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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long Live Chuggie!!!, December 18, 2011
I just finished reading this book today, and I'm glad I did. I'm not really a fan of the horror or fantasy genre, but it was recommended to me by a friend, so I gave it a shot. First of all, this book is hilarious! The author clearly has an excellent sense of humor; I can imagine him being the type of guy that makes everyone he meets laugh. The storyline is action-packed and it's easy to get lost in the book. You stop reading the words and see a movie in your mind of Stagwater and all the characters. Kelley is extremely imaginative and paints pictures with his words of his demented, messed-up, unique world. Best of all is Chuggie. The main character of the book is not your typical protagonist. He's weird, rough, rude, ugly, and absolutely lovable, and dare I say sexy? Just when you think the story couldn't get any more messed-up or twisted, it does until it crescendos at the end. I've never read anything like this book, and I'm hoping there will be more to come. So, long live Chuggie, and long live Brent Micheal Kelley so he can continue to write about him into his old age.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great characters in a fun, intense story, December 13, 2011
This review is from: Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater (Mischief Mayhem Want and Woe) (Kindle Edition)
While it's tempting to compare this book to other works of horror, fantasy, or science fiction, Brent Kelley's first novel combines elements of each while defying classification. Brimming with unique characters and tantalizing twists the story moves through a world all it's own. The author has accomplished something one rarely sees in genre fiction, a truly unique and complex yet likable main character. Chuggie is not your average Joe, though he may pretend to be, he has horns, an anchor attached to him by a chain, and is the embodiment of drought. If that's not enough, he's a raconteur, has a deep sense of loyalty, and a slightly less deep set of morals. He can dry a lake should he choose to, or suck the moisture (and thus the lives) out of a city of people, a power he's none too comfortable with. This makes him a being at conflict with his own raison d'etre. Oh, and he's eternally blotto. The rest of the cast is equally intriguing. With a witch (not a Wiccan), corrupt politicians, steel encased aliens, putrefied demons, pitiful orphans and more, it's hard not to want to choose favorites, but harder still to choose. There's nothing about the book that isn't touched by Kelley's demented imagination, and yet the story holds together so well you move through this world as if you belong. Chuggie's adventure's have a feeling of the epic to them, even though he's actually only going to retrieve a purse for a female friend (did I mention it's a goat face purse?), and move to a satisfyingly intense climax. Well-written, entertaining, and filled with originality, Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater is a must-read.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Original and awesome!, December 1, 2011
This review is from: Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater (Mischief Mayhem Want and Woe) (Kindle Edition)
There is a town called Stagewater that has a river running through it. It would seem normal by comparison to any other town, but there are things brewing that most of its citizens don't know about. The town is under the protections of Steel Jacks (robot aliens from another planet), and run by the magistrate, Haste, and his lackeys. Haste and his tight group of counsel use a method call tourgery to collect the sorrow from Stagewater's citizens. By drinking in the sorrow, they enter into the Pheonal Trance, which allows Haste to predict the future of Stagwater. It's deemed a necessary evil for the greater good of the city. One of Haste's trances induces the vision of a traveler that will bring the destruction of the town. The word is spread to send any strangers north of the city walls. Disease, Fire, Flood, and Drought were all born somewhere around the beginning of time. Norchug Mot Losiat, better known as Chuggie, is the incarnation of Drought. His goals aren't by any means hard; he just wants to make it to the ocean with his anchor and chain, which is attached to his ribs. FROM THE BOOK: "I'm want. It means I thirst. It means I'm poor. It means something's missing. It means I fall short." Chuggie spat at a mossy log. His eyes pointed at the ground, but his gaze pointed inward. "That sounds like you get the losing end of the stick. If that's really true, why would you keep on trying." "It's just true enough." Chuggie squinted. "Result is I don't waste a lot of time makin' plans. Usually just go. Livin' like that can really shake the confidence if you aren't as amazing as ol' Chuggers." His smile returned. *** On his way to the ocean his anchor gets snagged in a tree outside of Stagwater. Gaurds are sent to direct him north, and by all means, keep him out of the city. Chuggie grows upset with the way that he has been treated and suspects that the guards have used a spell on him. So he defies their request to head north and wanders south. South of Stagwater he finds a witch that has been banished from Stagwater and bound to the place that she lives. Chuggie has to free her, but first he needs to bring her some items, and this involves entering Stagwater... and heading north. What lies to the north? No one knows, because no one ever comes back. Brent Michael Kelley did an excellent job of creating a colorful cast of characters for Chuggie and the Desecration of Stagwater. Demons, alien robots, incarnates, witches, and animated objects all come together to create a great dark fantasy that will stick with me. I loved it, and I'm glad that I had a chance to read it.
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