From Powells.com
Booksellers’ 25 Favorite Novellas
Synopses & Reviews
Black Sabbath's Master of Reality has maintained remarkable historical status over several generations; it's a touchstone for the directionless, and common coin for young men and women who've felt excluded from the broader cultural economy. John Darnielle hears it through the ears of Roger Painter, a young adult locked in a southern California adolescent psychiatric center in 1985; deprived of his Walkman and hungry for comfort, he explains Black Sabbath as one might describe air to a fish, or love to an android, hoping to convince his captors to give him back his tapes.
Review
"This is a masterly look at the corrosive emotion of youth, and the invaluable solace that music gives. Read it, even if you'd rather stick knitting needles in your ears than listen to the album in question. Because its about you." — The Big Takeover magazine
Review
"Those curious to see the budding rock critic off-stage or who are simply bonkers for Sabbath are advised to check out this reading." — New York Magazine
About the Author
John Darnielle is the singer and songwriter otherwise known as the Mountain Goats.