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Formats
Ebook Details
  • 09/2022
  • 9798986282312 B0B9W8S2FV
  • 208 pages
  • $3.99
Paperback Details
  • 09/2022
  • 9798986282329 B0BCSCZH22
  • 208 pages
  • $14.99
Diane Hatz
Author
Rock Gods & Messy Monsters
Diane Hatz, author

Adult; General Fiction (including literary and historical); (Market)

It’s the 1990s. Alex arrives to work at Acht, her improbable blonde hair streaked stress magenta and anger black. Her first duty is to wipe blood off her boss’s walls, to clean up his blood vessel explosion. It goes downhill from there. On the surface, Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a story about life inside an entertainment company. A cast of comedic characters exemplifies the inner workings of Acht, where power and greed mask incompetence. A series of escapades involve Alex, a hard-working, lower-level employee desperately trying to get promoted. When she does, she realizes her dream is a nightmare. Corporate executives are busy working with aliens to manufacture a half-human, half-robot superstar. At the same time, one of the doubly-named Senior Senior Executive Presidents attempts to overthrow the Deity in charge. Underneath and between the lines of exploding body parts and brain extractions, Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a cautionary tale. It reminds us that our dreams can be illusions, and learning who we really are takes courage and a commitment to self-love.
Plot/Idea: 8 out of 10
Originality: 9 out of 10
Prose: 9 out of 10
Character/Execution: 7 out of 10
Overall: 8.25 out of 10

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

Reviews
Independent Book Review

“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.” 

Midwest Book Review

“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.” 

US Review of Books

“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)

News
03/01/2023
Finalist, INDIES Book of the Year

Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year finalist in Adult Fiction Humor. 

02/15/2023
Finalist, Wishing Shelf Book Awards

Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a finalist in the Wishing Shelf Book Awards in the Book for Adults Fiction category.

02/10/2023
indieBRAG Medallion Honoree 2023

Rock Gods & Messy Monsters has been awarded with an indieBRAG Medallion in 2023 in the humor catefory.

03/01/2023
Recommended Review

Rock Gods & Messy Monsters is a RECOMMENDED Review from the US Review of Books. Review by Carol Anderson. 

11/10/2022
Top 30 Impressive Indie Books 2022 + Starred Review October 2022

Rock Gods & Messy Monsters was an October 2022 Starred Review and a Top 30 Impressive Indie Books of 2022 from the Independent Book Review.

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 09/2022
  • 9798986282312 B0B9W8S2FV
  • 208 pages
  • $3.99
Paperback Details
  • 09/2022
  • 9798986282329 B0BCSCZH22
  • 208 pages
  • $14.99
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