The Blue Blazes Book Review

Book Review: The Blue Blazes

The Blue Blazes (Mookie Pearl #1)

by Chuck Wendig

Oh how good it is to be back in Wendig’s realm! Man, I can’t begin to say how glad I was to open up his newest novel The Blue Blazes.

From the beginning, the first words, the novel was intriguing and made me want to crack open an online mythology course and learn more of this world but I’m way too busy reading Wendig’s novel right now to do that! LOL I did allow myself to do a bit of research on some names and found some interesting stuff. But that’s for me to know and you to find out.

Brilliant opening to the novel. Mookie Pearl is a huge monster of a man and is taken down so very easy…by none other than Nora. But she doesn’t go by that these days, at least not on the streets. No, his daughter goes by the name Persephone . And that’s just the first chapter.  Already I am loving the names and the connections to the Underworld. And I am curious as to how the ‘descent and the Underworld connects to Mookie. And even though his daughter takes him down, it is only briefly and I soon learn that however someone might go about taking him down…you can’t take him down for long and like hell are you gonna take him out.

Mookie is a force like none other. And he has a lot of issues. Information of just who Nora is and the relationship with ‘Persephone’ has been a huge secret and that information is spreading…which makes things even more dangerous for him. He long knew of the changes that were coming and he fears them more and more, not just for himself but everybody. Too many things are happening. A new boss, gangs against gangs, the Underworld is not so far ‘under’ anymore, and myths aren’t myths anymore.

The question is…what will get him first? The Underground, his daughter, the Blue Blaze coursing through him, or will he bring himself down?

What I loved best about the entire book were the characters surrounding Mookie. I liked him a lot…but it was the characters and how Mookie responded to them and them to him  was what pushed me over into the ‘this is freakin’ brilliant stuff here’ category. I loved the intensity of flaws each character possessed. There wasn’t a single soul (or nonsoul) in this story who didn’t have some gigantic flaws and they seemed ripe for the pickin’ and boy does Chuck know how to do it. It’s as if he finds the itch on each one of his creations and then scratches and scratches until they are bleeding and only then is he satisfied and ready to move ahead.

I’m not sure where this book is going to go with as far as it being a series however I am utterly engrossed in one fascinating character or two…shit, maybe four. The loop Wendig threw me for was worth the read and I will not hesitate to wander down the next journey.

I would give it a perfect score except for the fact there were a few scenes that seemed confusing. Perhaps it was Wendig being so engrossed with the images and the story in his mind but I felt lost…but just a few, very brief times.

My verdict: 9/10