Undertones (L. S. Popovich)

28 April 2021

Undertones

Dane was a reliable guitarist until he got addicted to ants. Now he’s just a giant anteater with an abysmal grade point average. On a date with lead singer, Serena, they witness a gruesome incident. Waking up in the hospital, Dane realizes Serena’s missing. Going to the police only gets him a felony for possession of ants. Now, forced to lick the habit while he tracks down Serena, he’s going to need a little help from the band.

Investigating familiar watering holes (while stopping for one or two drinks) leads him to an underground criminal organization. Is it a coincidence that a feline fatale attempts to recruit him for the mob? Should he expose the dirty underbelly of their society, putting Serena and his band on the line, or try to take them down from the inside? Either way, it’s going to take more than the Komodo dragon on clarinet.

Average Rating:

Sinclair Manson (5 May 2021 20:21)

Apparently this book has lots of positive reviews online, which makes me think I'm missing something, because I did not enjoy it. On the one hand, it was cartoonish: a city of animals who behave like people, with differences between species played for laughs; a powerful corporation secretly run by stereotypical gangsters from their basement lair; the heroes easily infiltrating the criminal gang; saving the day with musical cliche. On the other hand, it was gritty: genocide; Serena's suffering in slavery; kidnap, murder and as near as cannibalism; the death of a central character. For me, the dissonance between these two tones was off putting and made the story a bit of a muddle. I found the number of characters in the titular band confusing to start with and a distraction in the long run, diluting any affection I might have felt for them. Fair to say, this was not really my thing.