Prossville Flyers by Angela Dungee-Farley
My rating: 3/5 cats
this is a book in which giant carnivorous flying squirrels terrorize the small town of prossville, virginia.
and that is one of those polarizing statements: half of you have already moved on to a different review and half of you are still with me, but are now clutching your checkbooks.
for those of you who are still here, there are two additional things you need to know about this book:
1) it is (mostly) written in play/screenplay format, which was unexpected
2) it is not quite the gore-fest the cover promises. oh, never fear, there are animal attacks aplenty, but there’s a tendency to pull back instead of lean in:
He runs through the woods, ducking from tree to tree. With his back up against a tree, he peeps from left to right to see if it’s clear to move – but that’s when he makes his mistake. Because flyers are creatures of habit, one had landed on the same tree and scurried its way around to the other side. When the hunter peeped around, the two met face-to-face… You are spared the gruesome details, but the horrifying screams make it perfectly clear.
i mean, YOU know and I know that we don’t WANT to be spared the gruesome details ever, but we’re just gonna have to be content supplying our own horrifying visuals this time.
a third thing you should know, but should have expected going into this is that the book could have used one more pass through the old editing machine. if you are someone for whom encountering clunky and repetitive lines like these are likely to make your head explode:
DR. WESTON
The zoological institute where I work and teach conducting research on various animals and different species of animals.
or
DR. WESTON
The institute sent me down here because the number of tree squirrels in the area has doubled compared to the two previous years, which had much lower numbers. At that time another researcher from the institute was sent here.
then you should go read some other book about giant carnivorous flying squirrels attacking hunters; one with more rigorous standards of spelling and grammar and mellifluousness.
but if you’re a true fan of animal attack books like these, you’re probably not unaccustomed to some editorial laxities and are really only looking for some silly fun
which this book is.
did i mention it was a book in which giant carnivorous flying squirrels terrorize the small town of prossville, virginia??
well, it is. and that’s all you should need to know to determine if this is a book you need on your shelf.
as a bonus test – does this line intrigue you?
DOC COLEMAN
Hey, Kin, pass me one of those plastic disposable duckbills, the ones used for vaginal examinations.
DR. WESTON
I’m impressed. Who would have thought that a device used for gynecological exams could be used to save a life?
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