Book description
Ricky Rice is a middling hustler with a lingering junk habit, a bum knee, and a haunted mind. A survivor of a suicide cult, he scrapes by as a porter at a bus depot in Utica, New York, until one day a mysterious letter arrives, summoning him to enlist in…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Big Machine as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
In this genre-bending novel, Ricky Rice is working as a janitor in an upstate New York bus station when he’s sent a ticket to Burlington, Vermont, with a note that reminds him of a promise he made years ago—a promise no one else could know about because he made it only to himself. There are a variety of crimes in the book, as well as several mysteries that unfold—not the least Ricky’s quest to understand the organization where he finds himself working.
As he does, he must sift through his past, including the narratives he’s grown up with and that…
From Eugenie's list on The best shapeshifting detective stories.
This book changed me for the better. Lavalle's deft hand takes urban Fantasy, the lingering trauma of belonging to a cult and watching one's family destroyed, and a serious brush with the weird to create something entirely new. This book also nudged me to better integrate myself into the fabric of New Orleans, to invite my neighbors in.
From Alex's list on The best boundary-pushing fantasy novels.
If you love Big Machine...
Bloodbound
The untold story of the forgotten American hero of Dracula is finally revealed. Descended from Irish and African warriors, Quincey Morris is born in Texas to a mystical destiny. As a boy, he learns from the Apache, the vaquero, and the cowboy. The Texas Rangers teach him to fight bad…
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