Assessment:
Plot/Idea: Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a high-energy satirical story that unfolds against the backdrop of a corporate entertainment company. The plot fires off at a romping speed, taking readers through an array of trials and mischiefs that Alex and her cohort of colleagues get up to at music company, Acht Records.
Prose: Hatz's novel is satirical, zany, and funny. The prose holds nothing back with punchy descriptions that investigate and reflect upon the music industry’s disjointed hierarchy and the mistreatment of women in the workplace.
Originality: The author creates a fantastical and zany world that nevertheless showcases the many power complexes and power plays of the workplace.
Character/Execution: While the characters are intriguing, satire-filled depictions of the various personas in the music industry workplace, at times, the characters crave more depth and range. The protagonist does have a recognizable story arc, yet her awakening to the dismal circumstances of her current career path comes across somewhat abruptly.
Blurb: Satirical, zany, hilarious—a gut-punching commentary about the inner workings of the music industry, its power complexes, and power plays.
Date Submitted: April 03, 2023
“Rock Gods & Messy Monsters by Diane Hatz is a bullet-hell critique of corporate and mass culture by way of Theodor Adorno filtered through the whimsy and humor of writers like Terry Pratchett and Kurt Vonnegut….The best kind of absurdism; the kind that a veneer of the surreal while having the grisly guts of reality right underneath.”
“Modern creative writing classes looking for discussion points in experimental literary styles will find Rock Gods & Messy Monsters promises many lively debates about the elements of social examination and the impact of truly creative writing.”
“The novel is so perverse it causes one to laugh out loud at the deranged storyline and detailed descriptions, offering an easy-to-read yarn for those looking for something different. This is truly satire at its best.” (Carol Anderson)
Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year finalist in Adult Fiction Humor.
Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in the Book for Adults Fiction category.
Rock Gods & Messy Monsters has been awarded with an indieBRAG Medallion in 2023 in the humor catefory.
Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a RECOMMENDED Review from the US Review of Books. Review by Carol Anderson.
Rock Gods & Messy Monsters was an October 2022 Starred Review and a Top 30 Impressive Indie Books of 2022 from the Independent Book Review.
