A kid from Kentucky named Luther Sellars is discovered by a talent scout named Col. Jack Freeport, who transforms the young folksinger into a rock 'n' roll sensation: Stag Preston. From there, it's a wonderful, terrible trip through fame, debauchery and, ultimately, self-destruction.
Sound familiar?
This is, in many ways, Ellison's most remarkable book. Few fiction writers have succeeded so well in capturing the rhythms and textures of rock music, and Spider Kiss holds up even in the era of hiphop and alternative. What's most amazing about this novel, though, is how closely it mirrors the death spiral of one Elvis Aron Presley -- even though it was published more than a decade before The King's own downfall and was probably based more on the career of Jerry Lee Lewis.
A must. One of two or three of the best novels ever written about rock and roll. (For another fine example of the genre -- it, too, written by a fantasist -- seek out a copy of The Armageddon Rag by George R.R. Martin.)
Spider Kiss was included as part of Edgeworks 2 in 1996. A new trade paper edition of the novel, featuring a stunning Robert McGinnis cover, was published in 2006.
Fawcett paperback 1961 (first edition)
Armchair Detective Library hardcover 1991
