I just finished this one. According to the intro, if I
remember correctly, Cook was 40-something when he wrote this.
Odd, considering some of the writing technique had an
adolescent quality to it (I don't mean that in a bad way,
necessarily). Otherwise, the story was a vicious headlong
plunge into hell, and the kangaroo hunt was one of the most
wrenching things I've read in a long while.
(spoilers) I also liked this a great deal, up until the
ending, which I agree was a cheat. I was thinking the main
character would either end up dead or back at The Game-- that
he'd try to cheat, perhaps, make off with someone else's
winnings (I thought the 'honor system' elements of the game
were a set-up for this), and end up getting the crap kicked
out of him. I would have liked that ending-- he goes through
hell and learns nothing. Not all mythic underworld journeys
are productive.
Sodomy? Well, I didn't understand the constant reference to
the bright light, and there were aspects of the hunt he
refuses to remember to the end. If there were more direct
hints, I missed them. (Can you play "Dueling Banjos" with
didjeridoos?)
Doug
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