Bad Brains [Import] [Paperback]

Kathe Koja (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Millenium books; First Thus edition (1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857981294
• ISBN-13: 978-1857981292
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,099,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A terrifying look into self-disintegration and creation, June 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Bad Brains (Mass Market Paperback)

This book is quite possibly one of the most raw, brutal, frightening pieces of fiction I've ever held in my hands. It describes better than anything the dark side of desire, what waits behind the mirror of art's perception, the thing that lurks unbidden within us all, pushed forth in the case of this book's main character by accident, trauma, seizures, but still undeniable. Koja's work is breathtaking; "Skin" and "Strange Angels" carry that same kind of ride through the blackness of the characters' psyches; but "Bad Brains" is in my opinion her best piece of work. Quite possibly the best book I've ever read.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best novel to date dealing with the artistic process, March 24, 2001

By 

C. Garcia "ackoocheemoya" (Henderson, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Bad Brains (Paperback)

Bad Brains, which I was moved to purchase after reading a rave review by Linda Marotta, was the first book of Koja's that I ever read. I read it as slowly as possible, dreading the conclusion because it was so beautiful.

This isn't a novel for people seeking a good horror tale for two reasons. First, Koja is not a horror novelist, but because her books contain violent and often fantastic elements not seen in non-genre fiction, she is frequently referred to as one. Second, her books are powered by her magnificent prose, rather than by the usual story telling devices employed by Stephen King and Dean R. Koontz. With Koja, finding out what happens to the characters is less important than accompanying them on the journey. Her novels all deal with artists and their relationship with their art: her first novel, The Cipher, was about a poet; Bad Brains was about a painter; Skin was about a sculptor turned performance artist and Strange Angels was about a photographer.

Bad Brains tells the story of an artist named Austen Bandy who, after a nasty fall in a parking lot, suffers strange and powerful hallucinations and seizures, during which he sees and tastes a silvers sheen over everything. However, the book is mostly about the demands of art on its creator and how far he's willing to go for it.

It's a shame that it's out of print, but don't let that deterr you, look for it at auction sites and online used book sellers. It's worth it. Give Koja a few hours of your time and she'll change the way you view art.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Promising, but unsatisfying., September 13, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Bad Brains (Mass Market Paperback)

After a freak accident, Austen Bandy begins to experience disturbing hallucinations even though his doctors tell him he's alright. The novel follows his journey as he tries to find either a cure, or an explanation, for his condition.

I found the mystery interesting enough to want to keep reading, but the story takes far too long to go anywhere, and I was continually distracted by Koja's bizarre writing style, which I think works well in her short work but becomes tedious in a full length novel.