I agree with many of Abbey's opinions. I enjoy when he's being provocative and pessimistic and sarcastic. But his fictional style is ludicrous. Ludicrous! I don't know, maybe it's not him, maybe it's me. Why is it adorable when Vonnegut says something silly and inane, and cheesy when Abbey does it? I feel like those dudes would have been buddies. Why am I annoyed by Abbey's lengthy descriptions of the barmaid? Why do I retch at the romantic story-line? Why does the backdrop feel more believable

Man, do I love Edward Abbey.

This is a post-apocalyptic work. Society has largely collapsed but one particular warlord has big dreams to revive civilization to meet his criteria on what humans should be like. Very nicely written. Loved the language here. The story was just so-so. It started off well, with interesting characters, but it kind of meandered and the denouement was relatively inconclusive. It almost seemed like it could be the first in a series, although I'm not aware of him writing any more about this world.

I can't give Abbey less than 5 stars. I get it, this is not his best book, the story is looser than most, but his prose still has me reaching for the nightstand pencil, and his characters are, as always, unforgettable.

I didn't expect to enjoy this book as much as I did, very nice.

This was my first Edward Abbey read, and not my last. I made a list of writers from interviews of Wallace Stegner, and Abbey was an intriguing mention.I loved the characters, the pace, and the world imagined - If we don't take care of our planet and each other, and if we allow thugs to use immorality to moralize for us. Things haven't changed much since 1980 when Abbey wrote this, heck since T Roosevelt had to fight for our land. We need to take care of the Earth - that should be our only politi...

Truly a terrible book. Gets two stars because somehow I felt like finishing it. Almost reads like a classic western, with less character development, a terrible, predictable plot, and an ending that wraps up almost every detail with a very bland Cinderella type of post apocalyptic justice. Thinking I might burn this one, because I feel bad for anyone who accidentally finishes it like I did...plus I could use the tinder I suppose.

After Desert Solitude, I get the sneaking suspicion that Abbey secretly hoped for this kind of societal collapse. Roaming the ruins of civilization, living on what you can scavenge with a team of morally upright oddballs, the only thing keeping humanity human. It was funny, I was entertained, but it's not terribly poignant or nuanced. The bad guys were bad, the good guys were good, and never was that line crossed.

Abbey’s take on a dystopian/post-apocalyptic tale is outstanding. Lyrical and fast paced, bleakly futuristic yet still full of the West that he loves, this is worth reading.

The sequel to "The Brave Cowboy," a great read!

He has been called the Thoreau of the American west. This novel makes it so.

This is a bit of a departure from Abbey's norm. While the typical themes of the desert southwest and a disdain for development continue, Good News dives deeper into Abbey's imagination and uncomfortably accurate estimations of the deterioration of American society. The heroes, of course, are a mix of politically apathetic and anarchistic, fighting against an oppressive and militaristic local government occupying the city of Phoenix. What ensues is a highly unrealistic and unbelievable tale of he...

"...In the effort to compensate for losses abroad, each industrial nation attempted to supply its needs by exploiting to the limit its own resources of land and forest, water and metals and minerals. The fuel needs of the machine were considered paramount, but the effort to keep the machine operating led to destruction of basic resources needed for the production of food. Agriculture itself had long before been mechanized, industrialized, assimilated into the corporate empire, the farmland subme...

Having read and enjoyed Desert Solitaire and The Monkey Wrench Gang, I decided that I would give another one of Edward Abbey's stories a try. Although the genre of a dystopian society has been over explored, it is also one of my favorite type of novels to read.This one was average, nothing more nothing less. The only thing which made it stand out as unique was it's US Southwest setting, where most of the novel takes place in or around Phoenix, AZ, which is ruled by a dictator referred to only as...

I have to read Edward Abbey when I'm in the desert.  What could be better?  Well, maybe any of his other books.  I prefer his nonfiction, especially [Desert Solitaire], his best.  Good News is another of his anarchist romps through the desert, man against the establishment, kind of fun but not his best.  Lots of philosophizing:  the main protagonist, a man attempting to reestablish government control in this dystopian story, in defending a sidekick who is a criminal who likes to torture people,

Edward Abbey was probably the grumpiest motherfucker ever. He loved the natural world and hated people. He was also married 5 times and was open about being an anarchist, all-be-it kind of a confusing one. He was also arguably one of the most important environmental writers. This is his dystopian novel about a fascist army trying to reform the united states and people on horses in the desert just not have'n it. Pretty solid. Plus, it features a completely destroyed Phoenix, AZ. That, I can get b...

At first, I wasn't grasped by this book by any means. I was confused, things were unclear, and it wasn't in a "must keep reading!" sort of way. But I persevered, and about 1/4 of the way in, I found my self eagerly reading. Something changed. The story started to reveal itself. And it's "Abbey-ness" started to come through. Upon completion, I immediately turned back to the beginning to read those first few chapters that were so vague and unmenaingful to me at the beginning so that I could now fi...

Not my favorite Edward Abbey book. It paints a picture of a really violent, disgusting (post-apocalyptic) world where women are sex slaves and men are power-hungry and killing-happy. I know that this is a pretty accurate reflection of parts of the real world, but it made me a little sick inside to read it sometimes. There one good chase scene at the end that satisfied some place in me that missed the excitement of "The Monkey Wrench Gang."

Another glorious desert escapade novel by Ed Abbey. Only this time, it was set in my home town--Phoenix.If you are unfamiliar with his social-anarchy themed books, I encourage you to read The Monkey Wrench gang first, and most definitely The Brave Cowboy before you read Good News, as it has some character back story.If you picked up this book as a first introduction to Abbey's work, chances are you'll enjoy the glimpse at how a dystopian society comes to be, particularly in southwest America.

Ed Abbey is always worth a read, and while this isn't his best, it's still Ed Abbey. A few more cliches than necessary keeps the book from being brilliant (although the first chapter is brilliant), but the book is thought provoking and an interesting, quick read. An intersection of climate-induced dystopia, the meeting between intellectualism, instinct, violence, art, love, hate, fear. Why is it called Good News?

Post-apocalyptic cowboy yarn. A few insigtful phrases. The story is kinda weak. Characters not developed enough. Not Abbey's best, but for an Abbey fan you'd better read this one too. I guess the Good News is the military-complex left Pheonix. So things can go back to the way they were - simple life without all the gadgets and complexities of modern life.

Started slow, began to build, and then just seemed to end. There could have been so much more developed here, but maybe the sparseness of it is a reflection of the landscape that Abbey was trying to create. While it may fit the tone of the story, the book ends up lacking substance because of it.

Not, by any means, his best work, but Edward Abbey is such a master of the American West. Definitely an enjoyable read, but tougher to slog through than his other stuff. One part post-apocalyptic doomsday novel, one part Western classic, two parts old man fed up with the state of the world. Worth a read if you're already a fan of his.

An interesting change of pace from Abbey, as he contemplates a futuristic dystopian vision of America. Of course, there are still some renegades left on horseback in the great Southwest. Not one of Abbey's better efforts, but certainly worth a read.

I keep hoping to run a cross an Edward Abbey book that can come close to THE MONKEY WRENCH GANG. This ain't it. This book seems like the introduction to a longer book, or a series of books that Abbey never got to write. It was an enjoyable read, but a let-down in the end.

Great view about the ind of society and things going back to the way they were in the old west. Outlaws and fights, this was an exciting book. Started out a little slow but then I got sucked in!!! Read it man!

The action here is fast-paced and like many westerns there is little ambiguity about who the white and black hats are. It is an exploration of the kind of mentality that is responsible for well organized assaults on the environment. It sees hope in a combination of rebellion and mysticism.

I enjoyed Abbey's experimentation with the future of environmental demise. The ending came out of left field for me. It's hard for me to believe that the Chief told anyone in his ranks what his real name was.

this is abbey's post-apocalyptic novel and its good enough to make a movie out of.

My least favorite Abbey book.