The novel that radically altered the nature of the Mongo series, this book blends a classic detective style with elements of science fiction and fantasy. Chesboro takes readers on a wild roller-coaster ride, using the structure and elements of Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."
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The novel that radically altered the nature of the Mongo series, this book blends a classic detective style with elements of science fiction and fantasy. Chesboro takes readers on a wild roller-coaster ride, using the structure and elements of Wagner's Ring Cycle and Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings."
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Seller's Description:
Good. Binding and spine intact. Dust Jacket has some shelf/edge wear. with small tears around top. Dust Jacket now protected in archival mylar. No apparent marks throughout this book. PO name stamp in the front. Foxing and tanning to pages. Beveled page edges. Tracking available on most domestic orders.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Near Fine in Very Good+ jacket. Size: 7x5x1; We're happy to combine shipping to save you some money. We're also always buying collectible book collections. Contact us for details. We're happy to provide pictures of any and all books for you, please just ask! First American edition, first printing. Published by Atheneum in 1985. Stated first edition on copyright page. Jacket is in Very Good + condition. Bottom spine area of jacket has a small 1 tear. Minor wear to spine ends and edges of jacket. Jacket is NOT price clipped. Covers are clean and bright. Edges are sharp. The book itself is in Near Fine condition. Bottom corners very lightly bumped. The binding is straight and tight.
Ottawa movie critic Jay Stone once described the script for the movie Gladiator as if it could have been written by Shakespeare for WWF.
The Beasts of Valhalla reads as if Edgar Rice Burroughs, Ray Bradbury and Raymond Chandler had all teamed up to write a parody of The Lord of the Rings for a Three Stooges movie.
This is the second George C Chesbro novel I have read, the first being Shadow of a Broken Man. Being an avid fan of pulp noir from Raymond Chandler to Jim Thomson and current writers such as Ian Rankin and Deon Meyer, I found Chesbro's playful mix of the roman noir and science fiction delightful in his first novel. Several novels later, The Beasts of Valhalla ramps up the sci-fi but still keeps the wonderful cliches and comical interior monologue of the protagonist from pulp crime novels. It is also a parody of The Lord of the Rings.
The protagonist, Mongo the magnificent, is a marvelous creation as the star acrobat from the circus turned private dick with a doctorate in criminology. In Beasts of Valhalla he is also Frodo on a quest to destroy the ring. Mongo's dwarfism makes him the perfect hobbit, despite his prodigious ego and intellect.
The book is intense, mysterious and funny, though in parts the plot and dialogue became ludicrous. Larry, Moe and Curly Joe would have have reveled in this quest to save the world. I almost dreaded an anti-climactic ending, but Chesbro left me asking the same question that haunts Mongo and his brother Garth. Did they save the world or destroy the man who could have saved it?
