Ron Dakron's fourth novel is an update on the world's oldest novel. Petronius' Satyricon, with a twist. In Satyricon, the protagonist can't get aroused; in Mantids, the hero can't get rid of his arousal. Combine his Viagra overdose with mutant female praying mantises and a scuzzed-out, speed-tweaking Astoria, Oregon setting; add biting comedy and a warrior heroine and stir into a B-movie plot stew and you have a classic Dakron comedic science fiction-horror novel, filled with sardonic prose and more fun than a barrel of junkies.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
I was sucked into Ron Dakron's prose and the world he created . . . I do recommend that you check it out and ... let yourself get sucked into the tale Dakron is weaving.
--410media.com
Ron Dakron . . . is among the very small cadre of experimental fiction whose substance actually matches its style --Adam Groves, The Fright Site
Dakron provides a side-splitting adventure that'll give anyone the much needed laugh they deserve in life. "Mantids" is a must for humor readers seeking something with a twist. --Midwest Book Review, February 2009, Vol. 4, No. 2
The book tells the story of the end of mankind through Mantid Apocalypse, as told by a slacker douche-bag of a grunge rocker named Chad. Thanks to his razor-sharp focus on his own problems, he does not notice civilization falling around him. Once he manages to overdose on Viagra, he can't even think of anything but his own dick. As he tells the story, he continually excuses his lack of awareness on whatever his problem of the moment happens to be. As a tiny spoiler, I will point out that he does not overcome these flaws and save mankind. While I found the fact that the main character was such a worthless jerk annoying, I'm not sure that the book could have worked otherwise. The real star of the book is not the narrator but the writing. Dakron is a poet and his skill with words makes this book shine. He pulls all of your senses in while describing a world awash with giant, man-crazy, killer mutant bugs who think like the humans they once were. How can you not respect that level of skill? There's probably some deeper analysis of Chad that could be done, his reasons for what he did, his guilty asides about Lola's fate, his lack of self-awareness, and so on, but who cares? Read this book for the prose and not the likability of the protagonist. Plus, Mantids is short enough that you can dive in and experience Chad and then get out before it sticks. It's worth it. --John Enzinas, SF Site, April 16, 2009
--410media.com
Ron Dakron . . . is among the very small cadre of experimental fiction whose substance actually matches its style --Adam Groves, The Fright Site
Dakron provides a side-splitting adventure that'll give anyone the much needed laugh they deserve in life. "Mantids" is a must for humor readers seeking something with a twist. --Midwest Book Review, February 2009, Vol. 4, No. 2
The book tells the story of the end of mankind through Mantid Apocalypse, as told by a slacker douche-bag of a grunge rocker named Chad. Thanks to his razor-sharp focus on his own problems, he does not notice civilization falling around him. Once he manages to overdose on Viagra, he can't even think of anything but his own dick. As he tells the story, he continually excuses his lack of awareness on whatever his problem of the moment happens to be. As a tiny spoiler, I will point out that he does not overcome these flaws and save mankind. While I found the fact that the main character was such a worthless jerk annoying, I'm not sure that the book could have worked otherwise. The real star of the book is not the narrator but the writing. Dakron is a poet and his skill with words makes this book shine. He pulls all of your senses in while describing a world awash with giant, man-crazy, killer mutant bugs who think like the humans they once were. How can you not respect that level of skill? There's probably some deeper analysis of Chad that could be done, his reasons for what he did, his guilty asides about Lola's fate, his lack of self-awareness, and so on, but who cares? Read this book for the prose and not the likability of the protagonist. Plus, Mantids is short enough that you can dive in and experience Chad and then get out before it sticks. It's worth it. --John Enzinas, SF Site, April 16, 2009
About the Author
Ron Dakron is the author of four novels (infra; Newt; Hammers; and Mantids) and three collections of poetry (Medusa's Brat; What's New What's New; and Given Nightingale Sleep). His work runs from sonic poetry to sci-fi pastiche. In addition to readings throughout the United States, he has been featured three times at Sylvia's Bookstore in Paris, France. His novel, Newt, won the King County Arts Commission Book Award. Point No Point magazine tagged his novels as a cross between hip-hop Henny Youngman, and full-tilt Rimbaudian street-smart sublimity. Raven Chronicles judged him as sinister as a thirteen-year-old with a lighter and a keg of butane. He lives in the Pacific Northwest.
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1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for humor readers seeking something with a twist,
By Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Mantids (Hardcover)
Insects were never thought of by anyone as 'sexy'. "Mantids" takes a look into the love life of the mantis, and a certain male of the species who can't seem to get enough due to a certain pill a human misplaced. Making no acclaims to being highbrow, Dakron draws from many sources in order to provide his readers with a side-splitting adventure that'll give anyone the much needed laugh they deserve in life. "Mantids" is a must for humor readers seeking something with a twist.
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