review: Beach Safari
I’m not familiar with Mawil Witzel’s work at all, so I’m writing this as I read the novel originally, in a vacuum as far as that goes.
The artwork is something. Alone, it’s worth the price. He really captures the feel you get from spending too much time on the beach; The borderline heat stroke, the crashing waves, the heat of the sun, the constant press of wind and sand, the cackling flocks of gulls.
As far as the storytelling goes, I’m having a hard time coming up with anything to say that doesn’t sound like a backhanded compliment from a frustrated hack. Maybe it’s a little predictable, maybe it’s a little trite, but it’s effective, charismatic, and it speaks to me. Mix in a little bit of shamelessly blatant self insertion, and that’s what you get. I’m not going to call it ground breaking, or the best thing I’ve ever read, but it’s on my shelf, and I’ll probably read it again a few times.
Of course, maybe I’m being gentle with it because I’m, quite literally, marooned on a beach. If you are too I’d definitely recommend it, and if you’re not it’s worth taking a look anyway.