Customer Reviews

A Pagan's Nightmare: A Novel

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

There are dreams and there are nightmares. In the case of Blackston's writing, this nightmare is a dream. How often do Christians show a willingness to laugh at themselves? How often, in any sphere, do humor and intelligence mix?

"A Pagan's Nightmare" follows Lanny Hooch and Ned Neutral, two men on the run from the religious zealots who have been left to rule the earth. Lanny and Ned are the minority, while disciples of Marvin the Apostle are everywhere. Eventually, only the faithful will be able to buy and sell products with special currency, while the unbelievers will be forced into conversion by sheer survival instincts. As the story continues, Lanny is focused on finding his missing girlfriend (has she been brainwashed, captured, or taken from the earth?). This search leads him to strange friends, stranger enemies, and a stint aboard Fidel Castro's yacht--don't ask, just read the book!

Although there are some jumps in logic regarding Lanny's and Ned's freedom of movement in their fugitive state, this is fun reading. I expected to laugh out loud more than I did--simply because Blackston has had me belly-laughing in previous books--but I did find myself wearing a wry grin through this entire story. I was reminded more than once of Maxx Barry's decidely non-Christian, but brilliantly pointed "Jennifer Government." This is religious satire, masquerading as a post-apocalyptic comedy, disguised as social commentary. And it offers a thought-provoking possibility as to the truth behind its neo-pagan scenario.

Blackston, in final analysis, pokes fun at all sorts of sacred cows, serving up some of the best satirical beef I've ever tasted.

A Pagan's Nightmare by Ray Blackston is not for Christians with a low tolerance for humor. Larry has written a new book and presents it to his agent Ned to sell to the movie studios. Larry's book is a bit controversial in its view of Christianity and the hereafter. In alternating sections we read Ned's struggle to sell the book and the book itself. Ned's wife Angie, a Southern Baptist, is so offended at the book's content she tries to burn it and then organizes a protest outside of her own home. Is the book really that upsetting? It depends on how you look at it. Blackston's tone is dead-on for a wry commentary on legalism in the church. He pokes humorous daggers at the attitude without attacking the faith behind it. Blackston's writing style isn't always fluid, and transitions are rough in spots. Some of his characters (especially the ethnic ones) seem a bit stereotyped, but that may be part of his scheme to get the reader to think wider than just the story he's telling. The book seems to tell the story of a reverse rapture (unbelievers are taken, believers are left behind to create their own Paradise), but it's misleading. Try to avoid reviews that offer spoilers, because while they may make you more comfortable reading the book, the uncomfortable squirming that comes before Larry's explanation of what the book is really all about can help you find the legalistic areas in your own life. This is not the book for your Southern Baptist grandmother (unless she has a great sense of humor), but it's a fun read for believers and non-believers alike. It treats both Angie's faith and Larry's agnotisicm with equal respect.

Ray Blackston has crafted a skewed and entertaining novel in "A Pagan's Nightmare."

Some day, I'd like to meet this man -- Ray, not Larry, or Lanny, or Ned. Well, maybe I'd like to meet them, too.

This story within a story is both rich in humor and surprising in it's spiritual depth.

Warning...you may experience deep crunching sensations accompanied by sharp pain in your toes as you read. Ray hits a little too close to home when he paints some unflattering yet realistic pictures of "the sky is falling" theology.

If you like your Christian fiction without pablum or platitude - this is your book. If you want a fun read and you can laugh at yourself or if you are wearing steel-toed boots, give it a shot.

If you want by-the-rules Christian fiction, you may find yourself frustrated, but do try to get beyond that, this is a mind-twistingly good read.

Thanks, Ray.

I am currently in a love affair with the hilarious, witty, scandalous and sometimes downright outrageous writings of Ray Blackston.

Therefore it comes as no great suprise to you that I am about to highly reccomend his latest offering on the altar of instant classics, a rather short page turner called "A Pagan's Nightmare." Complete with deliciously nose-thumbing reccomendations on the back cover ("Riveting! Gripping!! Fabulous!!! Exclaimation Points!!!!" from "Today's Religious Fanatic", and "Thou has made much mockery, therefore, ye shall recieve not our vehement condemnation, but our esteem. For thou hast brought great mirth unto us." from the King James Fiction Review to name a couple). The book gives a simultaneously amusing, thought provoking and chilling view of what a world full of Christians... but devoid of Jesus would look like to an "outsider".

A framed story, a non-Christian named Larry submits a novel-cum-movie script to his Agent, Ned. Ned eats the novel up, but his wife a devout Southern Baptist named Annie is less than amused. And by less than amused, I mean a full fledged deep south, sign waving, picnicing protest in his front yard. Meanwhile, Larry hides from his newly accquired girlfriend that she is the love interest in his latest, greatest attempt at the box office. As Ned pedals the manuscript from studio to studio, a wide range of people (from barbers to baptists to crossdressers to college students) read the script and hungrily ask for more. In the same manner, the reader is slowly paced through the novel within the novel.

Lanny Hooch is the last Pagan on earth. Well, or one of the last. Deffinitely in the last five. Teaming up with an equally confused Disc Jockey who can't understand why he's now playing songs like "I Wanna Hold Your Tithe" and "Dancing's Wrong;" they seek safe haven from a world that seems determined slather them with doctrine in return for a seat on the giant purple couch next to the apostle Marvin. Lanny doggedly searches for his girlfriend, Miranda, who dissapeared when Delta Airlines switched to Detour Airlines (earthly flights for the heavenly bound). Encoutering such obstacles as $6.66 gas, secret catchphrases, poorly dubbed movies, Cuba and McScriptures, the unlikely pair navigates their way around the globe (in private airplanes, a green Xterra, and Fidel Castro's Yacht), trying to figure out where Miranda is, what in the world is going on, and why King-James-Only-Speaking Marvin alternates between gold and purple robes.

:) The resolution of the novel and whether or not they escape or find Miranda or the movie makes it to completion, is, of course, for the reader to find out, but the implications of the novel are much larger than that. A clear thumbing-of-the-nose at "Christianese", legalism and consumerism that dots the horizon in American churches and floods the American "religious right", Blackston paints a 1984-esque picture of what happens in a world where the Church is given absolute power and Christ is utterly forgotten. No matter who you are, or what you believe, there's a message for you in this book that is both gripping and riveting, regardless of exclaimation points.

Ray Blackston takes on legalism in this light but satirical, novel within a novel. It's a difficult thing to set out to write something funny that will poke fun at your own social group and I give Ray a huge amount of credit for his moxie on taking this on. Though at times the humor fell flat in my opinion, I did find myself chuckling on occasion at paradoxical references to pop-culture, ie: instead of e-harmony, it's e-marviny (Marvin is the incarnation of legalism), and the discount a landlady offers for the now premium cable channel, TBN.
Ray did a good job on finding a way to expose cult-like thinking masking Christianity, without being offensive. I think, however, that he may have missed an opportunity to really dig deep and make fellow Christians examine our non-biblical rituals, motivations and assumptions and really get to the heart of the matter. Though it would have been a much darker & more sarcastic book had he--which may not be who this author is.
I did walk away from A Pagan's Nightmare encouraged that others are smiling to themselves about some of our modern-day Christian rituals that can be downright silly at times. BTW, Kudos on the cover. It's clever and suits the book well. Though this isn't my favorite Blackston novel, he's a talented writer and I look forward to his next.
Reviewed by Gina Holmes

This book surprised me. After reading all three of Ray Blackston's novels the minute they came out (and finishing them within the 24 hours after purchasing them), I was a little upset when it took me longer than usual to get into the novel. I felt like I was reading two stories at once and I didn't know how I felt about it. But, as I got into it, I found myself just as involved in this one as I have been with Blackston's past three novels. I know, I know. You shouldn't compare, but I couldn't help it. This novel surprised me though as I found myself totally emersed in both Lanny and Larry's stories. I was laughing out loud at their calamities and thinking about the book when I was at work. I even took the book to work and tried to sneak in chapters while no one was lurking around. The ending is NOT what I predicted but I am extremely happy with the turn out. I am pretty sure I fell in love with Lanny and Larry and Ned and Angie just as easily as I fell in love with Jay, Allie and Darcy and the lime green convertible. Ray: is this another fabulous trilogy? I need to know so I can impatiently await the publishing of the next books.

If you are a fan of Ray Blackston and the Flabbergasted trilogy you will need a chapter or two to adjust to this story. It's a dual story line that is easy to follow and once it gets rolling you won't want to put it down. Larry, a screen writer, has written a screenplay about a reverse rapture that leaves the world inhabited by Christian zealots chasing down the last remaining pagans on earth and trying to convert them. Ray Blackston takes the reader back and forth between reading Larry's screenplay and the interaction between Larry, his agent Ned, and other characters in the book struggling with their own faith and beliefs.

Contrary to the review by Publishers Weekly, I was NOT hard pressed to find the humor in A PAGANS NIGHTMARE. I was laughing out loud! I disagree with the PW reviewer that says "But the humor falls flat..." and ..."an attempt to persuade the reader that this is good stuff." The humor DOESN'T fall flat and the book is very good stuff.

I highly recommend it to anyone whether or not you have read any of Ray Balckston's other books. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to the sequel AND the Broadway musical!

After all, I loved his previous three books. I wanted to enjoy yet another product from this writer. However, the passive observational humor that worked in the previous books seemed very forced in this book. Furthermore, the author wanted us to be able to laugh at ourselves, but it just wasn't funny or appropriate. It also seemed forced. I also got tired of the plot being a series of town hopping for the protagonist. It was not just the humor that seemed forced; it was the plot as well. I'm not sure I will buy the next book by this author, though I will probably give it another try.

I loved this book just like I have loved all of Ray Blackston's books. I just wish he would write more. The reverse rapture concept was completely unique and I enjoyed the humor with a message in there as well. That is what I like the most about his books. Also, I really like the characters this author creates. They are instantly likeable and he makes you want to connect with them and find out what happens to them. This is a great read and kept my friends fascinated as I gave them a play by play of what was happening.

Imagine the world in the aftermath of a global upheaval --- a reverse rapture. That's right; the non-Christians have been whisked away, and it's the Christians who have been left behind. Well, the Christians and a few stray pagans. A PAGAN'S NIGHTMARE, indeed.

This is the world Ray Blackston imagined as he shifted gears from his popular Flabbergasted trilogy and set out to create a story within a story and a whole new world as well. Decidedly tongue in cheek, this departure from his usual style may not exactly mirror the laugh-out-loud humor in his previous books, but his wry wit is nonetheless evident. In turning the spotlight on legalistic attitudes across the mild-to-extreme spectrum, Blackston carries those attitudes to their logical conclusion should the world be left in the hands of --- God forbid! --- legalistic believers.

The story begins when literary agent Ned Watson receives a riveting manuscript from Larry Hutch, one of his clients. Desperate to make a sale and intrigued by the novel's premise, Ned focuses all his attention on the content of Larry's book --- Blackston's "story within a story" --- much to the dismay of his devout Southern Baptist wife, Angie, who organizes a protest to discourage its publication. She's not exactly happy with the way Christians are depicted in Hutch's novel/soon-to-be-a-major-motion-picture, which features the escapades of building contractor Lanny Hooch and DJ Ned Neutral, two of the last remaining pagans on earth, as they attempt to avoid the clutches of the Christians who are stalking them.

The story within a story depicts a world that resembles a Christian bookstore run amok, with angel-shaped waffles at Cracker Barrel, crosses adorning the Burger King crowns, and french fries --- McScriptures --- that magically spell out Bible verses. The religious world is under the sway of a prophet named Marvin the Apostle who speaks in mangled King James English, and the U.S. Senate has been reduced to 37 members who keep themselves busy "unseparating all the churches from the states...Eighteen Republicans and nineteen Democrats, which is a bit surprising." I love it.

Hooch and DJ Ned end up in a detainment center in Cuba, of course, where along with other prisoners they hatch a plan to escape in a yacht abandoned by Castro, who is no longer a problem. To avoid detection by the Coast Guard, they plan to rename the boat the "Cuban Conversion" and head out to safer waters. (Aboard the yacht, they discover that Castro is a fan of the Backstreet Boys, but that's another sub-story.) At this point, telling very much more would be telling too much; suffice it to say that their plans go awry. Meanwhile, Larry Hutch provides a puzzling ending to the story-within-the-story, but it's one that makes perfect sense to Angie and her band of Southern Baptist protestors.

Though I'm still not sure I'm all that enamored with the ending to the story-within-the-story, I do appreciate the basic allegory that Blackston presents here. While it may take Blackston fans a while to get used to this change in his style, it's worth staying with him to the end of the book. And even if you're not sure the book would be to your liking, you have to check out the cover art, by far one of the best covers ever to grace a Christian novel.

Reviewed by Marcia Ford.