The Goat

I can tell The Dawn Patrol is going to be spectacular based on the sleuthing surfer model. It’s like a novelization of Magnum PI. Dig, brah? So far the only really great book I’ve read about surfing has been Daniel Duane’s Caught Inside. Weisbecker’s pretty good in Captain Zero, though the quotes on the cover of Cosmic Banditos go beyond taking liberties when they say he “Outgonzos Hunter S. Thompson!” I liked Weisbecker immensely the first half of Zero, but he’s descended into some special brand of self-indulgent chaos in his new stuff. Anyway, this book doesn’t even look as bad as one I saw at Barnes and Nobles last week called Vampire Beach. Reading the back of that was like watching an early episode of Saved by the Bell. Here’s the beginning of the book’s synopsis:

Jason Freeman is stoked when his family relocates to exclusive DeVere Heights, Malibu. The in-crowd at his posh new high school is surprisingly friendly — soon Jason’s hitting all the best parties. He even meets the token hot-but-unattainable girl.

Don’t worry if you read it too fast—there’s a Vampire Beach 2. Hell, I shouldn’t even talk; at least these guys have it together enough to get books out there.