Crooked Little Vein in Warren Ellis: Q&A Experiment

Aug 08, 2007 Adam rated it really liked it

This is a nasty little book. Anyone who has read the comics of Warren Ellis will find themselves on familiar ground with this, his first prose novel. The story is simple enough: Mike McGill, our hero, must search through the sordid underbelly of America to find, well, a McGuffin, really. The true highlight of the book isn't the plot, it's watching Ellis debate with himself, using the voice of the book's main characters, about whether or not the future is headed toward hell in a handbasket. Ellis ...more

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Aug 10, 2007 Craig rated it really liked it

My review from the author's website (the wonderful comic forum [www.the-engine.net], closing on August 31st, sadly)
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I read it, finished it and read it again, because to be honest I wasn't really sure what I thought.

The good first, I thought there were individual scenes that were magnificent, be they comedy, gross-out, info-dump or drama. The dialogue that drove the action along was always hugely impressive, with even minor characters having very distinct voic ...more

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Sep 10, 2007 Chris rated it it was amazing

As a comic book/graphic novel reader, Warren Ellis has been a favorite writer of mine with his rapier wit and memorable characters (The Authority, The N.E.X.T. Wave, etc.). So, when I heard that he was coming out with a novel, I was completely sold. I had to wait for some months though before this book of his was to be made available in local bookstores. Imagine my joy when I found it in NBS during its annual cut-price sale! I did get it at a 20% off! What a steal!

So, when I got back home, I dec As a comic book/graphic novel reader, Warren Ellis has been a favorite writer of mine with his rapier wit and memorable characters (The Authority, The N.E.X.T. Wave, etc.). So, when I heard that he was coming out with a novel, I was completely sold. I had to wait for some months though before this book of his was to be made available in local bookstores. Imagine my joy when I found it in NBS during its annual cut-price sale! I did get it at a 20% off! What a steal!

So, when I got back home, I decided to read this much anticipated novel. And lo and behold! I was pleasantly surprised once again! I was so engrossed by this book that I finished it in one sitting! I must admit, I expected a verbose, run-of-the-mill writing, thinking that Mr. Ellis must be aching to try on this new medium with so many words inside him tryin to burst out. But as Shakespeare put it so aptly: "Brevity is the soul of wit!" And it has been a long time since I came across a book that glued me to the seat for a good 2.5 hours of pure enjoyment.

From cover to cover, this little gem of a book has entralled me with its compelling characters and the situations they find themselves in. From Chapter One, when Private Investigator Mike McGill started talking about his shitty life and how he was, as the mysterious government guy put it, "shit-magnet," I was hooked. I remember snickering in certain instances in the book.

The book, though, may not be for everyone, thanks to its unapologetic take on deviance. I'm telling you, I took up this course on "Deviance and Society" way back in college, but nothing comes close to Mr. Ellis' revelations in his book. These come off both as amusing and alarming at the same time, but always, always a fun, good read. And all the while, I was thinking how interesting it would be to see a movie adaptation of this book.

So, did Mr. Ellis pull it off with his very first novel?Hell, yeah! "Crooked Little Vein" is just that! Novel! It is a breath of fresh air...a delightful journey into the crooked, yet beautiful mind of Ms. Ellis, to whom I have a much greater respect now as a novelist!

So, Mr. Ellis! I'm ready for your next novel!

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Apr 06, 2009 Aria Guggemos rated it it was amazing

This book is really no surprise if you follow the author, or his Blog .

A delicious and entertaining tour of the underbelly of american culture, a redefinition of Mainstream Society.

A fast read, all I can really say right now is that this story made me smile and hang my Freak Flag high!

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Aug 14, 2007 David rated it it was amazing

There are some books that make you think, "I could have written that." Others make you think, "I wish I'd written that!" And then there are books like this one, which make you realize that you could never have written a book like this, no matter how long you lived. Who but Warren Ellis could think of lines like, "They hate me like I was Hitler's fartcatcher," or "They're crazier than a snake-fucking baby." Then there's the scene with megaherpatophiles -- people who masturbate while watching re-e ...more

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Apr 24, 2009 Brandon rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction, thrills

I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. I expected to be grossed out a little while trying to ignore the awful thing that just happened in order to enjoy the character work and action (two of Ellis' strengths in comics). I was pleasantly surprised by my own tolerance of the not-too-terrible nasty bits. I tore through this and recommend you do the same thing. A lot of fun... if your sense of humor is darker than most.

1st edition hardbound on bargain shelf at B&N! go get it!
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Oct 15, 2008 Amber rated it it was amazing

When I want something to fuck with my head and make me re-assess normality and morality, Warren Ellis always delivers. His deliciously disgusting imagination provides a romp through the seedy underbelly of America that evokes Hunter S. Thompson without the drugs, but with a lot more fucked up sex.

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Jan 23, 2008 Steven rated it it was amazing

Shelves: fiction, crime-mystery

Captivating - I started and finished the entire book on a day off. There are two storylines here and Ellis reveals skillfully which is more important in the end.

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Aug 25, 2007 Ethan rated it it was amazing

This is a great book, a journey through America's underbelly. Pick it up, and read the first chapter, if you like that, keep reading it only gets better. ...more

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