Sort of a Catcher in the Rye for the anarchist-by-default crew,Slam is Shiner's BIG LITERARY MOVE and as such is neither as"big" nor "literary" as Deserted Cities of theHeart (his earlier must-read epic). But by no means is this a put-down, because Slam is closer to the day-to-day realm by choice, leavinghigher spiritual/philosophical grounds implicit for the moment in favor of offering encouraging words to fellow prospectors for personal freedom in an age where it is becoming increasingly difficult to seize.Ostensibly billed as a novel about skate punks, Slam is in fact about the moment in every worthwhile person's life where he/she decides society is irrevocably fucked and enacts change in his/her life based on personal moral choice rather than societal pressure. The changesare not easy--they are catastrophic, and in Slam they are handled with enough wit and subtlety that at times you'll swear you'rereading a farce (you are). One gripe (and if you're coming from aperspective unsaturated by any underground music "scene",you can handily ignore this) is that Shiner seems to be impressedby cultural signposts that really aren't very impressive (skateboarding in general, Suicidal Tendencies and the Meat Puppets specifically). In the face of such a great book, however, I can't find myself caringthat much. --T.C.

(first appeared in Reign of Toads #2)

last update 7/30/97


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