A Bad Day for Voodoo

One of the previous reviewers basically said, "if you can't stand books/shows where the `4th wall' is broken and the narrator or author speaks directly to the reader/audience, then don't read this book." I have to say, "what 4th wall?!" There's no 4th wall! There's like an octagonal room - and you're inside it with a bunch of friends all enjoying adult beverages and listening to your weirdest buddy tell this crazy story and stopping for giggles and asides along the way... Oh, this is supposed to be a young adult book, right? OK, no adult beverages for those readers. They won't need them. This book will not be for everyone (or may be something to be in the mood for), but I found the dementedness extremely fun - Strand makes the inside of a teenage boy's head a very cool and crazy place to be. And it's not hard to believe in the authenticity of the actions/reactions of the characters to exploding body parts and the other crazy events. Some of the humor reminds me a bit of Tex, The Witch Boy, another recent YA book. I like every moment (except the robots. Dude, that was just weird.). Bye, now - I'm going to go figure out which Strand book to buy next.

Jeff Strand writes like nobody else, in a hectic pell-mell motormouth style that, even when it doesn't start off jokey and off-kilter, usually winds up there. In Bad Day for Voodoo, written in the first person, Strand's mouthpiece is 16-year-old Tyler, who lives through Ferris Bueller's Day Off with his cute girlfriend and best pal -- that is, if Ferris had tangled with gypsies, voodoo, zombies, murderous thugs, and a family of bloodthirsty religious wackos; was threatened with eternal damnation; and lost a couple of toes. Also got an "F" in class. But otherwise, it's mostly similar, in that we are treated to a picaresque tale of unfolding wackiness and ever more unlikely bad luck among kids on the brink of adulthood. Tyler may be living the American dream when he sticks a pin in a voodoo doll of his unfair meanie of a teacher right in the middle of class and gets a result. But something happens that's much worse than pain, and he learns that revenge isn't so sweet a dish when it's just too much colder than he really is at heart. And then comes the panic. Panic and comedy set the two overlapping tones for the whole book. Jeff's ... umm, Ferris's ... Tyler's! narration flits all over the place, but rarely stays serious for long. In many ways, this a book about books, and about funny books. The customary narration of the story cuts out entirely at points while Strand "gets meta" and regales us with odd bits of weirdness involving a ghostwriter begging for more work, comments on The Shining, notes from the editor, hints on writing a book report on the book, and generally exhibits enjoyable silliness before getting back to the story at hand. Besides Bad Day for Voodoo simply being a funny story, it insists you enjoy it as a funny story as it whirls about between narrative threads and meta-narrative stunts in an exuberance that keeps almost anything possible in any chapter. And that's all to the good, as, in the three books (plus some short stories) I've read by Strand so far, he doesn't linger on subtext. They're about momentum. So they speed along, but they can't afford not to, either, as they leave little reason to linger. They need to be read as quickly as possible, and they are conducive to that. They're clear, propulsive, with generally likeable characters, and funny. In this book, we know nothing about the backgrounds of any of the main characters. They are physically generic, and there is not a lot of reason to think about them. If they have voices, they occasionally blend together into the single run-on voice of Jeff Strand. If you tried to put the characters in "What if?" situations, you'd draw a blank on what they'd do in any scenario because you don't really know who they are. These books are a very lightweight type of fun. And they are good at it. But it does get a bit tiring, with their unrelenting emphasis on "and then, and then, and then" storytelling. It's a breakneck concentration on incident at speed, and sometimes I wish there were more "story" to the stories, in that the characters took a breather to live a little and be human. Bad Day for Voodoo, like all Jeff Strand I've read, is a good time. Strand simply has an enjoyable voice; that's his key gift, and it's not a small one. His characters won't linger with you, though. If his stories do, I haven't found one yet. Not much will, besides his voice. That voice has kept me coming back to Strand, for the third time (plus shorts) now. I'll be reading more of Strand. But I'm hoping he hits the motherlode in a book that combines his gifts for voice and narrative speed with something that truly makes the race worth running -- that makes the story worth thinking about after you've closed the book. Maybe he already has, and I haven't found it yet. It's a tribute to his talent that I will keep looking. Overall, I'd give Bad Day for Voodoo 3.5 stars out of 5.

I'm guessing it's no secret at this point that I love Jeff Strand novels. I've never given any one author so many five-star ratings in my entire life. The thing is, I can never find fault with any of his stories. The characters are the best I've ever read - I find myself caring about them even when they're jerks, the dialogue is curt, witty, and brilliant, the plot is always incredibly entertaining, and Jeff's trademark blend of horror and humor is always on point. It doesn't seem to matter what genre I'm in the mood for...I pick up a Strand novel, and I'm a happy girl. I enjoyed every single page of this young adult novel. My only complaint is that it wasn't longer. (Seriously.) The FAQs at the beginning were hilarious, as were the "Coming Soon" titles at the end. I'm a fan. Available on Amazon!

I love Jeff Strand. However this time he came short of a success. This book had potential, but I totally lost interest mid-way through. Some of the situations were so totally rediculous that I did several eye rolls.

Nobody can mix the genres of gore and comedy as successfully as Jeff Strand. I have to be honest, when I read the description of the book, I wasn't to sure I would be able to finish it, let alone like it. I am happy to report, I not only finished it in one sitting, I LOVED it and will read it again! I was literally laughing out loud through most of the book. Jeff managed to somehow write this from a teenagers point of view and did this flawlessly, and that really added to what makes this book work. With Jeff Strand's personality, I don't think pretending he was a teenager while writing this was much of a stretch for him, because we all know he is a true child at heart.., (If you don't know this, please check out his website, a riot!) I don't want to overlook the gore and suspense in the book, there is plenty of that. Just imagine being freaked out, scared, grossed out and laughing so hard you can't see all at the same time, that is, A Bad Day For Voodoo. I highly recommend this book, I dare you not to laugh, it can't be done! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA++++++++++++ 10 Stars, Get it!

A hilariously funny rollar coaster ride of a book. Characters are memorably cool. Lovef it! A must read, for everyone.