Taggers

Author Miles Brandt has created a gripping, hard punching tale that you will enjoy despite the fact that you’ll probably hate all the main characters. The story follows a bunch of schizophrenic young men as they break out of a mental institution and go on a raging spree of murder and arson, a personal war against society and religion that makes perfect sense to them despite the ridiculousness of their crusade.

The writing in Taggers is top notch. The story is told through the eyes of one of the men in the group, the one who seems the sanest of them all. The way he casually explains their plans, how his mind works, why he is thinking about old movies or books or soap or whatever, is both chilling and fascinating at the same time. I’m not sure what experience the author has with schizophrenia, be he seems to really know his stuff.

I don’t really know what book to compare Taggers to. It’s kind of an extreme version of Catcher in the Rye at one level, only with horrible murders along the way. In movies, Natural Born Killers comes to mind. But what Taggers does, it does well. You will love the book, the thrill of the ride, but feel bad for doing so. I read all twelve chapters posted as of this review, and blew excitedly through them. My only hope is that the main characters meet sufficiently brutal, painful deaths before the story’s inevitable (I think) violent conclusion.

John Breeden II
Old Number Seven

Holy crap. That's the only thing I can say because I don't want to ruin the begining for anyone who might read my comment before they read the book. Holy freaking crap. Just wow. Talk about an emotional... throw you up in the air, spin you around and drop you on your face. Sheesh. Shelved.

Amanda
Rescuing Liberty

Miles,

I'm a bit speechless. A first for me on authonomy. The opening chapter is shocking and magnificent. But it's also strangely calm because of the narrator's voice. So fitting, actually. That's the problem with guns: They look so sleek. They keep the peace. They're even fashion accessories for cops. But they unleash bloody, holy hell when somebody decides to pull a trigger.

Fabulous work!

For me, this gets even better as we get into chapter two at Willow Crest mental hospital. What a depressing place. And by the way... I was on the set of Driving Miss Daisy for a week.

Shelved.
Mark

Superb opening chapter. Nice and clipped and short and BANG! Or not, I don't know about that last bit as yet... the tension was so well managed I felt I had to put some sort of excalamation point on the end of it all. It was a strangely calming, hypnotic opening considering what the possible outcome of the game was... like reading a nice magazine at the dentist's, when all the time the drill is buzzing in the background. I had seen this plugged quite heavily over the weekend, and I can see why. No hesitation, shelved

P

I got to chapter two, which says alot!. Some of the thoughts at the beginning of the book is too much (at least for me). I had to skip some of it. Otherwise, I couldn't stop reading it. I stopped when the guy was explaining why he got raped. But great read! Good luck with your book!

D. S. Hale

Yes.

Phew, this isn't my normal read and it is disturbing, but you can see the insanity in the text. Very well written.

One more thing. I forgot to mention I love this line...
"Three guys, five hands, and Jessica Tandy on the tube."

Whew, I read chapter 2. I get it now. The first chapter is about these mental patients, at some future time and place???
My dad was a schizophrenic. We used to go visit him at the mental hospital. Mom would dress us up in little cute dresses to see our father, and the other mental patients would pet us like we were exactly that, pets, as we walked down the gauntlet in the hallways. Back then, they stuffed my dad, and others, full of pills that made you sleep all day, then locked them out of their rooms because they thought it was bad to sleep all day! So they slept in the hallways. My dad was often snoring in the hallway.
My dad died in his 60s He'd developed a form of medication altzheimers from all the pills over all those years. Pills that made him more "humanlike" but didn't really help him. He was never able to hold a job. He got kicked out of the public library for saying, "I'm sorry" too much and too loudly.
He loved Charleston Chews and my singing voice. At Christmas, we'd go visit him way up in the mountains of WV where he lived with a family who got money because he lived there. They had at least 2 other mental patients living there. They built a family room with the money and he lived in one tiny unairconditioned room. he'd give us old harlequin romances and pictures he'd drawn for Christmas presents, gorge himself on Charleston Chews, then grab our hands and pray for us before we left. He could play the piano by ear but we never heard him.
When he died I sang at his funeral, "Amazing Grace." It didn't look like him laying there in that casket. It looked like an old man, not crazy anymore.
Whoops, sorry.
The chapter was good...just brought out many memories for me. I think I'll post one of my dad's short stories on one of the forums and see what people think! Maybe.
Georgia
The Woman From E.A.R.L.

WOW I tried to read chapter one, but like the deerhunter, which my family was watching one night while eating pizza, it was too much for me.
Back then, I stomped my 16 year old feet at my sisters, who were sitting on the couch, mesmerized at the screen where a sweaty man's face had a gun pointed at himself. They were watching and eating at the same time. it was way too disturbing to eat pizza while watching!
Anyway, I skimmed it where I didn't read it. (sorry whimp here!) I've got to say, this is well written and the style magnifies and amplifies the action of the Russian roulette game the horsemen of the apocalype are playing. Interesting unique concept for a story. Best of luck with this! I think I might just have to read/skim chapter 2 to see if the MC survived...
Georgia
The Woman From E.A.R.L.

Gripping writing. Bags of vitality. Compelling central character.

Hello Miles
book - Taggers -

Read all the chapters posted some 200 days or more ago.
Surprised that it is not on editors desk for review and hopefully more.
i said that it was,edgy and gripping to read and written in a pacey manner.
Back in to give it the six stars it deserves
good luck
tom bye
from hugs to kisses'

Probably the most distinctive voice I've come across here. Compelling and clever and strewn with exciting observation.

Author Miles Brandt has created a gripping, hard punching tale that you will enjoy despite the fact that you’ll probably hate all the main characters. The story follows a bunch of schizophrenic young men as they break out of a mental institution and go on a raging spree of murder and arson, a personal war against society and religion that makes perfect sense to them despite the ridiculousness of their crusade.

The writing in Taggers is top notch. The story is told through the eyes of one of the men in the group, the one who seems the sanest of them all. The way he casually explains their plans, how his mind works, why he is thinking about old movies or books or soap or whatever, is both chilling and fascinating at the same time. I’m not sure what experience the author has with schizophrenia, be he seems to really know his stuff.

I don’t really know what book to compare Taggers to. It’s kind of an extreme version of Catcher in the Rye at one level, only with horrible murders along the way. In movies, Natural Born Killers comes to mind. But what Taggers does, it does well. You will love the book, the thrill of the ride, but feel bad for doing so. I read all twelve chapters posted as of this review, and blew excitedly through them. My only hope is that the main characters meet sufficiently brutal, painful deaths before the story’s inevitable (I think) violent conclusion.

John Breeden II
Old Number Seven

I scanned the look of your first chapter before I read it and I will admit I didn't think I'd like the style, the short, sharp sentences but then I started reading. The first chapter is incredibly gripping, in a morbid fascination sort of way. I had goosebumps and didn't want to read on but felt compelled. The words pulled me into a world of irrationality and out of my on views that what these men were doing was ridiculous. By the end, I was nervous when the narrator pulled his trigger. You sustained my interest throughout the coming chapters and although this isn't a book I would ordinarily read, I could not stop.

Good luck!

Laura Bailey
Beneath The Blossom Tree

Respect your service Miles. I think it comes out in what you write. I certainly would not be afraid to continue to explore even more of what you obviously no so much about. As I watch the next generation play Black Ops, Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, you might be the J.K. Rowling for teen boys. Get em reading again, lol.
Good Job and thanks,
Tom Hafer
Wellplanet
Well Village

Hello J J. Drawn to your novels by your bio, so remote from my own, I read the first chapter of "Taggers." And I'm impressed. Nothing is more suspenseful than Russian roulette, and you've exploited it well. I don't understand a few phrases, like "piss on your handkerchief"; I think gluten intolerance is pretty rare; and you could delete a few words, like "muzzle" in "muzzle flash" or "positive and negative," which tend to disrupt the fast pace. But all in all, you're off to a cool start. I'll go on reading (have to, with that cliffhanger) and get back to you. Meanwhile, I hope you'll take a look at "The Doctor of Summitville." --Best of luck, Bill

Miles,
I admire true masterful writing, and "Taggers" fits the bill.Very intense!
I read three chapters, and i've got to say i admire your vocabulary. I'm going to continue reading, meanwhile, I can only give it six stars and back it with pleasure.
Maria
"Dark of the Moon"

Hello,

Had this book on my shelf for a while and read about half a dozen or so chapters the other day. I had to stop at that. It's such a slavish imitation of Chuck Palahniuk's style that I actually felt embarassed reading it. I caught myself blushing for you. Namechecking him in the first chapter obviously tips the reader off that you're aware of that fact, but for me it doesn't quite excuse it.

It saddens me, because youre obviously quite a skilled writer, you really don't need to be piggybacking off others. Good luck with it all the same.

Dave

i read the first several entries of your piece "Taggers". I enjoyed them. it goes from zero to a hundred really quick when Johnny takes the gun and starts shooting. and i can imagine this is how things happen. one second they are not happening, in the next they are. i like your narrator early on. he doesn't go out of his way to describe things not relevant. his pills are relevant so he describes them. he's a character who stays in character so to speak. i wish you well. if you have a chance to look at my work "Ghost Dance". Thanks.

The opening grabs the reader through high tension. Still, as a reader I would like to know the motive.
Chapter two takes us back, I assume, and gives background on your MC. Why is he in a mental hospital? You hint but don’t explain. Being so much into internal dialogue is great but…as the guy’s mind is faltering the reader’s left with unclear pictures. The short sentences (too many in my humble opinion) won’t satisfy the reader. It drives the punch but doesn’t follow up for a KO.
The wordsmithing is first grade but…there is no cursivity and by the end of the chapter I feel tired. I understand that setting the stage is important but viewing it from the MC’s POV becomes hard to enjoy after a while.
This might be the kind of book agents and critics will rave about but it’s too deep for the average reader. The voice is there, penetrating inside the thoughts but it’s not easy to identify with and kick off your shoes and relax. As a matter of fact, it’s anything but relaxing.
Do I like the writing? Definitely!
Do I enjoy the story? What story?
Would I read on? No…but it doesn’t mean the work didn’t get me thinking.
Good luck. I’m sure you’ll find an agent who’ll love it.
For its quality, I’m backing it (as soon as I’ll have a place on the shelf).
Dan

How could anyone not give this 5-stars? What is wrong with these people?

From the Brutal Honesty Group

Hi Miles,

From reading your pitch I could tell that this would not be the kind of book I normally would read, but from a quick glance at a couple of the comments below I realised that I was in for a treat when it came to the first chapter - and it certainly did not disappoint. I don't think that I have ever been so uncomfortable with an opening chapter in my life but I could not stop reading. That is one hell of an achievement - well done.

I couldn't wait to get to chapter two but I was conscious that after such a brilliant start it would be hard to keep up the momentum. And it was. Towards the end of Chapter Two I found myself getting a bit bored with the routine monotony and repetition of their grim incarceration in Willows Crest - however, this probably made the sudden, dramatic explosion of violence at the end of the chapter even more unexpected. I appreciate that you needed to set the scene for their meeting, establish five disturbed characters in this chapter and give a hint or two about their crazy disturbed backgrounds but I think that the first part of the chapter could probably do with an edit.
The characters however, are all very well delineated: especially the red head who takes perfectionism to the ultimate shocking extreme; the deadly but charismatic 'Johnny' whom I have no doubt will take them to hell and back and your deceptively passive MC. His POV/voice worked really well and there was a clear distinction between his thoughts and obsessions when he was on the meds - and his thoughts and obsessions when he was flushing the meds down the toilet. My only complaint about your characters would be that so far they seem a bit humorless. (I wanted to compare 'Taggers' with 'One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest' but couldn't because of the lack of humour.) But then again - you aren't writing a comedy, are you?

Your style is gripping. That is undeniable. However, I did find it a bit confusing at times that you have chosen to use speech marks for everyone but the MC. I think that I can understand why you did it - it certainly makes his POV even more unique - however it did distract me half way through Chap 2 when I spotted it.

One final observation is the obsession with god and religion which several of your characters seem to have. I just wondered if it might be more realistic to limit the religious mania to one character?

Overall, although I have only read two chapters I can see that this is one hell of an achievement and deserves to do well. I am going to give it some shelf space for a while and sincerely wish you all the best for the future.

Susanna
'Catching the Eagle'

I must say, if I had picked this up at Barnes & Noble and started reading, I'd be contributing to your royalty check. This is a great first chapter. You waste no words, your pacing is fast and frantic. I think my heart rate increased as I was reading.

I've never read anything quite like this. What's most impressive is how you generate an atmosphere and give an idea of what your protagonist is all about with lists of movies he's seen, books he's read, and subjects he's obviously taken an interest in during his life - subjects like nuclear reactors, the melting point of things, chlorine gas.

If I could only describe this chapter with one word, it would be "explosive."

The arc of the story in Chapter One is brilliant, and it concludes perfectly. You even manage to hint at the nature of the four other characters by the amount of time that draws out in each of their respective countdowns to pulling the trigger. I'm really interested to read more about the guy who went one two three fire!

Excellent stuff here. I'll be back once I've read more.

TimmyTommy

Wow what an opening chapter, best ive read on here , in fact best I think Ive ever read. The following chapters carry on just as strong. The one line layout doesnt detract from the reading of the book, it adds to it.

Absolutely fabulous read, cant wait to read more.

On shelf for a while and will remain.

Hey Miles. I found the comment I posted 515 days ago... haha. Thought I'd tack in on here.

Hey, Miles. My kinda book... crazy as hell and bent on mayhem. Bout time we got a little horror among the 'looking for love in all the wrong places.' Incidentally, I've got a 629 in my bedroom dresser drawer (actually not as violent to shoot as my 357 - probably the extra weight calms it down).
Do a 'Find' in Word for repeated phrases.
The only problem I see, and it may not be a problem, is how this is going to look on the printed page (book) - the one word lines; very short sentences on one line. The style is great, though. Presents the feeling beautifully.
I think it's worth backing. Good luck with it

Very Palahniuk. Very, very Palahniuk. Down to even mentioning Fight Club.

Brill, excellent, different, raw, energetic, cool, fast, original, compelling,, lot's of stuff like that and no complaints. On my list waiting for shelf space.
Cariad
STONES

Brill, excellent, different, raw, energetic, cool, fast, original, compelling,, lot's of stuff like that and no complaints. On my list waiting for shelf space.
Cariad
STONES

Brill, excellent, different, raw, energetic, cool, fast, original, compelling,, lot's of stuff like that and no complaints. On my list waiting for shelf space.
Cariad
STONES

Strong , raw stuff with a polished and distinctive style.

I have only one picky suggestion to make: in Chapter 1, would it make better sense to say "You see the World in aplphabetical order when you play this game, and everything needs rewind." ? Just a thought.

Good luck with this.

J.S.Watts
A DARKER MOON

a strong writting style makes this book an enjoyable and fascinating read: l shall back...
read SEASONS...

I never hated my computer this much for the time it took to load chapter two... definitely backing your book!

Good luck and take care
Bianca

I came to your page because you left an insightful comment on someone else's page. And I'm glad I did. I actually started reading your other book first, then came across here to see what the fuss was about. Hmm. Taggers. Very different from the genre I write in but I do like to read this kind of stuff. I really got into your writing. I loved the opening chapter. Setting a fast scene and slowing it down with your main character's witty yet calm voice was great. Drew me in :-)

Megan

Hi Miles,
I just backed your wonderfully zany book. I read all the chapters with great interest, even though I didn't understand many of the analogies. Your writing style is quirky but fun to read, It is a book I would buy and read.
I can easily see why your book is doing so well on authonomy.

I was so disturbed by so much of this because I have a vivid imagination and your writing is so descriptive but I couldn't stop reading it, again, because your writing is so captivating. I found myself looking behind me every so often, looking under my bed....I'm scared!!!! Wow. Inspired by an actual event? Amazing. Not finished yet, but will keep on reading.

Backed
Bragitta Shay
"REGENESIS"

I read your first two chapters.

Faultless writing.

Fascinating characters.

Fabulous storyline.

Backed.

Al

Taggers
Not exactly a genre one should read on Christmas Day, but I couldn't resist. Through chapter 3, please insert all the words that have already been presented by other reviewers, this is a world I have never inhabited, nor wish to, but I struggle to understand, to make some sense out of the motivation, to find meaning, which, I guess, is a tribute to the author's ability to present such a frightening world for me to view. A stream I wish to leave, but again, the realism is a compliment to the author and a work I can support. Good luck.
Lenore
Surviving the Seaweed

Taggers
Not exactly a genre one should read on Christmas Day, but I couldn't resist. Through chapter 3, please insert all the words that have already been presented by other reviewers, this is a world I have never inhabited, nor wish to, but I struggle to understand, to make some sense out of the motivation, to find meaning, which, I guess, is a tribute to the author's ability to present such a frightening world for me to view. A stream I wish to leave, but again, the realism is a compliment to the author and a work I can support. Good luck.
Lenore
Surviving the Seaweed

Absolutely amazing. I live near Newark, Ohio, so this story is pretty close to home for me! I can't wait to read the end of the book, you've done a wonderful job so far!

It's been well over a year since I first read Taggers, and I must say now that I'm more convinced than ever - there is absolutely no first chapter on authonomy that has the BANG of this first chapter. My heart was in my throat all over again (and I should have known better). I did however, read it slower and I savored the dark poetry of the chapter more than I did the first time. I can't say why, but I'm thinking of Hunter S. Thompson after reading. What's brilliant here, too, is how you've woven so much of culture into this story that we all feel intimacy with it -- and that's both rich and disturbing. Wonderful work. Just putting this on my shelf seems kind of inadequate. Can I buy this somewhere??

Lizzi
(Out of Sync)
(Out of Sync)

I know a writer releases a bit of themselves into their book each time they write, but either your a genius or just crazy, no disrepects meant but i would have to be your mother to take more than three chapters of you in one sitting. Confusion reigns supreme, far too realistic a mental patient not to be real. I felt as if i was lost in the mind of a manic lister. One definitely Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest with this one.

Only one change required: take "The" away from Birdcage and Crucible for alphabetical effect.

I'll give you a Good rating if you promise to get more help

Miles -

Taggers - over the edge stuff, tipping too much into the comical to be tragic, maybe inevitablly so, madness has this effect. Brilliant style, mesmerizing, actually. And you have a way with words ... A Loius Armstrong Stardust solo inside a porcelain bowl ... Trying to make sense of anything is like cleaning the windshield if a car speeding towards a brickwall ... Jonny acts the savant spouting data to impress, fabrications likely intended here, since, as adherents to religions go it's rather like this: Christianity: 2.1 billion, Islam, 1.5 billion, Hinduism: 900 million. Well, it's a brilliant feat. No one could write this without a taste of the scene. Have you thought of classifying it as satire? I may be blinkered assuming your brainwaves would be at pains to adjust to my mystic story. But who knows :)

Pia (Course of Mirrors)

It's well written - it's very heavily influenced by Palahnuick's Fight Club in the style which is a problem for me. I don't feel like I'm hearing your voice and think you possibly wrote this with Ed Nortans voice in your head. Now the writing's good - it really is but you've been influenced too heavily and so I don't think it's works as it is - but I don't think at the same time that it's a massive job to weed that voice out.

THe story is good and it's intriguing but you've relied to heavily on listing in chapter 1. For me you need to reel in your narrator - he gets lost and he's describing too much of the mundane procedures. I would use teh content of chapter one and pepper it throughout the novel allowing you to build your character over time rather than laying all of his cards out for the reader from the get-go. Your story doesn't start quickly enough adn I got bored about half way through chapter 1 with the endless discriptions... I wanted something to happen.

You intrigue with the narration adn taht will make areader stay with you but I think you need to give them something early on to drive teh story on. Chapter 1 should introduce and then start the story - you do this, but it takes too long, for me for the story to begin.

I think you'vre agood writer (and I hope this criticism doesn't sting) but for me, firstly you need to reel in the narrator - redefine somewhat the voice and get the story moving quickly. You have enough original thoughts in this to make the book your own, at the moment it is too much like Palahnuick.

It is like a direct reporting of a cruel incident. As you hint that you directly saw it, your narration will also make readers as witness.

Joy J. Kaimaparamban
The Wildfire

The bit about the melting point of Sodium of whatever near the opening is a little TOO Palahniuk--now that's the kind of criticism that might not matter whatsoever to the public, but something that would put off a literary professional--an "expert" whose aesthetic has nothing to do with why real people read books.

I don't know if you'd want to watch for stuff like that. As a snobby literary douche (me), it bothered me a little, but I'll reiterate that I don't think it's a critique that would be relevant to real people--only snobby literary douches.

Alas the review I gave Taggers in my previous life before I got so hacked off with this place that I left has gone. So what do I remember without reading? Johnny - crazy but understandable, the narrator being swept along, the ward, the dangerous episode with the straps, the breakout, the island, the splashes of red on the walls. I remember being impressed with the clipped style mixed up with fluid narrative, A nightmare ride with each character winding up in the game. I shelved before so why not shelve again. Much better than most of the books I bought this year. Shame I'm not a publisher. Stick around and hit the desk, many wanted to know what they'd think. Jack.

My son is a Licensed Professional Counselor currently working for an insurance company in mental/emotional heath cases. When I showed him a little of Taggers, he immediately joined Authonomy just so he could back it, despite the feebleness of an unranked TSR. He has had a lot of experience with mental health facilities in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, both good ones and shockingly bad ones, both public and private, has had staff positions with them, and is aware of many things the general public is not.

I think he'd like for everyone to read Taggers. He and I both backed it ages ago, and now it's back on my shelf.

Bill

This is, I think, the craziest book I've ever read. But that's the point, isn't it? You pulled me into the madness and made me feel as if I were going insane just by reading it. I honestly cannot decide if I liked it, but I couldn't stop reading and want to know what happens. I think I must like it, but part of me is appalled that I could, so it is confusing me. Regardless, I'm sticking it on my shelf. It is different, and while I don't think it will appeal to the masses who gravitate toward books on the emotional and intellectual level of Twilight, I think it is brilliant.

This first chapter is a real hook, at least it was for me. Catch, scary, eerie, and it's a natural lead-in for the next chapter, which takes up where this leaves off ... and where it logically was leading: To an asylum. Witty, nutty, and sometimes oh so sane. This is a good book. If I were a publisher I would definitely be taking a look at it.

FEL

Difficult to pull away from this book - darkly fascinating, evidenced brilliantly in the first chapter, kind of like watching that devastating car accident happen directly in front of you.....

Star-rated and on my WL.

Best,
Justis Call
Prestidigitations

Backed Taggers. I couln'd read the first chapter fast enoug! Oh, my goodness. Lots of good one liners-“And we were playing that game where everything’s nothing.” And the last sentence to chapter, a real cliff anger. Impressive! Hope you will find a place on your shelf for our book, Dark Side.
CC Brown

I remember this one.

Miles,

The world you have created is both shocking and realistic. It is powerfully written, and flows well, despite the short sentences. But you have created a unique style and voice. It is written with some knowledge of the subject matter.

I have read two chapters. I have to say that not knowing what was to follow, I would have easily stopped after Chapter One. Of course it is shocking. That is what you meant, and have succeeded. However, I am not sure that you do your work justice in putting Chapter One as the window to the book. I could be wrong. It is just that whilst it would draw some to read more, it would equally put others off. I say this because I think that there is more beneath the surface than lies above. It would therefore be a shame to put readers off at the beginning. Better to draw them in, get them interested in the themes and concepts, your style and power, first.

I will back this as soon as I have some space. For now I will watchlist and star it.

If you get some time, will you please take a look at God of the Cocoa and see what you think. I warn you it might not be your taste, but that didn't stop me appreciating your work.

Best of luck
Marilyn