Customer Reviews

The Tragedy of Drakeraft.com

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

 

 

This book rekindled my desire to read all those books from High School, like Heart of Darkness, and Moby Dick, and Huckleberry Finn. It could use a bit of editing here and there, but so could Moby Dick! I loved all the literary references which rooted it in a deeper context, which is something we rarely see these days.

The mixture of Guns & Roses references with Shakespeare quotes was humorous, artfully done, and insightful. I love both the band and the bard, and if you like either one, this book's for you. And the website's cool too. Bon voyage!

I'll admit it. I don't watch a lot of TV. I do not follow Oprah's book club. I do not undertstand why Toni Morrison won the nobel prize in literature. I cannot tell why anyone who wins it wins it. I cannot fathom postmodern art. I cannot stand the politicization of the literary arts. I like Grisham and Chrichton, and yet. . . And the lack of standards that the boomers so wholeheartedly foist upon this generation depresses me. And that is why I loved this book. As Mel Gibson said in Braveheart, FREEEEEEEEDOMMM!

As a true classic, The Tragedy of Drake Raft addresses all the major issues facing this generation, from abortion, to language, to religion, to meaning, to art, to politics, to that age-old concept "being." And yet it's rooted in something far deeper than the popular culture. McGucken's poetic craftsmanship filled the pages with a wit and wisdom that awakened something in me which had been slacking off.

I've been a fan of The Jolly Roger for quite sometime, ever since high school, and three cheers for the crew's first novel! I feel that The Jolly Roger is sailing along in a parallel universe, all but unseen in this era of hype, glitz, and gloss, but when the postmodern fog clears. . .the rising generation shall have the renaissance that's alluded to throughout this awesome novel!

There's a laugh on every page, which lightens all the heavy, heavy topics this book tackles. Comedy and tragedy are two sides of the same coin, and McGucken has a talent for capturing and expressing both.

This book is so complete in breadth and scope. I kept feeling that it's almost out of context form the pop culture, despite the hilarious references, but I guess that's partly because it's also got a lot of classical elements, and the classical things (T.S. Eliot's Permanent Things) have been temporarily dismissed by the postmodern cultural czars.

When tomorrow's teachers of Truth assign their students books to read from the turn of the millenium, I expect that this one shall rank fairly high. And did I mention it was funny (ha-ha funny)?

In McGucken's novel, an amalgamation of elements is interwoven to create a story that plays out on two levels. On one level, it is a story of a young quizzical boy searching for answers about his presumed dead brother. While on a deeper more profound level, the novel represent the struggle of today's American youth brought up in a morally vapid environment.

Written in a style reminiscent of the works of J.D Salinger, this highly readable novel follows the basic framework of Hamlet in which all that is noble and good is persecuted and killed. It is only to be replaced by the nihilistic postmodern society in which these youth dwell. With the realization of the power of the written word illustrating that some basic fundamental truths do exist, the journey of the reader and main characters are one in the same- making this new novel truly a classic of its time.

What a delightful read! I travel a lot because of my job, and this book was a great companion on a couple recent flights. It's one of those paradoxial books--one reads it as fast as possible, and yet one wishes that it'd last forever.

The young protagonists (Timber, Cliff, Windy, and Drake) came to life via McGucken's wit and humor, and unlike so much of the contemporary postmodern-David-Foster-Wallace mediocrity and relativism, this book actually had a noble, profound message and an engaging plot and mystery! This book would make an awesome movie, and I don't mean that as an insult.

The MTV generation might not quite be ready for this book, but perhaps they'll never be ready for any book, and thus this one is for that generation of eternal souls. Great read!

I saw this novel on display in my college bookshop, and the cool cover caught my eye, so I picked it up. I started reading it right there--I read it until the bookstore closed, and then I bought it and took it home and finished it. I can't remember the last time contemporary words made me so high.

Finally there's something out there which expresses the depths of this generation's heart and soul--a little bit of Kerouac, a little bit of Twain, and a little bit of Shakespeare, and behold, a brand new literary voice!

As I read this book, I felt that postmodernism had finally been explained away and given a fair and definitive finale, and that something else, far richer and more profound, had blossomed anew! This book has it all--it blends all the contemporary colloquialisms with a classic plot and timeless characters, all of whom come to life! I came to amazon.com to order one for a friend, and I felt it my duty to offer my review--mark these words, this book and the author shall soon be household names. I can hardly wait for the next one!

From the first page this book approaches from so many directions--with true, deep satire that's born by natural wit. It looks straight into postmodern nihilsm and comes away smiling, with Timber and Cliff having the last laugh on all the pretentious self-styled literary experts.

I enjoyed all the subtle tributes to the American Dream (which is still alive and well), and the mingling of the references to popular culture and classical literature. This book is written in a deeper context, and it's that deeper context that in the end makes a book worth reading--with words and sentiments that augment the spirit.

As an English major headed on Spring break, it's traveling with me, and I bet it's a huge hit on Daytona Beach! But really, it's not meant for everyone--and it's about time someone parted ways from MTV to serve the deeper soul. On with the renaissance!

Do postmodernists think that postmodernism will last forever? McGucken's book got me thinking. In a postmodern world, a book with plot and character would be considered illegal, or at least rude. And yet this book understands postmodernism enough so as to be polite in its tempered assault upon the postmodern Gods. For once again words are beginning to mingle with morality.

As a New Yorker, I only have to say this book and author are ahead of their time. In the City here, all the postmodern disciples of doom and gloom and pseudo irony are yet deconstructing what's left of the literary industry. And McGucken's novel and website are anchored just offshore, waiting to board. The Tragedy of Drakeraft.com is chock-full of profound insights and societal commentary, and time is on this book's side. A brighter light is dawning here.

It starts off strong and funny, and the first few chapters owe a lot to "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn." It's gratifying to see 90's teen angst blended so refreshingly with pop culture references and thinly veiled conservative political themes. But the book begins to bog down when the protagonist goes on-campus, where the author gets a bit too heavy-handed with Ivy League insiderism and preachy Shakespearian dialogue. Combine this with a shallow plot that seems a bit too immature for the rest of the book, and hard-to-follow goings on, and the going gets tough. In my humble opinion, this book could have benefited greatly from some ruthless editing from someone who knew their craft, instead of the "passing around to friends and family to see what they think" treatment it, in all likelihood, probably got. Still, that's the worst that can be said about it, and doesn't reflect unfavorably on this young author's first work and strong talent. Keep up the good work, Elliot!