[.ca] Khmer Rouge End Game (ISBN 0966270746)

The Best of the Recent Cambodia Books:
I would have never thought a book about Cambodia would make me laugh, but this one did. Livingston tries to paint a realistic portrait of Cambodia and I think she succeeds. Refreshingly, Gecko Tails doesn't focus exclusively on the Khmer Rouge or the fantasy world of drugs and sex which is the basis for much travel literature on Southeast Asia, and yet it's not a dry or academic. Excellent.

Beware:
To my fellow amazon customers: I am reluctant to write the following very negative review because "Khmer Rouge End Game" is a self-published book, and as such I feel squeamish about shooting the fish in this barrel of bad writing. But my purpose is not to savage the writer, only to warn others against an exceptionally bad book. Like Paul Ryder Ryan's other self-published book of quasi-journalism, this one suffers from poor spelling, weird diction and poorly checked facts. Beyond its technical faults, which are considerable, the thing is so tasteless it is hard to imagine the audience this book was written for. Ryan's cheap and easy use of recent history, sporadically inserted into the narrative with loud clunks, is sure to offend any one who knows anything at all about Cambodia, especially those who are actualy named in the book as characters. The other characters in the book are so unlikeable and bizarre they are painful to read about, particularly the fem! ale characters who for some reason are always having rape fantasies. Even someone just looking for a readable bit of historic fiction will be disappointed (and no doubt insulted by the repellent themes). Cambodia is not an especially funny subject, nor are the various other serious situations described in the book, but Ryder does his damnedest to describe these in a tongue-in-cheek way which verges on a literary form of Tourette's Syndrome. The word "unseemly" does not begin to describe it. It is a 192 page very un-funny sick joke. Note: I have no personal grudge against Mr. Ryan at all, nor have I ever met him.

An important novel of historic importance:
This is an excellent read. The author has crafted a fast-paced adventure yarn that rings true to life. He gives the reader an accurate account of the tragic history of Cambodia while at the same time bringing the reader into the present day. The author has an excellent feel for the grimness of revolutionary movements yet manages to distance himself from a subjective conclusion. It is a multi-faced work that can be read on many levels. I was particularly struck by the suggestion that secret American misadventures may be continuing in Cambodia. Mr. Ryan has managed to extract a large measure of humor from what essentially is a tract on despair.

An Absolute Hoot!:
This fascinating bit of creative writing will find two distinct audiences. Those who are unfamiliar with Cambodia and its traumatic recent history will be treated to a romping spy yarn. Those who know something of Cambodia's tortured realities are in for an absolute hoot! I thought I was going to die laughing as I worked my way through this book. But then, I've been there... up close and personal.

A small literary fem in the Conrad tradition:
This is a marvelous work of art. The author has crafted a riveting novel with wit and aplomb. He has taken a dark subject--a tragic Cambodia in the dying throes of a revolution--and fashioned it into an interesting sweet and sour yarn of dramatic intensity. I was particularly struck by Mr. Ryan's clever use of literary devices, such as forced confessions, to forward character development. Also, he seems to be extraordinarily well-informed. He must have written this work considerably before Ta Mok emerged as a contender to succeed Pol Pot. His blend of historical fact and fiction is masterful. The only thing that survives in this small literary gem, and I write as a Professor of Literature, is the truth.