[DWF]⋙ [PDF] Monster A Lee Martinez 9780316041263 Books

Monster A Lee Martinez 9780316041263 Books

Download As PDF : Monster A Lee Martinez 9780316041263 Books

Monster A Lee Martinez 9780316041263 Books

Monster works for a special “pest” control agency that specializes in the supernatural, and Judy is a human who keeps running into magical creatures, they have to work together find out what is going and save the world.

I really love the way Martinez deals with magic in a mostly mundane world, how most people don't see it and how it impacts those who end up having no choice but to see it and I love his blending of mythologies and folk tales.

The biggest problem I had with this book is that I really didn't care all that much about the two main characters, I cared about the overall story just not how it affected them...not that it seemed to affect them that much, to be honest. They weren't particularly likable but not particularly unlikable, just sort of there as a way to keep the story moving forward. The story was fun enough though that this really didn't hurt the overall story.
I did love Chester though, he was one of the best things in the book. Chester is a paper gnome who changes shape is really an entity from another dimension. I found him to be such an original idea and I loved the way his part in the story played out and I would love to read more about him.

As with many A. Lee Martinez books, this is fun if a bit slight and a very quick and easy read.


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Monster A Lee Martinez 9780316041263 Books Reviews

A good rule of thumb when looking at a story is that, if you have a protagonist who is worthless and unlikable, the story should probably attempt to make them develop into something worthy or likable over the course of the plot, or perhaps reveal that they're worthy or likable in some manner that wasn't immediately apparent in the first chapters.

In this book, both main characters start out pretty much as careless, lazy idiots who act mostly from pure selfishness, and over the course of the book they... remain exactly the same. While I suppose it could have been a clever subversion or something fancy like that, I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be rooting for the villain here. And yet, the villain is the only person with comprehensible motivations that go beyond her own desires, and the only person seeing a problem and trying (albeit villainously) to correct it.

Basically, this has the feel of a quick one-off book written to cash in while Martinez's reputation holds out, not a genuine attempt to tell a story. Which is a shame, since some of the author's other stuff is downright brilliant.
4.5 Stars
Watch out for deadly garden gnomes, yeti's that loathe vanilla, trolls, and possessed cats while the fate of the universe rests on the shoulders of three unlikely people a disgruntled Cryptobiological Containment & Rescue Services (CCRC) worker, a paper gnome named Chester, and Judy, an incognizant mundane Food Plus Mart worker. (by the way, she's great at stacking cans of vegetables). Not exactly the A Team when saving our collective butts. But hey... it's all we've got.

Monster is not your ordinary kind of guy and in between his supernatural color changes, definitely brings new meaning to the word apathetic. But you'll adore him. The two failings of this incredibly interesting character are his conscience and his selfishness. These are a point of conflict for Martinez. Which is why Chester fills the role of sensei so nicely. Not that Monster listens that well to him. Will he end up doing the right thing? Will he help Judy step up to the plate and fulfill her destiny? Or will he just do his job, swig back a beer, and veg out in front of the TV while the universe collapses around him? Monster's man-cave guttural mentality is immensely endearing, and watching him stumble over basic rights and wrongs will bring a smile to your face.

Martinez has taken whimsy, humor, and sci-fi and melded it into one big Scooby sandwich of a story that you'll rub your belly and belch loudly after devouring. The efforts of Monster, Chester, and Judy to outwit their arch nemesis Lotus, snag the universe stone, and continually battle summoned cryptos is like riding The Colossus at Magic Mountain and having a few wheels break off mid-flight. Scary, but fun. I LOVED Monster. I was constantly amused and amazed at how Martinez makes his world building so effortless. How the heck does he do it?

The pace is continually zippy and entertaining, the text snappy as Martinez unabashedly gives us a window into his quick fire mind. I was strongly reminded of Christopher Moore, but I have to say it (don't kill me after the fact) that I think Martinez is hella funnier. Way. And inventive. And I strongly suspect he ate up comic books as a young sprat. I now consider myself a lifelong devotee.

A Fiendishly Bookish Review
Monster works for a special “pest” control agency that specializes in the supernatural, and Judy is a human who keeps running into magical creatures, they have to work together find out what is going and save the world.

I really love the way Martinez deals with magic in a mostly mundane world, how most people don't see it and how it impacts those who end up having no choice but to see it and I love his blending of mythologies and folk tales.

The biggest problem I had with this book is that I really didn't care all that much about the two main characters, I cared about the overall story just not how it affected them...not that it seemed to affect them that much, to be honest. They weren't particularly likable but not particularly unlikable, just sort of there as a way to keep the story moving forward. The story was fun enough though that this really didn't hurt the overall story.
I did love Chester though, he was one of the best things in the book. Chester is a paper gnome who changes shape is really an entity from another dimension. I found him to be such an original idea and I loved the way his part in the story played out and I would love to read more about him.

As with many A. Lee Martinez books, this is fun if a bit slight and a very quick and easy read.