Cruel Town

Rating:
Summary: Fallon's Cruel Town by One Who Knows
Review: Back in the late 80s Bill Fallon and I did an archaeological survey of the Poudre River in northern Colorado. The only good thing about the project was being able to ad lib dialogs and story lines with Bill on boring survey transects. Bill brings his spontaneous style of invention to this novel, as well as his first hand experience on archaeological projects in the west. Like his earlier, unpublished works, Cruel Town is exuberent and fun but as a work of fiction, suffers from the tendency to over-do things. But that hardly matters. If we don't believe that Dr. Warren Munsel would actually roll rabbit turds in dust and eat them as snacks, that does not detract from our delight in the character's doing it. To appreciate Cruel Town we have to suspend all disbelief and immerse ourselves in the story, which obviously delights in its telling. Still, it would be nice to see Fallon turn his considerable talents toward a more disciplined work.

Rating:
Summary: A pleasure to read
Review: This book was amusing from start to finish. While many make fun of the media, Cruel Town manages to do it in a fresh, innovative way. I'd tell you more, but then, I'd be spoiling an evening of fun reading this book. Buy this book!