Skorpio

by Mike Baron

Vaughan Beadles, Professor of Anthropology at swanky Creighton University, is on top of the world. Married to a beautiful woman, Beadles has just taken possession of the largest uncatalogued Amerindian collection in the US. 


For years Beadles has investigated the mysteriously vanished Azuma, but when one of his students dies from a scorpion sting, his world comes crashing down.  His wife abandons him, and he finds himself charged with grand larceny and manslaughter.


His only hope for redemption is to prove that the Azuma were real and find the epicenter of their civilization—a journey that takes him to Arizona and a fateful encounter with a monster literally from his own nightmares.


"Mike Baron writes like the bastard offspring of James Crumley and Rex Miller, in prose so hardboiled you'll break a tooth."—Jeff Marriote

335 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2013

Reviews

[Ms. Nikki · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to give up on this read. It wasn't that the writing was bad, because it's not. It was the pacing and the main character's motivation that I found to be ineffective in pulling me along.

The second-half of the book kind of spiraled out of control and lost focus of what needed to happen to make the story unputdownable. The ending, when the protagonist meets the creature of legend, was slightly disappointing.

Not for me.

*I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review*

[Ralph L Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Review of Skorpio
By Mike Baron

I read the book `Skorpio' by Mike Baron, he of comics fame from such characters as `Nexus' and `The Badger'.
Mike's `Skorpio' is a different type of story from I am used to from him in that it was a horror tale focusing on a terrible, ghostly creature of vengeance in the American Southwest. The book starts off a little slow, but it was still interesting. The main character (Or hero, though he was almost an anti-hero) was a professor named Vaughn Beadles. Who is framed for a theft at the university he worked for and fired as well as disgraced. He loses his family over it, as well as his home, his car-basically everything. There is a girl named 'Summer' whose story is running parallel to Beadles. She is beaten by her drug dealing/drug addict boyfriend. Who is also a failed MMA fighter.
The first 40% of the book is a bit slow, but once you get past that it pops into high gear and a very nicely woven story comes together. I ended up reading the final 60% of the book in a day or so, including the final 20% of it in one sitting. Let's just say it held my attention.
Within this book you will find ghostly monsters as well as other apparitions that walk the American plains. To me though the most horrifying things were the creatures that followed the title characters commands. Let me put it as one of my favorite all time characters would, `I hate snakes!' and you can add Scorpions to that as well.
Just so you understand, it is a horror story, not a heroic tale. Beadles is kind of a fool in a lot of ways, and it seems he understands that as well before the stories end. The end of the conflict is a bit clichéd for my tastes, but all in all I liked it quite a bit. The epilogue chapter tied things up nicely, as well as leaving a new sense of dread and foreboding.
Four and a half out of five stars.

[Tara ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usually my reading fare consists of classics (The Sun Also Rises, The Grapes of Wrath) or delves into historical fiction (The Josephine B. series by Sandra Gulland, The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty). This time I decided to try something entirely new and picked up a copy of Skorpio by author Mike Baron. Typically, this is where I talk about what kind of book this is before I discuss why I liked or didn't like it. However, where do I start with Skorpio? Part Indiana Jones-style of an adventure story, part historical fiction, mixed in with some mystery and action for good measure. From the moment I started to read it, I was pulled in by not only the story line (which features anthropology and native american history/mythology, both of which are interests of mine) but of the personality of the characters. They were well formed and engaging, but even more importantly, they were likable (with the intended exception of a few). I have read many a book that I would have liked better if only I found the characters sympathetic. Don't get me wrong - these people weren't perfect, or could even be considered role models for that matter. They were flawed and they made mistakes, but they were human and their struggles and cares resonated for me from the depth of every page. I also enjoyed the world building in Skorpio. I could feel the blistering aridness of the desertscape they inhabited. I could see every line on the face of the Indian shaman, or relate to the hope that continuously rose within the hearts of the two main characters, even as they were dashed time and time again. I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading action/adventure/mystery/with a little bit of pulp in their lives.

I give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

[Douglas Castagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fast paced, perhaps a bit too face paced. When things go South for us it does tend to do so pretty fast, but here, damn, it happens in the blink of an eye. The book is short and the action happens quickly, but the characters do not truly have time to develop and grow. The backstory is effective as are the opening chapters, nevertheless something goes wrong with the narrative and things are rushed and forced. I think this would have worked better if the story and characters were given a bit more time to grow.

[BJ Haun · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got about a third of the way through the book before I decided to put it down. The intro/prologue was alright, but everything after that was a bit dull. Also the piecemeal reveal that the main character is, in fact, a scumbag didn't really help. Silly me, but I don't like to read about characters I don't care about.

[Stephan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not all that engaging. I bought this novel from the Baen site which seems to be branching out from it's Sci Fi roots. This is one where you can almost read the book by its cover