Title: The Chronicles of Detroit, Michigan
Author: Alex Gordon
Publisher: XlibrisAU
ISBN: 978-1-5245-2275-9
Pages: 350
Genre: Fantasy/Action & Adventure
Reviewed by: Thomas Macolino
It is no small feat to weave together a story containing a zombie apocalypse, an alternate history of Christianity, werewolves, talking skeletons and the crumbling infrastructure of the American Midwest. Yet that is exactly what Alex Gordon’s novel, The Chronicles of Detroit, Michigan, achieves.
Detroit native teen Michael lives a fairly normal life with his grandparents, his only real concerns: finding a girlfriend and cleaning his room. But one night, he is attacked by people possessed by demons of Derrock, a place containing the negative energy emitted by all the sins of mankind. He is saved by a talking skeleton and several violent priests. Thus begins Michael’s journey across the United States as he flees from the ever-growing Sea of Derrock along with a group of militant priests and a trio of living skeletons. Along the way, he makes friends with the sexy Daniel, the Angel of Death, and learns of his heritage as a half-angel, half-demon, and his status as the newest Beast (a werewolf-like monster tasked with guarding the only true Bibles: The Book of Life, the Book of Death, and the Book of Birth).
For those who like their literary violence, this book certainly delivers. Gordon’s novel is filled with scenes of action-packed carnage and intense battles. The book also has its moments of charm. The relationship between the priests and Michael provides the lifeblood of the novel’s emotional core. The fantasy elements are also interesting. The combination of the zombie, werewolf, and demonic genres is well-handled.
There is no denying this novel is a unique creation. Gordon works hard to blend brainless violence and lighthearted banter with the character’s grim backstories and a steady social commentary on the U.S economic system — the American war machine. Gordon’s narrative voice is perhaps his strongest asset; this book really does feel like it was written by a Detroit teenager. However, this strength is also perhaps its greatest weakness. Gordon struggles with his female characters; all too often they are reduced to nothing more than sex objects or damsels in distress, often both. Even the confident skeleton Sally and the deadly nun Susan are not exempt from the trope of the tragic rape backstory, of which the novel has at least four events…(I lost count).
Certainly Gordon’s boldest artistic decision is his ending. Without spoiling the book’s final pages for any potential readers, I can only say that The Chronicles of Detroit, Michigan ends on perhaps the most startling cliffhanger that I’ve ever encountered in a published novel. For those readers who cannot leave any story unfinished, you will definitely want to read the second instillation of Gordon’s series.
