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Bunkowski is treated as a monster and serial killer. However, if one looks at the motivation for his homicidal behavior, it becomes tragically clear how close he came to becoming a great hero.
Bunkowski was an abused child whose closest friend was an abused dog. Bunkowski and the dog were often locked in the closet together. As a result, when Chaingang grew up and developed his strength, intellect and assasination skills, he sought out and killed dog abusers. If Chaingang only killed dog abusers, he would be a heroic vigilante, an inspiration equal to other fictional heroes such as Tarzan, Doc Savage, Lamont Cranston and Gilgamesh. However, Chaingang has a tendency to get carried away and kill a dozen or so innocent humans for every dog abuser he rightfully punishes.
The book "Chaingang" is a fun read, with lots of action, a good mystery, and a couple other interesting human characters besides Bunkowski. While this book is an excellent thriller, if Chaingang Bunkowski had been a little more selective in this targets, "Chaingang" could have been a classic of heroic literature
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In our review of the second Chaingang novel, which was entitled "Chaingang", we noted that Daniel Bunkowski was almost a tragic hero, rather than a villain. He had been an abused child, whose only friend was an equally abused dog. As a result, many of the adult Chaingang's chosen victims were people who had abused dogs. In the book "Chaingang", however, a majority of Chaingang's victims were innocent people who got in his way through random bad luck. In "Savant", Chaingang has become more moral and more focused. The vast majority of the many people that Chaingang blows up, dismembers, chainwhips, shoots, crucifies, and/or eats in "Savant" are abusers of animals. Chaingang takes care of these miscreants while the book builds towards a showdown between him and a mass murdering sniper. (Readers may notice that the sniper utters a line later stolen by Cyrus the Virus in the movie "Con Air".)
Now that Chaingang has done a "face turn" from random serial killer to animal rights vigilante, we wonder why he remains so obscure. Where is "Chaingang: The Movie"? When will Marvel Comics publish a Chaingang/Punisher team-up? When will Disney produce an animated feature, "101 Dalmations, Part 2: Chaingang vs. Cruella DeVille"
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"Slob" is definitely not for the faint of heart. The graphic decriptions of Chaingang's killing sprees border on being too intense. Miller pulls no punches and makes no apologies for his style.
Having actually read one of the sequels to "Slob", ("Savant") about five years ago, I was interested to see how the series started out, so I was pleased to find a copy of this book. (For years it's been out of print and almost impossible to find.)
My only complaint about this book and indeed the whole series, is the unbelievable unfallability that Chaingang has. Here's a 400+ pound giant that moves with the stealth and grace of a cat burgler. His intellectual abilities also appear to be too "godlike" and prescient.
With all of that in mind, this is an extremely "quick" read and one that's hard to put down. If you're a fan of Thomas Harris or James Patterson, then you'll find the works of Rex Miller to your liking.
Frenzy - a novel of a hitman whose daughter is sold to a smut film producer who is financially backed by the hitman's mob bosses. He begins to pick them off one by one as Detective Jack Eichord (my favorite fictional detective ever rivaled only by newcomer author Heywood Steele's own Dorf Brentson) tries to solve the mystery. This is what the film "8mm" should have been. Gripping, but a bit hurried at the end.
Stone Shadow - another Eichord tale about twin brothers, one of whom is a vicious killer. Beware the "missing page" in the original edition! His next novel, Profane Men, was a Vietnam story that isn't part of the series.
Iceman - Possibly Miller's best, Eichord goes after another murderer, the sickest yet. This book marked a turning point, where Miller took more time developing a satisfying ending instead of a BANG that left you needing to read the next book to put together certain details (such as why is Eichord sometimes engaged and on the wagon while at other times dumped and drunk? This fluxuated, and the woman and girl from the first and third novels seem to fade away without explanation and are not present at all in Frenzy, but anyway...).
Slice - The return of Chaingang, who nursed himself to health in sewers and has a baby, and you won't believe who ends up with it! Another Eichord novel, whose coworkers are all back, marking a well-rounded series. This is perhaps the most violent, and Chaingang is in top form. The only complaint is that Miller spent five or six pages building up pointless characters that Chaingang killed off.
Thrillers - a lesser-known anthology that contained a novella by Miller that told the powerful and haunting story of Eichord and Chaingang's son. It also clears up how Chaingang is able to return in the next novel after Slice and his eventual return to the States. This is well worth tracking down.
Chaingang - The return of Chaingang has him as the central character. It is fast paced and includes some colorful characters. Many people think this is Miller's second book because the other books went out of print while Slob stayed around. It is good, but there is an emptiness in Miller's work without Jack Eichord.
Savant - Another Chaingang, which explores issues of child abuse that Miller always speaks so strongly of. A fast paced story, good book, but still no trace of Eichord, Chaingang's only real foil. Watch out for a story in the "Fear Itself" anthology about Eichord and Chaingang's son. The chronology is a bit off, but at least it's Eichord. There is another Eichord story in the "Stalkers" anthology called Miss December.
Butcher - This is the last of the Daniel Edward Flowers Bunkowski (Chaingang) stories. It introduces Ray Meara, a breathe of fresh air in a series that seemed to be losing steam but still contained prose that fired off the page like hardcore rock and roll. No Eichord, plenty of Chaingang and Meara.
St. Louis Blues - A small press endeavor still available in a pricy slipcased edition. This is one of Miller's best, it took me back to the salad days of Eichord and villains and the thin line that separates the two. It brings back Ray Meara (in a different locale with a different personality and career, but still a great character - "Meara, Meara on the wall") who is a cop who took a slippery slope in his life and didn't catch himself until it was too late. He is partnered up with a young woman hungry to make a career. This one explores issues of penance and redemption. It is shorter than the others, and in many cases better. This is Miller's last known work.
Rex Miller: the Complete Revelations - A small press biography by t. Winter-Damon, who tells the Rex Miller story, all the way back to Killer Rex Miller's radio jock days and brings us up to his mail order collectables business and gives an analysis of the books up to that point, including Miller's two nonfiction guides to collectibles he had published. There are interviews and even a picture of Miller, a must for his fans if you can find it!
Duet For the Devil - by t. Winter-Damon. Read this. It is a fabulous mystery, and so violent that it took a specialty publisher (Necro) to bring it to light. Read this, and read t. Winter-Damon's intro to the Lee and Pelan book Goon, and read the Complete Revelations, and ask yourself one question: Is Killer Rex Miller and t. Winter-Damon the same person? Their rapid-fire styles are the same, and t. Winter-Damon's bio seems a bit unclear about exactly what his published works are. He also goes to extremes to praise Miller. I hope I'm not the first to notice this.
Either way, Miller is a great author who may have burned himself out by churning out such a fast line of books. It has been a while now, since 1996 or so, and maybe he's rested a little and will surprise us with something, maybe with Eichord or Meara or Chaingang. If not, hopefully my review has helped fans of Miller find some pieces they didn't know about, and they can track down those missing stories that will tide them over until this great author finally returns...
Rex Miller, where are you? Certainly you have some new tales to tell?
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Rex Miller creates the ultimate bad guy who really evolves throughout the series. By the time you get to Butcher, you find yourself actually cheering Danny boy!
The style and atmosphere created by Mr Miller is nothing short of riveting. I would reccomend that you start with Slob and work your way to Butcher. You won't be sorry.
Mr Miller, please don't let this be the end!
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If you haven't already read this book, drop everything your doing and buy it. Rex Miller creates an excellent bad guy who grows on you as each book passes.
By the time you get to Butcher, your actually rooting for danny boy!
These are clearly my favorite books