King of Diamonds
Reviewers Say...
A Bull Durham on steroids....Thoroughly entertaining....a truly first-rate read. Read the entire review here
- ERIC DONDERO, Independent Publisher Reviews
...a loopy, humorous and fun-filled science fiction fable...features whimsy and laughs aplenty. Read the entire review here
- JIM COX, Midwest Book Review
The book shines on the strength of its tale and the energy and inventiveness in Strachan's use of the language. His humor is layered and subtle in some cases and over the top in others, keeping the reader off guard for his next revelation...
...one of the best and most enjoyable baseball tales in a long time. With its worshipful respect for the game's superstitious nature and its homage to a sport with a history of more wacky stories than all other sports combined, Strachan has created a tale worthy of a lasting place in the annals of baseball fiction. Read the entire review here
- MARK PIRAS, Beaufort (SC) Gazette
Although billed as a fable it's actually a serious novel, a science fiction/baseball comedy in the tradition of Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers Guide - but instead of fish, frogs rule, and it's sexy sci-fi like Samuel Delaney but with innings. Even the Note on the Author is hysterical. This is real Brautigan territory for fans of baseball and/or speculative fiction. Book design is also extraordinary. Highly recommended.
- TONY D'ARPINO, freelance book reviewer
Kudos From The Rich And Famous
A scoop of Tom Robbins, a dollop of Kurt Vonnegut, a soupcon of Robert Anton Wilson, all floating in a rich sauce of Henry Miller. I liked it a lot and can't imagine anyone who wouldn't.
- DIGBY DIEHL, Good Morning America
Is Strachan an Illuminoid? He pulls on his cosmic trigger and out pops the weirdest assortment of oddballs and maniacs since William Burroughs, conducting the weirdest assortment of affairs - in a baseball book, for goshdarnsake! Behold King of Diamonds: the all-American mindfuck.
- ROBERT ANTON WILSON, co-author, the Illuminatus! trilogy
It's not just sex that's important: it's the kind of sex. King of Diamonds promotes delicious, conscious, loving sex in a story ostensibly about baseball and the environment.
- MARGOT ANAND, creator of SkyuDancing Tantra and author of The Art of Sexual Ecstasy
Don Strachan is a master! He wraps the human condition into a baseball, coats it with everything from dripping, enchanting sexuality to parallel universes and puts it onto a playing field that is so often "politically incorrect" that you want to scream, "Kill the umpire!" By the final pitch, you will have a fantasmagorical home run in your hands, as well as redemption.
- STAN DALE, founder of the Human Awareness Institute
& creator of the Love, Intimacy and Sexuality workshops
It is so wonderful to read about the kind of sex that I, as a very sexually experienced woman, enjoy. I recommend this book especially to men who want to become even better lovers.
- ANNIE SPRINKLE, porn star turned sexologist
A rare achievement: the tragic eco-parable of the frogs squidges in, frog-style, to counterpoint the hilarious human hi-jinx on the ballfield and between the sheets.
- JOHN SEED, rainforest activist
& co-creator of the Council of All Beings
The sexiest baseball story since Bull Durham.
- BOB RUSSELL, former aide to Pres. Jimmy Carter
A story that is both complicated and simple at the same time. Strachan's use of words is extraordinary. I had difficulty putting King of Diamonds down.
- RICHARD JACOBY, author of Conversations with the Capeman
Readers Are Saying...
Customary Americana juxtaposed next to Pagan eroticism...Strachan is a knock-down drag-out brilliant writer.
- CAROL SOWARDS, Arco, ID
A hilarious and literate blend of science, humanistic spirituality and fantasy...highly unusual but lovable characters....radically rearranged my neuronal pathways.
- MIKE YORK, San Rafael CA
The writing is just amazing...incredible skill with words and ideas. I enjoyed it all a lot.
- NANCY MORRIS, Fairfax CA
Love it!...Erudite...as well as funny
- FELICIA FREUDIGER, Emeryville CA
*****(5 stars: top rating)
What a book! I'm finding it impossible to describe; no plot summary, however accurate, can capture the feel of this book. The comparison to Tom Robbins seems most apt, but Don Strachan has his own voice.
I found King of Diamonds very well-written, thought provoking and fun. The characters are intersting and sympathetic, and the story, while fantastic, remains plausible and engaging throughout.
I heartily recommend this book!
- GREG CARTER, San Francisco CA
I cannot believe this book - it is so great. I can hardly put it down.
- LORIN LINDNER, Los Angeles CA
I like Charley Orange: the all-American love underdog.
- JOHN CRAWFORD, Seoul, Korea
(Strachan) likes similes like werewolves like baying during the rotund lunar phase, like Wacko Jacko likes signs at Kmart that read, "Boys Pants - Half Off," like Apoidea Hymenoptera like the integumentary systems of their anaphylactic targets, like tightly tied gluteus maximi tissues like untying when united with the tired tweed of their timeworn cherished chairs, like wasabi-assaulted taste buds like frozen water cubules, like bargain hunters like periholiday rate reductions, like mylar spheroids like helium inflation, like merchants on Rodeo Drive like mistresses and wisened wives, like the Maytag repairman likes malfunctioning dishwashers and washers, like (I like) loquacious, libatious-like literations that were written by S/HeItself in an amalgamation of Vonnegut, Wilson, Miller and Harriet Beecher's Toe.
- MARCIA KIDDER, Tucson AZ
This is fantastic! I love your writing! I'm savoring the book.
- CAROLYN ARNOLD, Oakland CA
I laughed out loud. Not just funny but sweet. Even the frog sex was sweet.
- RUTH HOPPE, Sonoma CA
It's gutsy, fun and educational.
- APRIL JONES, Port Townsend WA