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Gabriel hugo's
"Once upon a bad hombre"
Read a sample of Gabriel Hugo's newest book.
Description:
Mysterious ash keeps falling across the U.S. and Mexico as immigrants continue to disappear without a trace. Could the conspiracy theory of a secret government plot to eradicate all Mexicans off the face of the Earth be true? To find the answer to a potentially looming Mexican Apocalypse, a show host resorts to interviewing a man of unknown background who’s been briefly spotted like a mythical creature shooting TV sets in public spaces from Texas to Mexico City.
Description:
Mysterious ash keeps falling across the U.S. and Mexico as immigrants continue to disappear without a trace. Could the conspiracy theory of a secret government plot to eradicate all Mexicans off the face of the Earth be true? To find the answer to a potentially looming Mexican Apocalypse, a show host resorts to interviewing a man of unknown background who’s been briefly spotted like a mythical creature shooting TV sets in public spaces from Texas to Mexico City.
Book synopsis:
A new administration is in power in the U.S. promising to enact a 'solution that is final' to the 'immigrant problem'. Despite the rhetoric, no one seems to care that immigrants are going missing in increasing numbers, as their fellow compatriots continue with their daily lives watching their telenovelas like any normal day. Meanwhile, a mysterious ash falls across the U.S. and Mexico, and no one knows its true source. When Marco, a reporter for the Daily News Report, is assigned to investigate rumors of a secret immigrant panel headed by the president's staff, his investigation uncovers truths too dangerous to reveal to the general public, and he is taken off the story. Facing the choice of keeping the truth in the dark, or telling the world one way or another, Marco decides to go underground and head all the way to Mexico City to reveal the plot against all people of Mexican descent. Along the way, Marco is triggered by people complacently sitting around in public spaces watching telenovelas in cafes and hair salons, which drives him to shoot the TV sets to send a message, but no one seems to get it. Will Mexicans stop living vicarious lives of fantasy through their telenovelas and live life to the fullest? Or will time run out once Marco reaches his destination and reveals the news of an impending Mexican apocalypse?
A new administration is in power in the U.S. promising to enact a 'solution that is final' to the 'immigrant problem'. Despite the rhetoric, no one seems to care that immigrants are going missing in increasing numbers, as their fellow compatriots continue with their daily lives watching their telenovelas like any normal day. Meanwhile, a mysterious ash falls across the U.S. and Mexico, and no one knows its true source. When Marco, a reporter for the Daily News Report, is assigned to investigate rumors of a secret immigrant panel headed by the president's staff, his investigation uncovers truths too dangerous to reveal to the general public, and he is taken off the story. Facing the choice of keeping the truth in the dark, or telling the world one way or another, Marco decides to go underground and head all the way to Mexico City to reveal the plot against all people of Mexican descent. Along the way, Marco is triggered by people complacently sitting around in public spaces watching telenovelas in cafes and hair salons, which drives him to shoot the TV sets to send a message, but no one seems to get it. Will Mexicans stop living vicarious lives of fantasy through their telenovelas and live life to the fullest? Or will time run out once Marco reaches his destination and reveals the news of an impending Mexican apocalypse?
A review of
Once Upon a Bad Hombre
Book Reviewer Raul Martinez, Jr.
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#OnceUponABadHombre by #GabrielHugo This volume, at nearly 100 pages, counts more as a novella, so it was a speedy read for me, and I could compare it to a suspenseful, apocalyptic movie. The ending left me unsure if a sequel is intended; if not, then it emphasized the story's "noir" tone. If other readers are left feeling the ominous conclusion has left them hanging, I instead recognized how it left the aftermath up to my imagination. The title hints at present-day xenophobia taken to its extreme in this dystopian, near-horror tale... with a shade of Quentin Tarantino.
In fact, that director's style is reflected by a couple of bizarre scenarios, e.g. when one character acts like a vigilante, only to suddenly exude sympathy. As a resident of southernmost Texas, I appreciated the nods to my region of the Continent known as "la frontera." My only critique is toward the notion of Catholic clergy willing to bless penitents with ashes that were not strictly from burnt palm leaves -- but I willingly suspended my disbelief, due to the unusual circumstances. I got a kick out of the over-the-top host of the "Ancient Aliens"-type TV show. -Raul Martinez, Jr.
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This is the band, along with Sparky, that I want to produce the soundtrack to my book when it becomes a movie directed by none other than Quentin-fucking-Tarantino!
Check them out. Above and beyond cool A.F. |
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