REVIEW: Finder's Keepers by Russ Colchamiro

Finder's Keepers by Russ Colchamiro
Publishing information: Paperback; 301 pages
Publisher: 3 Fingers Press; 8 October 2010
ISBN 10: 0979480140
ISBN 13: 978-0979480140
Standalone
Copy: Sent by publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Synopsis: "FINDERS KEEPERS is not your typical story, which was my point from the very beginning. As an agent said of my work, it is strange and ambitious ... and fun. It started out with my wanting to put to paper a bizarre, and in many ways, life changing experience I had, and it wound up morphing into a hybrid tale that is part road trip, part cosmic lunacy.

On a backpacking trip through Europe, Jason Medley and Theo Barnes stumble through hash bars and hangovers; religious zealots and stalkers; food poisoning and thunderstorms; cute girls, overnight trains, fever-pitch hallucinations--and the spectre of adult repsonsibility!

But when a jar containing the Universe's DNA falls from the land of Eternity to the caverns of New Zealand, these new friends find their loyalties put to the test—unaware that a motley crew from another realm is chasing them across the globe, with the fate of the Milky Way hanging in the balance."

At first glance Finder's Keepers is a novel similar to something Chris Moore or Sir Terry Pratchett would write, a zany and twisted adventure where all heck is breaking loose. But Colchamiro has found his own voice and humor in his debut novel.

Finder's Keeper is a very quick read. At just over 300 pages and each chapter averaging only two or three pages, you just can not stop reading until the book reaches its conclusion. There are four main characters. Donald and Danielle are two low level designers for the galaxy. Between all of the love making on the newly created Earth, they manage to misplace some of the universe's DNA. They are two interesting characters and their dialogue with each other was humorous. Theo and Jason are the other two characters who find the DNA and as they work their way around the world find themselves in one misadventure after another.

The beginning of the novel was a little muddled as prospectives and time shift from chapter to chapter. Once you catch up with everyone and everything going on, the novel does a great job of coming together and showing off the authors ability for laughs. There are many situations and dialogue that had me chuckling. Finder's Keeper is a humor book for anyone who has traveled into the unexpected or gone backpacking abroad. The novel does a fine job of showing what most backpackers and travelers experience at least once in their lives only this time it has universal implications.

While I did enjoy much of what Colchamiro wrote and the characters finally started to take shape in my mind, I just never really found a connection with any of them. The book took a while for me to really get into it and by that time it was nearly half-way done. While I don't think it would have benefited from more filler, it would have been nice if the editor touched up the beginning. I would like to read his future novels and see how he improves. Hopefully, the characters will make a return in later novels. My final assessment is that if you like Chris Moore or Pratchett, give Colchamiro's Finder's Keepers a shot. Why not start with his first novel and follow his career? He shows great promise and it is nice to have a new voice in the humor/science fiction section of the book store.

Plot 7/10
Characters 6/10
Style 7/10

Overall 7/10