BRIAN GAGE - BURN, CHRISTMAS! BURN!!

It\'s hard for me to write this review without a biased slant. I interviewed the author of Burn, Christmas! Burn!! (Soft Skull Press), Brian Gage, back in 2003. Since then, we\'ve become somewhat friendly. No, not in a \"we bathe together\" kind of way. But rather in a \"we dig what the other person does\" kind of way. So, it was to be expected that my review of Brian\'s new book would be a positive one. But after reading it, a positive review doesn\'t really do it justice. A glowing review does. Fact is, whether or not I\'m friends with Brian, this is a great goddamn book.
Gage, as is his way, attacks political and corporate structures like no other: he literally makes villains out of them and puts them in children-like tales. And Burn, Christmas! Burn!! is no exception.
Santa\'s cute little elves (and Rudolph, actually) are fed up of working in Santa\'s sweatshop, and have decided to form the Elfin Revolution. The elves stuff themselves into the gift boxes to be delivered to waiting boys and girls... and then the shit really hits the fan! There are Molotov cocktails and reindeer stew and toy tank chariots! There is murder and mayhem! And it all rhymes! What could be more appropriate for the upcoming Holiday season than a little revolutionary prose?
This is one of Gage\'s best books yet. (Find The Amazing Snox Box and The Saddest Little Robot for more of Gage\'s work.) His writing is on point, and he perfectly blends the serious with the humorous. Also, the artwork in Burn, Christmas! Burn!! by painter Jeff Peterson is the best imagery to accompany a Gage book yet. The paintings beautifully blend the cools of winter with the warms of, well... fire and explosions. Peterson\'s paintbrush is a perfect visual accompaniment to Gage\'s pen.
So, the fact that I personally like Brian Gage aside, he\'s still responsible for a well thought out and masterfully produced Christmas tale. Make sure it\'s on your list to Santa this year... just be careful when you open up the package.