Bust It Like A Mule

by Caleb Mannan

“He was an ornery mean cuss that was ox bow strong and mule kick tough and he didn’t care if he won or lost as long as he was fightin.” So begins the tale of Cotton Kingfisher, Okie drifter and buck wild iron python rider known along the rails as the meanest son of a bitch West of the Rockies. Wild and rough in his old days, Cotton begins to feel the hurt of the earth settling into his bones the older he gets and he wanders off the rails in Montana to seek a home ‘or a rough approximation thereof’ not unlike a dog lookin for a place to die. What awaits Cotton in Stumptown Montana is a big sky beauty mark beautiful girl and a whole heap of trouble for ‘goddamn pretty girls are always trouble’.

Genres: Fiction

266 pages, Paperback

First published June 15, 2015

About the author

BUST IT LIKE A MULE is Caleb Mannan's fourth novel and first to be published. BUST IT received rave rejection letters from literary agents all over the United Sates, prompting the author to publish it on his own, with his wife doing all the hard work. In real life, he is a husband, father to four, and businessman. He currently resides in Spokane, Washington with his family, where he is just a few hours' drive from Glacier National Park, The Land Where The World Began.

Reviews

[Conrad Wesselhoeft · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Tales live long on the rails like whispered mythologies over late night star fires . . . and the mythologies of Cotton was long and
far and many."

Meet Cotton Kingfisher, a man of outsize passion soaked in a marinade of grit, guts, and braggadocio.

BUST IT LIKE A MULE is author Caleb Mannan’s tour de force blend of literary traditions—mixing the Paul Bunyan-esque tall tale with the folk wisdom of Woody Guthrie and the restless lyricism of Jack Kerouac.

Mannan has a gift for the felicitous turn of phrase:

"He gave away cans of beans and ears of corn and field rabbits and scrounged grouse." (Scrounged grouse!)

"The American highway cut concrete stretchmarks across the belly of the states."

"It rained so much even God got the blues."

We readers hunger for heroes who personify courage, strength, and savvy. Think Daniel Boone, Davy Crockett, Lewis & Clark, Crazy Horse, and Chief Joseph. In fiction and film, think Louis L'Amour's Sackett brothers, Indiana Jones, Superman, and Batman.

Caleb Mannan has added a new name to the list—the inimitable Cotton Kingfisher.

P.S.: BUST IT LIKE A MULE cries out to be made into an audio book. But it would require an iconic American voice to pull it off. I nominate Tom Waits.

[Mandy Haynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally think that Caleb Manning is a genius. You don't actually read his novel, Bust It Like A Mule, you kind of hold it in your hands and let it tell you the story. And what a story it is - we all know someone that reminds us of Cotton Kingfisher, maybe you can see a little of yourself in the scars on his skin or in the lonesome longing of a place he hasn't found...yet.

Or maybe, like me, you see a little of yourself in the big sun faded red dress wearing, beer drinking, not caring one damn bit, swearing big sky girl that may help Cotton find the place he's looking for.

You won't know until you hear the story, and by hear I mean read :).

[Matthew Geense · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyable from the first page. I dig the cadence and rhythm of the sentences. Not "stream of consciousness" so much as hearing someone "talk" to you through the page. Cotton Kingfisher becomes a fully fleshed out character in the first 25 pages and then you spend the rest of the book rooting for him. One of my all-time favorite characters across any genre.

I knew nothing about this book and happened upon it at the Spokane Library. The author, Caleb Mannan, had "rave rejections" as his blurbs on the back cover; a smattering of notes from the publishers who had passed on this book. Well, their loss. It may not be able to be "sold" to the mainstream, but I feel incredibly fortunate to have stumbled across this story.

Nice work, Caleb! Looking forward to whatever you're cooking up next.

[Tracy Bulla · Rating 5 out of 5]

The punches fly faster....
Oh, I love it! The authentic approach to this narrative strummed all the inner strings of memories and feelings from my raising and family history. Storytelling is Caleb Mannan's spiritual gift! The tale coupled with the original music by Mannan's wife, brother, and Cotton Kingfisher inspiration grandfather make this the multimedia experience that keeps on giving. I found the music on www.calebmannan.com

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drifter, dandy, philosopher, tough, protagonist Cotton Kingfisher takes his place with great American characters and leads a wild romp of a story. It doesn't take long to come to love the ornery cuss, and the book he's in too.