Customer Reviews

NEVER DIE.

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With masterpieces such as Airships and Ray under his belt, Barry Hannah's 1991 novel Never Die comes as somewhat of a disappointment. Hannah is no doubt one of the most fascinating writers writing in America today but his best work of the 1990s has to be found in short story collections like Bats Out of Hell and High Lonesome.

Never Die takes place in the decaying and dying Old West at the beginning of the 20th century, and it is thus a part of a developing trend in southern fiction which focuses on the American West. The novel is filled with bizarre and grotesque characters, but unfortunately the story gets lost in this post-modern puzzle of honor and revenge. However, Hannah can still shock and amaze through his language. It is not a bad novel, but knowing that Hannah can do (and has done) much better, it seems only halfway there.