The Book of Duels

by Michael Garriga

In this compact collection, "settling the score” provides a fascinating apparatus for exploring foundational civilizing ideas. Notions of courage, cowardice, and revenge course through Michael Garriga’s flash fiction pieces, each one of which captures a duel’s decisive moment from three distinct perspectives: opposing accounts from the individual duelists, followed by the third account of a witness. In razor-honed language, the voices of the duelists take center stage, training a spotlight on the litany of misguided beliefs and perceptions that lead individuals into such conflicts.

From Cain and Abel to Andrew Jackson and Charles Dickenson; from John Henry and the steam drill to an alcoholic fighting the bottle: the cumulative effect of these powerful pieces is a probing and disconcerting look at humankind’s long-held notions of pride, honor, vengeance, and satisfaction. Meticulously crafted by Garriga, and with stunning illustrations by Tynan Kerr, The Book of Duels is a fierce, searing debut.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories

225 pages, Paperback

First published March 11, 2014

Reviews

[Julien M · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently read The Book of Duels after a friend of mine recommended it. His recommendation didn't disapoint. This book is probably the most unique collection of flash fiction that I have ever read and I read a ton of flash fiction! I've never heard of anyone grouping short short stories together to make a bigger story. Each "duel" is told through three points of view. Each character has his/her own flash fiction piece. Some of the duels kind of read like prose poetry. The writing is excellent and each character seems to have a different voice from the next. This is the best book I have read in a long time.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique collection. Each chapter is a triptych of voices relating the critical moment of a duel, real or imagined -- interior monologues from each of the duelists on what circumstances led up to the moment, and what is going through their minds as they pull the trigger or bowstring or banjo string or raise the claw, and then one story from a witness. I don't compare much to Eduardo Galeano, but somehow, Garriga's short chronicles come close. They extract and distill the deepest human motivations and emotions from pivotal moments in history.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting study into the nature of human conflict...
This book has an interesting approach to concepts like the ever-present bystander, facing death head-on, or the inevitability of human sin. It has a good progression through time and topics, and an impressive range of circumstances and voices, not to mention all the great imagery.

[Lucas Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

First heard of this book on Bookfight, a podcast that two creative writing professors at Temple University host. They chose a book one week and talk about it, and usually have a theme for the off weeks where they discuss a shorter piece, an essay or short story, and generally goof off. It's become a regular and surprisingly reliable comfort in my life. They talk a lot about independent presses and the somewhat cloistered world of writing profs publishing their first or second books. This book stuck out among the many that I have heard them recommend or discuss. I don't read a lot of flash fiction, but the concept is intriguing and the premise of the book hit a sweet spot in terms of my reading interests.

My sister has lived in Asheville, NC for a long time. Her ex-husband has worked for several years at a prominent independent books store. They refer to themselves as booksellers. I've been there so many times, but have never bothered with the coffee shop that takes up too much room in the front. I don't get up to Asheville much anymore, but the last time I was there, my eyes going over the floor to ceiling bookshelf just to the left of the apartments door I noticed a this copy of Garriga's first book. It jumped out at me and my sister didn't know what I was talking about, it had been a free book that her ex had gotten from work, guess he didn't back it up when they went their separate ways. She said I could have it.

My adult life has been not quite defined by used books stores, but they form the backdrop for some of my better memories and certainly have been the informal commons that have witnessed me making important decisions as I hunt the shelves for books that a professor told me to read, that was on a time 100 greatest novel list, that I'm convinced will be the book that becomes my book. The one I carry around and friends and family come to associate with me independent of its contents or merits. Anyway, buying used books regularly for the past twelve years or so has led to two small but growing collections. Books signed by the authors for other people and uncorrected proofs/advanced reading copies. The Book of Duels is the latter. I like to find the typos, the paper that is a brighter xerox white the the finished book will be.

I've been reading books on slavery, segregation, and death. Laura was babysitting all night and I am not drinking for the next month. I was antsy and wanted something different to read. This book was slim and cut up into these triplets, the two sides of a duel and a witness. Each voice spoke for about a page and a half, there was a line drawing that was impressionistic and captured something about the duel. It was elegiac, sad, and often times made me laugh not from humor, but from the voice getting to the point so quick. The three chapters: offense, challenge, satisfaction mirror the duel itself and hints at the sly half narratives that emerge over the course of the book. Someone serving as a witness in one duel, becoming a duelist later on. A witness in one duel, revealed to be a character in a different duelists recollection.

Many people will find this book novel and be bored or uninterested after a dozen pages, but this collection hit me at the exact right angle, and I was enthralled. I will put it back on the shelf or mail it off to Dave in California and wait until I have the same anxious feeling and read it again. Recommended.

[Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is good. It does have a lot of course language like another reviewer mentiond but the languge fits. The book is about people fighting, often to the death, so it seems pretty fitting to me that they cuss a little. This book is ugly and pretty at the same time. The language is rich and the character's flashbacks are often sweet, but then the people (or animals) are killing each other and they also think about earlier abuse, jealousy, heartbreak, sex, fear, and on and on. This book is a psychiatrist's dream.

[Daren Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This guy is brilliant!

[Rachel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Perhaps I took the title too literally, but this book is about disputations, not duels. And some of those disputations are simply murders. Others really press the very idea of "duels." Two angry dads fighting over a doll in a toy store at Christmas time? A couple squabbling in a therapist's office? Two musicians trading riffs? Was St. George and the Dragon, not to mention John Henry vs. the steam drill, really a "duel"? There are a few bona fide duels included, such as the famous Burr-Hamilton duel. But mostly the author uses the term "duel" very loosely to include not only cold-blooded murder, petty and decidely non-lethal squabbles, and mere challenges and struggles. But the "authentic" dialect is quite distracting. I often felt as if I was reading Lil' Abner cartoon strip. The author would have been better off writing in plain English than trying to capture regional dialects.

I am probably not being very fair to the author because I believe this is considered a work of fiction, whereas I was expecting non-fiction. I guess it'd be considered historical fiction with a fair dose of alternate reality? Perhaps if it had a bit more style and readability, I'd have stuck with it despite the somewhat ridiculous notion of what constitutes a duel, but ultimately I couldn't get past the awkward verbiage and gave up after a few chapters.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book by way of the First Reads Giveaway system. I requested it because of the fascinating concept it is built around: going back and exploring famous or important duels in history.

And it could have been fascinating—it had the potential to—but I think that mostly, it isn't. I'm wavering between two and three stars for it; it's not exactly what I expected, but in some ways, I liked it very much. There are lots of entries that are just riveting: Garriga has chosen some worthy duels. It was very centered around perspective; it presents things that are very unexpected and unlike the stories we are used to hearing.

Garriga's prose has some fine aspects, but he is rather attached to profanity, which in some cases was perfectly fitting, and in other cases, wasn't. I wouldn't suggest this book to someone who simply wants to learn about historic duels, unless they are also interested in Garriga's type of prose.

Overall, I was rather put off by this book. In several instances I was sincerely charmed by the way he presented the duels, but more often than not, I was confused as to what was going on (I had trouble keeping track of perspectives—it was extremely unclear who was who at times) and what they author was trying to imply.

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short stories, all from (with some license) the POV of participants in/witnesses to duels -- starting with Cain vs Abel, through Andrew Jackson vs some other guy, two divorced dads fighting over a Cabbage Patch Kid in front of a weed-dealing toy store clerk, ending with the author's child being born in a kiddie pool in his house, and a duel between his lesser and greater angels (with Satan providing color commentary through a bottle of whiskey). After a few stories I worried that the repetitive structure would grate, but Garriga's imagination is high-wattage enough to make all but a few of the stories connect. The dreamy, breathless style takes some getting used to -- a lot of sentences sewn together with "and" -- and can make for more of a walk feel than a trot. Really impressive for a first book, and great to see an author based in NE Ohio doing things for real.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really excellent group of narratives. Interesting, diverse, thought-provoking, very visceral, it's really vibrant and often violent. There's also some dark humor here and there, a lot of tragedy, and I ended up googling all of the stories to see if they're real (most are.) Not only does it tackles a million different historical figures and eras, but it also examines them and focuses on this one moment of their life. It manages to tell complex stories in little more than three pages, with a rotating cast of characters that are all very different but also similar in their motivations. It's not just classic duels, but ones you may not consider, like a cockfight, or a battle over a toy in an aisle. This collection is incredibly original and compelling.

[Rrlgrrl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not quite what I expected. When I picked up the book, I had thought it was a brief history of famous duels (and there are descriptions of some duels that are). Rather, this book is a collection of first-person narratives of both sides of the duel and a third party. Some of the duels are fictional (e.g. Don Quixote and a windmill). I'm not a big fan of reading difficult dialects, and some of the narratives had this infused. Whimsical, but some of the stories needed an explanation of why it was considered a "duel".

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very good idea for a book--a set of prose poems based on dramatizing great duels of history and legend, each from three perspectives (those of the two participants and that of an onlooker). There are some excellent instances (the three voices of one "duel," for instance, are Cain, Abel, and God), but on the whole the execution doesn't seem quite as grand as the original idea. It's very much worth reading as an example of a high-concept book of poems, but for readers looking for great, focused prose poetry, it may not have much staying power.

[Brittany Marin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads.

I've always found the different sides to conflict interesting, so I found the concept of the book interesting. While there is some excellent writing, not all the stories are gems. There were a number of times I found myself lost and confused as to who was who, and even what was happening. Torn between 2 and 3 stars, I rounded up because I like the cover art (what first attracted my attention).

[Lena Barsky · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish that there had been a little bit of diversity among the duels chosen? The few about the artists were the most fascinating to me. Also, the lack of women was tough to swallow. Nice prose, though, and a quick read (I read 2/3 of it in one night and the rest in an hour a few weeks later). It's definitely different, just not totally my cup of tea.

[Chris Tusa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty, gory, lyrical, and profoundly beautiful, this collection proves without question that Michael Garriga is a force to be reckoned with. Southern writers beware: this man means business.

[Kaela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting idea for a book - I liked reading the and connecting the two or three perspecives. I enjoyed the variety of duels included.

[Mike Harmon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good concept - poor execution. I wanted to read about historic duels. Many of these are goofy and have no historical significance what-so-ever.

[Brian Wasserman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great prose, picaresque. The prose is fairly poetic, so you might to revisit passages to divine the details from the pages. I hope the author writes more books.

[Jules · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creative. Loved it.