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Bait Dog (2012)

by Chuck Wendig(Favorite Author)

4.21 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Terribleminds

series

Atlanta Burns

review 1: Bait Dog This story is far off the beaten track for me and difficult to characterize. You could say it's YA because our protagonist is a teenager in high school but the themes and situations that Atlanta finds herself in are very much on the adult end of the spectrum. Since she is basically raising herself (her mother is barely present and no role model) Atlanta has to figure out that common decency is not as common as she might think and it is a ferocious and ruthless lesson. Wendig does not shy away from the ugly and brutal here; dog fighting, white supremacists, suicide and bullying are all part of this ambiguous story. Our gal Atlanta is fighting against a corrupt town with just her wits and a squirrel gun for protection while she finds herself narrowly surviving so m... moreany dangerous situations by the seat of her pants that there were parts that had me cringing as I read! Add to that the fact that she is a teenager and making half baked, wrong choices is practically a given and you are in for one bumpy tale of vengeance and retribution! But if there is something to be said about this girl it is that she doesn't give up and her moral compass, despite some pretty heavy sh*t being dealt her way, is dead set on the straight and narrow as she keeps on struggling to make things right. Does she succeed? Yes, mostly. Is it and uncomfortable and ugly? Also yes, but the story is richer for it.
review 2: I've read damn near everything Chuck Wendig has published, and of all his characters, Atlanta Burns is by far my favorite. Miriam Black is a close second, but that's another story. Bait Dog picks up where Shotgun Gravy leaves off -- with the brusque, tough, tenacious Atlanta Burns in over her head. Atlanta Burns is like a tiny, redheaded, female John McClane -- you can slow her down, but you can never stop her. Wendig reminds me a bit of Stephen King in his Richard Bachman mode (and I mean that in the most positive way imaginable) -- he writes fiction that's rough without being harrowing, gritty without wallowing in misery, and bursting with memorable characters. Wendig says in the liner notes that he wrote the Atlanta Burns books like one would a TV series, and man, I would love to see that series come to life. I hope to see lots more Atlanta Burns in the future. Both this and Shotgun Gravy come highly recommended. less

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