Rating: 
Summary: ANOTHER WINNER!!!
Review: Over-the-top? Yes, deliciously so, precisely what is hoped for and expected whenever Dorsey unleashes his blow-torch-humor within the confines of the Sunshine State. In his third book, Dorsey looks at Florida's gubernatorial race, not through glasses colored rose, but jet-black, and the result is political wackiness and sun-splashed mayhem found only in a Dorsey tome. To reveal any of the characters _ needless to say, everyone's favorite homicidal hero, Serge A. Storms, returns to spice up the dysfunctional stew _ and resulting dialogue would be to deprive the reader of Dorsey's myriad gifts _ his keen observatory sense, his mastery of Florida history, and a writing style that is all at once economical, stylish and uproariously funny. There is no fat on the bones of Dorsey's books, merely the lean, enriching meat of a writer familiar with his audience, and one who rarely fails to entertain. Dorsey's first two books, Florida Roadkill and Hammerhead Ranch Motel, gave us a taste. Orange Crush satisfies completely the palate of readers looking for a not-so-outlandish peek at Florida's political process. (Remember the recent Presidential election while you read it!!!) And to all those who think Crush is too far over the top, too nutty, with little reason to care about its characters and content, you can always cuddle up with the phone book.
Rating: 
Summary: the crush
Review: The characters are not easily forgotten. Very funny, as usual in Dorsey's books. Excellent political 'enlightenments'. Much Better than Dorsey's Florida Road Kill. All Dorsey's books are very funny and hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: the crush
Review: The characters are not easily forgotten. Very funny, as usual in Dorsey's books. Excellent political 'enlightenments'. Much Better than Dorsey's Florida Road Kill. All Dorsey's books are very funny and hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: If I could give more than 5 gold stars, I would!
Review: This is an incredible continuation of Dorsey's first two books, Florida Roadkill and Hammerhead Ranch Motel. Our favorite serial killer/hero Serge (although incognito) returns with his madman encyclopedic knowledge of Florida lore and several more ingenius variations on how to produce bodies. A slew of new characters are introduced : Babs (the puppet lady with trauma-inducing talents), Helmut von Zeppelin (the evil mastermind behind dirty politics), Jackie (persistant gold-digger), Escrow (twisted politician-in-training), Joe Blow (you know, Average Joe?), and our central character--Marlon Conrad. Marlon starts off as a bland, illiterate politician. But after a transcendant Saul-on-the-way-to-Damascus type revelation, we witness Marlon's growth to something much more than a crooked politician. We see him gain back his humanity. I'd even hazard to say he's a modern day King Lear. The real magic of the book lies in its power to have serious issues (corrupt politics) tempered by pure zaniness. The complete joke that is Politics is taken to such an extreme, one can't help but laugh. Although your giggle does die down a bit when you realize that this fiction isn't too far from the truth...keep in mind this book was written *before* the fiasco of the Florida presidential elections. We do see more of "Roadkill"'s jaunts around the state. It's a great feeling to see different places that you know so well described so accurately in a book. Dorsey mentions the Merry Pranksters (Ken Kesey's infamous troupe) at one point in the book and he's absolutely right. It's got the feel of some people who are out to do good, whether you like it or not! The only downer, for me, was when I sat back and reflected on the character Marlon. It was the moment I realized that only in fiction could such a compassionate politician dare to exist. This a superb novel. I cannot rave enough about it. Read the book. Savor the book. Fondle the book. But more important--BUY the book!
Rating:
Summary: Height of his powers!
Review: This is the one you've been waiting for! The details can be found in the reviews below, but in a more general sense, this is Dorsey's first true masterpiece. His previous works, while right-on outrageous, were difficult to follow, a bit plotless and sketchy on the characterizations. Dorsey has finally put it all together, and for the first time he truly deserves a ranking next to Carl Hiaasen. This is the work of a great comic writer at the height of his artistic abilities, and I believe his best work is still yet to come. Drink deeply the Orange Crush, and read it slow -- the next Hiaasen novel won't be out until January 2002!
Rating:
Summary: Refreshing
Review: This whole series of books by Tim Dorsey can be described as a twisted and funny study on the dark side in all of human beings. Tim Dorsey manages to take everyday situations and make them incredibly funny. Based in Florida, the series follows the twisted life of Serge Storms (one of the best characters ever created) and all his sick, violent and disturbed adventures. Of course, along the way you will get to meet every kind of character you can imagine.
The interesting thing about this series is that behind all the funny stories, there are tons of social and political criticisms. I have read all the books in the series, and each one keeps getting better. If you are a fan of Quentin Tarantino movies, or South Park cartoons, you will love these books. A must buy.
Rating:
Summary: Laugh-out-loud HILARIOUS!!!
Review: Tim Dorsey does it again!!! If you like FLORDIA ROADKILL and HAMMERHEAD RANCH MOTEL, you'll love Dorsey's new book, ORANGE CRUSH! This novel is filled with more craziness and mayhem, than both his previous books combined. Also MR. Serge A. Storms makes another appearance. This book was a real page turner, I couldn't put it down. I read the entire thing in one day! And after my gut hurt so bad from laughing at the outrageous hi-jinks going on throughout the book. It's a MUST read!
Rating: 
Summary: What a long, strange trip. I wish it were a lot longer.
Review: Tim Dorsey writes of a world of black and white, good and bad clearly defined. OK, bad. A quarter of the way into the book, the only non-dead good guy has already killed a dozen others in prior stories. While this is a stand-alone kind of book, it continues the saga started in Florida Roadkill. Neither of these is for the weak of heart, both are for anyone with a taste for surrealism, satire, and just plain over-the-top weird characters. Orange Crush has less senseless violence that it's predecessors, largely because it's hidden in the background and only used as reference. It still has the irreverent sense of humor common to all three in the series. Here's the executive summary: buy this book, BUY FLORIDA ROADKILL!!, make any promise necessary to get Tim Dorsey to write another one.
Rating:
Summary: the craziest, most outrageous writer
Review: tim dorsey's photo looks exactly like a sloppy florida beach bum. in this 3rd book, he portrayed the republicans as bunch of pirahnas and hayenas, while made the democratics looked like a bunch pigs. this is exactly what the images that i have put on these two great parties. this novel is so outrageous and crazy but somehow when he wrote the transformation of the governor, i was deeply moved. tim dorsey can write, that's for sure. but his books are all so overwhelmingly crazy and messy, and the wild rides might make your head spin out of control. he's making the whole florida like a cesspool and nut house.
Rating:
Summary: You May Think It's Outrageous, But It's Florida Politics
Review: We Florida residents don't know whether to laugh or cry when we read Tim Dorsey's spoof of our politicians. We can laugh at his hilarious descriptions, and we can cry at how close they are to the truth. Remember the election of 2000, and how we came back and messed up again in the primary election of 2002? Typical. In the story, Marlon Conrad is your usual sleazy politician and a shoo-in for election as Governor until he serves with his army reserve unit in the Balkans and learns about people. He starts talking about issues and helping Florida's citizens. That does it. The whole political machine goes after him, with at least five killers trying to assassinate him. The characters are loopy. The situations are bizarre, and the book is downright funny. It's well worth reading.
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