carries that fire through most of the story. The end wavers a bit, but the first 3/4's is a brilliant blast of outrageous.
A couple of prefaces:
1) 2 stars because Tom Franklin can write, obviously. Excellent descriptions.
2) I am not, by any stretch, squeamish or prudish.
Having said that, I don't really know how to review this book without comparing it to similar experiences I've had with film.
I see a trailer or read reviews of a movie ... I'm intrigued.
I watch it ... a few minutes in and I feel like I've been completely duped.
There is promise here. A story which could be told well.
But for some reason the writer and...more
1) 2 stars because Tom Franklin can write, obviously. Excellent descriptions.
2) I am not, by any stretch, squeamish or prudish.
Having said that, I don't really know how to review this book without comparing it to similar experiences I've had with film.
I see a trailer or read reviews of a movie ... I'm intrigued.
I watch it ... a few minutes in and I feel like I've been completely duped.
There is promise here. A story which could be told well.
But for some reason the writer and...more
probably the less i say, the better, what with adjectives being easy to sell yet hard to buy. so… here you’ll read some of the best lines you’ve ever read. you’ll laugh the most uncomfortable laughs ever (and a lot of comfortable ones, too). it does biblical better than god, violence better than sex and vice versa. it’s that good… mostly. the last fifth loses its edge though, actually starts approaching campy, but then just goes too fast to get anywhere but done. would have hit five stars otherw...more
This is a rollicking (and I dont think I have ever used that word before) Old West send-up, filled with excessive violence and excessive sex, and usually very funny. This is not Little House on the Prairie. That being said, I enjoyed the first half, but then found I couldnt wait for the end, as there was just more and more of the same. Not in the same caliber as his previous books.
One of the most interesting characters ever created, Smonk represents the slimy, crawling-on-all-fours persistence of evil. There is no good in this book, only varying degrees of venality, which makes it a tough read, and difficult for me to recommend to others. One likes to hope for even a sliver of sunshine. In this book, you hope in vain.
Smonk is noir meets traditional western. A midget, one-eyed, syphilitic cowboy..what else could you ask for? All of the characters are filthy, raw, and pissed off. Having a hard copy of it doesn't look right unless its cover is ripped/bent and maybe a page or two missing. Trust me, once you read it that last sentence will make more sense.
While I'm talking about Tom Franklin--this book was so awesome. Not for the sqeamish. I gave it to my dad for Christmas one year and he has never quite trusted my book selection since. When I encouraged my then-fiance-now-husband to read it, and he did, and loved it, I knew that the relationship was bound to work!
Holy crap. This one should be kept away from anyone under the age of oh, say, 50. Dark, evil, raunchy, gory, obscene, and yet sometimes funny story set in 1911 in Alabama. Guy named Smonk is to go on trial in a very strange small town, which kicks off a killing, whoring, weirdly fast moving plot that makes the worst R rated movie or HBO series look like a child's story. Of course, I had to finish it to see if anyone lived. LOL
1 like · like · see review
An interesting story with a lot of surprises, as well as characters that were, to say the least, unique, but man, just too, too, too graphic, gross, gory, you name it. Nauseating descriptions of rotting eye sockets and the like made this a difficult book for me to even get through. I am not sure I even liked it, but I admired the skill of it, so I split the difference and went three stars.
1 like · like · see review
Franklin pulls out the stops for his second novel. This is an over the top comic nightmare combining Peckinpah and Leone movies (leaning more toward the comic absurdity of Leone with the brutality of bloody Sam intact), Old Testament (esp. Sodom & Gomorrah), David Lynch, horror movies, southern gothic, and Cormac McCarthy with the volume turned up to eleven. Witches, madmen, rabies, machine guns, relentless gore and violence, scatological references, zombies, insane religious cults, crazed a...more
3 likes · like · see review
Je suis une fan de western au cinoche, mais je n'en avais jamais lu. J'ai toujours pensé que c'était un genre qui ne pouvait pas très bien passé sur papier (même si c'est là qu'il est né...)C'était avant de lire "Smonk". Je me suis beaucoup amusée surtout que l'histoire se transforme pour épouser un autre genre que j'aime particulièrement (mais je ne vais pas plus loin, je ne veux pas ruiner des surprises). Certaines images sont un peu faciles, mais le style est parfaitement maîtrisé. Franklin s...more
One of the stranger books I've read. A weird and wild ride. Clearly well written and a fun tale, this book does leave you feeling like you need to shower off some of the smut and gore once you put it down.
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| On the Southern L...: Smonk | 5 | 23 | Jul 31, 2012 06:02pm |
Tom Franklin was born and raised in Dickinson, Alabama. He held various jobs as a struggling writer living in South Alabama, including working as a heavy-equipment operator in a grit factory, a construction inspector in a chemical plant and a clerk in a hospital morgue. In 1997 he received his MFA from the University of Arkansas. His first book, Poachers was named as a Best First Book of Fiction b...more
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