Customer Reviews

Bad Monkeys (P.S.)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(31)
3 star:		(14)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Bad Monkeys is a book certain to satisfy fans of science-fiction, of mysteries, and of conspiracy thrillers. Author Matt Ruff masterfully combines all three genres in his fourth novel, which is anything but "genre fiction."

The novel opens in the psychiatric ward of the Clark County Detention Center (Las Vegas, NV). Accused murder Jane Charlotte explains to her psychiatrist that her alleged crime was authorized by a covert organization dedicated to crime prevention. Jane was an operative in the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons ("Bad Monkeys"), regularly dispatched to eliminated evildoers who eluded the justice system. Her life story revolves around this organization and its departments of Ubiquitous Intermittent Surveillance (Panopticon), Optimal Utilization of Resources and Personnel (Cost-Benefits), internal affairs (Malfeasance), and The Scary Clowns. She tells her story from childhood to date as her psychiatrist gently points out inconsistencies between her version and the official record.

The reader is left to question, "who is Jane Charlotte?" Ruff layers the story with basic questions of good vs. evil (characters named Wise, True, and Love all make appearances) as he leaves the reader with riddles upon riddles about the sarcastically funny Jane Charlotte. The author delivers a surprise ending worthy of a tale with this level of manic energy.

Visit author Matt Ruff's website to read the soundtrack of music he "listened to obsessively while writing this book."

This novel begins so well, and is so fast-paced and compulsively readable, I was recommending it to people left and right .

Then I finished it.

To make a movie comparison, this is like the Matrix trilogy, where 2/3 (3/4 ?) through the story, all the interesting story arcs and subplots are abruptly dropped, and the story finished quickly in a bizarre, disjointed and unsatisfying manner.

One of the finest writers of American fiction working today, Matt Ruff is one whose work remains unfamiliar to most, due perhaps to his keen interest in science fiction and fantasy, and his elegant literary mastery of both. But he's an important writer worthy of widespread attention simply because of his ample artistic talents. He's an elegant literary stylist whose most endearing quality is a consistently uncanny ability to create memorable characters within mesmerizing tales. He's a smart, brilliant writer who can transport the reader to a vivid "Dudgeons and Dragon" fantasy set on the campus of his collegiate alma mater, Cornell University ("Fool on the Hill") and then, many years later, inside the fertile imagination of a young woman afflicted with multiple personality disorder ("Set This House in Order"). Ruff is truly notable for being able to plunge successfully into fantasy, cyberpunk and psychological science fiction in a remarkable literary career that now spans twenty years; his early works "Fool on the Hill" and "Sewer, Gas & Electric: The Public Works Trilogy" remain cult classics still treasured by those familiar with his sparse output. Hopefully, with "Bad Monkeys", Matt Ruff is now poised to acquire the vast audience that his ample literary talents deserve. Why? In "Bad Monkeys" he offers the reader a heart-pounding original twist on the very nature of evil, wrapped up in a terse, film nourish thriller, that owes as much to Philip K. Dick, as it does to great crime fiction novelists like Elmore Leonard, in its engrossing exploration not only on the very essence of evil, but also in focusing upon one's own motivation to commit heinous deeds against humanity. It is a heart-pounding tale that's a literary rollercoaster, replete with unexpected twists and turns, culminating in a bizarre, but still brief, ending that's almost inexplicable. A wickedly funny brilliant tale that's impossible to put down, and will leave you speechless at the very end; one that deserves recognition as among the finest works of fiction published this year.

Who is Jane Charlotte? Is she a delusional, homicidal crime suspect trapped in the psychiatric ward of the Clark County (Las Vegas, Nevada) Detention Center? Or is she a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil, belonging to a division known as the "Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons", which goes by the name of "Bad Monkeys". Is Jane Charlotte a Bad Monkey? These incredulous facts are those she told the police immediately upon her homicide arrest; "facts" which a doctor assigned to the psychiatric ward attempts to determine by his extensive interview of her; an interview that's among the most engrossing I've encountered in fiction. One that most readers ought to find as compelling and as brilliantly realized as I have.

Though set almost a year after the events of 9/11, "Bad Monkeys" is not just a clearly conceived excursion into paranoia and police thriller fiction. It is a spellbinding work of science fiction whose contemporary setting may persuade most readers that it is a witty, terse, and elegant, example of crime fiction. But it is a clever piece of science fiction writing, for reasons that will become obvious all too soon to a discerning reader. However, I suspect that most will miss these reasons, and conclude erroneously that Ruff has written just a brilliant, exceptionally well-crafted, psychological thriller. Without question, it is a captivating piece of splendid fiction writing that will remain in your consciousness long after you've finished reading it, like a still vivid memory of a memorable film or some hitherto unknown, but remarkable, wine. "Bad Monkeys" is a most original tale from one of the finest writers of my generation, and one that's worthy not only of the critical praise it's garnered so far, but ample popular acclaim too.

I read this book in a day. ANd not really a day, I started around 2pm, and it's 8:30pm now. I was at work when I read it, so I was interupted alot. I say this as an example when I say, I could not willingly put this book down. It grabbed me, and not only refused to let go, but when I looked down, I saw that I had grabbed IT. I have no idea how to talk about this book without giving anything away. The basic plot, and I mean basic, is that our main character, Jane Charlotte, has been arrested for murder. She tells the cops that she is a member of a shadowy organazation that fights evil, and the book is an interview with a police psychiatrist interspersed with her telling him how she came to be a part of this organization.

After that, I'll leave it up to you to read this. And, if you enjoy an excellent read that illicits all sorts of comparrisons, from Palahniuk to Moore, then you'll enjoy this. It's unique, at least as far as books I've come across. And I can't think of a better thing to say about a book other than that it was an excellent read, and that it's unique.

Okay, let's start out at the beginning. This book was amazing in every aspect, from the plotline (A secret organization of assasins?! Classic, but great.) to the characters (A lady that acts schizophrenic for her own sake even though she is really quite sane makes an appearance.) to... about five pages before the ending. (Jane has her NC gun pulled on our main villain, and then...)

Let me tell you of my experience the ten minutes after finishing the book: nearly crying, I searched through the remaining (blank) pages, convinced that this was some sort of joke, that the real ending was sure to come. The final twist was a baseless, cliched character-destroying move that had me crying, "Matt Ruff, what are you thinking?!"

In the end, I had to write a new ending and tape it to the back of the book to put my broken heart to rest.

'Course, the book was still amazing. Until it ended. Read it, PLEASE read it, but just stop at the point I mentioned earlier. Please.

Bad Monkeys was the first book from Matt Ruff that I picked up. I'm so glad I happened upon it in the library - he's quickly earned a place among my favorite authors.

Bad Monkeys is a book that keeps you guessing all the way to the end. It's not a mystery - in fact, I'd be hard-pressed to categorize it all all. It's quirky, with a healthy dose of satire and a storyline with more twists and turns than perhaps anything I've ever read.

I want to be careful not to give anything away, so here's a brief and deliberatly vague teaser: Jane Charlotte is a self-confessed member of The Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons (or Bad Monkeys). In a series of sessions with a psychotherapist in a prison psych ward, Jane tells the story of how she joined the Bad Monkeys, an organization devoted to fighting evil. Are the Bad Monkeys only in her head, or is something very large and very crazy at work?

Ruff has spun a real page-turner in Bad Monkeys. This is a book I stayed up half the night to finish, and couldn't help myself from exclaiming, "WHAT? No WAY!" to no one in particular at several points in the story.

Check it out. Ruff's masterful with his deception -- you won't be disappointed.

This is one of those books that makes you want to take a day trip into the author's head. Insanely imaginative. I'd recommend going into this book as cold as possible - just pick it up on a day when you want your brain to get twisted.

I do wish that Ruff had taken the time he needed to turn this into a proper novel, rather than an over-sized short story. It's incredibly entertaining, but ultimately, unenlightening. It teases the reader with promises of something deeper, sadder, just more, but it halts quite abruptly. There's so much zaniness packed into such a small space - there's plenty of room for longer, slower sections that, I don't know, meditate on the nature of good and evil, sibling rivalry, the nature of reality, and / or whatever else happens to be on Ruff's mind.

This book really started off with a bang, and I continued to enjoy it for a while. About half way through, though, I grew tired of how Ruff felt compelled to jump through so many hoops, like he was showing off. The book started getting too clever and full of itself. Then, I really hated the ending. It is a total cop out and cliche. Ruff wrote himself into a corner and used the cheapest trick to get out. Don't bother. A waste of time.

It's difficult to describe the plot without giving too much away, but I will give it a try. The protagonist is Jane Charlotte, a woman who has been arrested for murder. She is being held in the psych ward of a prison, and she is being interviewed by a psychiatrist. She tells the doctor the story of how she came to be there, involving a difficult adolescence followed by her recruitment into a shadowy, octopus-like organization. Jane's particular subdivision is nicknamed "Bad Monkeys" because they are hitmen who assassinate evildoers (or "bad monkeys") to make the world a better place.

As others have said, it's a pretty quick read because it's very hard to put down. I just took an hour-long lunch break (and I usually work through lunch) just to finish the book.

The book has it all. It's intelligent, funny, scary, perplexing, absorbing. It's literary, but enjoyably so. I would also describe it as cinematic, because there are echoes here of several genres of suspense and horror movies ranging from Hitchcock to slasher movies, plus a hefty dose of David Lynch and maybe a little Twilight Zone. Time, memory, morality, and the nature of reality and sanity are all addressed. (I'm no Lynch fan, but I do think that fans of his movies would enjoy this book. If, like me, you are not enthusiastic about Lynch, don't worry: you'll still enjoy this.)

I'm still reeling in awe from Matt Ruff's last book, Set This House in Order, a book that I still recommend to friends. I was wondering what Matt had in store for us next, and I am most pleased to tell you that this amazing and talented writer does not disappoint.

A minor note: the book is not hardcover as described here, but bound in a stiff but flexible, plastic-like cover with a paper backing. Not sure what you call this type of binding. It's a little taller and narrower than most trade paper. I found it easier to hold and also stuff into my bag on the train than a lot of books, so I'm not really complaining.

You will read this book in a day or two. Its a fast pace and keeps you wanted to read just one more chapter then you realize you just read five chapters. Some did not like the ending after reading some reviews here but I don`t understand because for me the ending justified your emotional attachment to the main character, I dont want to give anything away so Ill stop there. I give it four not five because though there are some main biblical references that add and advance the book sometimes he added other biblical references which were not needed and felt forced ( don`t worry this is not a religious book) but it does have a decent objective debate concerning religious or non-religious beliefs and he does it well because I feel a christian as well as an atheist will enjoy it and both agree.