Book Review: Unkillable Joe
By Elizabeth Suggs
Unkillable Joe by Joe Vallen is what happens when two realities collide, bringing in action with comical writing.
This story is about Unkillable Joe, Joe’s “fictional” characters, the narrator, and a frog. If you’re not paying attention, the high-intensity back and forth may get confusing, and while this could be a detriment, I think it worked for this book. We start with the narrator who talks about Joe, a comic book creator and his comic book characters.
The narrator consistently breaks the fourth wall to complain about the protagonist, and honestly, Joe isn’t a very likable character. He’s whiny and annoying, at least at first. The story really comes to life when his comic creation Killtits, or KT for short, is thrown into his universe and tries to kill him, though as you may have guessed from the title, he is unkillable. A second but an equally unsuccessful attempt at his life follows, with Joe being thrown down through the street. He’s unscathed.
Our amphibian hero is learning necromancy. No ordinary frog, he even breaks his bones to fend off a snake, and it works. He finds himself the center of dark plots, eventually using KT as a transportation vehicle (yeah, it’s that weird).
This story feels like a critique of society. There are certain types of men and women and we explore that in a comedic fashion. Joe learns there’s more to a woman than her looks and the narrator learns that Joe isn’t worthless.
I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending with the narrator, as I felt it dragged on, but the climax is worth it.
If you’re looking for something quick and fun read this, though beware, there’s a lot of burps and flatulence.
Elizabeth Suggs is the owner and founder of Editing Mee. When she’s not writing or editing, she loves to dive deep into books (the weirder, the better!), and she loves to take random long walks to unplanned destinations. Check out her recently released book Collective Darkness with eleven other authors. Buy your copy here: www.CollectiveDarkness.com