by John Godey
Berkley 1978
Paperback, 280 pages
This book is great.
An eleven-foot-long, highly venomous Black Mamba is loose in
Central Park in New York. That is the premise. The story itself is more about
what goes on in New York City while this animal is at large than the animal
itself. The different factions of citizens and their different wants and needs
and proposed solutions to the problem are what drive the narrative.
Suspenseful, humorous, and dripping with cynical social commentary,
The Snake works on many levels. The science is top-notch here; Godey’s
research was impeccable. No bullshit, made-up anti-snake propaganda here, just
facts that the characters (and the reader, for that matter) choose how they
want to take it. Oh yes, snake-hating is on display here. It wouldn’t be
realistic if there wasn’t, but there are also people who want to save the
innocent animal who is, after all, just trying to survive in a foreign and
unknown habitat. The Snake is more of a thriller than a horror novel,
but don’t let that deter you.
Godey nails it, speaking from every angle. The cops who want
to end the search, the mayor who makes impossible demands, the herpetologist
who wants to save the snake, the religious group who claim it’s the devil
incarnate and the reporters looking for a scoop… everyone gets a believable
voice. John Godey (which is the penname of Morton Freedgood) also wrote The Taking of Pelham 1-2-3 and since
I’ve only seen (and loved) the film, I really want to read the novel after
finishing this. His writing in The Snake is consistently engaging and
entertaining. I even laughed out loud a couple of times. That doesn’t happen
often. Read this mofo.
This review originally appeared in Midnight Magazine #8, July 2021.
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