Bakker is primarily known as a fantasy writer but he has written a couple of crime novels (Neuropath was his first). Neuropath was…shall we say…problematic. There was a central thesis for the book (which is an interesting one) that is called The Argument. Bakker insists on having the protag repeat at length The Argument over and over and over again throughout the book. He should have just called the book The Argument and published it as a pamphlet. With that said there were some great scenes filled with genuine terror and tension. While Neuropath didn’t work for me it did peg Mr. Bakker as one to keep an eye on (speaking strictly in terms of his crime fiction output).
Disciple of the Dog is a first person POV PI novel about a PI who can’t forget anything ever. In addition to the case that needs to be solved it’s about the burden of a perfect memory. I think Bakker is still feeling his way around the genre but he’s getting a much better grasp on the genre and wrote an interesting book here with an interesting character.
The narrative voice is a very distinctive first person voice that seemed almost to combine elements of the psycho-noir with the PI novel. The result is nothing short of interesting and entertaining. Take parts of Severian from Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun (though far less uptight) mix in some “Funes the Memorious”, add in a lot of drugs and sex and you’ve got Disciple Manning. He’s an arrogant prick but you’ll want to keep reading him.
“He’s an arrogant prick but you’ll want to keep reading him.”
Yep, that pretty much nails it. I really, really disliked the protag, but couldn’t put the book down…kind of like a train wreck. Did think Bakker was a little repetitive in places with regard to the memory thing though.
Disciple worked so hard at being unpleasant, I couldn’t help liking him. Author Bakker has a brilliant mind — I try to read his blog and I just get hopelessly out of my depth. But I keep tuning in because I think this guy really has what it takes, it’s just that he has so much of it that taming it for the reader will be difficult for him I think.
Diss is easily the biggest, most arrogant douche I’ve read in fiction in quite some time. He’s like an early Jason Starr character without the brutal comeuppance at the end of the novel.