THIS IS A PUNK NOIR BOOK REVIEW……. WITH GUITARS!!!! Combat Rock seems an apt album to quote to start offthis review of Joshua Mohr’s outstanding punk noir novel, Saint the Terrifying.It’s one of those rare books that manages to combine irreverence with deepmeditation and spirituality and vicious violence with supreme storytelling. The first in a planned trilogy sees our protagonist answerthe door of his band’s rehearsal space as the band next door have had theirgear stole mere hours before a supporting slot for Jawbreaker. Saint looks totrack the perpetrator(s) down with Got Jokes, the said knocker, and he uncoversa scam than a character called Wes Than Zero has been pulling on local bands. “We screeched up at two in the afternoon. Stink Phingerwas flanked on both sides by strip clubs, one featuring female dancers, onewith men— and not the fancy kind. No lavish ads out front of tanned meat. Thesewere rooms where you traced a lady’s cesarean scar while you sobbed on her lap,where the male strippers had ankle bracelets beaming their whereabouts toparole officers.” Amidst the adventure, we learn about Saint’s upbringing andhow he moved to Norway to live with his Dad when his Mom passed away after fallingoff a bar wrong. His father imbues Saint both physically and spiritually with hisViking roots including a scene where he fights a bear barehanded. The storygets more meditative in these moments with his father as we come to understandmore about who Saint is, other than just another punk rock guitarist. "“You make art and it’s a limb of you, making it isa form of self-amputation, that’s what an artist risks in the reckless act ofcreation, we give it our imagination and attention, we make a part of ourselvesthat’s so beautiful that we love it, and we love it, and we love it— but wehack it off to a bloody stump and we hold the pulpy thing up and sell it forprofit and maybe buy a nice jacket and soon you can’t even remember what thatart looked like— that piece of your body that meant so much, it’s a ghost, andyou’re just this disappearing mutilator with a coat.”" The story never gets too weird even as we delve into WholeFoods Hallucinations with Billie Joe Armstrong acting as a Whole Foodscashier and the novel’s example of Boob Lady from The Simpsons Movie.The novel initially looks like a caper before going much deeper than thatbefore spinning again into the dreamlike. The impressive thing about it is thefact that it doesn’t warp the story, and everything is compartmentalisedsuitably allowing for a work that sticks in the mind built of many layers. Whata novel should be really. I’m excited to see where Saint goes from here in the nextpart of the trilogy and would highly recommend this one. “The only thing checkered abouthis past were those stupid Vans he wore.”

I really enjoyed this one! I loved reading about the punk scene & it felt like a wild ride. It tackled the challenges surrounding addiction and persevering through many difficulties. I had a great time reading this one.


Thank you Netgalley & Unnamed Press for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Saint the Terrifying-Joshua Mohr-Publishing October 29th, 2024 by Unnamed Press. @unnamedpress

“In the first installment of Joshua Mohr’s Viking Punk saga, a West Oakland musician acquires a new name and new calling. Chasing down a gang of thieves, Saint the Terrifying turns a gritty urban detective story into the stuff of legend.” (Blurb).

Jesus! Mary! What a ride. Make sure you are sitting down when you read this. Mohr takes you on a ride through Oakland through the eyes of a mess of characters who are a mess. Drug users. Criminals. Whole Foods Cashiers.
Oakland. Punks. Punk music. Whole foods. Hallucinations. Drugs. Violence. Chaos. Edgy characters. Prison. Oppression. Angst.

Reminds me of early Chuck Palahniuk, and Craig Clevenger.

4.5/5 My type of book!

#joshuamohr #fiction #unnamedpress #booksaredeadly #palahniuk #bookreview #books #Booksaremagic #punk #punks
2m

“I had no love for forty dollar rolls of hand-stitched toilet paper, but since getting clean, I had a Whole Foods in me, too. A part of me wanted a relaxed life, but that impulse couldn’t win a fight with the punk rockers and Vikings in me.”


Guys… When I was 20% into Saint the Terrifying, I went and added other books by Mohr to my TBR list. 40% through the book I promised to buy a physical copy for myself. 100% through I was crying with happiness because I realized this is going to be a trilogy. Hell yeah!!!

Good grief, everything about this book hit the sweet spot with me. The writing style, the thematic, the… I don’t know. You read about punks like this and you’ll come away thinking, you know what? I don’t need to fit in! And it’s glorious! I felt envy during a certain scene in this book. There’s a scene when someone (not Saint) trashes a car. Goes full on whammy on a vehicle. While the owner is like “Dude, man, my car!”, Saint and co are just laughing. Laughing at the fact that it’s just a damn car and who cares. No care for materialistic things. I felt envy at that in my heart. Imagine being so… free? feral?… something? that you just don’t care about a car being demolished by bricks.

“We all live in the moral mud. We all feed on the empty calories of rationalizations.”


As you may have gathered from the blurb, our main character is Saint. But before he is Saint, we don’t really know his name, at least I don’t think it is uttered in any shape or form. So, the beauty of it all is, we, the reader, get to be there when he earns his new name. And the whole scenario is rather sweet. Who and why calls him Saint. Anyway, Saint gets pulled into “a day” by Got Jokes who says that his band’s gear got stolen, and Got Jokes has a lead – Jesse. So, Saint goes “marching in” (sorrynotsorry) to Jesse’s – it’s not unhinged at all, as he explains, it’s totally hinged – and ends up doing something completely opposite because Jesse is literally at the edge of the abyss, and then Jesse eats Saint’s eye! That’s right. Saint has a fake eye. And Jesse eats it. How and why? Oh, do go on, get the book already and find out yourself! So… we get more leads about who stole the band gear and basically Saint vows to get the gear back. Who and how gets in his way? Again, you’ll have to read for yourself.

During the mad day that leads to all sorts of many other things, we learn about Saint’s childhood. About his mom and his Norwegian dad. And it’s all enough to break your god damn heart! But, Saint has Vikings whispering in his blood and he will do good, he will fight to find joy… He may think he want the Whole Foods life, and his… his… I don’t know what to call them, his “mind trips” give him glimpses of the Whole Foods experience with Green Day Billy. Green Day. Saint hates Green Day.

Anyway!

You know, this is a book of opposites. Saint is any bit as much a saint as he is terrifying. There is as much brutality in the story as there are melt-your-heart, I’m-crying-so-hard-I-can’t-see moments. It’s so harshly black and white as much as it is chaotic and I freaking loved it so much. Even though the whole book is pretty much one big trigger warning sticker, there is simply something about the stark contrast of someone so full of Viking plundering and punk actually showing empathy and love where it counts the most. A magnificent character. A magnificent character with empathy, lovehearts and kindness in his eyes.

All of this, the epic and terrifying character of Saint and the chaos around him and in him, is delivered with a very neat skill of setting beautiful and fitting words one after the other. God damn it, Mohr has some sharp style, and enviable creativity, because some of this stuff is bonkers. It’s so bonkers and so entertaining and so disgusting and so beautiful, all at once!

“I played guitar and she growled, alive in this drywall tundra, this snow globe, this sleep and sleaze, this squall, this fuss, this tempest, this bomb cyclone, this ice storm, this out-of-tune Valhalla.”


So, anyway… as I said, I loved this book. In fact, Saint the Terrifying is my Book of 2024. It has been a LONG time since I enjoyed reading quite so much. I don’t think it was so much the plot… but the characters in all their rawness and life’s tragedies and the persevering through it all. And the writing. It just mm-mm-mmm… And, it’s not even fantasy! *throws hands up in air in disbelief! I would be willing to give up fantasy forever if every general fiction book managed to kick up a storm in me quite so. I don’t even know how to explain its magic to you. Not really. But it’s something. Something powerful.

Saint the Terrifying by Joshua Mohr is a raw and thought-provoking novel that explores the complexities of addiction, redemption, and personal transformation. Mohr's unique narrative style blends dark humor with brutal honesty, capturing the internal struggles of his protagonist as he seeks salvation in a chaotic, unforgiving world. Thank you Unnamed Press , Joshua Mohr, NetGalley for this ARC!

If you like the punk scene this book is a MUST READ. As someone who has family members who were part of the Oakland punk scene it paints a very accurate picture of the vibes. I really had a good time with Saint. I think Joshua Mohr did a great job immersing the reader into this world I heart went out to Saint as he is trying to do good the best way he can. Also it is very apparent Mohr is not a fan of Green Day haha.

“I am here to joyously haunt you.”

Joshua Mohr’s is the story of an ex-con called Saint who was raised in the wilds of Norway, where his father brought him up in the old traditions and taught him the way of the Viking. Now Saint finds himself immersed in the Oakland music scene. On stage, he wears a pair of antlers that have been painted with yellow reflective paint, calling to mind bolts of lightning with his punk band. Off stage he finds himself on a mission to recover equipment that was stolen and other crimes against those who are part of the punk community.

This is the first book in a trilogy and the premise alone had me intrigued. Saint’s story is told through his pov from what he is currently facing and through snippets of his upbringing. Through this tale the author has included real events that took place in the Oakland scene including issues that still have an effect today.

I do enjoy a good viking story and what I liked about this book was how well it was crafted in showing Saint’s Norwegian side and his commitment to his punk band and overall outlook on life.

It felt like being on an adventure with this first book. There is a cast of crazy characters that you will both love and hate. Overall I really enjoyed this first book in this trilogy and looking forward to seeing how Saint’s story progresses.

This novel was a wild ride! It took a little bit to get into, at the start it felt like the mix of hard-boiled, virtue, and humour didn't quite work. However, as the story progressed the writing was more confident and the story really took off. We follow Saint over the course of one day as he tries to redefine himself, right some wrongs, save the misfortunate, play music, and get out of it all alive.

It's not surprising that this book was hugely entertaining, it is surprising that it has such an emotional and philosophical depth. Saint isn't just an adrenaline junkie racing through Oakland's subculture, he's complex, interesting, moral in his own way. This is a fantastic read.