The Man Burns Tonight: A Black Rock City Mystery

Finally there's an answer to the age-old question: How do you explain Burning Man to someone who's never been? Okay, yes, the person will have to read 300 odd pages to figure it all out, but it is well worth it. The setting and story are just perfect. I couldn't put the book down, and of course it made me totally homesick for Black Rock City. I'm not even usually a Mystery reader! So, take it from a Burner Librarian. If you need a good read and/or are interested in a perfect fictional take on Burning Man, look no further than The Man Burns Tonight.

This book is SOOOO fun, great descriptions, great insights, I have been savoring it. I don't know if I would like it as much if I were not a burner but it is very descriptive if someone is looking for a narrative of someone experience rather than an essay about the concept of the event. 2 Thumbs up!!

Captain Fun (Cortez) does a great job of capturing the flavor of the most unique place on Earth, Black Rock City. As he shows our hero Dex the ropes, we get to see the playa again through the eyes of a virgin. Fun also does a great job of explaining the customs of BRC very well, gifting, participating, leave no trace, and my favorite, safty third! I loved reading this book because it took me on one more playa adventure while I was decompressing in the default world. Let this story of murder be a lesson to you all that BRC isn't for everybody. Newbies and virgins think twice before you make the trip to Nowhere...Darth Bunny is out there!

A wonderful read for a burner who misses home. It really reminds you of all the reasons you fell in love with BRC to begin with and makes you miss it that much more.

it's Sunday Morning. I woke up at around 9 something, as I have been for months now - even on the Playa. I picked up the book that I've been reading since Thursday on the Playa. A book call 'The Man Burns Tonight" by Donn Cortez... or should I say, Captain Fun. I can say that because I got the book from Captian Fun himself. He gave it to me while chatting on some tower, sharing a smoke, in a drunken haze called SantaCon. Black Rock City had it's SantaCon on Wednesday. It rivaled many of the local LA SantaCons that I've participated in. We bar-hopped many of the best bars in Black Rock City. It was on the top of one of these bars where I met Captain Fun. We chatted about the random excitement and joys that is Burning Man. He then gave me his just published novel & signed it for me. I do remember giving him one of the last of my custom postcards. I might have even placed proper postage on it. I can't remember because it is around that point when it all became a blur. So i finished the book this morning. I have to say, it was one of the most fun & exciting books I've ever read. I had a couple issues with the plot, you could say there were a few holes in them, but overall it worked itself out. The thing I enjoyed the most were the characters. The story emphasised the true body of Burning Man, the people - The citizens of Black Rock City. Throughout the novel were interviews of various Burners. Although they are supposed to "fictional" they felt very real. They each had their own personal views of what Burning Man is or means to them. I would find it hard to believe that Captain Fun created all those thoughts & feelings himself, unless he's schizophrenic... which is possible. But in all seriousness Captain Fun was down to earth and... Fun. And so was his character in the book, aptly named, Captain Fun. The story revolves around a virgin Burner by the name of Dexter Edden, or just Dex. In the beginning he witnesses the violent murder of his boss, who dragged him out to the desert against his own better judgement. He runs for his life away from the killer and gets lost in Black Rock City. He eventually meets & becomes friends with various citizens who decide to help him prove his innocence. "...Dex is wanted by the killer... and by the police." The book is fast paced and full of wonderful characters. I don't know if the characters were genuinely fleshed out with prose or if my own biased Burner mind was able to fill in the blanks. It didn't matter because all the characters felt very real. It felt like I was really there on the playa. I could see the colorful lights and feel the drying wind. I could also taste the playa in my mouth - Or that could be because I was just there and I havent cleared up completely. Mmmm, playa dust.