Book Review: Prom Night on the River of Death by Jason Rizos

 

Prom Night on the River of Death by Jason Rizos

184 pages, Paperback

Published June, 2017 by Rooster Republic Press

 

 So I think I might have met Jason years ago, but it is unclear. My journey with this book started when Camperon Pierce said he found me a ride from Portland to BizarroCon in Astoria. I was barely in Portland long enough to have brunch and only saw a tiny minority of folks I wanted to see. Jason was kind enough to meet us for brunch. So I knew he was a bizarro, but I didn’t know that besides homebrewing in Portland he teaches creative writing at Portland Community College. Quickly learned he is a PKD guy and very educated on classic SF, so yeah we are like totally best friends now. At the end of the drive, where I practiced my Sunday morning workshop on the PKD formula we traded novels. People’s Park for this one.

PNOTRD is a wild ride, a bizarro romp filled with violence, gore, dark humor and plenty of eye-brow raising. On the surface, some elements are not exactly my favorite type of reads but there are some clever things throughout. I will admit I kinda wanted to see what JR would do with a more new-wave science fictional tale that was closer to the themes we talked about, but he has time. 

This novel is a hardcore bizarro tale that is set in a surreal dystopian St. Louis, where one of the most popular pastimes is kidnapping young people. The gangs of kidnappers are called Shanghaiers as in the book. There is some weird stuff with taking Cheerleaders hostages that works on the metaphor of a dystopian high school. There are funny moments throughout even if this novel is far from my favorite style of weird fiction. Fans of irreverent and transgressive Bizarro will enjoy this more than I did.

That said there were plenty of moments that made me laugh and you can’t ask for more in a book. The first one that stuck out to me…

“I know damn well. I am no idiot I'm well aware of what the kids these days do to cut corners in the kidnapping trade model 24 stroboscope incapacitator. I tell him it's a dandified sensor retroreflective delivery system favored by greenhorns such as Angus. A tool Leopold used to refer to as “newfangled junk.”

The novel is filled with turns of phrases that highlight the author’s weird sense of humor, most of these moments come via world-building. I enjoyed this stuff, and it was enough to carry the book.  That said if you want to know why I wanted something different that occurred to me at the open of chapter 11.

There is a moment not built on anything transgressive and to me, it was the best writing in the book.

 

“The giving machine talks when it senses someone near. The mechanical puppet head that sits atop the obelisk has the plump face of a Gregorian monk with a Halo above it. Its eyes click open, its eyebrows pop up and down and it continues speaking.

“Welcome, penitent!” The prerecorded message sounds tiny and distant over the weatherproof speakers built into its base. The monk's jaw moves up and down like a ventriloquist dummies. So too is the right of contrition. If you have worked with a licensed sanctified piety management minister, please enter your sales ID on the keypad before proceeding with your donation for a complete list of sins or directory of ministers, press the HELP key.”

That is good stuff. I wanted a novel about the robotic door.  I am sure I am alone. This to me was the best moment of the book. It paints a picture, and it amused me with a totally different vibe from the rest of the book.

Most of you will enjoy the hilarious kidnapping culture of this world where taking high schoolers hostage drives this dystopian future. That is fair.

“Shanghaiers aren't seeing the kind of proceeds they used to, not from parents nor crowdsourcing. Not the guarantee they get with the Xantarians let alone the convenience. Nobody wants to take the time to spin a good story anymore. It's just Wham bam thank you ma'am.”

Prom Night at the River of Death is a fun, transgressive piece of bizarro fiction, I did wonder if I was missing some of the point, and yes I wanted the small moment of philosophical reflection expanded, but it was a debut novel. Jason Rizos is a talented guy and I excited to check out more of his work