Lucy Reviews . . . . The Dart League King by Keith Lee Morris

I'm just going to go ahead and get this out of the way and say that I absolutely loved The Dart League King by Keith Lee Morris, and I am awarding it an unprecedented 10 rattles out of 10. Congratulations Mr. Morris-- your book truly made me a happy baby (see below).


And how could I not love it with descriptions of a dart match--a dart match!--like this:

And the hand was raising already, because he couldn't stop to think, and that hand was now releasing the dart, and Russell felt all the breath go out of him as if it were his breath and not his hand that set the silver ball onto that wheel, sent the dart into the air, where it twirled ever so briefly, like the bright burst of a single lifetime measured against the stars, the flights spinning gently in little flames of candlelight, blond twists of a small girl's hair ...

So what is this book about? Well, on its most basic level, it is about Dart League night in small Idaho town and five lives that intersect during the course of the match that could decide the league championship. There's twentysomething Russell Harmon whose only real talent is throwing darts, but even that talent is being challenged by newcomer Brice Habersham, a dart savant with an interesting day job. There's Tristan Mackey, Russell's teammate, who is keeping a secret buried at his parents' lakehouse. Then there's Vince Thompson, who is intent on killing Russell on account of an unpaid debt. Last but not least is Kelly Ashton, who doesn't suspect that dart league night will present her with the most difficult decision of her life.

The Dart League King takes place over the course of this single night and is told from five separate perspectives, each illuminating the events of the night in a different way. It really is amazing how much Keith Lee Morris manages to pack into this one night, and it's a testament to his skills that he manages to pull it off.

It turns out, by the way, that babies can't join dart leagues. Believe you me, I checked. I spent all afternoon on the horn with various proprietors of various establishments, and none would allow anyone under 21 years old in. "Look," I said. "I just wanna sling some arrows. There won't be no trouble from me. Help a kid out, why don't you?" Of course, it was to no avail. So I tried to build a dartboard in my room. I figured that I could use my smaller stuffed animals as darts, but I couldn't figure out what to use as for the actual board. And then my mommy walked in, nagging me about something or other, and I tossed a miniature Eeyore at her head. BULLSEYE! Man, I love this game.

So I urge each and every loyal LEBSAB devotee to buy The Dart League King right now. Click the link, add it to your shopping cart on Amazon, and BUY IT.

Finally, thanks to Deborah at Tin House Books for sending me a copy. You've made me a happy baby. You've also added to my mommy's headaches by introducing me to my newfound love of throwing things at her head, but, to be honest, I was considering doing that before I read The Dart League King. It just gave me a good excuse to start.