ARC copy arrived today in the mail. Will read and release as soon as I can. :)

Wild Animus starts off rough, attempting to capture the hippy culture of Berkeley, brining together the main characters at the riots at People's Park. Here the story reads like an homage to Kerouac's descriptions of San Francisco from a Beat Generation perspective. In these initial chapters, Shapero can't compete with Kerouac, not being the same caliper of wordsmith.

It's not until Sam cum Ransom and Lindy flee California for first Oregon and ultimately for Alaska, that Wild Animus finds its own rhythm. As the story progresses and Ramson slips farther into his own personal quest, the personal transformation mirrored by the trek into the mountain begins the parallel the drama of Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness. Here, though, the story isn't told after the fact. Imagine following Kurtz up the Congo, seeing things from his point of view, rather than trailing after his legend. That's what Shapero accomplishes in Wild Animus.

The cover art has changed from a shamanistic design to one highlighting. Having read the book now I can see why the mountain, the pysical manifestation of Animus, has replaced the drawings in blood or molten lava. The mountain is the central motif just as the Congo is the central motif of Conrad's Heart of Darkness.

RELEASE NOTES:

Mailing to chomper as part of a trade.

Just received it in the mail from caligula03. Thank you! Can not wait to get started with it since I have read so much about it.

Ok- I did it- I read Wild Animus. Other than that I am speechless.

11/16 Sent this out to Swazieb today

Picked up at the post office this mourning. Thank you very much for the trade!

I will be mailing this out to a fellow BCer in KS. in the mourning. I hope you enjoy it!

People were talking about this book so I requested it in trade from SwazieB and he was nice enough to send it. :) Thanks!

Going on in the Turning 30 Bookbox.

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