We don’t get too many books through for review here, which is a shame as I’m a big reader, and most of the ones we do get are non-fiction. This one sneaked in as a) it has Satan in it, and b) it has a handful of metal references scattered throughout. Works for me. Also, it’s only 130 pages so I actually had the time to read it before reviewing, not just skimming.
The basic plot is summed up in the title, and kicks off a story that runs over a day or so as the “I” of the title strolls around town with heavy metal’s favourite fan, Old Nick himself. It’s a slightly odd novel, full of spontaneous wierdness and some pretty graphic sex (so, not for the kiddies) while also being quite well written and very easy to plough through. The length is about right, too. Long enough to tell the story (with a decent twist at the end) and not so long as to be self-indulgent or get boring – like a Netflix Marvel series trying to spread a 6-episode story through 13 spisodes.
It’s a story that takes place in a reality that’s not quite our own so it is a little off-kilter. I places it’s like a drug-infused Robert Rankin novel. So… a Robert Rankin novel. With a bit more anal sex, at least based on the Rankin books I’ve read.
My usual rule for reading books is to hit 50 pages. If I’m not enjoying it by then, I skim or ditch it. When I first started I Saw Satan… I was thinking by page 20 that it might be a bit of a struggle. Once I got into the stride of it, though, and let myself go along for the ride and it passed the 50-page test quite easily.
Not a classic of modern literature, but it has no pretentions to be one. It’s an extended short story which ends well. No preaching, no hidden message, just a silly 130-page romp that I rather enjoyed.
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I Saw Satan at the 7-Eleven is published on October 31st
