Customer Reviews

Everybody Pays: Stories

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This collection is as good as, if not better than, his first collection-BORN BAD. But to fully understand this collection, read the first. They have the same themes, the same prose, and the same settings.

The Underground series focuses on tribalism of the human species in a not too distant future. Sci-fi isn't really Mr. Vachss strong suit. But dialogue and description are. Everything contained herein is shredded down to it's bare meaning. Other authors write dialogue. Mr. Vachss transcribes it. He's heard it, he's said it. Some of it's even been cursed at him.

The absolute jewel in this book, however, is the CROSS novella. Having difficulty in publishing a CROSS novel on it's own, this is the perfect setting to unveil exactly what these characters are about. Enough teasers in the lean, stabbing prose of the short stories lead into the novella. Which finally gives enough room for Cross and his crew to breathe and infiltrate into you. I had to read it twice in the same sitting, just because I wanted to read more of Cross. A character you shouldn't even like to read ABOUT much less like.

I'm now eagerly awaiting the full novel about CROSS and crew in their own series (or mini-series of books).

I may not be a professional reviewer, and for those of you reading this, let me assure you that can be a good thing. I actually READ the book. I notice from some of the reviews they are very vague or worse yet, state things that are so wrong I know they never even read the work.

"Everybody Pays", my god. I have no idea how Andrew Vachss manages to write such wonderous stories so swiftly and still do all his child advocacy work. I am astounded. He has once again proven he is a master of written word.

"Proving It" is by far one of the most moving stories I have ever read. It could be considered a romance by some, but I think it has so much more depth than that. Anyone can say they love, but does that prove it?

I can't put in a category except to say that it was so powerful and Mr. Vachss captured the feeling so well that I was immediately swept up into the story, and when it was over... I sat and thought for a long time and had to read it again.

I do that with a lot of Andrew Vachss' stories. They aren't mindless pulp like so many of the books out there today. They deal with REAL feelings and REAL emotions and cause the reader to feel as they follow the characters, and most importantly to THINK about the tale when it is over. There is no greater compliment I can pass on to an author than to say his work captivated me completely and caused me think on each story, afterwards.

Mr. Vachss' work is such that friends and I can discuss it time after time and always feel we have come away with something more. I see enough mini reviews of the stories here already I wont rehash each one for you. However, let me assure you, the reader, that if you like the very best writing, and you enjoy a story which will enthrall you, and if you like written works that have REAL depth and will cause you to think on it for a long time afterwards... Actually if you can read at all, you should read "Everybody Pays", because even if you do not appreciate the things I mentioned above, before, you will after reading this book. It is, by far, a MUST read, in every sense of the word. "Everybody Pays" is a book everybody should read and it proves itself in every way.

Nobody frees the truth from the mud the way Andrew Vachss can. I've had enough of pain and abuse as plot-points, and I can tell you that *this* writer's never goes near that kind of exploitation. Instead, he shows the reader the anatomy of evil -- so we can *recognize* it when we see it in the real world. His fictional work ends up giving the reader a crystal clear set of textbooks on the evil that preys on our society. Why? Because after the diagnosis, the cure becomes obvious. Buy the book!

I become to like Vachss' Collections better than his novels. This one is even better than born bad, thanks to a complete Cross Novel and some disturbing tales. The sci-fi stories are not as well as in Born Bad, but occupy less space. If you've read one, only one of the stories in this book, you'll want to read all his books. Be warned.

EVERYBODY PAYS is the perfect starting point for fans of true crime, action, thrilling suspense filled drama, romance, and the honor driven double cross. If you have not yet heard of or read Andrew Vachss' work, EVERYBODY PAYS is the place to start. VACHSS' writing grabs you like Joe Pesci in CASINO shoving your head into a vice grip. EVERYBODY PAYS is a collection of razor-wired short stories. The hardest, coldest crime you've ever been exposed to anywhere. It will chill you, like Edward Norton in AMERICAN HISTORY X as he coldly stomps on a rivals neck. Yet VACHSS' writing can also move you like DeNiro in HEAT as he walks away from his one true love. No one touches VACHSS' stripped down, hit and run style of writing. He spins the absolute brutal best in reading entertainment. Take that first step and you find yourself falling into sheer hard poetry of language that is VACHSS' unique talent to possess and share with us.

EVERYBODY PAYS has the perfect mix, from PROVING IT, VACHSS' best love story since SHELLA; to gut-wrenching tragedy by evil done to innocence as found in DRESS UP DAY; to a voyage for truth in SEARCHER. For you first time readers, I couldn't be more jealous at your fortune of having just discovered VACHSS and having all those wonderful novels and stories ahead of you. Let yourself fall into this collection of short stories, indulge. As for the rest of us, VACHSS addicts, we'll greedily read this new collection the minute we get home with our copies.

If you're a friend of mine, and you're not familiar with Andrew Vachss' writing, I usually suggest one of his collections of short stories to start with -- either *Born Bad* or *Everybody Pays*. That's because I consistently hear only one of two reactions to his work. Either it's something along the lines of "too dark," "too intense," "too scary," "too brutal," or "too *real*" . . . or it's "Has he written any more books?" Clearly, I fall into the latter category. For those that fall into the former, with short stories, you can take it five to ten pages at a time.

Because Vachss' writing *is* "too real." And that makes it all the more important for us to read. His research is his life, and all of the brutal, ugly corners of this earth he has been -- from the midnight human meat markets of New York City to the genocidal killing fields of Biafra -- confronting evils few people dare to even acknowledge voluntarily. But for all of the darkness, in his short stories, Vachss always seems to find some beauty -- an orchid amongst the spent shell casings.

Vachss is a warrior poet, on a mission to save children from abuse. His sword is his writing, and his haiku is the short story. If the purpose of writing is to communicate one's experience of reality so accurately that the reader feels like he or she has actually experienced it, then Vachss is one of the most skilled writers of all time. And if you liked *Born Bad*, you will believe he has perfected the art of the short story after reading *Everybody Pays*.

So, read Vachss to be entertained, scared, intellectually stimulated, angered, inspired to take action, enlightened, strengthened, nourished, or healed. Read it simply because it is great writing. Read it to be *educated* -- you will learn more from one of his books than from a whole semester of criminology courses. Read his work for all of the reasons there are to read. But *do* read it. And then *try* to turn away from the reality it reveals.

In this collection of short fiction, Vachss' prose reminds us that evil is real, as tangible as a lethal insect crawling in our direction. The situations are as close to home as fiction can get -- protecting one's self from a vicious rumor and accidentally killing the teller in the frenzy; murdering pedophiles in exchange for getting one last shot at the thug who ravaged a family member -- and show that every single person alive is in some way, shape, or form touched and tormented by crime.

The book is divided into three sections: basic stories, tales of symbolism mixed with substance from the Underground Series, and stories and one novella featuring Vachss' soldier of fortune, Cross. The first section arguable carries the greatest weight of the collection as the author weaves passioniately dramatic tales of revenge with as few words as is humanly possible with dazzling effectiveness. While the Underground stories do leave some readers with little more than a sense of bewilderment, Vachss manages to leave even the casual reader wanting more. The Cross series presents a troupe of right-minded 'mercs' doing more for the cause of justice than perhaps most uniformed men and women do every day. Also, the Cross characters are so vividly drawn it would be terrific to see this team of avengers brought to the cinema screen.

While the characters and situations presented here may not be to everyone's taste, Vachss deftly shows us how widespread evil is in the modern world. He reminds us that, just as vile desires have created a sex slave state that exists around the globe, it's also touched casual souls on quite possibly every street in the United States. He drives his point home -- everybody pays -- with amazing weight in these brief tales that it'd be hard for any reader to resist the temptation for soul-searching his own past for the price already paid.

There is not too much I wish to say except these stories take the tradion of the short story to a new height, then depth. Quick to read, they grab you and pull you in as original justice is enacted to the shattering point. Recommended to any reader who wants to taste the talents of Mr. Vachss, and for all others too. I couldn't put it down and I am almost blind. This reading came slick into my eyes.

Everybody Pays is exactly the kind of book you wish your best pal would get you before everyone else starts buzzing. Andrew Vachss' new short story collection won't let you rest for a minute. Each of the stories delivers a sucker-punch of narrative and revelation, with characters whose urgent tales resonate with you long after the climax. In spare, elegant prose, Vachss' tales explode on your consciousness, offering truths you will ignore only at your peril. If you want to be your own best friend, buy this book. You'll be giving yourself the kind of present that makes the morning subway ride something to remember.

Andrew Vachss is a decent novelist. Decent meaning that for his books, it is the content that draws the reader in and makes you hang on. All the descriptions of his work you can find in any reviews are applicable: taut, sharp, hard-boiled to the core. It is in his short story prowess that he excels. These stories are quick and to the point. There is hardly more than the bare explanation that is his style and it sometimes takes the reader a moment to catch his breath and say, "Wow." Yet, there is enough to drag one's attention into every character and make you sweat, wondering when vengence is going to come and how. Another great collection of Vachss stories.