High Desert Barbecue

That damn Joel scooped me. And he hasn’t even read the book yet.

I’ve been sitting on a .pdf copy of J.D. Tuccille’s new freedomista novel High Desert Barbecue for several days now, too busy deadlining to give it the attention it deserves.

I figured I had a little more time. (So did Tooch, who didn’t realize Amazon can publish a book at something faster than lightspeed.) Then he goes and announces that both Kindle and Nook versions are available now, with the paperback to follow in some sort of obscene hurry.

So here I am, behinder than I oughta be. But I can tell you this. I’ve read one third of the book and it’s a rowdy, rollicking adventure in the best tradition of Edward Abbey (think The Monkey Wrench Gang but … well, turned on its head).

It chronicles the adventures of Rollo — a “feral weirdo” who’s been burned out of his Arizona high-country squat by Forest Service, Park Service, and a host of eco-goons determined to undo “mammalian dominance” of the high desert — Rollo’s more “normal” but still Outlawish friend Scott, and Scott’s love Lani. Lani finds Rollo appalling but gamely goes along with what turns out to be a dangerous escapade. Oh yeah, and last but never least, there’s a dog, Champ, who ventures with them.

Tooch has priced the Kindle edition at just $2.99, bless his wise author’s head. So anybody can afford it (and if you use the link in this paragraph, a pittance of that pittance will go to me). You’ll also find a Nook-edition link on Tooch’s website.

Even without making it all the way through (yet), it’s clear that this is one of the most fun freedom reads to come along in a long, long time.

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And speaking of obscene hurry, the paperback edition is now on Amazon and I haven’t even had my morning tea yet. That one’s priced pretty reasonably, too.