I never like throwing in the towel on advance books, but <i>Shadowbahn</i>, in spite of its interesting premise where the Twin Towers reappear in the Badlands, just didn't work. Part of it is my fault - I thought the author was the same guy who does the <i>Malazan</i> books, but this simply means that the experimental tale told here is even less relevant to my interests on a whole. It's a weird book - not a difficult one - but one that just wasn't what I wanted or looked for.

In Steve Erickson‘s latest novel, Badlands National Park’s newest fixture is a pair of New York City landmarks destroyed decades ago. Shadowbahn explores the disturbing reappearance of the World Trade Center towers in South Dakota, and its impact on two siblings and an unrelated, unborn twin. Although both sides of Erickson’s narrative are well-composed, the inordinately slow unwinding of Shadowbahn‘s story, and the novel’s reluctance to give up its secrets, weigh heavily on even the most dedicated reader.

Like the World Trade Center at its heart, Shadowbahn is divided into two plotlines. In one, which reads like a companion to Don DeLillo‘s White Noise, we find siblings Parker and Zema on a cross-country road trip that’s directed by a mixtape from their father. The other, sounding much more like Randall Flagg’s portions of Stephen King‘s The Stand, centers on Jesse Garon, Elvis Presley’s stillborn twin, who has somehow been revived along with the Twin Towers. It’s not a terrible premise, but the stylistic decisions Erickson makes along the way render Shadowbahn difficult to wind through.

In order for a challenging novel to also be a successful novel, it must reward the reader for her efforts. Shadowbahn does not. Jesse traipses through time and space, haunted by his brother’s music and career. He visits a club frequented by a never-elected John F. Kennedy, talks to people who — paradoxically — know both Presley brothers, and expresses a lot of pent-up rage at the world’s adoration of Elvis. On the other hand, Parker and Zema navigate a secessionist countryside, in which they respond preemptively to questions about their interracial, filial relationship, but find their on-the-road neighbors more concerned with the fact that Zema seems to be a conduit for the music playing from their car stereo.

Shadowbahn relies on jump-cuts between these stories to propel itself forward, but dances around the hows and whys of both situations. The frustration wrought by questions left perpetually unanswered eventually overpowers the readers’ desire to saunter forth.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

This was a very strange book. I mean the Twin Towers showing up out in the middle of nowhere is strange enough and then everyone hearing a different song coming from it. Yeah, weird.

Then the story goes astray and we are brought into a conversation with Jack and Bobby Kennedy which is pretty much almost present day. They are talking about Adlai Stevenson and how successful he will be, even Nixon is in on the conversation, as well as LBJ.

Tne Jesse Presley part I definitely didn't get. I'm still not sure how he got from the roof of the tower onto the ground. He couldn't sing like his brother, I'm a whole lot lost on that part.

Actually I'm a whole lot lost on most of the book. For me it seems like something more on the level of The Twilight Zone.

Thanks to Blue Rider Press for approving my request and to Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm really unsure how to rate and review this book. There were a lot of interesting parts and then there was random jabbering that ended up confusing me. I do like the author's unique writing style. But yet, I'm wondering why some of the characters were included and what I can "learn" from this book. Just really a weird kind of story altogether.