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"The Pineys - Book 1: My Cousin, The Piney"
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“In Hell, Lewis was finally confronting his own demons in devil form.”
Haven’t you ever heard of a Jersey Devil? A gambler down on his luck, as well as fuel for his jeep, stops at a general store in Abe’s Hat for directions to a gas station. He gets more than he bargained for, when a couple of Pineys running the store turn out to be much more than just a couple of hillbilly cousins living in South Jersey. “The Pineys Book 1: My Cousin, the Piney” is a spoofy horror story derived from the legend of Mother Leeds, and is filled with adult humor coupled with action packed fun for the whole Galloway family.
Haven’t you ever heard of a Jersey Devil? A gambler down on his luck, as well as fuel for his jeep, stops at a general store in Abe’s Hat for directions to a gas station. He gets more than he bargained for, when a couple of Pineys running the store turn out to be much more than just a couple of hillbilly cousins living in South Jersey. “The Pineys Book 1: My Cousin, the Piney” is a spoofy horror story derived from the legend of Mother Leeds, and is filled with adult humor coupled with action packed fun for the whole Galloway family.
Readability
I think this book is a good example of expert level story structure. Everything that happens is tied to the plot in some way and the story is fast paced with barely a moment to breath between scenes before the action picks up again. DiGerolamo weaves together several character storylines through the use of a third person omniscient narrative, and he develops subplots along the way that are relevant to the story’s theme (family/cousins).
The novella could use another round of line editing, but the content is easy to digest. The prose lean heavily upon dialogue, and if it wasn’t for the adult humor peppered throughout the book then I’d say this easily could have been a middle grade read meant for kids (similar to the Goosebumps series). The overall tone comes across as campy, but it’s clear from the very beginning that this is not the type of story that takes itself seriously, and that same tone is maintained throughout the entire piece.
Creativity
I like the author's twist on the Jersey Devil legend. The idea of Mother Leeds opening a portal to hell and releasing several “devils” is a solid premise to fuel an ongoing series. There were some nods to gaming and tabletop bros. The devils came in a variety of types (almost like a pseudo D&D bestiary), and each of which were given names worthy of a frat boy’s approval:
- “Level 5 Soul Reaper” – “Level 2 Shifter” – “Level 25+ Bone Crusher” – “Level 7 Flesh Render” – “Level 6 Teeth Smasher” – “Level 7 Marrow Sucker” – and even one called a “Pussy Eater”…
…you get the idea. From what I gathered, the actual “levels” applied to each devil type was arbitrary for the most part. It’s basically just a general way of measuring one’s “power level” relative to the others.
The humor throughout the book is quite juvenile, if I’m to be honest, and there is a running gag fixated upon the idea of cousins having sexual intercourse. However, there were times when I genuinely chuckled at the banter between the characters. There’s a scene where one of the main characters attempts to bargain with the local police in order to gain access to a restricted area, and it came across as a jab at the middleclass:
“You gotta swear, and they all gotta buy tickets for our chili cook-off fundraiser,” insisted Brooks.
“Well, then I gotta ask if you’re cool with bringing your patrol cars to our car wash in two weeks?”
“Only if you buy at least three cakes at our bake sale and one has to be from my wife.”
“Okay, but I need a Right Fielder for my softball team.”
“As long as you agree to be our backup for the bowling team.”
The comedic style ranges from cartoonish (like an Adult Swim type of show) to Monty Python(ish) ridiculousness. One moment characters are hunting down a Jersey devil, the next they’re sneaking off somewhere to have a “quickie”. YOLO!
There was one idea that I thought made for unnecessary complexity within the scope of the story, and that was the concept of devils being able to transform into anyone they bite. There was this whole thing about the characters having a special code word “app” that allows them to properly identify individuals, but I could tell it wasn’t well thought out. It didn’t take me out of the story, but it seemed like an implausible solution for the potential problems that the shapeshifting issue could present. I feel like that concept would allow the devils to get away with a lot more than they actually do in the book.
Also, I interpreted the names of the characters themselves as DiGerolamo’s way of paying homage to some notable figures, such as John Milton, C.S. Lewis, and Ernest Hemingway. I think it was obvious enough to pick up on but subtle enough to be a charming little detail.
Delivery
Once the plot gets rolling (with the first devil encounter in chapter one), the story does not let up on the throttle. The book definitely has a pedal to the metal pace in terms of action and wit. The “horror” elements are more along the lines of what I would equate to Ash Williams taking on the Army of Darkness. The author does a good job of gradually elevating the stakes throughout the plot in a “one thing (devil in this case) leads to another”, with each encounter becoming more dangerous in size and scope.
The action starts off in a small town in South Jersey called “Abe’s Hat”, where there’s a brief introduction between three of the main characters before our first devil encounter. By the end of chapter one, all four main characters are introduced and there’s a devil on the loose, in which Lewis joins the hunt. The plot keeps the action moving from the small town, to the Galloway family lodge, to the sewers, to the Atlantic City boardwalk, and all the way to hell and back, while getting moments of characterization along the way.
The only plot device that I found a bit out of place was the clairvoyant visions experienced by Lewis. The way I saw it, his psychic power came across as a means of cutting corners. His visions are utilized as a means of providing the reader with flashback vignettes that shared info about the other characters or solutions for them to settle conflict. When, where, or how Lewis acquired this special power is never really explained, but perhaps that is something addressed later in the series.
I think this book is a good example of expert level story structure. Everything that happens is tied to the plot in some way and the story is fast paced with barely a moment to breath between scenes before the action picks up again. DiGerolamo weaves together several character storylines through the use of a third person omniscient narrative, and he develops subplots along the way that are relevant to the story’s theme (family/cousins).
The novella could use another round of line editing, but the content is easy to digest. The prose lean heavily upon dialogue, and if it wasn’t for the adult humor peppered throughout the book then I’d say this easily could have been a middle grade read meant for kids (similar to the Goosebumps series). The overall tone comes across as campy, but it’s clear from the very beginning that this is not the type of story that takes itself seriously, and that same tone is maintained throughout the entire piece.
Creativity
I like the author's twist on the Jersey Devil legend. The idea of Mother Leeds opening a portal to hell and releasing several “devils” is a solid premise to fuel an ongoing series. There were some nods to gaming and tabletop bros. The devils came in a variety of types (almost like a pseudo D&D bestiary), and each of which were given names worthy of a frat boy’s approval:
- “Level 5 Soul Reaper” – “Level 2 Shifter” – “Level 25+ Bone Crusher” – “Level 7 Flesh Render” – “Level 6 Teeth Smasher” – “Level 7 Marrow Sucker” – and even one called a “Pussy Eater”…
…you get the idea. From what I gathered, the actual “levels” applied to each devil type was arbitrary for the most part. It’s basically just a general way of measuring one’s “power level” relative to the others.
The humor throughout the book is quite juvenile, if I’m to be honest, and there is a running gag fixated upon the idea of cousins having sexual intercourse. However, there were times when I genuinely chuckled at the banter between the characters. There’s a scene where one of the main characters attempts to bargain with the local police in order to gain access to a restricted area, and it came across as a jab at the middleclass:
“You gotta swear, and they all gotta buy tickets for our chili cook-off fundraiser,” insisted Brooks.
“Well, then I gotta ask if you’re cool with bringing your patrol cars to our car wash in two weeks?”
“Only if you buy at least three cakes at our bake sale and one has to be from my wife.”
“Okay, but I need a Right Fielder for my softball team.”
“As long as you agree to be our backup for the bowling team.”
The comedic style ranges from cartoonish (like an Adult Swim type of show) to Monty Python(ish) ridiculousness. One moment characters are hunting down a Jersey devil, the next they’re sneaking off somewhere to have a “quickie”. YOLO!
There was one idea that I thought made for unnecessary complexity within the scope of the story, and that was the concept of devils being able to transform into anyone they bite. There was this whole thing about the characters having a special code word “app” that allows them to properly identify individuals, but I could tell it wasn’t well thought out. It didn’t take me out of the story, but it seemed like an implausible solution for the potential problems that the shapeshifting issue could present. I feel like that concept would allow the devils to get away with a lot more than they actually do in the book.
Also, I interpreted the names of the characters themselves as DiGerolamo’s way of paying homage to some notable figures, such as John Milton, C.S. Lewis, and Ernest Hemingway. I think it was obvious enough to pick up on but subtle enough to be a charming little detail.
Delivery
Once the plot gets rolling (with the first devil encounter in chapter one), the story does not let up on the throttle. The book definitely has a pedal to the metal pace in terms of action and wit. The “horror” elements are more along the lines of what I would equate to Ash Williams taking on the Army of Darkness. The author does a good job of gradually elevating the stakes throughout the plot in a “one thing (devil in this case) leads to another”, with each encounter becoming more dangerous in size and scope.
The action starts off in a small town in South Jersey called “Abe’s Hat”, where there’s a brief introduction between three of the main characters before our first devil encounter. By the end of chapter one, all four main characters are introduced and there’s a devil on the loose, in which Lewis joins the hunt. The plot keeps the action moving from the small town, to the Galloway family lodge, to the sewers, to the Atlantic City boardwalk, and all the way to hell and back, while getting moments of characterization along the way.
The only plot device that I found a bit out of place was the clairvoyant visions experienced by Lewis. The way I saw it, his psychic power came across as a means of cutting corners. His visions are utilized as a means of providing the reader with flashback vignettes that shared info about the other characters or solutions for them to settle conflict. When, where, or how Lewis acquired this special power is never really explained, but perhaps that is something addressed later in the series.
#LFLR Indie Rating: 7/10
In terms of craft, “Pineys Book 1: My Cousin, The Piney” is exceptional. The way that book one ends, I’m under the impression that each story reads like a standalone adventure that utilizes a “monster of the week” formula, as individual character arcs progress throughout the series. Tony DiGerolamo has published ten books in “The Pineys” series, and has over thirty other published works in his catalog (including RPG adventures and credits for comic books based on “The Simpsons” IP).
In terms of craft, “Pineys Book 1: My Cousin, The Piney” is exceptional. The way that book one ends, I’m under the impression that each story reads like a standalone adventure that utilizes a “monster of the week” formula, as individual character arcs progress throughout the series. Tony DiGerolamo has published ten books in “The Pineys” series, and has over thirty other published works in his catalog (including RPG adventures and credits for comic books based on “The Simpsons” IP).
THIS BREAKDOWN IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE #LFLR NETWORK.
