Reviews

The Obese by Nick Antosca

pacardullo's review against another edition

4.0

"The Obese" is a smart satire wrapped in a horror novella. This is not a indictment of the overweight. Instead, it satirizes culture's obsession with body image. It is a quick, fun read and worth seeking out.

This edition, published by Lazy Fascist Press, also contains the fascinating short story "Predator Bait". I wouldn't mind seeing this story expanded upon. Good stuff.

lodke's review against another edition

4.0

Brilliant social commentary; little on the short side. Nick Antosca has created multifaceted and strikingly realistic characters that reflect some heavy modern issues. The setting, too, is vividly portrayed, and the core concept of the book is great. Sadly, the plot fails to live up to the standards Antosca sets for himself--the book follows the generic survival-horror trope without much deviation. Also, it's too damn short. The addition of the story "Predator Bait" helps a little with this; its a cool story, also with strikingly realistic and multifaceted characters. All in all, a recommended read.

melanie_page's review against another edition

2.0

I feel like the contemporary references are really powerful, including Facebook, gmail chat, Anderson Cooper, etc. and make the work memorable and important in a way. Once the obese start nom-nom-nom-ing, the story quickly turns zombie, and some of the significance fell away for me. There are full-circle parallels, such as Nina removing pieces of people/piece of Nina being removed, though. To be fair, I'm reading this book with the mindset that I might teach it in the fall, so it's possible I'm being too "deep" about a novella that's supposed to be 90% fun.