Scream If You Wanna Go Faster

by Wade Beauchamp

On April 29, 1959, Ford Motor Company's 50 millionth car rolled off the assembly line. It was a Galaxie 500 4-door sedan. That car travelled coast to coast, taking part in transcontinental races, promotional appearances and was eventually donated to the Henry Ford Museum. Four years later, Ford built its 60 millionth car: a 1963 Galaxie 500 XL Sport Roof, Rangoon red, 390 cubic inch engine, 4-speed transmission.
There was no fanfare, no VIPs. No one even noticed. Except for the people in SCREAM IF YOU WANNA GO FASTER. Heroes and villains, girlfriends and wives (ex and otherwise), a B-52 tailgunner, a preacher's daughter and an existentialist possum are just a few of our fellow travelers in these tales from the road. We'll do battle with busted radiator hoses, 8-tracks and bra clasps in the back seat. We'll race against the clock, travel through time, skin a few knuckles and burn some rubber. She's got a fresh coat of twang and a full tank of lust. Wanna go for a ride?

Genres: Fiction

210 pages, Paperback

First published February 13, 2013

Reviews

[Sonja Charters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my first read by this author and I was initially just drawn in by the front cover.
It didn't give too much away but had a striking style which intrigued me.

I don't normally read blurbs before reading the book, so had no idea what to expect from this - but having read the blurb later, I'm not sure that I'd have got very far through it before being out off - I'm really not that into cars and this seemed very heavy on the history and manufacturing - however, the book was really nothing like this!

This story makes the car the focus - almost a whole character in itself and we see it's many owners and take a ride with them as they journey along.

Oddly, this had me reminiscing over the many cars that I've owned over the years and really taking a nostalgia trip back to all of the journeys, experiences and fun that I've had in each one.

I loved meeting all the different characters here and taking a peek into what they all got up to.
With the descriptive writing style, it was easy to be transported into each journey and there were many laughs to be had along the way.

A quick read and overall enjoyable.
Something a little different to my usual genres but I'm glad I gave this one a go.

[Charlotte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a car lover, but like to read outside of my usual genres every so often, so I took a chance on this short book about a car. Don't be put off if, like me, you aren't a car lover, as it's more like a series of short stories in which a 1963 Ford Galaxie is the common denominator.

At first I couldn't work out who was narrating the story, then I realised it was someone different for each chapter/shirt story. I liked seeing how society changed over the years, and the wide variety of characters who owned, or rode in, the car.

I particularly found the final chapter, which is set in the near future, fascinating. I'm always interested in different imaginings of his the future will be. I love the idea of an electric vehicle only future. That can only be a good thing for the environment, surely! But the compulsory 'Halo' system, meaning the government knows exactly where you are at all times, was less exciting.

Overall, this was an interesting set of stories. And it's certainly made me wonder what cars would tell us if they could tell stories!

[Nadine-Sue Sargent · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a relatively quick read - more novella than novel. It introduces the Galaxie and it's various owners. The adventures they have are all very different and we're initially taken back to 1963 before being transported into the future in the last chapter.

The characters are all a little quirky and each chapter introduces us to a new owner/driver with them telling us a brief tale that revolves around the car. There's a mix of love, lust and revenge alongside historical context too (Vietnam and enlisting etc). Owners range from teenage to later on in life.

The change in characters make the book quite fun to read as you can't help but wonder what's coming next, who the next character will be and what their adventures will be like. I felt like some characters were more likeable than others and I also wanted to know more about some of them.

[Lisa reads alot Hamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

From the blurb it’s seems this book is all about cars, but it’s one car and the snippet life of the people who own it.
Starting with its very first owner in 1963 through to its final journey in 2042.

A short read but I loved it, some stories had humour, others I was really moved by.

In the future people had tech that I can really imagine ⌚️but they were still relatable with the problems they faced.
The car also showed it age throughout the book but the bond between the car and their owners felt real, it was certainly built to last.

A classic example of a hidden gem, you don’t have to be a car buff to read and enjoy it.

Thank you @lovebookstours and @inksmithpublishing for

[Mystic KT · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting book where the car is classed as the main character that you focus on. I didnt know what to think about this as it is not the kind of contemporary that I enjoy reading, I find it harder to connect with the story when you are dealing with an inanimate object as the main focus. I did however get into the story and I enjoyed it to find out more about the people that are associated with the car. I had a good time with the writing style and have found that the author has some other works which i will be looking into reading.

[Jody · Rating 3 out of 5]

The idea of being able to share memories and cover hidden unauthorized elements started off very strong. But the story was lost in the weeds because the scientific explanations got just too complicated. The storyline then tries to summarize futuristic science fiction topics along with speculative technologies but inadvertently fails to keep the reader interested in it.

Thank you to the author and Love Book Tours for allowing me to read and review this book.

[Sue Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scream If You Wanna Go Faster by Wade Beauchamp.
I did love the cover of this book. I must admit I didn't look at the blurb. I was surprised when I started reading it. I enjoyed reading it. I loved the different characters. I did like the writing style. It was like I went back in time. I read this book in two sittings. I liked how the car was described at the end. I could see it in my mind.

[kim popejoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scream, I want to read this book!

This is an imaginative tale creatively making a car the main character. The people whose lives are touched by this car are written well, fleshed out and remind me of family and friends. The different scenarios are plausible and have the depth of description to bring the reader into the front seat or, back. And, the ending shows the author's skill at bringing a story to a resounding and successful closure.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good idea but....

Solid idea, sharing memories and then seeing something you weren't supposed to in that memory. Got bogged down with trying to make the reader understand the "science" involved and lost the plot.

Futuristic sci-fi story about technology that doesn't exist but may one day--trying too hard to be understood only to end up boring the reader.