Crooked Little Vein

So it's Warren Ellis' first novel. It's a hell of a lot smaller than i anticipated, in page count, size of the print, and the actual dimensions of the book. It's not that expensive so i cannot complain that the bastard ripped me off with a quickie. I'm about two-thirds of the way through it after a couple of hours of reading last night.

How is it? It's Warren Ellis. What does one expect? It's a fast-paced hard-boiled detective novel with a big dose of Hunter Thompson and a tiny splash of Robert Anton Wilson. The first couple of paragraphs didn't grab me. I shrugged off the implausible plot, which probably wouldn't even work in a comic book, and reveled in his characteristic vomits of bile. I enjoy his comics and his blog. I'm not expecting that much from him really. Crooked Little Vein has the funny misanthropy angle sewed up tight. The romantic entanglement is more preposterous and unbelievable than the secret second constitution of the United States, and if i had the choice, i'd want them earmarked so that i can skip them conveniently.

Great literature it certainly is not, but i'd gladly buy and read more of these if he starts shitting them out regularly... just more absurdist grotesque and less sopping, geek-styled pseudo-romance/ sexual entanglements.