Review of The Rules of the Road by C.B. Jones
A.E. Jackson Review Score: 3 / 5 Ravens
How was this review scored?
Every road trip I’ve ever taken starts with the Talking Heads’ song “Once in a Lifetime” or “Road to Nowhere.” While I was familiar with a few of these road rules – I certainly didn’t know all of them. Listeners and readers of this novel will be sure to find some gems to follow on their next road trip.
I’ve driven across the country three times now. First, after a summer job in Yellowstone National Park, the trek took me back east to finish college. Second, following graduation, a great friend and I made the journey to get me settled at my first real job. Third, when I boomeranged, this time swapping hours behind the wheel with my Dad. Two of those road trip companions are now deceased, the third faced a tragic life threatening health condition - and survived. Although none of us ever heard the Rules of the Road broadcast during our late night sojourns, I can’t be sure we didn’t break one or two rules accidentally.
If you ever wondered why you spot a single shoe on the side of the road… Or what really happens when you don’t hold your breath while passing a cemetery… And if you should abide the strange speed limit sign in the middle of nowhere - the one that reads 67 MPH…
The Rules of The Road by C.B. Jones follows an amateur journalist after he encounters a strange radio program while driving alone at night. After being presented with a set of instructions that threaten fatal consequences, he escapes with his life, only to become obsessed with the broadcast. He does everything in his power to track down the mysterious voice on the broadcast, and meets several others who the signal has affected. The stories from travelers and truckers, vagabonds and vacationers, models and rock stars, each relay unnerving incidents after hearing the strange program.
I settled in to listen as a full cast narrated the audiobook version of the novel and was immersed in Jones’ unsettling world until the very end.
The short story collection is threaded through with a single theme and over arching story. Buck Hensley is like a modern day Crypt Keeper so many enjoyed on Tales from the Crypt. This collection would do well as a Netflix series, TV show, or film with the multiple stories it conveys. Each story conceals a minor reflection on social issues if the day - race, homeless, identity, and social media influencers - even the perception of time itself.
The multiple voices were appropriate to the overall theme of a broadcast gone bad, and all the characters were well performed by the cast. Buck Hensley delivers his signature line with a down home southern twang that’s hard to forget - "Stay alert. Stay lively. Stay lonely…" The reader, or listener, feels like the character telling the story is sitting right next to them in the car’s passenger seat.
The storytelling device of a reporter who’s life begins to fall apart as he explores strange occurrences surrounding a radio broadcast is well executed. I really enjoyed the way his story encapsulated all the smaller stories and brought them forth. The ending was a satisfying rapid fire, supernatural, visionary experience which brings Buck Hensley’s story you full circle.
Overall a very good collection of short stories, tied together with a singular storytelling device, and then a twist ending which steps back to reveal the strange occurrences that led to the creation of the central character Buck Hensley.
Content Warnings for The Rules of the Road
The Rules of the Road is a horror novel. As such, it is full of disturbing content that might trigger certain readers. If anyone would like fair warning, here is a list of content that might be upsetting for certain individuals.
The nature of this book is that it is told in an episodic style. Certain chapters can be skipped if necessary without losing the big picture of the entire story.
blood/death/gore/profanity throughout
threatened sexual assault (Chapter 4)
frequent car accidents
cancer
domestic abuse (chapter 11)
racism experienced by characters
C.B. Jones is an author from somewhere in the middle of America. His work has appeared on "The NoSleep Podcast" and in Cosmic Horror Monthly . His debut novel, The Rules of the Road was released in 2021. Follow him on Twitter @writersjones and of course the website https://therulesoftheroad.net