cover image The Odds: A Post-Apocalyptic Action-Comedy

The Odds: A Post-Apocalyptic Action-Comedy

Robert J. Peterson. California Coldblood, $15.95 trade paper (344p) ISBN 978-0-9960319-0-5

Peterson's debut novel crams wads of clich%C3%A9 into a few hundred pages. An unimaginable catastrophe, the deadblast, has horribly altered Earth's weather and left the survivors with uncertain memories of earlier civilization. Some "lucky" people barely exist in the cavern city of Dedrick, hiding from the insanely self-mutating dreens and the equally threatening cyborg psychoskags; they distract themselves by betting on all kinds of sporting events, so society is run by the Odds, glorified bookmakers. Then biker Eldridge rides into town, betting on his own death and anxious to take part in a tournament that involves human chess pieces in mortal combat. None of this fits together into a coherent whole, but the setting works as excuse for exuberant, ultraviolent action. Unfortunately, when a story starts out over-the-top, there's not much room for development, and it's hard to see how Eldridge could continue his adventures without becoming boring. Readers with a taste for grotesque zaniness may enjoy this venture. (Feb.)