The Perfect Song

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Summary: The quest for creative perfection - and lesser pursuits
Review: You could call it fantasy, or magic realism, or simply a fable for our time.

"The Perfect Song" concerns Mendel, a vagabond songwriter, on a quest for the perfect song; the frustrated Poul ("If someone spray-painted him green, he would resemble a praying mantis,"),
seeking wealth and the freedom that comes with it; and the smarmy Beasley, out to make it very big indeed in the music business. All are obsessed as they pursue their goals, but the pursuit itself changes them as this intriguing tale unfolds.

Damon gives us lyrical passages describing Mendel's translation of inspiration into song as he roams the country - and wrenching irony as the songs (unbeknownst to Mendel) win international
acclaim, hysterical adoration - and accusations of heresy.

While the milieu is the out-of-control world of contemporary mass entertainment, Damon's book is perhaps less about the music business than about the business of living. As the three main characters come to question the validity of their life-long pursuits, readers - while being immensely entertained - may be challenged to rethink their own.

"The Perfect Song" is wildly funny, poignant and profound. I hope some farsighted film maker discovers it and gives the it the "Polar Express" treatment.

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Summary: The Perfect Song by Damon
Review: A wonderfully existential tale of greed, treachery, and obsession. Damon creates characters that mirror slices of real life. A true page-turner!

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Summary: The Perfect Song
Review: Despite the subject line above, this is NOT another Christmas music list.

I'm going to start out by being perfectly honest: I've pretty much never met a self-published book (fiction or non, regardless of the press that prints it) that didn't suffer from the want of a good editor and a professional proofreader. And I've read a decent number of self-published books in the past few years, from so-called vanity presses as diverse as iuniverse and 1stbooks and so on.

So no, "The Perfect Song" by Damon is not perfect. What novel written from the heart and nurtured while working full-time over a span of years ever is? The point here is, it's one of the best self-published novels I've had the pleasure to come across.

"The Perfect Song" is full of big ideas on the nature of art, the nature of ethics, the nature of humans, and the nature of nature. All of these big ideas are couched in three characters: Mendel, the artist; Poul, the interface between artist and real world; and Beasely, the publisher. And these characters are definitely real, not just skin sacks to fill with "big ideas." By the end of the book, you've largely forgotten you're reading about ideas because somewhere along the line, the characters have become more important. Which is what good fiction should do.

There are three kinds of reviews I hate: the kind where the reviewer uses the review to vehemently discourse on what's wrong with the genre, the kind where the reviewer reveals 90% of the plot and it's twists without ever commenting on whether the book is any good or not, and the kind where the reviewer tries to decipher the author's influences and deeper meanings without ever consulting the author him/herself.

I think I've skirted the first problem successfully at the beginning of the review. So now let me try to skirt the second.

"The Perfect Song" is about Mendel, an artist who decides in early adulthood that he needs to devote his life to finding "the perfect song," the song that every other song ever written is just a shadow of. Along the way, his life intersects with and forever alters that of Poul, a money-hungry but almost terminally lazy drifter. Poul's life intersects with the status-conscious music publisher Beasely, and from there, as the cover copy states, begins "a continental game of cat-and-mouse amidst love, murder, deadly riots and history's biggest manhunt."

It's a game of cat-and-mouse that sweeps you along. This is the kind of book that you approach saying "okay, someone recommended it to me, I'll give it a try, a chapter a night," and before you know it, you're stretching that bed-time to get through "one more chapter."

I'm not even going to attempt to skirt the third type of review I hate. Suffice to say, there are shades of Plato and other great philosophers here. There is a ton of political and sociological commentary mixed in. What were the author's early and lifelong influences? I can't honestly tell you right now, even as well as I know him. If you really want to know, find a way to ask him and see if he answers the question himself, which is the only credible source when discussing influences anyway.

Full disclosure time: "Damon" (the author's pen name) is the father of a friend of mine. Now, I haven't seen "Damon" in person in about 10 years. His son, my friend Nathan, told me about the book and I searched it out when I had enough money to buy it. I'm not recommending the book because he's a friend, I'm recommending it because it's good.

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Summary: The Perfect Song
Review: Ever question life and reality?

Ever wonder about total dedication to a purpose?

This is a beautiful novel, dark, sad, funny, hopeful. Don't let the mere 196 pages fool you. This book speaks volumes!

It's different than anything I've ever read, and I'm going to read it again. And again.

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Summary: Between the sacred and the profane
Review: Mendel is the world's greatest and most famous song writer but he doesn't even know it. Poul is the financial beneficiary of Mendel's genius but oh how the "easy" money takes a toll on him.

And which camp, the author asks--though never directly--are you in?

I recommend this fantasy enthusiatically. Like all good writers, Damon (and why won't you give your full name?) makes important points in engaging ways.

This is a story about creativity and who profits from it. Mendel is an eccentric genius who wanders the United States searching in nature for the inspiration that will yield the perfect song. Unknown to Mendel, Poul follows him, collecting his "reject" songs and cashing in--an unknown "agent" with a commission of 100 percent! For Mendel, the quest for the perfect song is life itself. For Poul life is...well, that's part of the surprise.

Just like the question about whether there is a sound if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, "Damon" in this book asks if there can be recognized creativity without exploitation. Don't answer until you read "The Perfect Song."

Rating:
Summary: Between the sacred and the profane
Review: Mendel is the world's greatest and most famous song writer but he doesn't even know it. Poul is the financial beneficiary of Mendel's genius but oh how the "easy" money takes a toll on him.

And which camp, the author asks--though never directly--are you in?

I recommend this fantasy enthusiatically. Like all good writers, Damon (and why won't you give your full name?) makes important points in engaging ways.

This is a story about creativity and who profits from it. Mendel is an eccentric genius who wanders the United States searching in nature for the inspiration that will yield the perfect song. Unknown to Mendel, Poul follows him, collecting his "reject" songs and cashing in--an unknown "agent" with a commission of 100 percent! For Mendel, the quest for the perfect song is life itself. For Poul life is...well, that's part of the surprise.

Just like the question about whether there is a sound if a tree falls in the forest and no one hears, "Damon" in this book asks if there can be recognized creativity without exploitation. Don't answer until you read "The Perfect Song."

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Summary: DingBat Magazine Rave
Review: THE PERFECT SONG by Damon (iUniverse)
Dig into a modern-day fable that explores timeless themes. The Perfect Song is a fast-moving story that pits art against emptiness, truth against greed. The prose is sensual and elevated, filled with surprising turns and vivid description. Mendel and Poul are strangers who couldn't be more different, yet their lives come together in a strange, twisting journey. Mendel is a passionate musician, bent on creating no less than the perfect melody. Poul wants little more out of life than its creature comforts. A sizable bank account that will leave him materially free is all he craves. Simultaneously, the two set out to find their dreams. Whether bird or grub, Mendel immerses himself in life for inspiration, scrawling songs from his experience. But after two years-his mission unfulfilled-he gives up in despair. One by one, he releases the melodies he's written to the wind; the imperfect songs he's penned. The sheets of music fly away-only to begin their own fevered journey. In the hands of Poul, who picks them up and dusts them off, Mendel's music is destined to change the world. And soon, Poul learns, his luck has changed, too. Nothing can stop him from pursuing Mendel-and nothing can stop Mendel from his own mad pursuit. The Perfect Song is a rare combination: a book of ideas and a page-turning tale.