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Hollywood Cowboys
In the late 80's Heavy Metal ruled the airwaves and crowned MTV King of the Video. From L.A. to London this musical melee couldn't be stopped. Rising to the top of the scene, the Hollywood Cowboys lived like gods of thunder and rock 'n roll. Behind the music, they saved their fans, and the world, from the forces of darkness lurking beneath the neon glitter of everyday reality. Addiction, sleaze, fast cars, and demonology... Welcome to the jungle and hang onto the saddle. The Hollywood Cowboys are about to take you for a ride.
- GenresParanormalHorrorVampires
458 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 15, 2010
Mike Chinakos has written a diabolically fun ride in Hollywood Cowboys, an adventure that follows the exploits of an 80's metal band of the same name that combats the forces of evil.
It's the 80's and the Cowboys are at the top of their game in the music scene, touring the world and rubbing shoulders with heavy metal royalty. Still, even among the parties, booze and girls they find time for their other calling as profesional monster hunters. With silver bullets, stakes, enchanted samaurai swords and holy water filled hollow point .357 rounds, they make it their mission to dispatch vampires, werewolves and anything else that goes bump in the night.
A tip leads the band back to their home town of Portland, Oregon where they pick up the trail of a serious bad guy that has tragic history with the drummer and has eluded them for years. Not only is J.J. Jezreel a world class dusche bag record promoter of death metal and goth bands, he's a supernatural creature of ancient origins whose wicked designs are far more consequentual than just polluting the airwaves with lame music and polluting the blood streams of naive groupies with a vampire connected drug called "D".
With the aid of their roadies, a doctor with a past, and a rock'n roll journalist they track down Jezreel and his menagerie of freaks for a confrontation of Biblical proportions. Emphasis on Biblical, because if the Cowboys can't stop the bad guys the world is going to end up looking like the cover of a Slayer album.
This may all sound very tongue-in-cheek, and author Mike Chinakos has said as much, but the novel is very dark and gritty, with enough detail that readers don't need to entirely suspend belief to enjoy the supernatural element. The writing flows vividly and the character dialogue is snappy, reminescent of our younger days when we were hanging around the boom-box with our own crew, passing the bottle around.
Lovers of metal, especially 80's metal, will wax nastalgic over the cameo apearances of both rock icons and their tunes playing in the background (the chapter titles read like a Headbanger's Ball playlist).
Lovers of horror will enjoy the suspense and admire Chinakos' diverse knowledge of the supernatural in history: Everything from Golgotha, to Pictish druids, to Japanese folklore to even vampires roaming the trenches of WWI.
Residents of Portland will see that the music scene and local landmarks were faithfully represented, and it's refreshing to see that a rock 'n roll horror doesn't need to take place in LA or New York. Portland's dark, rainy streets and rich history offers a more than appropriate stage.
The only remote drawback to this rock 'n roll horror is that you want to see more rock 'n roll...specifically from the protagonists. You want to see them in action, laying down some riffs and rockin' the house. Plus, only half of them are featured in this adventure. Aside from the drummer and bassist, the other Cowboys are MIA for most of the novel. Also, when we meet the Hollywood Cowboys for the first time they've already been monster hunters, leaving us curious how that came about.
Well, despite Chinakos needing to do some 'splainin, you know a book is good when you can't put it down. You're torn between rushing to the finish to find how it ends, and wanting it to never end. That's the dilemna Hollywood Cowbys puts you in. Fortunately, the end sets you up for a sequel that promises answers and more adventure.
If Metallica is the "Thinking Man's" metal band, then Hollywood Cowboys is the Thinking Man's metal horror novel.
It's the 80's and the Cowboys are at the top of their game in the music scene, touring the world and rubbing shoulders with heavy metal royalty. Still, even among the parties, booze and girls they find time for their other calling as profesional monster hunters. With silver bullets, stakes, enchanted samaurai swords and holy water filled hollow point .357 rounds, they make it their mission to dispatch vampires, werewolves and anything else that goes bump in the night.
A tip leads the band back to their home town of Portland, Oregon where they pick up the trail of a serious bad guy that has tragic history with the drummer and has eluded them for years. Not only is J.J. Jezreel a world class dusche bag record promoter of death metal and goth bands, he's a supernatural creature of ancient origins whose wicked designs are far more consequentual than just polluting the airwaves with lame music and polluting the blood streams of naive groupies with a vampire connected drug called "D".
With the aid of their roadies, a doctor with a past, and a rock'n roll journalist they track down Jezreel and his menagerie of freaks for a confrontation of Biblical proportions. Emphasis on Biblical, because if the Cowboys can't stop the bad guys the world is going to end up looking like the cover of a Slayer album.
This may all sound very tongue-in-cheek, and author Mike Chinakos has said as much, but the novel is very dark and gritty, with enough detail that readers don't need to entirely suspend belief to enjoy the supernatural element. The writing flows vividly and the character dialogue is snappy, reminescent of our younger days when we were hanging around the boom-box with our own crew, passing the bottle around.
Lovers of metal, especially 80's metal, will wax nastalgic over the cameo apearances of both rock icons and their tunes playing in the background (the chapter titles read like a Headbanger's Ball playlist).
Lovers of horror will enjoy the suspense and admire Chinakos' diverse knowledge of the supernatural in history: Everything from Golgotha, to Pictish druids, to Japanese folklore to even vampires roaming the trenches of WWI.
Residents of Portland will see that the music scene and local landmarks were faithfully represented, and it's refreshing to see that a rock 'n roll horror doesn't need to take place in LA or New York. Portland's dark, rainy streets and rich history offers a more than appropriate stage.
The only remote drawback to this rock 'n roll horror is that you want to see more rock 'n roll...specifically from the protagonists. You want to see them in action, laying down some riffs and rockin' the house. Plus, only half of them are featured in this adventure. Aside from the drummer and bassist, the other Cowboys are MIA for most of the novel. Also, when we meet the Hollywood Cowboys for the first time they've already been monster hunters, leaving us curious how that came about.
Well, despite Chinakos needing to do some 'splainin, you know a book is good when you can't put it down. You're torn between rushing to the finish to find how it ends, and wanting it to never end. That's the dilemna Hollywood Cowbys puts you in. Fortunately, the end sets you up for a sequel that promises answers and more adventure.
If Metallica is the "Thinking Man's" metal band, then Hollywood Cowboys is the Thinking Man's metal horror novel.
May 15, 2013
“Not too many people wake up on morning, take a look out their curtains and decide, ‘Hey, y’know, I really just don’t think I can stand looking at another sunny day again. - Hollywood Cowboy Jay Cody
Mike Chinakos writer of the Novella Dead Town has taken us even further into the world of the supernatural and the late 80's Metal scene. For The Hollywood Cowboys not everything is sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. Charlie Chance is on a quest to avenge his mothers death by a " vampire" now record producer named Jjjezreel. The Cowboys along with their friend Les a doctor who also lost his wife and son to the undead are in a race against time to stop Jjjezreel from opening the gates to bring forth the dark and Gods original plan for the world. All while kicking a lot of supernatural ass on the way. Mike touches on hints of of od Vampire lore with mentions of Judas and Lilith. With an ending that even I couldn't see coming.
This is not your traditional vampire supernatural novel. It's action packed and at one point had me thinking after Bob and DC simultaneous shoot another bands werewolf guitarist while they looked down at him that they might Just break off into the Boondock Saints Prayer. This book will change the way you look at things you were told all your life was a miracle. You'll even find yourself looking at rock stars in a whole new light.
It's very creative how each chapter is the tittle of a song from that era. Each song fits each chapter. It's like having a personal playlist with the novel.
If you are tired of the same old run of the mill supernatural vampire stories, this book is definitely for you.There is no way to describe this book with the justice it deserves without giving away to much of the story. If the ending doesn't shock you nothing will. I can't wait to see what happens in the Next book Kiss of the Traitor.
Mike Chinakos writer of the Novella Dead Town has taken us even further into the world of the supernatural and the late 80's Metal scene. For The Hollywood Cowboys not everything is sex, drugs, and rock n' roll. Charlie Chance is on a quest to avenge his mothers death by a " vampire" now record producer named Jjjezreel. The Cowboys along with their friend Les a doctor who also lost his wife and son to the undead are in a race against time to stop Jjjezreel from opening the gates to bring forth the dark and Gods original plan for the world. All while kicking a lot of supernatural ass on the way. Mike touches on hints of of od Vampire lore with mentions of Judas and Lilith. With an ending that even I couldn't see coming.
This is not your traditional vampire supernatural novel. It's action packed and at one point had me thinking after Bob and DC simultaneous shoot another bands werewolf guitarist while they looked down at him that they might Just break off into the Boondock Saints Prayer. This book will change the way you look at things you were told all your life was a miracle. You'll even find yourself looking at rock stars in a whole new light.
It's very creative how each chapter is the tittle of a song from that era. Each song fits each chapter. It's like having a personal playlist with the novel.
If you are tired of the same old run of the mill supernatural vampire stories, this book is definitely for you.There is no way to describe this book with the justice it deserves without giving away to much of the story. If the ending doesn't shock you nothing will. I can't wait to see what happens in the Next book Kiss of the Traitor.
May 26, 2012
This book was a pleasant surprise. Chinakos weaves real life events, characters and scenes in with what the normal world would consider fiction. Or is it? Following the Hollywood Cowboys cast and crew around my home town made me stop and wonder. Are they really just making this up? Could there possibly be any facts behind this supernatural craze?
I just loved the way the story unfolds. It sucks you into the plot thinking this is just going to be a normal fiction novel about normal people then the author tosses in a vampire or two. How about a zombie party? Did you catch that nuances? Pay attention when you read this book, which I highly recommend, because not everything is said up front. There are plenty of subtle hints in Chinakos’ words that may warrant a second reading. Or a third.
I just loved the way the story unfolds. It sucks you into the plot thinking this is just going to be a normal fiction novel about normal people then the author tosses in a vampire or two. How about a zombie party? Did you catch that nuances? Pay attention when you read this book, which I highly recommend, because not everything is said up front. There are plenty of subtle hints in Chinakos’ words that may warrant a second reading. Or a third.
November 8, 2010
Great vampire book. A lot more gritty than the other vampire book options out there. There's metal bands, blood, vampires, guns, swords and stakes... everything you need for a great action packed story. For anyone who was in to the hair bands in the 80's, and/or who likes a lot of action, this is a must read. Distinct and well thought characters, simple but compelling plot lines, descriptive writing style, just a good read. Some colorful language but as a lover of the 80's scene it fits without being gratuitous. It also has some descriptive violence, but I love action and it helps make the scenes pop. I just mentioned that because if you're looking for a bland teen angst fluff book move over to twilight.
READ IT
READ IT
November 9, 2010
Well, okay, this is MY book, but I did read it and rate it pretty darned highly ;-)
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews