Me & the Monkey
(Not a review, just some notes to help me remember the things I've read. But written this way because it's the Internet, and some people will stumble across this page.)
This title popped up in a mailing list. I saw the monkey in reddish/brown water in a jungle (I didn't notice the helicopter in the thumbnail, I don't think), and it carried the banner: Chronicles of the Monkey God. My nephew loves monkeys and this had a cartoonish cover, so I gave it a try. Who knew? Maybe it could be something I could share with my nephew!
Note: This could NOT be shared with my nephew. Cursing, sex, violence, death, and spooky crap besides. I found it amusing (the humor was also not age-appropriate) but it wasn't something for him.
The story is told in blog form, which is daring for 2021 when blogs are mostly done, really. (And I say that as someone who has multiple blogs, I know.) It starts out slow and unassuming, setting stuff up. Even the first few "off" days set things up. The narrative continues for almost a year, and the entries will get longer and longer.
The Monkey's name is monkey and the narrator (I have to find his name again, sorry -- that's the point of this blog!) we later find out won the Monkey in a game of Othello from his previous owner (who was old). When we first meet The Monkey, he's conducting rituals up in the spare room to stop the rain outside. He eventually succeeds (after the rain has stopped) but appears to have left a black hole behind. He tells the guy to vacuum around it. Later, tentacles pop out of it. And the Monkey makes sushi.
The Monkey has flashbacks to Nam, and we later find out a couple of things. First, he is someone who was in the Viet Nam War. Second, he's actually a Monkey God, which would explain the walking, talking, smoking, and drinking Jack Daniels while no one flinches. And for a dumb Monkey conducting silly rituals, he's pretty adept on the Dark Web and has contacts around the world.
Rounding out the cast of characters, there are a group of nerds who detect the activity from the Black Hole and later join Team Monkey to study it and to find out who else is watching the house. And then there are two Monster High goth chicks (refered to as "the Monster Highs" throughout the book). Thanks to an episode of Face-Off, I knew what that was. Apparently, those two characters were also ghouls who knew the main characters from a previous life, a story which they never got to tell.
If the main character had a job, I don't recall what it was. But whatever it was, he was able to take all the time he needed, and he didn't seem to want for cash.
Anyway, the story gets sillier and sillier as it goes on as they take adventures through the black hole and confort a villain with a blurry face. It had enough of an ending where you didn't need to rush out and find the second book. Obviously, they will have more adventures together.
I enjoyed it. I might look for the next book.
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