041. The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975).

The Monkey Wrench Gang by Edward Abbey (1975).

One day, on a river trip to Glen Canyon, four strangers, after long conversation over campfire about society, government, river, etc., agree on one thing:

they are the last stand against all the establishments that threaten the beloved Glen Canyon and its river.

So they start the sabotages on bridges, trains, construction sites and all heavy equipment’s around the river.

The first ever home breed eco terrorist group, The Monkey Wrench Gang is born!

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layers. –It’s basically four wacky heroes versus one egomaniac.  Here is fab-four, The Monkey Wrench Gang:

Seldom seen Smith. A Mormon river guide who knows all the terrain around Colorado River, Glen Canyon and Southwest America. He has several wives and they call him seldom seen because they get to see him only once in a blue moon.

A gentle, cautious and reasonable man. Gang’s leader, I think. Hannibal.

George W. Hayduke. Veteran Green Beret who survives Vietnam and now safely back home. But like most of soldiers from Vietnam, he can help himself but looking for another war and finds it in The Monkey Wrench Gang.

He looks and talks like a savage caveman. He is always heavily armed and extremely dangerous. Also, he leaves his signature “Rudolph the Red” on every site he terrorises.

Your basic description of crazy psychopath. Mr. T.

A.K. Sarvis, M.D. A gifted Armenian surgeon who is the financial back born of The gang. He is the one comes up with the strict rule that they will never harm anyone. Only bridges and mines and anything made out of plastic and metal need their attention, he says.

After his wife passed away, he spends his time like a walking zombie until he meets Abzug. Murdoch with clear mind.

Ms. Bonnie. Abzug. An absolutely gorgeous hippie girl form Brooklyn.

She is an assistant/nurse/lover of Dr. Sarvis. She has been chainsaw-cutting billboard sighs in highway with Dr. Sarvis until she founds TMWG with others. Face.

TMWG’s final goal is Glen Canyon Dem and they are plotting and musing about it all the time.

And the bad guy is

Bishop Love. Multi-millionaire red neck Mormon businessman who wants to be a mayor and beyond. He is a leader of a search and rescue team and vigorously goes after The Monkey Wrench Gang.

Vicious psychopath who will do anything to do whatever he pleases. Just a fantastic Super villain every good adventure novel need.

All of gang members including Love have amazing background story to tell and that is one of the main attraction of this book.

                                       

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lace. – American Southwest around Grand Canyon. The land of dead, no man’s land, you name it. Most of it is just endless horizon of land with nothing much in it except harsh weather and wild nature. The author however describes the land with such a care and love, you sometime get the strange feeling that vast nothingness is actually cool.

Nature aside, wherever there are bridges, mines, high way expansions and trains, you can be assured that out gangs will be there with their full gears.

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lot. – Even if the subject matter is quite violent and what they are doing is completely insane, this book is actually filled with humor and great characters.

There are two things that carries the story on this book. One is four totally different, complicated and crazy yet fantastic characters and the other is the actual acts of attack. 

The ecological sabotage that causes all the havoc, not to mention cost millions of dollars to government and cooperation is so random, simple and brutal, it’s almost like watching preschoolers play with their toys on playground. I mean, they are destroying one ton, small house-size bulldozer with sugar and syrup!! And since there is no internet in 70's to get all the know-hows, the gangs are learning their trade by trial and mistakes. You know, like, sometimes use too much syrup, sometimes use too little dynamites, something like that. It’s hilarious.

The basic storyline is as follow:

1.    River trip. The Monkey Wrench Gang emerges.

2.    Basic planning with Dr. Sarvis’ big wallet.

3.    Ecological wrecking!! All the fun begins.

4.    More sabotages. Authorities and local red neck gangs lead by Love start to caching on to TMWG.

5.    More sabotages. Finally, the luck starts running out.

6.    Every law enforcement outlet is after them and none of them is interested in catching them alive. Can TMWG survive? If they do, what about their final and ultimate objective, the magnificent Glen Canyon Dem?

 

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erdict. It’s really strange book. Even if heroes are terrorist and they are destroying everything that make our lives convenient, high way, oil, etc., you can’t stop rooting for these guys. I can’t stop wishing for them to succeed whatever they are doing and getting away free from all the crimes they commit.

I am also quite surprised that this book did not inspire quite a few aspiring eco-terrorists to do exactly the same thing TMWG is doing to the real life because this book makes eco-terrorism so cool!! Or maybe I just don’t know about it. It’ll be interesting to find out.

This book is funny, often hilarious, exciting with several chasing sequences and also occasionally educational about life in the desert. It has everything, you know.

It’s a truly unique book which glorify horrible act of ( eco-) terrorism, yet somehow manages to stay humorous, intelligent and convincing.

Act of sabotaging civilization has never been this cool!!