Boy's Life

Rating:
Summary: Boy's Life
Review: Boy's Life
He's just an average American boy ... in a small town overflowing with magic

Boy's Life

By Robert R. McCammon

First Edition 1991

580 pages




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Review by Kurtis Hogg
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t is early 1964 in the small town of Zephyr, Ala. As an 11-year-old boy named Cory Mackenson accompanies his milkman father on his daily rounds, man and boy see a runaway car crash into a bottomless lake. Dad dives in to save the driver and, before running out of air and returning to the surface, sees that the man has been murdered and handcuffed to the steering wheel.


Over the next few months, as Cory sees his dad deteriorate beneath the weight of ruinous nightmares, he dedicates himself to solving the mystery so he can restore his dad's peace of mind. But that's not all he has to deal with in Zephyr, a small town with more than its share of terror and magic. Some of the dangers are entirely human: a family of local gangsters, for instance. Others are reflections of the changes then overtaking American society: the local controversy about the alleged satanic influence of a new musical group known as the Beach Boys. Others are just plain sad, like the heartbreaking explanation for the peculiar madness that leads the son of the town's richest man to walk around in public totally naked.

But there's also darker and more wondrous magic: a river plays host to a giant reptilian monster the locals call Old Mose. A ghostly hot rod drag-races along the highway. A triceratops breaks away from a traveling carnival and head-butts passing automobiles. Cory himself acquires a sentient bicycle named Rocket, which helps him win a memorable encounter with local bullies. There are also ghosts, witches, a living-dead dog, a replay of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and an encounter with reasonable facsimiles of the Mummy, the Wolfman and the Frankenstein monster.

Throughout, Cory continues to piece together the mystery of the murdered man in the lake. He knows the killer is one of his neighbors. But will he find the killer before the killer finds him?

Triumph of a career cut too short
The genius of Boy's Life lies in the way it captures such moments of youthful transcendence. The murder mystery at its core is, like the depredations of Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer, just the barest excuse for a plot; the book lays it aside for long sections presenting a wealth of chapters and incidents that, printed in excerpt, function as world-class short stories.

Incidents along the way range from the aftermath of a showing of Invaders from Mars, which leads to Cory's discovery that not all parents are as nice as his own ... to a gentle horror story that results when Cory refuses to let death take his beloved but ailing dog. The murder mystery in the background is conventional stuff by comparison-it's there, and it works to provide Cory with a purpose, but the grand achievement of this book lies in the wealth of invention that surrounds it. The rich characterizations, the finely wrought detail and the fantastic elements that seem to confront the boy on a daily basis all work together to produce a novel with enough wonders to fill 20 lesser books.

Robert R. McCammon began his career as a popular horror novelist whose books echoed Stephen King's. His best works in that line included a wild B-movie alien invasion novel called Stinger, an epic end-of-the-world yarn called Swan's Song and a World War II novel called The Wolf's Hour, distinguished by a secret-agent hero who also happens to be a werewolf. They're all violent, and they're all effective pulpy reads. But Boy's Life was a quantum leap forward for him. With that book, he entered Ray Bradbury country and conquered it. For reasons of his own, he wrote only one more novel-the fun and eccentric Gone South-before falling silent. He has since officially declared his retirement from writing. But Boy's Life would have been enough to cement any author's reputation.

I have fallen into the expensive habit of buying and lending out copies of this book, knowing that they'll never be returned. Even the most trustworthy borrowers prefer to keep it. ...

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Summary: One of my favorite reads ever~
Review: Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon, was a true surprise. As a recommendation from my brother, the cover didn't really look like a book I would normally read. What a gift to discover, that between the cover was a magical, entertaining and touching story.

Boy's Life is told from the perspective of 11 year old Cory. Riding with his father, one early, dark morning, on his dad's milk route, Cory and his father find themselves witnesses to a horrible accident. For Cory's father, this turn of events, leaves a scar, that shakes his world and disrupts his life. Through this incident, a mystery of sorts begins in the novel. In the midst of this, we also get a day to day look into Cory's life, dealing with the town bullies, and the antics of what a typical little boy's life is like growing up. Set in southern Alabama, Boy's Life is like a cross between To Kill a Mockingbird and the movie Stand by Me. What you get is a cast of wonderful, colorful characters, a little southern fiction, a little mystery, some racial tensions, and an endearing coming of age story. Boy's Life has found a place on my list of all time favorites.

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Summary: One of the TOP thriller/horrors I've EVER read!
Review: Boy's Life is downright EXCELLENT. I've enjoyed it so much that it has become a personal tradition to read it during the summer! The story is a great thriller and extremely gory at times, but at the same time will have you right there remembering your own summers off from school as a kid making forts, catching frogs and riding your bike everywhere. It kind of combines "Stand by Me" with "Tremors," tosses in a taste of "It" and a great creepy school... great stuff!
I have to agree with prior comments that it should be called a "classic" of the genre - absolutely excellent with no other books in it's league. HIGHLY recommended - a must-read for any horror enthusiast.

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Summary: Boy's Life * * * * *
Review: Boy's Life,
Mr. McCammons prose flow like sweet melted butter. Robert McCammons writing is top notch. Head and shoulders above the rest. This is perhaps the best coming of age story I have ever read.
A murder in the small southern town of Zephyr is merely the canvas used to paint a much larger tale of a boy's life. The character's we engage along the way are sweet, innocent, mean, burly, soulless and soulful. All the colors of emotion wrapped into an elegant tale. This is an exciting and very moving novel. I laughed as well as cringed at the antics of all the players. I also felt the warmth and sadness of the love and loss that was encountered along the way.
To say this is simply a coming of age story would be like calling the Golden gate bridge "Just a bridge" This book is a true master piece, written by a master, a timeless classic, one that I shall always treasure.


Rating:
Summary: Still Holds Up After a Decade!
Review: I first read "Boy's Life" when it was first published over 10 years ago. I was still a young'un in college and could really relate to Cory's tale of childhood chills & thrills. I always thought "Boy's Life" was McCammon's best novel. I have often thought of this book and now with a son of my own I wanted to re-read "Boy's Life" and to capture again it's magic of youth and boyhood fantasy. I was worried though, because I began wondering if when I read again, a book that I remember so fondly, would I still view it the same and would it still have the same impact on me? I would have hated to find "Boy's Life" was something I had outgrown, or found the memory of the story and the story itself we completely different. The great news is that "Boy's Life" is still fantastic and is simply one of the greatest coming of age stories available. The magic and mystery of the novel are wonderful, and I found myself caught up once again in the goings on in the town of Zephyr. If you haven't read "Boy's Life" or were hesitant based on it being written by a "horror" writer, give this wonderful novel a chance. It is unlike anything McCammon has written, and most likely, even coming out of his semi-retirement, will remain unlike anything he will write. Also, if you have read this novel and enjoyed it, make sure you pick up Dan Simmons' "Summer of Night". "Summer of Night" is stronger in the horror department, but the feel and flow of the book is very similar to "Boy's Life".

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Summary: Amazing!!
Review: I first read this book when I was in sixth grade, after my father and sister had both read and adored it. Now, twelve years later, I pick this book up, at least, once every other year to relive the magic that McCammon creates. I have owned several copies of this book, due to the fact that whenever I lend it out, it never comes back!! I recommend buying two copies, one to lend and one to love!!!

Rating:
Summary: Just Plain Great
Review: I was born in 1969 and grew up in Brooklyn, so Cory's little town and historical events were not part of my world, but his childhood adventures and fears sure were. So it doesn't matter really when you were born, if you ever believed that your bicycle was freedom or that you and your friends could fly, then this book is for you. Being a big horror fan I was not too sure about this book and the boy who was it's hero, all it took was getting to know Cory, his parents and his town to understand that it was much more about life than horror, and that was fine. Oh, don't be mistaken there are monsters here, the green dead type as well as the kind that lives next door, says "good morning" and goes to church with you. All those live and breath in Cory's town, you won't always know who to be more scared of but you will love every minute of it. The only sad thing is that it had to end.

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Summary: Pure, delightful enchantment!
Review: It's 1964, a time of racism and turmoil. Zephyr, Alabama, is a small town, but it's caught up in the events of the world, too. There's no escaping reality, as one boy, Cory Mackenson, is about to find out.

It begins when Cory and his father witness a car disappearing into a lake rumored to be bottomless. Cory's father dives in, and before the car goes completely under, he witnesses something terrifying: a man, handcuffed to the wheel, with copper wire around his throat. Murdered.

But summer is coming. A summer filled with wonder, mystery, magic, and tragedy. It is a summer where Cody will realize that magic can really happen; where he will witnesses a creature that should've been extinct millions of years ago; where he will discover the power and love of family, and the unbreakable bond of friendship; where he will know terror as no one ever has.

Robert R. McCammon's writing is not always consistent. Some of his novels, such as "Mystery Walk," have been almost unreadable; others, such as "Stinger" and "Swan Song," have been enjoyable but forgettable; others, such as "Wolf's Hour," have been masterpieces. "Boy's Life" belongs in this latter category.

A comparison to Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" is unavoidable; however, McCammon manages to throw something into his tale that even Bradbury could not: suspense. This is a suspense novel, set aound a young boy and his quest for the truth, no matter what the cost.

"Boy's Life" is completely enchanting and thoroughly unforgettable. It is a novel for fans of any literay genre. It is, plain and simple, a masterpiece.

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Summary: I love this book!
Review: Once in a while you find a rare book which stays in your mind long after your finished it. Boy's Life is just that. The story is simply beautiful and still captures my heart and imagination after reading it the second time, 10 years later. McCammon is famous for his horrors. But in Boy's Life, Mc Cammon has written a brilliant story filled with sensitivity, humanity and emotional depth. It is about a 11 year old boy coming of age. Narrated in the endearing young boy's, Cory's, voice, Boy's Life captures what is meant to be a child once, when the world is still magical and filled with wonders, when a bicycle is a boy's steed, friendship is permanent, a dog is one's best friend and even "flying" is possible. And Boy's Life has its moments of poignancy when Cory has to deal with his best friends' death, evil when and where he least expects and bigotry in his young world. Boy's Life just tugs at my heart as it glows with warmth and comfort when parental love overcome the fears of growing up and always there to rely on in a child's life. Boy's Life is truly a treasure and I promise myself to read this gem again in another 5-10 years time.

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Summary: A Boy's Life Is One Of Many Tales and Trials
Review: Robert McCammon's Boy's Life is one that should reach anyone and everyone. Whether through the many adventures that Cory, the boy, is taken or just through McCammon's artful story-telling everyone should be reached. Cory, a young kid growing up like you did or are doing, is just enjoying life until one day when his father witnesses a brutal murder. Now, Cory is still enjoying life but the whole rest of the book is wrapped with the murderous thought lurking in the background. Now do not be depressed either because the book is one of life, in general, its joys and its sorrows. On another note I thought the beginning was a bit slow; however, once you get into the book and "know" Cory you should find it a very entertaining tale, all about that magical time called childhood.