I liked everything except the "Big Reveal". I don't know how I feel about it.

Like, I like the story. Loser Everyman gets a chance to travel the world with a celebrity monster hunter, and everything falls apart immediately. I'm already giving this story the benefit of the doubt, just based on that. Add good writing, realistic characters, believable action, I'm all in.

But the Reveal... I dunno. I'm reminded of the movie Signs... the entire movie aliens have been invading the Earth, and one of the last scenes, we get to see an alien in person, in detail... and its underwhelming. THAT?!? That's it?!? This little lanky, skinny head ass, shiny ass mofo is laying waste to the entire planet? The movie did amazing NOT showing the alien, playing on characters and emotion to show the effects of the aliens while not actually showing anything.

I think Road Seven has the same problem. I loved the story, but the actual Reveal was just underwhelming. Also, why the actual fuck did that character even show the Reveal??? Like, I don't know the motivation. But spoilers, whatever.

I still recommend it, its funny and different, in a good way.



** I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

I don't get a chance to read much magical realism so call me pleasantly surprised at this extremely odd head rush of a story about two intelligent men who fall short of expectations and are heading nowhere in their lives until...a unicorn.

Brian is an eternal student on the cusp of completing his dissertation and drops out of university to help an infamous cryptozoologist (yeah, I had to look that one up, too) investigate a unicorn sighting near Iceland. He's a non-believer, but ready for a change.

Mark is a wealthy man who has lost his way and is desperate to redeem himself by finding a story on the remote island of Hvíldarland. The threats from the locals only excite him even more. What are they hiding?

This novel is like nothing I've ever read. It's like going down an inexplicable rabbit hole with bedazzled horse turds, grown men riding children's bicycles, eerie forests, secretive military bases, and quirky characters. But don't let that scare you away. The writing is incredible.

Rosson's sarcastically witty and intelligent dialogue is so refreshing and thought-provoking as well as beautifully bizarre. He knows how to take a simple thought and make it into a fascinating and poetic piece of prose. Unicorns be damned, this man can wield a pen. I can't recommend this book enough!

Thank you to Mr. Rosson for giving me the opportunity to read this book with no expectation of a positive review.

Rarely will I compare a book to another work because I want to make sure an author gets full credit for their originality, but I felt this so much that in this case I will make an exception. There is a very strong “Stranger Things” vibe going on throughout this book, but trust me, it is still wildly unique and has plenty of its own flavor to bring to the table.

From the first few pages I was laughing hysterically and this humor continued right through until the very end. Rosson’s way of writing moves along at an easy and steady pace that is so entertaining. I especially loved that much of the story was based out of the Pacific Northwest since that’s where I’m located. Barring the tiny bit of strange and prophetic mentions of specific places that have been in the news recently, such as Capitol Hill and Cal Anderson Park. Even the obscure mentions of my local grocery store gave me a little thrill.

It’s such an untraditional monster story that really gives you no clue as to how it’s going to end, but you don’t even really care, because the journey is a riot.

Thank you, Meerkat Press, for my copy for an honest review.

An interesting book, for sure. That said, I got tired of characters and the story didn't thrill me as much as I expected it would do. I'm definitely interested in Robson's future works, though.

"Okay, so.
Sure.
A unicorn.
A unicorn on a pumpkin farm.
A unicorn on a pumpkin farm in a small, beleaguered, mostly forgotten island in the Atlantic.
It was like a shitty Mad Lib."

Hello! I'm not sure what I've been reading the last couple of weeks. I mean, I've been reading this book, of course, but having finished I'm not entirely sure what to make of it. I'm not even sure if I mean that positively or negatively.

On the surface it's a story about an anthroplogy dropout called Brian, taking a job to accompany a celebrity ufologist and xenobiologist to an island off Iceland, where someone has supposedly filmed a living and breathing unicorn.

And there *is* that story. There are also the stories of Brian's family, and of the xenobiologist's life before he meets Brian.

And I'm just wondering how it all ties together. Everything seems to have the same weight, the same sense of importance within the narrative.

The story does sort of go nuts towards the end, which I certainly appreciate. In fact, I'd have welcomed more insanity, if anything

Two important points: the book is beautifully written, with countless wonderful turns of phrase ("Sandoval’s guilt was like a nameless shape writhing in a canvas bag.", "My head was a tuning fork for pain. I felt it in my teeth, my fingertips.", "Here was our family’s love—somewhere between a caress and an elbow to the throat.").

Secondly, the book is very funny. I laughed regularly, and I'm a tough customer regarding humour.

3.5 stars? 4 stars?

Now, while I dazedly strip naked and drift off into the woods, I leave you with this ..

"Remember how fragile the world is."

This book is drool worthy. I am once again book drunk thanks to Keith Rosson.

I'll admit, I doubted him being able to top Smoke City. Which is an amazing mind fuck of a book. But Road Seven delivers.

I'm a sucker for fiction books about books/writers/libraries/anything literary so one of the main characters being a washed up writer was swoon worthy for me in reading the blurb. Disaster characters are my favorite characters.

The complexity of the plot and every single character in the story is great, it's better than great, it's relatable. Every. single. person. in this book could be your neighbor, your friend, that weird guy in your city.

The story has so many moving parts, as you read it's hard to see how they will ever fit together, or who might be hallucinating but they magically piece together in a terrifying yet mystifying way.

By the end you're left wondering if you're living your best life, if you've made the right choices, and what you can do to start doing so. If you love books that are deep yet fantastical, light but heavy- you're going to want to pick up Road Seven. This book will take you to places in your mind you probably avoid and make you ponder your mortality.

It was hard to put down, and left me puzzled in all the right ways.

I received this book via NetGalley.