Rating: 
Summary: THIS IS A MOST ENGAGING BOOK
Review: The Killer of Love is a taut, yet powerful read. I found it a bit lacking in its exploration of the inner-demons that possess one to indulge in the extreme brands of drug-addiction and alcoholism that are depicted in the book, but, overall, I thought it terrific. The prose was lyrical and the description, intense. Literally, I was glued to the page. The worst criticism I have is that I wished it had been longer so that the characters could have been developed better. Perhaps, however, the intent of the author was to create a shorter work of fiction so that everyone could bring a little of his or herself to the characters. If this was the case, he succeeded. For one, I could not help but think of individuals that are around the same age as my son (22), who seem to find the world a gaping sea of chaos and who therefore find no purpose in life. I wish they could read this book because, to me, the message is clear. Life is what you make of it, not what you think of it!
Rating:
Summary: A well-written exploration of evil
Review: THE KILLER OF LOVE is a well-written exploration of evil and its consequences that I found to be a compelling read. The Hippie House, the terrifying Grid of Self-Knowledge, and bewildered teenagers like Jimmy Love - or their equivalents - were no doubt a familiar sub-stratum of life in university towns across this country in the seventies and eighties. Mr. Conley has managed to convey well the squalor and futility of a lifestyle centered around the endless quest for the next beer, the next party, the next fix. But it is the power of Piper and the mysterious ascendancy he holds over his followers that is the core of this novel. To believe that such charismatic evil actually exists, one has only to recall Charlie Manson and Jim Jones of an earlier time. Jimmy Love's struggle against the lure of Piper's amoral siren song makes this book worth the read.
Rating: 
Summary: Lacking
Review: THE KILLER OF LOVE lacks the insight of intellectual conveyance of human struggles against addictions in which this book attempts to make its home. Jimmy Love is not a pretty sight but he is not an unsual site either. The book seems to try to establish its sitting in what the author projects as outrageous conduct but fails to set Jimmy out from any other addict. Much of this life style is not so far from what we see on campuses throughout the country everyday with young adults struggling along the darker side of their own character. Love is not some odd stranger to any us. We observe those like him often but rarely get within. The author shows us only the obvious of these lives but falls short in it's attempt to light what is within. The title is drated from one character (Piper) but lives the experiences of another (Love) with little insight or observations into the book's namesake. This leads to confusion and dismay in our effort to establish a focus on the proclaimed "Killer of Love". It would have been much more appropiate and effective to dissect the psychological being of Piper rather than the life story of Love. Critics comparing the author to Poe and King are extravagant and seem to be more for the economic benefit for author and/or publisher which if true would be disappointing as reviews are the consumers benefit. I can not see the brilliance nor the proclaimed mastering. I would be surprised if this work could not be completed over a long weekend. I found it erratic in flow, having periods of hope as literary work but then falls back into the obvious struggles of a young author's concentration. At 207 pages, including fluff, it reads in just under 3 hours and thus appears more suitable for a short story but not enough for a paperback which would make it more reasonably priced(to be kind). My advice to the author would be not to give up any paying job. As this appears to be a planned saga, I wish you better luck in the future as your tallents mature.
Rating: 
Summary: Falls Sadly Short Of What It Might Have Been...
Review: This book is OK for light reading fare to pass the time, but is sadly lacking and pales mightily in comparison to what it might have been, both in regard to the real stories of Fort Sanders at the time the novel is very loosely based around, as well as simply in regard to the general horrors of drug addiction and alcoholism, the latter of which is probably the saddest of all; there are hundreds of well-written novels out there that deal with the same type subject matter and are presented in a much more realistic and believable manner, and I would still say that even if I hadn't personally known some of the denizens of the Hippie House of that time, most of whom the author appears to have fragmented into composite characters and, in the end, created hollow, un-fleshed-out caricatures of real people. My view on the subject matter of substance abuse only, minus the Fort Sanders and the people I knew, is that little about it rings true and nearly all sounds hollow, uninformed, and full of cliches, even including common 12-step program refrains; nearly all the text directly involving drugs or alcohol, but especially as the book draws to a conclusion, come across as terribly contrived and devoid of any real substance. The conversations between characters are mostly outlandish and laughable. This is a read-it-once-and-never-pick-it-up-again work, and that's truly a pity, because the author missed an opportunity to write an extremely compelling story, had he stuck closer to the real personalities that make up the flimsy and hollow composite characters of this novel and wrote about the true facts; the author's improvisations on the scenario he had to work with are uninteresting and and unconvincing. The atmosphere of Fort Sanders is somewhat captured, but like most of the rest of the book falls short and rings hollow. I read most of the novel with mild interest, but the conclusion was inadequate, no matter whether one personally knows the place and the time and the players or not - overall, reading this book was like reading a college creative writing assignment on the horror of drug and alcohol abuse forced upon a writer who knows little about that world but has an overactive imagination. A common saying in writing, "Write what you know", would have done well here; the author might have done better to use the resources available more fully, even if it meant sharing a writing credit. One would think that if the author had taken the outline of the story to a major publisher, surely the author might have had the guidance of an editor who would have given instruction to flesh out the characters and the tale and, perhaps, directed the author towards the actual and true stories involved rather than what was published in this book. Had that been, I think the author might have had a best-seller rather than what this novel is, which is basically a throwaway book. I believe the author had good intentions but missed a real opportunity to make this novel work - the message of hope he apparently is trying to instill in the reader rings false and unbelievable, while, had many ugly and tragic truths been told that could have been, many, especially the young, readers might have gotten from the book the same message of hope, yet with a strong sense of focus about the truths of the various paths that they can choose, or choose not to, take in life. An opportunity was missed, indeed; this novel is little more than generic "Just Say No" propaganda with a small amount of substance and truth, and rings far too hollow, whether one was ever there in Fort Sanders or not. It appalls me to think that young people, whether curious but inexperienced with substance abuse or in the midst of a struggle with same, might take this book to heart (as many of the reviewers here already appear to have) and try to apply it to their own lives in some way, when the real stories behind this tale of semi-fiction might have driven the points the author was attempting to make home in a much more valuable - and likely much more interesting - way. Finally, even though I was there in the Fort in those days, I honestly and sincerely did not expect this novel to be completely real-to-life and perfect, even though I do, again, think the author missed the chance to write what would have been a much more important and fantastic story. I did, however, expect it to be a more interesting read than it is, and certainly a more substantial, less hollow story and, moreover, less filled with cliches and unnecessary information included in parentheses on nearly ever page which was supremely annoying. This novel certainly would have been a good case for a major publishing house and a knowledgeable editor on those points alone, but the fact that there are several misspellings/typographical errors and improper punctuation galore throughout the text makes it even harder to digest, someone should have spent some money on a good proofreader. In closing, it's not the worst I've ever read, but it certainly does fall short of even mediocre on the subject matter of substance abuse alone, much less the actual time, place and people from whence the tale springs. Good to read to pass the time, but I feel sorry for any reader who takes much of the novel to heart; the opportunity to give it substance and a worthwhile message was there, but unfortunately the author has given the reader little more than drivel and fluff.
Rating:
Summary: So-So
Review: This book is okay, so-so, but kind of reads like a Judy Blume novel for teenagers about junkies, that was my take anyway.
Rating:
Summary: This book is an example of truly awful writing.
Review: This book is one of the most clear-cut examples of truly bad writing I have ever read. The dialogue is clunky, the scene description reads like a police affidavit, and events that would normally seem to be decadent and "wild" are made mundane. In a creative writing class, this would be a freshman writer's first attempt, sans the advantage of constructive criticism and an aggressive editor. I find it hard to believe any editor ever laid eyes on this text. That the author brags about graduating from the University of Tennessee, and that one of the school's top writing professors gives it a glowing book jacket review, is an embarrassment to those of us who have degrees in writing from this institution. It's almost as if the author paid to have the book published and reviewed. I give it one star on the grounds that (1) it is so laughably bad that reading it is like a party game and (2) it might some day be used as an example for creative writing classes of how NOT to write.
Rating:
Summary: TRUE STARS OF THIS STORY RECEIVE NO CREDIT
Review: This is a unique book and not for the faint of heart. An exploration of megalomaniacal behavior that revolves around a group of punks whose only purpose in life seems to be to find the next level of hell, this novel is both gripping and gratifying. I give it four stars.
Rating:
Summary: An Exporation of Megalomania and Destruction
Review: This is a unique book and not for the faint of heart. An exploration of megalomaniacal behavior that revolves around a group of punks whose only purpose in life seems to be to find the next level of hell, this novel is both gripping and gratifying. I give it four stars.
Rating: 
Summary: A Wild Ride
Review: This novel had me strapped to my seat until the wild, rollercoaster like ride was over. And when finished, I was literally breathless. Jimmy Love is puppet and Piper, the puppet-master pulling all the wrong strings. Will Jimmy find his way out of this circus of decadence and despair or will Piper, the ever present devil on his shoulder, drive him to the ultimate nadir of life - suicide? The author sets up this novel so well, adroitly foreshadowing the events to come. It is quite mesmerizing. I can only recall one other book that I have started and not put down until finished, which I suppose is the ultimate complement. 5 Stars Plus!
Rating:
Summary: Impressive Debut
Review: This novel tells the age-old tale of a young man caught in the downward spiral of drug addiction and alcoholism, but it is also told with a modern, philisophic voice that captures the essence of despair and futility felt by so many gen x'er's. Everything about this book, even the taut, rapid-fire writing style, seems to be a scathing discourse on society's current obsession with instant gratification and the vacuum of spirituality it often leaves in its wake. For all of Piper's wit and so-called wisdom, the irony is that he is guilty of being the slave that he so readily castigates others for being. And who does not know this type of human being? Long on dogma and hyperbole, but short on talent and substance. And who does not know others who buy into their self-serving philosophies - atleast for a time? Only to wake up, like Jimmy (hopefully before it's too late), and realize that this path leads 'nowhere'. Bravo!
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