I got this book for review from the GoodReads first-reads program in exchange for an honest review

This book touted both its plot and characterization as being so subtle and moving as to be comparable to a Shakespearean tragedy. It compared the main protagonist (about four people were vying to be the actual protagonist) to Lady Macbeth in her capacity for cruelty. That's all well and good on a blurb, but the actual book went so far as to mention Lady Macbeth in just about every chapter. She was a stunning Lady Macbeth! She showed such promise in that role! She truly seemed to embody that character! They just couldn't let it go, to the point that she was quoting her most famous speech at one point.

Which brings us to the problem I had with the book. Nothing in [b: The Serpent's Bite|13594592|The Serpent's Bite|Warren Adler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1338099647s/13594592.jpg|19182851] was subtle. Every little detail had to be examined non-stop, every sentence belabored the point. No one snapped when they spoke, they would snap in an angry, irritated, and frustrated manner. It wasn't enough to hint at casual racism against a Mexican, the characters had to wonder at the slurs being used to describe Tomas and think of that as being both "mean and racial". [a: Warren Adler|1070|Warren Adler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1364581258p2/1070.jpg] talked down to his readers in just about every line that he wrote, and he wasn't terribly clever about most of the lines.

You don't dunk the ball through a hoop in his book, you "slam-dump" it. It isn't more than meets the eye, but it is "more than meets the obvious." The spelling errors were manifold, and the descriptions grating. Just about every idiom was butchered in the manner I described above. How did this happen?


The plot itself could be predicted in full within the first ten pages, but it took 300 to unfold. Every chapter was from the perspective of one of four people, but each chapter just went over the events of the previous one in excruciating detail. The plot moved at a snail's pace, nearly immobile throughout the bulk of the book. The characters had no redeeming qualities, which tends to be all right if you're reading [a: Cormac McCarthy|4178|Cormac McCarthy|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1414695980p2/4178.jpg] and the writing makes up for all sins. [a: Warren Adler|1070|Warren Adler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1364581258p2/1070.jpg]'s prose was simply wooden lacking excitement, subtlety, and poetry.

This book would make a half-way decent Lifetime movie, but it made a pretty horrendous book. The plot wasn't all that bad, all things considered. The book just read like a rough draft. After four or five revisions it could have been good. ( )

The Sting of the Natural World

What could be nicer than a family get together in the wilderness? Let’s get back to nature and relax. The idea of the benefits of a family get-together is a popular one, but isn’t the reality of the situation somewhat different? Families after all are the subject of a very number of interviews with psychologists. In this novel George Temple has this idea of getting together with his adult son and daughter, Courtney and Scott, by going on a trek through the wilderness of Yellowstone Park. Things have not been right with his family and George seems to want to heal the matters. Unfortunately matters are not quite as simple as this.

Warren Adler is a leading writer of thrill/chill fiction and this is his thirty-sixth novel. His most famous work is The War of the Roses, which was made into a movie starring Danny De Vito, Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. Unlike some horror books this is not a work of the fantastic, but it does have a slightly larger than life quality. But then how normal is ‘normal’ life?

True to the genre the plot of Bite has many twists and turns. Some changes of direction are well prepared for, others are hinted at and some are very unexpected. The style is calm, then explosive, then calm again in a cycle that runs throughout the book. There are two sex scenes which may shock very conservative readers. Adler manages admirably to maintain our attention by including many flash backs (prior to the trip), which add variety. He also uses the interesting technique of writing each chapter from a different character’s point of view. This sometimes adds considerable irony to the book as we see that some character’s perspective is not quite right. On the whole Adler presents a rather hard-boiled view of human nature and the style captures this well.

The characters in this novel are hardly likable, but Adler is not trying to be ‘nice’. We are indeed delighted by these people’s nastiness and foolishness. Even the good George Temple comes in for some criticism. Being powerfully motivated, these characters are relentless, carving a clear direction for themselves, but some evolve over time.

The book has a clear theme of addiction. First we meet alcohol addiction, but there are other compulsions waiting to be discovered later in the plot. Temptation and ‘sin’ also run as topics, though I do not mean to imply that this is a religious book. The Temple’s are Jews, but not practicing synagogue visitors.

From the psychological perspective Adler has written a fairly accurate novel. The information about addiction rings true to life. Adler delves into peoples’ blind spots: the lies they consciously and even unconsciously maintain. Close to this is the truth of secrets kept from others.

Women may at first be a bit offended by this tale. Courtney is certainly a powerful, determined woman, however she falls into the category of the classic ‘prime hussy’, a rather stereotyped role. Mrs Temple, only alluded to in the text, also seems the stereotyped ‘loving mother’. Adler is, however, talking about the very notion of stereotyping which very really occurs in our lives as we are subject to social values from family, books, TV and films. The very idea of feminism is based on this notion. Adler certainly encourages us to question this stereotyping. To add balance the male characters are equally driven pigs.

In the larger perspective of the society Adler playfully upholds vales and questions them at the same time. His characters are bad people but their rebel views sometimes make sense and carry weight. The philosopher Michel Foucault pointed out that a great deal of society is a power system which manipulates us and in this novel much of what manipulates us is delved into and questioned. I do not mean that this is a heavy philosophy text of the likes of Jean-Paul Sartre. The average reader will most certainly enjoy this book.

Nature features prominently in the book and Adler plays with it as he plays with the notion of society. George Temple’s idea is to get his children away from things in order to work their life together out, but can we ever get away from life and is life really what we think. The ambivalence of nature provides an interesting, symbolic backdrop to the book as a whole.

Adler has written an exciting, very readable book which also has deeper meaning if you look twice. Be prepared to be shocked. I have mentioned feminism, philosophy and symbolism but don’t reject this book because you think it is too intellectual for you. At its heart this is overwhelmingly horror, pure and simple. ( )

The Serpent’s Bite by Warren Adler offers raw escapism rooted in the wild environs of Yellowstone State Park. This riveting novel pits nature against the tense dynamics of a very unnatural family, drawing fascinating conflicts between right and wrong, real and counterfeit, power and subservience, abuse and rebellion.

George Temple, widowed several years earlier, deeply mourns the loss of his first wife, the mother of his two children. Over time, much to his surprise, he meets Muriel, a woman who understands and comforts him. Now he hopes to gingerly introduce the idea of his upcoming marriage to his two estranged children, Scott and Courtney, and has planned a grand trail riding adventure during which he will divulge his news.

George hopes to recapture the innocence of a time when he and his young family took a long guided trail ride through Yellowstone. He contacts his children, who have all but abandoned him, and they reluctantly agree to retake the trip of their childhood with the same guide who hosted them years ago.

Courtney and Scott are spoiled, ungrateful offspring. Scott—weak and easily pushed around by his sister—still holds some affection for his father, although he is furious that George has recently declined to finance the latest in a long string of unsuccessful ventures.

Courtney—egocentric, brutal, and completely without conscience—is focused only on her unsuccessful career as an actress and nothing will stop her maniacal grab for her father’s fortune. This woman is the ultimate sociopath housed in a goddess’s body, and her scheming ways make hardened criminals look tame.

In addition to the intricate layers of subterfuge in this miserable family, horrible, dark secrets simmer in their past. Flashbacks include insight into a relationship most shocking. I won’t reveal the participants or nature of the liaison, as it’s one of the surprise elements of the story.

One of George Temple’s greatest disappointments in this adventure has to do with the trail guide. Decades after their first trip, Harry has succumbed to alcohol and is constantly inebriated. The Mexican trail hand, Tomas, enables his boss’s habits by burying bottles of liquor ahead of time near the campsites. Although Harry has some redeeming qualities, such as his deep and respectful knowledge and love of nature, Temple finds him intolerable because of his treatment of Tomas. With prejudice and arrogance, Harry orders the trail hand around like a slave, hurling racial epithets at every opportunity and taunting the quiet man with regularity.

Mr. Adler’s understanding of abnormal relationships is insightful and brilliant. Some scenes made my skin crawl, and others saddened me deeply. I felt great empathy for George, who tries so valiantly to reunite his family. Of course, these reactions to strong characters parallel the suspense and tension embedded in the story from page one. Will George win the affection of his children again? Will the group make it out of the park safely? What about the grizzlies and mountain lions lurking in the background? Can there be a positive outcome?

This tense and often shocking journey through nature’s spectacular canyons and mountains will hold your attention and keep you reading long into the night. A new classic has been born from the prolific Mr. Adler!

Recommended for adults only by Aaron Paul Lazar, www.lazarbooks.com. ( )

"War of the Roses" author Warren Adler penned what I expected to be another good story, but this one left me disappointed. I had some difficulty getting through it, as there were what I consider distasteful subjects, especially the sibling incest. I really couldn't "get into" the characters - they were vile and unlikable. Without connection to a character, I just can't seem enjoy the story. Sorry, this one was just not for me. ( )

Had a really tough time getting through this book. Received it as a Early Reviewer, and did not like it. The story line follows a widower trying to reconnect with his two grown children by taking a horseback trip through Yellowstone. The trip is a recreation of one the family had made years earlier. The main reason for the estrangement is that the father has finally turned off the money spigot after years of supporting the two of them in their various money making ventures. The two children go on the trip because they want to fool their father into thinking they will reconcile, just so they can get the money again. The main issue I have with this is that the characters (except the father) are just absolutely terrible people. Beyond cold hearted. And they make up the bulk of the narrative. Having never read Warren Adler before I don't know if this just how he writes, but it was unrelentingly cold and angry. ( )