The Futility of War, Freedom, and Love
I recently read two CM3 books back to back, Sea of Patchwork Cats and War Slut. Both had similar themes, the dominant being futility. In Patchwork, there was a futility in existence after everyone else on the planet committed suicide, while in War Slut the futility was in war and the reality of freedom. Both exhibited the futility of love. Overall, I found War Slut to be the better of the two.
It tells the story of a regiment of soldiers being repositioned from Northern Africa to the Arctic to fight one of the last remaining battalions of draft dodgers, those who would dare go against the government policy that everyone - man, woman, and child - join the military. There is often a knee-jerk reaction to anything involving military within our present political and military climate and CM3 is quick to point that War Slut is a work of absurdism not reality. But underlying the absurd is a sly comment on the upper echelon at work in our country today.
In typical Mellick fashion, the ending wraps everything up in a pretty Seinfeld-ian bow. Is freedom worth everything you have to give up to attain it? CM3 will make you wonder.
I smell a fart of greatness
He stinks in a good way and I want more. Bald man with lammy chops shall rise to the bottom of the middle and produce a booger to save humanity.
Fast paced action thriller
War Slut is a faced paced bizarro action thriller told from the point of view of a soldier trapped in the middle of an endless ridiculous war. The story is bare-bones minimalism which matches the bleak arctic setting beautifully. The characters are strange and funny, I have a new fictional crush on the War Slut character who I think is as cool a science fiction character as Pie-oh-Pah from Clive Barker's Imagica. I love Mellick's short novellas, I think this author has really mastered the format of a story that is short enough to digest in one sitting and yet has enough story to keep me thinking about it long after, it's like watching a movie. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read.
Arctic Sci-Fi Bizarro....
Oh, where oh where do I begin?
First, yes, this is a 105 page novella. Another review called it a "pamphlet" but he is very wrong. Regardless, quality should be above quantity anyway.
Okay. Next, the actual story takes place sometime in the future and is a fast paced story of military paranoia. It's on a small scale (think John Carpenter's THE THING) and as the story goes on, things get very very creepy.
I'd say that this is more sci-fi with a slight bizarro edge to it. I can totally see this being made into a movie. The ominous overtones make the reader very nervous about what's going to happen next. Still, despite this feeling of danger, verything just flows perfectly and the imagery (again, one of Mellick's strengths) makes it a worthwhile read.
In my opinion, it also seems to be a commentary on the dehumanization of one's enemies.. or at least that's what I got out of it. It comments on war, society, religion, as well as sex. Very thought-provoking but also very enjoyable.
For the ladies, there is also a bit of a love story, too.
So, for those wanting to dip into bizarro but don't want anything TOO weird just yet.. then WAR SLUT is a great choice.
Haunting and Fun
This book is great. Set in a future where everyone is automatically drafted into the military in a frozen arctic wasteland a lone troupe is sent on their last mission of dubious intention. The "war slut" is a genetically engineered cyborg built to relieve the soldiers sexual tensions who can morph to look like anyone they desire. It's a love story of sorts. It's also a video game-like action adventure with some really interesting twists. Definitely check this one out.
