Recommended: The Armageddon Rag
Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
There are more than a few good novels out there that capture the spirit of rock and roll, but few do it as well as “The Armageddon Rag”, by George R.R. Martin. I picked this up a few weeks back at a book sale and didn’t know what to expect, seeing as how Martin’s work is more in the fantasy realm, which I’m not a big fan of. I was more than pleasantly surprised at how involved I became.
“The Armageddon Rag” takes place in the early 80’s and is the story of reporter Sandy Blair, who was a 60’s activist and journalist who begins investigating the murder of the former manager for a band called The Nazgul. The story finds Blair reconnecting with his old hippie friends and the former members of the band as he uncovers a plot to bring about the end of the world via a Nazgul reunion.
I’ve pretty much just done a cliff notes version of the story for you, but if you’re into rock (especially 60’s and 70’s) I heartily recommend “The Armageddon Rag”. The author spins a pretty clever mystery, but more than that, he captures the idealism of the 60’s and the feeling that music really can change the world (remember when people believed that?). And while the Nazgul never really existed, it’s hard not to think of the Mighty Led Zeppelin while reading about the past antics of the band. Once you finish the book, you may even wind up combing the cd stores looking for one of the Nazgul’s albums.
On that note, use Armageddon as today’s bonus code.