Special Offers see all

More at Powell's

Interviews | Q&As | Essays

Powell’s Q&A: Michael Marder

0 comments By Michael Marder

Describe your latest work. When I started working on Plant-Thinking in 2008, I had no idea that the project would turn out to be as broad as it did.... Continue »

$26.95 Sale Trade Paper add to wish list

Plant-Thinking: A Philosophy of Vegetal Life
Michael MarderMichael Marder 9780231161251

This item may be
out of stock.
Click on the button below to search for this title in other formats.

Check for Availability

More copies of this ISBN

This title in other editions

Preorder, Trade Paper, $15.00

Lucky Bastard

by S. G. Browne

ISBN13: 9781451657197
ISBN10: 1451657196
All Product Details

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments:

Meet Nick Monday: a private detective who's more Columbo than Sam Spade, more Magnum P.I. than Philip Marlowe. As San Francisco's infamous luck poacher, Nick doesn't know whether his ability to swipe other peoples fortunes with a simple handshake is a blessing or a curse. Ever since his youth, Nick has swallowed more than a few bitter truths when it comes to wheeling and dealing in destinies. Because whether the highest bidders of Nicks serendipitous booty are celebrities, yuppies, or douche bag vegans, the unsavory fact remains: luck is the most powerful, addictive, and dangerous drug of them all. And no amount of cappuccinos, Lucky Charms, or apple fritters can sweeten the notion that Nick might be exactly what his father once claimed—as ambitious as a fart. That is, until Tuesday Knight, the curvy brunette who also happens to be the mayors daughter, approaches Nick with an irresistible offer: $100,000 to retrieve her father's stolen luck. Could this high-stakes deal let Nick do right? Or will kowtowing to another greedmongers demands simply fund Nicks addiction to corporate coffee bars while his morality drains down the toilet? Before he downs his next mocha, Nick finds himself at the mercy of a Chinese mafia kingpin and with no choice but to scour the city for the purest kind of luck, a hunt more titillating than softcore porn. All he has to do to stay ahead of the game is remember that you cant take something from someone without eventually paying like hell for it. . . .

Review:

"Springboarding off a traditional noir framework, Browne (Fated) delivers an insightful, intriguing tale. Nick Monday may call himself a private investigator, but that's a cover for his real profession: luck poacher. Over years of stealing luck from the fortunate and selling it to the desperate and addicted, he's carved out a small, occasionally lucrative niche for himself in San Francisco. Then he's hired by the mayor's daughter to retrieve her father's missing luck. With a hefty payday at hand, Nick tackles the job enthusiastically — until he's accosted by the Chinese mafia, blackmailed by the government, distracted by an attractive rival, and disowned by his sister. Seriously reconsidering his lot in life, Nick will be lucky to get out alive. With twists aplenty, this fast-paced adventure succeeds as both a hard-boiled homage and a paranormal romp. Agent: Michelle Brower, Folio Literary Management. (Apr.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Synopsis:

A radically funny, irreverent, satirical novel about a loan shark who is able to steal people's luck—perfect for fans of bestselling authors Christopher Moore and Chuck Palahniuk. Nick Monday is a private detective with a penchant for coffeehouse baristas and the ability to steal other people's luck. Politicians and celebrities. Lottery winners and game show contestants. Accident survivors and successful athletes. All it takes is a handshake and Nick walks away with their good fortune, which he sells on the black market to the highest bidder. But lately, business has been slow.

So when the sexy daughter of San Francisco's mayor offers Nick $100,000 to find her father's stolen luck, Nick thinks this is his big break. But he soon ends up blackmailed by the feds, kidnapped by the Chinese mafia, and accosted by vegans and angry naked women with knives...all while trying to save a ten-year-old kid with the purest luck he's ever seen.

Hailed as "pitch-perfect";by The Washington Post and deemed "one of America's best satiric novelists" by Kirkus Reviews, Browne's masterful combination of humor and biting social commentary make for an irresistible read.

About the Author

S.G. Browne is the critically acclaimed author of Fated and Breathers, which has been optioned by Fox Searchlight with Diablo Cody (Juno) producing.

What Our Readers Are Saying

Add a comment for a chance to win!

Average customer rating based on 1 comment:

: lilianxcheng, May 25, 2012 (view all comments by lilianxcheng)
Nick Monday has a special gift: the wonderful ability to steal someone's luck with a touch. You'd think with all that luck at his disposal, he'd be a rich pimp or something. But I suppose he must be naturally unlucky since he keeps getting kidnapped and threatened by the Chinese mafia, a Barry Manilow lookalike, and the mayor's real and fake daughters. Basically, some perverted, lonely, urine-drinking cocky smartass is constantly being kidnapped/threatened for 300+ pages--which might've made a less painful read if he was actually funny.
I am still not sure what the point of the story is except a ton of random stuff happening.

If there wasn't so many porn references, I would think this was a children's novel because the characters are so painfully boring--especially the villains. Many of the characters come off as either ridiculously cliche.

Nick Monday must think he is hilarious, but with every joke he cracks, I wince. With every boob and threesome wish he makes, I want to punch him. Maybe I need to be a guy to get it. After three hundred pages, I still disliked Nick. It's not because of his morals but because he was such a LOSER. And not even the cute dork kind of loser, but the desperate, wimpy kind with zero self-respect (to his credit, he admits to having zero self esteem). A loser who tries too hard to be funny, no wonder he keeps getting beat up. This guy does not know when to shut up. You can hold a gun to his head and he would still be trying to come up with a wisecrack. And his own sister absolutely hates his guts too.
I kept trying to find something to make me like this guy...I reckon he would even be more likable as a mass murderer.

The novel is written from Nick Monday's point of view...which basically consists of him trying to crack a joke every five seconds--it doesn't work. He doesn't take anything seriously; every event gone through Nick's eyes is like a desperate attempt to impress. I keep thinking if the humor was done with smaller doses sprinkled throughout the novel, it would have kept me from being exhausted. I just couldn't trust Nick, much less relate to him.

I really wanted to like the novel, but Lucky Bastard didn't do it for me, or maybe I set my hopes too high after reading that it was supposed to be "more titillating than softcore porn." The humor was too forced for a light read, and the ethical discussions were glazed over when it could've lent itself to a more thoughtful, introspective dimension. However, Lucky Bastard opened my eyes to S.G. Browne's ability to conjure up such intriguing plots. What can possibly be more interesting than a thirty-three year old luck poacher who occasionally drinks his own urine?
While I am not a fan of Lucky Bastard, I recently bought a copy of S.G. Browne's Fated because the blurb made the novel sound AMAZING. I hope Fated will make me a fan of Browne.
Was this comment helpful? | Yes | No

report this comment

Product Details

ISBN:: 9781451657197
Publisher:: Gallery
Subject:: Literary
Author:: S.G. Browne
Author:: S.G. Browne
Subject:: Literature-A to Z
Subject:: Humor : General
Publication Date:: 20120417
Binding:: Hardback
Language:: English
Pages:: 368
Dimensions:: 7.75 x 5 in

Other books you might like

Europe on Five Wrong Turns a Day:... Doug Mack Sale Trade Paper $7.98

Related Subjects

Arts and Entertainment » Humor » General
Featured Titles » General
Featured Titles » Literature
Featured Titles » New Arrivals
Fiction and Poetry » Horror » General
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » A to Z
Fiction and Poetry » Literature » Debut Fiction
Fiction and Poetry » Satire

Lucky Bastard S. G. Browne

0 stars - 0 reviews

$ In Stock

Product details 368 pages Gallery - - English 9781451657197 Reviews:

"Publishers Weekly Review" by Publishers Weekly, "Springboarding off a traditional noir framework, Browne (Fated) delivers an insightful, intriguing tale. Nick Monday may call himself a private investigator, but that's a cover for his real profession: luck poacher. Over years of stealing luck from the fortunate and selling it to the desperate and addicted, he's carved out a small, occasionally lucrative niche for himself in San Francisco. Then he's hired by the mayor's daughter to retrieve her father's missing luck. With a hefty payday at hand, Nick tackles the job enthusiastically — until he's accosted by the Chinese mafia, blackmailed by the government, distracted by an attractive rival, and disowned by his sister. Seriously reconsidering his lot in life, Nick will be lucky to get out alive. With twists aplenty, this fast-paced adventure succeeds as both a hard-boiled homage and a paranormal romp. Agent: Michelle Brower, Folio Literary Management. (Apr.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

"Synopsis" by Netread, A radically funny, irreverent, satirical novel about a loan shark who is able to steal people's luck—perfect for fans of bestselling authors Christopher Moore and Chuck Palahniuk. Nick Monday is a private detective with a penchant for coffeehouse baristas and the ability to steal other people's luck. Politicians and celebrities. Lottery winners and game show contestants. Accident survivors and successful athletes. All it takes is a handshake and Nick walks away with their good fortune, which he sells on the black market to the highest bidder. But lately, business has been slow.

Follow us on...

RSS 2.0
Log Off

Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and eBooks — here at Powells.com.