I've now received a copy of my friend's latest (second) novel, Order of the Skull, by J.E. Tabor. It's test name was Skull and Bones, but he changed it after secret societies started sending him threatening letters. :) He started work in January, and this represents a near final draft of the novel, I think, although he has mentioned that there are a few things he wants to change, particularly the ending.
The book was described to me as a pulp novel, although I know my friend and he's cynical as hell, like me. So I figure it's going to be more Indiana Jones and less Man of Bronze. I'm going to be reading through it chapter by chapter, giving my thoughts. Hopefully talking about something a friend wrote will make me less relentlessly negative. We'll see. :) If you want a copy of the book, drop a comment with your address and I'll send you the PDF.
The opening starts in a poker game in Texas. I'll cut and paste the first few paragraphs, so you can see my friend's writing style.
"Success was in the cards for Hawkins; he felt it. As an Indian, it was easy for him to
hustle white men by ordering a few drinks, slurring his speech, and acting a little boisterous.
They all had read accounts of how Indians could not handle their firewater, and never questioned
it when their preconceptions were confirmed. That would mean another month of rent and food
for Hawkins tonight. He had considered dressing up in his old costume from his showbiz days a
few times just to complete the façade, but he retained some sense of pride yet. He had settled for
his button-down shirt, denim slacks, and boots, and used his chestnut Stetson hat to hide his eyes
as he pulled his cards.
It was just as well, as the joker across the table from him, Calloway, bought his ruse
hook, line, and sinker, even without the whole savage get-up. The baby faced, clean cut red
headed man smiled at him and ordered another round for the two of them. “Whiskey?” He
asked.
Hawkins Nodded. “Thanks… Friend…” he slurred. Calloway put up two fingers, and
the waiter quickly emerged from the far end of the smoky saloon and brought two small glasses
filled with some of the most awful moonshine whiskey known to man, setting them gingerly on
the round poker table. Hawkins picked up the glass, eyeing it momentarily for effect before
downing the awful stuff. He was met with a vigorous protest from his burning esophagus. He
supposed the abuse of the rock bottom quality liquor was worth paying his many expenses. He
was careful to hide any sign of satisfaction from watching Calloway tear up matching him drink
for drink."
As it turns out, a bar fight erupts rather quickly, Calloway and Hawkins find themselves defending each other, sort of, and then end up getting thrown out of the bar. A nice touch occurs when Hawkins demonstrates his prowess by shooting the knives out of three people's hands. Obviously incredibly unrealistic, but it's a very good demonstration as to what kind of story Order of the Skull is going to be.
A very expository scene unfolds where each of them explains their life story, then a scheme is concocted that sends them up to Oklahoma to get some money. Then another fight ensues, and both Calloway and Hawkins get 'rescued' by a woman acquaintance of Calloway's.
“It was nice meeting you boys,” the woman said. “Maybe we will see you around
sometime.” She gunned the engine of the car, speeding off after spraying a good amount of mud
onto the two bat-wielding thugs. As their attackers receded into the distance, the woman pulled
out a cigarette and matches. “It looked like you were in a bit of a bind back there.” She put the
8
cigarette in her mouth and gave the matches to Calloway. He lit the match and ignited her
cigarette.
“We would have been fine. We have been in fights before. You think maybe you should
watch the road?” He asked.
She laughed. “Oh please. You were going to get your heads knocked off, and there is no
one driving around here for miles, which makes it all the luckier for you that I happened to pass
by.”
“Do you know each other?” Hawkins asked. He was still fidgeting from being pressed
between Calloway and the car door.
“Met this one on the train down to pick up my baby in Dallas,” she said, patting the dash
of the automobile. “He tried to make a pass at me and ended up with a fat lip. It seems like he
gets the same reaction from men. He was lucky I didn’t have a baseball bat.” Hawkins
snickered at that.
“Ha, very funny. I can’t help it that no one around here seems to have a sense of humor
about anything.” The woman stuck the cigarette in her mouth and reached over to offer Hawkins
her hand. “Emily Carson,” she introduced herself. He took her hand, amused. “Hawkins.”
“Well Hawkins,” she asked. “Where are you headed?”
And that's where Chapter One ends. Personally, I think that the ending to that chapter is rather bad, actually, finishing with a conversational question. Overall, there might a little too much gratuitous action for a book, and not enough description of the environment. To be honest, I don't really know what a small Texan town would look like in 1919; I keep imagining something from the Wild West. :)
Still, I'm curious as to what the duo (now probably trio) will find in Oklahoma, so that's a good sign. Hawkins is likeable enough, and clearly has some kind of interesting past that he didn't want to talk about. As far as Calloway goes, I hate anyone who cheats in poker, and I'm fairly certain that he's not as rich as everyone thinks. I also asked my friend if he was named after the golf clubs, but he insisted it was a Third Man reference.
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