Customer Reviews

Casual Rex

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Vincent Rubio is a velociraptor and private investigator working in Los Angeles. If that sentence doesn't sound a bit off to you, then you should read Casual Rex by Eric Garcia. Casual Rex is the second book about Vincent Rubio, P.I., but takes place before the story told in the first book, Anonymous Rex. Vincent and his partner Ernie take on the Progressives, a church/cult that sounds a lot like a religion based in Hollywood, California that attracts some very famous people crossed with the Church Universal and Triumphant. Figuring out this alternative world where dinosaurs didn't go extinct and disguise themselves as humans isn't difficult. Even though Casual Rex and Anonymous Rex have been marketed mainly as mysteries, I think SF fans and dino fans will find a lot to like Mr. Garcia's weird world. I enjoyed Casual Rex even more than Anonymous Rex and look forward to Hot And Sweaty Rex when it comes out. I read paperback copies of both books so that I could preserve my first printing hardbacks in mint condition. I'm betting that Mr. Garcia's early books in the Rex series will be highly collectible, not that my opinion is worth all that much. About my book collecting habit...don't ask, don't ask.

After just picking up Anonymous Rex because the cover caught my eye, I was surprised to find out how witty and well written it is, despite the fact that sci-fi novels really never seem to be good readin'. As you could imagine, I just had to pick up the next one (or in this case, the one before it). This book is truly the work of an articulate marvel. The innuendos and hardened, realistic characters make them seem like everyday joes (pfft, please), in an everyday world (I restate my previous comment). Follow your nose (more than one pun intended, catch them?) to your nearest bookstore to get this.

Casual Rex has as interesting a set of characters as The Maltese Pterodactyl, has a plot as intricately woven as the storyline of The Big Extinction, and is as gritty as I the Jurrasic. It's even a better read than Anonymous Rex, which I also rate at five stars.

My one problem with the book was that there were three places in the book where the author was inconsistent in his use of dinosaur species. It bothered me, but when I mention these sort of nits to most people they look at me funny. Oh, well, I guess that's my problem. Us Iguanadons are like that...

Garcia's 2nd dino novel out shines the pervious Anonymous Rex. His witty writing style is perfect and the plot is original.

In this prequel to Eric Garcia's ANONYMOUS REX, private investigator (and velociraptor) Vincent Rubio gets duped into helping his partner locate his ex-wife's brother who is part of a cult known as the Progressives.
Allow yourself to suspend your belief in the premise of a society of dinosaurs roaming the streets of L.A. disguised as humans, and you'll have a blast reading Eric Garcia's highly imaginative dino-noir classics.
CASUAL REX, like its predecessor, is witty, charming and lots of fun.

Normally, you hope that a second novel in a series from such a new author will be better than the first (We won't talk about Caleb Carr). I finished this novel in two days because the plot lines and description of the reptile world is so detailed. Mr. Garcia has woven issues from today into the book in such a way that you start to wonder if we evolved from the dinosaurs. Very worth the read, even if you haven't read the first.

When is the movie on its way?

While Casual Rex was written after Anonymous Rex it is a prequel as opposed to a sequel. That said you don't absolutely have to read Anonymous Rex first although I would reccomend it. It's not that there's anything in the first one that sets up the second one and actually you might be better off reading Casual first but I always like to read things in the order in which they were intended. That said you really can go either way.

The premise is simple: Dinosaurs did not go extinct millions of years ago like everyone thought. A number of species survived and they decided that they needed to keep their existence a secret from humans which they do through the use of specially designed disguises. There's an entire dinosaur subculture out there including clubs, councils, and hospitals all devoted entirely to dinos that we mammals are unaware of.

Our heros, Ernie and Vincent, are Private Investigators brought in to investigate the dissapearance of a dinosaur (Ernie's former brother in law) due to his involvement in "The Progressives," a back-to-nature type dinosaur cult. They find him, find the progressives and a bunch of things happen from there.

On the surface it's a fairly straight-forward detective story with a lot of interesting twists and turns, enough to keep you interested. The real selling point, however, is the whole dinosaur twist which is deeper and more complex than you can imagine. A lot of attention is payed toward setting up the "reality." There are several dinosaur councils in the country and the world which monitor dinosaur behavior and set forth rules and punishments for violating said rules. There are numerous celebrities and historical figures who apparently were dinosaurs which our hero, Vincent, will casually throw out there ala "Napoleon was just a Compy with a height complex." And so on and so forth. Like any book though there are pros and cons:

Pros:

Pretty well-written. The title/concept might lead one to believe that this is glorified fan fiction written by an amateur. Untrue. Despite the silliness the book is very well-written. There are a ton of metaphors and it is written with a bit of a "film noir" sort of feeling to it and it all comes together quite well, especially seeing as it is written in the first person perspective (Vincen'ts) of which fewer and fewer books seem to be written these days.

So much attention to Dinosaur detail is what makes this book work for me. Ironically without the dinosaur twist this book would be kind of a carbon copy of any of a thousand run of the mill detective storys. WITH the dinosaur aspect it takes on a whole new theme, albeit a ridiculous one. The whole dinosaur culture that Garcia created is very intricately thought out to the last detail. You'll learn about the dinosaur hospitals, police force, how they deal with their dead, the dinosaur councils, etc etc etc. You need to suspend disbelief and just accept the "reality" that the books is presenting you. Don't get hung up on asking "but how do they... how come no one ever sees... but what about the..." sort of questions. It's a silly, unbelieveable concept but if you can just go with it, it works.

The dinosaur cult is a pretty interesting idea and is such a thinly veiled poke at scientology that you have to laugh (although I'm sure scientologists weren't amused). Right down to the machine that the dinosaurs use to test their "natural percentage." Cults are always interesting to read about because a normal person laughs at how ridiculous they are. This is no exception. The scientol- I mean, the "Progressives" are hilarious.

Cons

Really just one downside: The story is completely ridiculous. This will turn off potential readers and will alienate potential readers. However, if you spend 20 seconds reading the back cover then you sort of know what you're in store for. Again, just "go with it" and you can enjoy yourself.

There are three books in this series and each one is enjoyable. It's not Shakespeare but it's also not trying to be. It has its own identity and all the pieces mesh well if you can get into it. If you like goofy, offbeat sorts of books then give this one a try. If you read and enjoyed Anonymous Rex then this one is not a let down either.

Disguise really is good, people.

Although Casual Rex is not quite as good as its predecessor, Anonymous Rex, it is still a fun book. A cult satire, if you like, as a particular group decides that it would be good if dinosaurs could walk around au naturel, rather than keep their true selves hidden from the monkey boys and girls around them.

Our hero is tasked to do something about this group of lizard nutters.

Entertaining.

3.5 out of 5

I bought this book because I absolutely loved Anonymous Rex. For those who don't know, this detective series is about a private investigator named Vincent Rubio, who also happens to be a dinosaur. It turns out that dinosaurs never became extinct. They just decided to disguise themselves to look like humans. Not all dinosaurs agree, however, and have formed a back-to-nature cult.

As with Anonymous Rex, Garcia's writing is crisp and witty and fits the genre with tongue-in-cheek. I found this book as funny and entertaining as the original and I highly recommend it.

I know that Garcia already has another dinosaur private eye book out called Hot and Sweaty Rex, but I doubt I will read it. It was a great idea, but I am glad to hear that Garcia is letting the dinosaurs go after that. Three dinosaur PI books is plenty.

Picked this up on eBay recently, and was astounded at what an absolutely fantastic reader Jim Hanks (brother of Tom - Yes, THAT Tom Hanks) was. This guy understands that audiobooks are a separate medium that require specific skills, particularly in the humor genre. It's not enough to know how to read, you must be able to perform and bring the words on the page to life. The reader must also be matched to the material in the same way animated chracters are in films. Jim Hanks is a PERFECT match. It's a shame he didn't get the job for the other 'Rex' novels.

Five stars, Jim! You do the Hanks name proud.