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misterjay's review against another edition
3.0
Tim Scott's Outrageous Fortune is a quirky adventure set in an almost recognizable tomorrow. The characters are funny and adventurous and the plot is full of action and suspense. In fact, the only real negative for me, were the moments of deep introspection that the lead character indulged in.
Those moments, frankly, felt like something the publisher insisted on fearing that a modern audience with a thirty second attention span may lose the plot. Or perhaps the author just needed to pad his wordcount. Either way, there were several pages at various points of the story where I could have used a bit less introspection and more description of the vivid and surreal landscape Scott created.
Still, it is a good summer read, especially for those who like their fiction light, but weird.
Those moments, frankly, felt like something the publisher insisted on fearing that a modern audience with a thirty second attention span may lose the plot. Or perhaps the author just needed to pad his wordcount. Either way, there were several pages at various points of the story where I could have used a bit less introspection and more description of the vivid and surreal landscape Scott created.
Still, it is a good summer read, especially for those who like their fiction light, but weird.
adularia25's review against another edition
4.0
This book is hilarious. From the very start when the Jonny finds his house has been stolen, to the section of the city that is based on Christmas music (complete with taxis that are sleighs). Don't worry if you don't know what is going on - neither does Jonny. Just sit back and enjoy the crazy ride. Oh - and be on the lookout for Shakespeare quotes - they appear in the most unlikely of places. Reading this book won't help you find the answer to the question of "whether 'tis nobler to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." It might not be noble, but it certainly is more fun!
socr8sjohnson's review
3.0
There's a sad thing that happens to books like this--they get labeled as being like Pratchett, or Douglas Adams. Then fans of those books show up and read them, and get mad b/c "This guy's no Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett!"
It's kind of unfair to describe a book by comparing it to another writer for this reason, but marketing departments need to sell books and those writers sell, so why not make the comparison?
This was not the funniest book I've read, but it did make me laugh in parts.
The true strengths of the book are as follows:
Some of the main "world-building" concepts in the book are fascinating-- The gadgetry, the way people are addicted to said gadgetry, homes being stolen. Tim Scott is clearly a writer who looks at things sideways, and so comes up with great ideas about our world and where it's heading.
Scott handles action extremely well, and builds anticipation in the reader to keep the him or her turning the page.
Scott's use of profanity, when he uses it, is amusing.
There is also a bit of an undercurrent of social commentary that I enjoyed.
The weak points:
There are mental asides on the part of the narrator that are bit too lengthy. It's easy to turn up your reading speed and skim these parts though.
The ending breaks a fairly iron-clad rule in modern fiction, though the idea of the ending turned the cliche' on its ear and ties in with the over-arcing storyline, Scott did not pull it off quite as elegantly as I believe he could have to make it really work.
The Jake subplot, though tied up at the end, was kind of cut short and not completely satisfactory, given its great build-up inside the plot.
The author breaks another rule most readers like in their fiction. If your story has a point, let us draw that conclusion on our own rather than spelling it out for us. Most readers stopped needing "And the moral of the story is..." after finishing Aesop in elementary school. It makes the reader feel smart to figure this out on their own, and if they don't get it, then they start talking to other people who've read the book, or re-read it to try to find the point. To spell it out, is to take that away--it's kind of like sitting down to watch The Usual Suspects and having someone in the audience shout out, "There is no Kaiser Sose! Kevin Spacey's character is making it all up!" (Sorry if I ruined that one for anyone).
It seems like an editor, or perhaps an agent might could've helped the author address these issues before the book saw print, but it is a first novel, and I think there's enough promise here for me to find a copy of Mr. Scott's next book, Love in the Time of Fridges.
All in all, the fast paced action. The interspersed smiles and chuckles and the well-thought out social commentary make me say give this book a shot.
It's kind of unfair to describe a book by comparing it to another writer for this reason, but marketing departments need to sell books and those writers sell, so why not make the comparison?
This was not the funniest book I've read, but it did make me laugh in parts.
The true strengths of the book are as follows:
Some of the main "world-building" concepts in the book are fascinating-- The gadgetry, the way people are addicted to said gadgetry, homes being stolen. Tim Scott is clearly a writer who looks at things sideways, and so comes up with great ideas about our world and where it's heading.
Scott handles action extremely well, and builds anticipation in the reader to keep the him or her turning the page.
Scott's use of profanity, when he uses it, is amusing.
There is also a bit of an undercurrent of social commentary that I enjoyed.
The weak points:
There are mental asides on the part of the narrator that are bit too lengthy. It's easy to turn up your reading speed and skim these parts though.
The ending breaks a fairly iron-clad rule in modern fiction, though the idea of the ending turned the cliche' on its ear and ties in with the over-arcing storyline, Scott did not pull it off quite as elegantly as I believe he could have to make it really work.
The Jake subplot, though tied up at the end, was kind of cut short and not completely satisfactory, given its great build-up inside the plot.
The author breaks another rule most readers like in their fiction. If your story has a point, let us draw that conclusion on our own rather than spelling it out for us. Most readers stopped needing "And the moral of the story is..." after finishing Aesop in elementary school. It makes the reader feel smart to figure this out on their own, and if they don't get it, then they start talking to other people who've read the book, or re-read it to try to find the point. To spell it out, is to take that away--it's kind of like sitting down to watch The Usual Suspects and having someone in the audience shout out, "There is no Kaiser Sose! Kevin Spacey's character is making it all up!" (Sorry if I ruined that one for anyone).
It seems like an editor, or perhaps an agent might could've helped the author address these issues before the book saw print, but it is a first novel, and I think there's enough promise here for me to find a copy of Mr. Scott's next book, Love in the Time of Fridges.
All in all, the fast paced action. The interspersed smiles and chuckles and the well-thought out social commentary make me say give this book a shot.
corpsewhale's review against another edition
4.0
This was definitely a fun and entertaining book with some futuristic elements I'd like to see become reality (other things not so much).
janetlweller's review
2.0
I bought this used paperback book so I could literally read while floating on a raft in a pool (really!, book lover heaven; give it a try), and it was perfect for that. It takes place in the future where dreams are manufactured, and people live in sections divided by the music they love. The main character, a dream architect has his house stolen (as in physically removed) and is left a note by the thieves "Don't you hate it when this happens?". From there he descends into a madcap chase involving surfing, long island ice teas and an "encyclopedia" sales person. It is over the top, too fragmented, but often laugh out loud funny. Does not need a lot of attention, so I did find it perfect for the pool.
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