Customer Reviews

Green River Rising

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was a prisoner for 7 years in 4 different prisons in Washington State and it was during my incarceration that I discovered this book. To boil it down into a nutshell, you could say its like DIE HARD during a prison riot, with a lone protagonist pitted against some seriously depraved adversaries-- but that doesn't do it justice; this book just drips authentic atmosphere--it's as evocative as the prison writings of Edward Bunker. I was completely flabbergasted when I found out the author had not only NOT done time himself, but was actually an Englishman to boot! My hat is off to Tim Willocks; without ever having spent any time in an American prison that I know of, he has captured something as real as anything ever written by inmates themselves. What still stands out in my mind are the well drawn motivations of the various factions warring inside the prison and the absolute vileness of some of the villains.

HEAT, HUMIDITY, HELL: ANARCHY AT GREEN RIVER

© by Carolyn J. Seeley.

Reverse your image of a prison, like the negative of a photograph. What could be more safe than a glass enclosure, dedicated to the reform and social reengineering of convicts? What happens to men when light is punishment and discipline? Green River State Penitentiary in East Texas, imagined by English author Tim Willocks in his novel, Green River Rising, is a facility that sentences men to prison lives without darkness, to be scorched clean by light. Now, what happens when the prison warden's nineteenth century philosophy of prison reform meets twentieth century East Texas taxpayers, parole boards, politicians? This is Willocks' stage for his drama of a violent uprising, spurred by a warden with a failed dream and crumbling mind, who touches off the uprising for the sake of it--to achieve change through force, to move life along through sacrifice and blood, the more senseless and arbitrary, the better. Green River Rising is savage yet compelling; a page turner, an intelligent book. Well plotted, with memorable characters, Willocks' writing conveys the stifling sense of entrapment in a prison gone amok. However, the underlying themes of loyalty, survival, friendship, and love transcend the gore and give the book its depth. It is not light reading, but a gripping, intense tale rumored soon to be brought to a theater near you. Although Willocks wrote the screenplay, read the book before Hollywood gets its hooks in.

I loved this book. Very well written with real characters and bar none the sexiest love scene I've almost ever read in a thriller. This book is smart and scary. It sizzles. Read it!

Doctor Ray Klein is a prisoner in the hellhole known as Green River State Penitentiary, Texas' toughest prison. He has made a good life for himself there, using his medical skills to win the respect of his fellow inmates. In non-medical matters, his actions are governed by a motto he has taped to his mirror: NOT MY F***ING BUSINESS. This policy has kept him alive and sane.

As the novel begins, Klein obtains the prize he has been seeking: parole. In twenty-four hours, he will emerge from Green River a free man. But fate is not kind. Shortly after he receives the good news, a riot, induced by the machinations of a manic depressive warden, erupts. Klein does his best to avoid trouble, but is forced to take a more active role when he learns that a colleague, Dr. Juliette Devlin, is trapped in the infirmary on the other side of the facility. Accompanied by a ragtag group of convicts (one inmate asks, "Where's Yul Brynner and Steve McQueen?"), he travels through the very bowels of the prison to rescue her.

This book is hard-edged, brutal and claustrophobic, full of horrifying detail. Willocks puts you inside the prison with the rest of the convicts--it becomes your world, your only point of reference. Willocks is eloquent and painfully direct. He spares the reader nothing. Green River Rising is a harrowing fictional trip through a very realistic hell--be prepared.

This is an intriguing debut novel, set in a prison. Written as a thriller, it is slightly uneven and, at times, implausible. Still, it grips the reader's imagination with its savage, relentless violence and raw and gritty language. It is definitely not for the squeamish, as there is a good deal of carnage and foul language interspersed throughout the book. It is, most certainly, an acquired taste. If you enjoy the acclaimed HBO television series, "Oz", you will probably enjoy this book.

The drama takes place in a Texas prison called Green River State Penitentiary. The atmosphere is tense, and the prisoners are grouped along racially divided lines. The prison is run by Warden Hobbes, an intelligent, erudite man, who is not wrapped too tight. He sets the stage for a prison uprising that is bloody and violent. There are a few good guys, and a lot of bad guys in this prison. One of the good guys is Ray Klein, a medical doctor who was sent to prison for a rape that he did not commit.

Ray works in the prison infirmary while doing his time, and while there, he has made the acquaintance of a visiting doctor, Juliette Devlin. There is a very strong attraction between the two, and it is safe to say that they are falling in love. Unaware of the looming uprising, Ray learns that he is to be paroled the next day. Suddenly, that news is eclipsed, when all hell breaks loose in the prison. The uprising has been started by a sociopathic prisoner, aided by a host of seriously deranged individuals, who are in prison for crimes they actually committed.

Unfortunately, Dr. Devlin finds herself stuck in the prison infirmary during the uprising. Her presence becomes known, and she becomes the object of lust for a number of prisoners, most of whom have lacked female companionship for an extended period of time. She locks herself in the infirmary, hoping to keep out the sex starved hordes of prisoners, who are eager to party with her, should they be successful in gaining entry to the infirmary. Ray hears of this and is off to the rescue, no longer content to sit out the riot in his cell, waiting for his parole day to arrive. The problem is that the author opts for self indulgence at this point and gives in to his own male fantasy. He has Dr. Devlin voluntarily have sex with two prisoners, while wild hordes of others are battering down the infirmary door in hopes of making her their girl toy. This is highly implausible and makes the book go on somewhat of a downward spiral. Nonetheless, this is still a solid debut novel.

Despite my initial reservations about a book with what one can only describe as a run of the mill plot, within the first couple of chapters I was captivated. The Author takes you so deep into a dark, violent and enclosed world that you feel you can almost smell the carnage and taste the fear. Whilst there are some poorly improbable moments in this book eg. the sex scenes, glibly glossing over these allows you to enjoy what I can only describe as an INTENSE READ.

I dare you to read "Green River Rising" and then the "The Green Mile" back to back. You will probably throw "The Green Mile" in the toilet after going 1/4 the way and then re-read "Green River Rising".

If you like books like Stehen Hunter's "Dirty White Boys" or Mr. Willock's other book "Bloodstained Kings" (has there ever been a cooler title?) then you will love "Green River Rising".

I enjoy guys like John Connolly, Stephen Hunter, Brian Keene, James W. Hall, and the Child/Preston collaborative novels. if you are familiar with these guys and you like them, then give Willocks a try. He's an original, creative genius.

Green River Rising is a brilliantly written book about hardened prison life, which other authers wont tread. Shocking, violent, you wont be able to put it down. A must

I read this book several years ago when it first came out. It is raw and violent and will not disappoint. On the strength of Willocks' writing in this novel, I picked up his latest thriller "The Religion", which is every bit as good, if not better.

I first picked this book up on accident right after it was written. I have since read it twice and will again.
The great thing about this book besides it's well written roller coaster ride is the fact that it operates on 3 different levels: Physical, spiritual and philosophical, and the character development is as riveting as the action.
I highly recommend!