I held high hopes for this book, yet it never produced anything remotely satisfying. There is a lot - perhaps too much - trying to occur in 40 years and 350 pages of the author's imagination. Yet, it remains too disjointed. Eisenhower is barely depicted, Pat Nixon is a non-entity until the last 20 pages, and the author ignored Spiro Agnew (who is rather blank canvas). The reader is teased with a World War II Kissinger on pages 214-215 as a "young man", yet the author recasts Kissinger as an ancient wizard a mere 25 years later.
The book reads like "Nixon goes from Point A to Point B and then Point C" as the author hits the high points of press conferences and events. Yet, the plot is not tightly woven together; it remains thread-bare. The prose ain't superb; one is never lost in the author's writing style. Honestly, this would work better as a graphic novel.
Why did I finish this book? Desperate hope that it would get better. My mistake.
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Crooked Hardcover – July 28, 2015
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Austin Grossman
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Austin Grossman
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Print length368 pages
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LanguageEnglish
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PublisherMulholland Books
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Publication dateJuly 28, 2015
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Dimensions6.5 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
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ISBN-10031619851X
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ISBN-13978-0316198516
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"Endlessly compelling . . . As eerie and absorbing as it is fantastically ludicrous . . . Grossman out-nuts the nut-jobs with a premise that's as outlandish as it is superbly conceived. . . . His details of Nixon's imaginary life-as well as those of his wife, Pat, and other contemporaries such as John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger and Ronald Reagan-are threaded into actual history with an intricate, clever and startling plausibility. . . . Crooked isn't simply a work of simple satire or wonky alt-history; it's a speculative character study that taps into truths about Nixon that may be more essential than literal. That is, when they're not deliciously absurd."―Jason Heller, NPR
"A cantering hodgepodge of American history, black magic and political satire . . . Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Washington-style."―Ron Charles, Washington Post
"Clever...[Grossman] creates an antihero as tormented as any Marvel or DC villain. A nuanced, funny and moving characterization of a man reviled during (and after) his term of office. A droll riff on 20th century politics. [Grossman has] impressive narrative gifts...those who love deconstructing the supernatural literary references in series like 'True Detective' and 'Lost' will find much to savor in 'Crooked.'"―Elizabeth Hand, Los Angeles Times
"Crooked is insightful, suspenseful and funny. . . . As secret histories go, Crooked makes more sense than many. Fans of either political skulduggery or Lovecraftian terror are likely to relish the novel's many dark pleasures."―Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle
"A wicked & wickedly funny thriller . . . Lots of dark fun!"―R.L. Stine
"The journey on which Grossman dispatches Nixon is a fun one, a Merry Pranksters bus driven by Saruman or Sauron in Lord of the Rings."―Ray Locker, USA Today
"A captivating parallel tale."―Entertainment Weekly
"Funny, intelligent . . . Intrigue and irony abound . . . Grossman has clearly done his homework on Nixon."―Chris Tucker, Dallas Morning News
"Crooked confirms and details the extremely esoteric and occult presence we always suspected lay at the heart of the Nixon administration. It's got spies, and political intrigue, and a sitting President spilling his own blood onto a pentagram hidden beneath the Oval Office rug, which is to say there are few of my buttons this book does not push."―John Darnielle, author of Wolf in White Van
"At once wildly imaginative and deeply intimate, CROOKED is a demonically fun political thriller. The brilliance of Austin Grossman is in making big stories personal, even when the big story is super-powered presidents and intercontinental necromantic missiles."―Max Barry, author of Lexicon
"In telling the secret story of Richard Nixon, Austin Grossman draws back the curtain on American history. Senator Joe McCarthy should have been much, much more frightened. Once I started reading Crooked, I couldn't put it down. But be warned, even as you devour this book, it will devour you."―Daniel O'Malley, author of The Rook
"A cantering hodgepodge of American history, black magic and political satire . . . Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Washington-style."―Ron Charles, Washington Post
"Clever...[Grossman] creates an antihero as tormented as any Marvel or DC villain. A nuanced, funny and moving characterization of a man reviled during (and after) his term of office. A droll riff on 20th century politics. [Grossman has] impressive narrative gifts...those who love deconstructing the supernatural literary references in series like 'True Detective' and 'Lost' will find much to savor in 'Crooked.'"―Elizabeth Hand, Los Angeles Times
"Crooked is insightful, suspenseful and funny. . . . As secret histories go, Crooked makes more sense than many. Fans of either political skulduggery or Lovecraftian terror are likely to relish the novel's many dark pleasures."―Michael Berry, San Francisco Chronicle
"A wicked & wickedly funny thriller . . . Lots of dark fun!"―R.L. Stine
"The journey on which Grossman dispatches Nixon is a fun one, a Merry Pranksters bus driven by Saruman or Sauron in Lord of the Rings."―Ray Locker, USA Today
"A captivating parallel tale."―Entertainment Weekly
"Funny, intelligent . . . Intrigue and irony abound . . . Grossman has clearly done his homework on Nixon."―Chris Tucker, Dallas Morning News
"Crooked confirms and details the extremely esoteric and occult presence we always suspected lay at the heart of the Nixon administration. It's got spies, and political intrigue, and a sitting President spilling his own blood onto a pentagram hidden beneath the Oval Office rug, which is to say there are few of my buttons this book does not push."―John Darnielle, author of Wolf in White Van
"At once wildly imaginative and deeply intimate, CROOKED is a demonically fun political thriller. The brilliance of Austin Grossman is in making big stories personal, even when the big story is super-powered presidents and intercontinental necromantic missiles."―Max Barry, author of Lexicon
"In telling the secret story of Richard Nixon, Austin Grossman draws back the curtain on American history. Senator Joe McCarthy should have been much, much more frightened. Once I started reading Crooked, I couldn't put it down. But be warned, even as you devour this book, it will devour you."―Daniel O'Malley, author of The Rook
About the Author
Austin Grossman is a video game design consultant and the author of You and Soon I Will Be Invincible, which was nominated for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize. His writing has appeared in Granta, the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times. He lives in Berkeley, California.
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Product details
- Publisher : Mulholland Books; 1st edition (July 28, 2015)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 031619851X
- ISBN-13 : 978-0316198516
- Item Weight : 1.3 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.5 x 1.25 x 9.75 inches
-
Best Sellers Rank:
#1,411,692 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #4,074 in Alternate History Science Fiction (Books)
- #5,171 in Political Fiction (Books)
- #9,755 in Occult Fiction
- Customer Reviews:
Customer reviews
3.9 out of 5 stars
3.9 out of 5
90 global ratings
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Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2015
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4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2015
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The first half of Crooked is wonderful, unfolding with a gradual, mysterious foreboding. It brought to mind the style of H.P. Lovecraft's storytelling, but with an engaging voice unique to author Austin Grossman. He writes Nixon in an immersive way without trying to erase the felonious "Tricky Dick" image, which Nixon himself fully admits to in the novel.
Yet the novel never quite follows through on its own promise. Supernatural elements--and Nixon actually exploring them or dealing with them--often remain too far in the margins for my taste. The narrative moves a little too quickly from one moment in time to another, sometimes jumping a few months ahead when I would've liked a little more time to explore the supernatural elements lurking there. While it can be detrimental in this type of story to pull back the curtain entirely from mysterious forces of darkness, I would have liked more of a peek than is given. Perhaps an over-zealous editor?
Nixon himself also lacks much agency after the earlier parts of the novel. He hears of things, is acted on by other people, and doesn't seem to do much but react. Certain important events Nixon only hears about, and a confrontation with a major antagonist toward the end is over so quickly that I had reread a couple of sentences to realize what happened.
Bottom line: I did enjoy a fair bit of the novel, but found the overall experience not quite as satisfying as I would have liked.
Yet the novel never quite follows through on its own promise. Supernatural elements--and Nixon actually exploring them or dealing with them--often remain too far in the margins for my taste. The narrative moves a little too quickly from one moment in time to another, sometimes jumping a few months ahead when I would've liked a little more time to explore the supernatural elements lurking there. While it can be detrimental in this type of story to pull back the curtain entirely from mysterious forces of darkness, I would have liked more of a peek than is given. Perhaps an over-zealous editor?
Nixon himself also lacks much agency after the earlier parts of the novel. He hears of things, is acted on by other people, and doesn't seem to do much but react. Certain important events Nixon only hears about, and a confrontation with a major antagonist toward the end is over so quickly that I had reread a couple of sentences to realize what happened.
Bottom line: I did enjoy a fair bit of the novel, but found the overall experience not quite as satisfying as I would have liked.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2016
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I think nearly every thoughtful reviewer has touched on this, but, wow, what a great premise. I can't say a bad thing about historical accuracy or the idea behind a book where Nixon and McCarthy-era/Cold War politics were a struggle between ancient forces/the un-dead/magic.
But man, oh man, this book completely dropped the ball in execution. While some books have a slow build, Crooked stayed lukewarm and occasionally glances at a simmer. I'm all for horrific manifestations a la Lovecraft that are more cerebral than the author physically fleshing everything out, but even on that level, Crooked is a bummer. I would have given it 1-star just for the writing itself, but I still can't stop myself for rewarding the author for the premise.
But man, oh man, this book completely dropped the ball in execution. While some books have a slow build, Crooked stayed lukewarm and occasionally glances at a simmer. I'm all for horrific manifestations a la Lovecraft that are more cerebral than the author physically fleshing everything out, but even on that level, Crooked is a bummer. I would have given it 1-star just for the writing itself, but I still can't stop myself for rewarding the author for the premise.
3 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 12, 2015
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Ths a secret history novel concerning Richard Nixon getting entangled in the occult underbelly of the Cold War during his political career. It was brilliant -- almost as good as Tim Powers's "Declare," which is the best secret history book I've read. Austin Grossman does a great job of filling in the gaps of history with occult underpinnings and providing supernatural backstories for historical oddities. So many nice little asides about historical figures and minor events.I would not lightly compare a book to Declare, but Crooked totally lives up to the comparison. Highest possible recommendation.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 15, 2015
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I liked the premise of the book very much (somewhere between Charles Stross and Tim Powers), but thought the execution was very poor. Granted it's written from the perspective of Nixon, but page after page of complaints and self-loathing get a little thick. The last quarter of it felt very rushed, with parts just sketched in and a lot of deus ex machinas-- very disappointing and anticlimactic. One gets the feeling that the book was meant to be another hundred pages long but that the editor interfered.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries
Mp
5.0 out of 5 stars
Addictive, Ingenious
Reviewed in Canada on September 30, 2015Verified Purchase
A sort of combination alternative history, occult thriller, and redemption story, I found I couldn't put it down. As well, the author can really turn a phrase, and I often found myself stopping to admire the way he put an idea into words. It will stay with me for a long time.
One person found this helpful
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Wrenchfarm
5.0 out of 5 stars
An American hero
Reviewed in Canada on August 3, 2015Verified Purchase
Nixon was the kind of guy who's reputation could be improved by imagining him as a secret necromancer and America's greatest warlock. Just let that sink in.
Grossman has a talent for writing from the perspective of bent men with inverted hearts. Scoundrels and crooks, but crooks who emerged from a very human, very relatable place.
Grossman has a talent for writing from the perspective of bent men with inverted hearts. Scoundrels and crooks, but crooks who emerged from a very human, very relatable place.
One person found this helpful
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John B
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Reviewed in Canada on August 7, 2016Verified Purchase
Not like other alternative history books, different but good.
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 8, 2016Verified Purchase
Really enjoyable
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