Dice Angel
by Brian Rouff

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Book Reviews of Dice Angel

Book Review: Good but vulgar first effort
Summary: 3 Stars

The author got me interested in the characters quickly. Poor bad-luck Jimmy Delaney, nasty ex-wife Joy, Wally the cop-friend -- I wanted to find out what happened to them. Jenny Delaney is a sweet little girl, and late in the book we hear about Tiny Tim (er, I mean Rachel), a symbol of pathos even though she isn't characterized at all -- not so much as a "God bless us every one." Some characters are hard to like, though. I've always found people who use profanity to be like people who choose halitosis over brushing their teeth: distasteful and distracting to discourse. However, the profanity doesn't seem gratuitous. It fits with the tone of the story. You might call characters like this "real." I call them vulgar. Jimmy, Wally, and several other characters have this flaw.

Another thing that makes Jimmy vulgar is his attitude toward women. A couple of his best quotes: "A little on the mousy side, but take off those big glasses and she's definitely doable." (p. 47) (Jimmy sizes up every woman he meets -- and the author shows us his dirty little mind every time.) "When you drive a 'Vette, you get the kind of women who are attracted to guys who drive 'Vettes." (p. 89) (To Jimmy's credit, he gave up driving Corvettes.)

The plot is summarized by plenty of other reviewers, but no one has touched on themes. Wondering if Jimmy would change and grow as he worked out his problems is what kept me reading to the end. On page 2 Jimmy says, "Honest people are in short supply here in Vegas, or anywhere else for that matter." Strangely enough, I see thematic similiarites between this story and M. Night Shyamalan's film, Signs. Both, to some degree, are stories about faith. The faith of Rev. Graham Hess is restored by a Higher Power, and Jimmy's faith is restored by ... his muse the Dice Angel and himself. Still, the ending of Dice Angel is satisfying. Simplistic, but satisfying. And the final sentence in the book is excellent! (In sharp contrast to the first: "The ringing phone ripped through my sleep like a buzz saw.")

I also see that not one review so far has used the words "New Age." Christians beware -- this book assumes a thoroughly pagan worldview. Faith in luck (whereas Hess in Signs starts with a grudge against God that blocks his faith, Delaney here starts with a grudge against Lady Luck), faith in whatever gods might exist (whether Mormon, Catholic, Zodiac), and "trust" in "the universe." Don't look for redemption in this story. Not in the Christian sense. Jimmy might be described as being redeemed, but it's a self-made redemption.

Summary of Dice Angel

Games Books

• Subjects > Humor & Entertainment > Puzzles & Games
• Literature & Fiction > Comic
• Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery