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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Spring Break Saga of Humorous Mayhem, December 5, 2009
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Beyond the pristine confines of Disney World lies a strange land of steamy tropical heat and mayhem known as Florida. Florida is known for alligators and funny writers who also bite. Tim Dorsey, like Carl Hiaasen, writes wickedly funny novels.
This one involves the witness protection program, a group of students on spring break, and a criminal family headed by Madre which contains her favorite "son" Guillermo. No mother ever a had a more polite psychopathic murderer in the family. The criminals are after one of the college students and the FBI is after the criminals.
With an informant in the ranks on either side, it looks like a toss up as to which will win and the only certain losers are innocent bystanders who become the collateral damage of this conflict.
The wild card in this gamblers deck is Serge A. Storm, a psychopath of many talents and his untrustworthy sidekick, Coleman. Coleman has only one talent but it is a huge one: the man knows how to party and parties without a safety net.
When he is not inventing Rube Goldberg contraptions to slaughter people who have ticked him off, like the guy who honks in traffic or the dude who does not stop for school buses, Serge is filming a documentary on that great Florida tradition, spring break. Naturally he falls in with the college students who are being stalked by the crooks and takes matters into his own hands, executing (in every sense of that word) vigilante justice.
It's bad, gruesome and wickedly funny. I downgrade from five stars to four partly because the beginning with numerous abrupt scene and time shifts was hard to follow but mainly because of the scene involving Serge's Garage-Door Guillotine device. That's a pretty nasty thing for an innocent homeowner to come home to...this book is only recommended if you think THAT type of violence could be funny. If you do, you're probably a) from Florida or b) twisted by modern civilization. I like this book. I don't like that I like it, but maybe the point is: it made me laugh a lot, for a long time and like I haven't laughed since I was kid laughing at the jokes that adults disapprove of.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spring Break, Serge Style, December 28, 2009
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Pick up a book by Tim Dorsey and you immediately start to share it with those around you. You probably don't share the plot, characters, or dialog, but by laughing out loud, you are allowing others to share in the craziness of the book. Gator A-Go-Go, the latest novel from the mind of Tim Dorsey, takes the reader on a historical tour of Spring Break in Florida with the most unusual tour guide, serial killer Serge A. Storm and his faithful, inebriated sidekick, Coleman.
Every year, students flock to Florida for that rite of passage known as Spring Break. Among the hundreds of thousands of students, Serge arrives in Panama City to film his documentary on Spring Break. Also in Panama City is a group of killers looking for one particular student and the FBI, attempting to protect the student. Through a series of wonderful coincidences, the student, and his friends, fall in with Serge and Coleman. Traveling with Serge, the student is as safe as he can be. Although just being with Serge tries your sanity and patience. Coleman, usually outside of his element in most of Serge's adventures, finds his place in life. What is better for a hard core party animal like Coleman than Spring Break? He is totally in love with all things Spring Break and reaches mythical status with the college students as he shares his secrets of hard core partying. The backdrop of Spring Break also provides ample opportunity for Serge's particular, and peculiar, brand of justice.
Gator A-Go-Go is a departure from Dorsey's previous Serge novels. For one, he brings Coleman to the forefront in much of the novel. Usually used for (more) comic relief, Coleman is presented much more in this novel, providing the reader with a much better character than in past novels. While he is still very much drunk or stoned (or both), seeing him interact with the students provided the reader with another side to him. He is not just a drunk or stoner, he is actually articulate and extremely knowledgeable. Although his area of expertise is not a popular one in the general population, when he is surrounded by the right crowd, he really comes alive. The other area where this novel differs from previous Dorsey novels is in the relationship Serge has with his younger charges. They do not know much of him, and he does scare them with what we see as "normal" Serge, he is fiercely protective of the people in his entourage. It comes as a surprise to the reader to see this aspect of Serge's character. Usually, Dorsey presents Serge as disengaged from most aspects of his environment. In this novel, Serge is much more focused on the safety of the students, and, when he realizes the reason for the attention of the FBI and the killers, he makes it his mission to resolve the problem. While this novel stays within Dorsey's successful formula, regular readers should find it a much more enjoyable novel due to his characterization of Coleman and Serge. Of all of his novels, Gator A-Go-Go is probably his best for long time readers and an excellent introduction for new ones.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Serge and Coleman. How Can You Go Wrong?, December 29, 2009
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
After a Miami crime gang ruins his Spring Break by targeting a snitch's son, Serge A. Storms and his equally drug-addled and alcohol besotted best friend, Coleman, aim to track down the gang members and take them out while doing a springbreak travelogue.
I've read all of Tim Dorsey's novels and loved every one of them. More laugh-out-loud hilarious romps than any other author I've come across. inane humor and some graphic violence, wrapped up in some weird and original plots that come together perfectly in the end, make this one of the most entertaining talents I look forward to reading. Awesome. Keep it up.
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