Despite it being called a novel, it’s essentially a collection of short pieces, a number written for Esquire magazine, like “Wind Die, You Die, We Die” , “They Do Not Always Remember” and most famously, his coverage of the 1968 Democratic convention (which he attended with Jean Genet), “The Coming of the Purple Better One.” Many of these short pieces appear in other collections. ( )

Full of the usual Burroughsian revolutionary vitriol. Thank words that Burroughs wrote so much. ( )

First, let me say the audiobook is very well read.

Not sure why this is called a novel. It's more a hodgepodge of sometimes-related stories with some oddball elements thrown in, such as a whole section on doing things easily that should be published as its own self-help book. As a whole, this is engaging--Burroughs' subject matter may often be bizarre, but he tells his stories quite clearly--and it is sometimes very funny, often in the most violent sections, because the violence here is over-the-top to the point of ridiculousness, which seems the author's intent. But despite the newest parts of the book still being almost 50 years old, Burroughs' targets--the police, the military, politicians--are still (usually deservingly) today's targets. Certainly there's something to offend everyone, but if you wanted good taste, you wouldn't be reading this review to begin with. ( )

Exterminator! is a totally incoherent storm of rage. For most readers it will be void of meaning, while others may claim it embraces the world (including references to "the Little People"). ( )

Amazingly fractured, but Burroughs' way of going about the stories (writing style, metaphors, names, repetition) serves as a common backdrop. Non-sensical throughout a majority of the book (especially if you try to intertwine the stories in your head constantly), but artfully so.

It's only about 160 pages long in my edition, which was also horribly laid out in the typography/design sense, but definitely worth the read. Almost as good as Junky.

Burroughs was a master when it came to imagery, obscenity and rhythm. ( )