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stlorca's review against another edition
4.0
Eirik Gumeny's absurdist Exponential Apocalypse is a frequently-hilarious satire that will leave you shaking your head at its cleverness...or maybe just at the bad puns.
The world has ended...for the twenty-second time. America is now a vast, radioactive wasteland, fractured and impotent. (Mostly. Well, to be honest, it's been chopped up and sold off like so many toxic assets to the highest bidder.)
Populated by roaming gangs of philosophers, liberal-arts majors, and radioactive mutants, America is now also home to Thor, the (former) God of Thunder, who has been reduced to working as night clerk at the Best Western in Secaucus, New Jersey. When not dealing with pillow-mad guests, Thor enjoys an uneasy relationship with his co-worker Catrina.
Also roaming the land are the clones of past Presidents and monarchs, including Chester A. Arthur (the XVIIth iteration), Queen Victoria (the XXXth), and William Howard Taft (the XLII). To make things even worse, the mad god Quetzalcoatl wants to destroy the world (again).
This madcap novel squeezes all of this in and more. There's at least a smile on every page, if not a chuckle, chortle, or out-and-out guffaw. Gumeny is clearly influenced by Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut (and almost certainly, Monty Python's Flying Circus).
Gumeny takes potshots at all of the tropes of dystopic fiction: the irradiated landscape; monsters run amok; the hubris of scientists (who, to be sure, are at least self-aware enough to question why they meddle in things that Men Are Not Meant To Know); hordes of the living dead. I'll leave it to wiser heads to speculate on What This Book is All About; I was too busy enjoying the dialogue (I'm pretty sure the 19th-century Victoria wasn't this hilariously potty-mouthed).
His absurdism sometimes feels forced, as if he were intent on cramming as much silliness onto each page as possible, but when it works, it's hysterical (did I mention Timmy, the telekinetic, superintelligent squirrel?). Gumeny's wit may not approach the loopy heights of Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett at their finest, but give him time. I give Exponential Apocalypse a solid B+.
The world has ended...for the twenty-second time. America is now a vast, radioactive wasteland, fractured and impotent. (Mostly. Well, to be honest, it's been chopped up and sold off like so many toxic assets to the highest bidder.)
Populated by roaming gangs of philosophers, liberal-arts majors, and radioactive mutants, America is now also home to Thor, the (former) God of Thunder, who has been reduced to working as night clerk at the Best Western in Secaucus, New Jersey. When not dealing with pillow-mad guests, Thor enjoys an uneasy relationship with his co-worker Catrina.
Also roaming the land are the clones of past Presidents and monarchs, including Chester A. Arthur (the XVIIth iteration), Queen Victoria (the XXXth), and William Howard Taft (the XLII). To make things even worse, the mad god Quetzalcoatl wants to destroy the world (again).
This madcap novel squeezes all of this in and more. There's at least a smile on every page, if not a chuckle, chortle, or out-and-out guffaw. Gumeny is clearly influenced by Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut (and almost certainly, Monty Python's Flying Circus).
Gumeny takes potshots at all of the tropes of dystopic fiction: the irradiated landscape; monsters run amok; the hubris of scientists (who, to be sure, are at least self-aware enough to question why they meddle in things that Men Are Not Meant To Know); hordes of the living dead. I'll leave it to wiser heads to speculate on What This Book is All About; I was too busy enjoying the dialogue (I'm pretty sure the 19th-century Victoria wasn't this hilariously potty-mouthed).
His absurdism sometimes feels forced, as if he were intent on cramming as much silliness onto each page as possible, but when it works, it's hysterical (did I mention Timmy, the telekinetic, superintelligent squirrel?). Gumeny's wit may not approach the loopy heights of Christopher Moore or Terry Pratchett at their finest, but give him time. I give Exponential Apocalypse a solid B+.
amber_lea84's review against another edition
3.0
This book is hilarious. And it's full of swear words. You know how I love that shit.
My problem was this felt like a slow read despite being packed with jokes, (I've never thought this before, but it might be better as a movie than a book) and sometimes I was like damn, this guy straight up jacked Douglas Adams' style.
But I think if you come more for the random jokes than the story you might really enjoy it.
Do you like Taft jokes? (If you don't then get out.) Are you into Mexican dragons because they're neat as shit? Does the idea of Thor working a menial job sound hilarious? Does it amuse you when things are set in New Jersey?
Then we should be friends. Also, you might like this book.
I got the kindle version for a dollar so shit son, why not?
My problem was this felt like a slow read despite being packed with jokes, (I've never thought this before, but it might be better as a movie than a book) and sometimes I was like damn, this guy straight up jacked Douglas Adams' style.
Spoiler
Also, what about Timmy? Timmy can't be dead. I refuse to believe it. Is addressed in book two? TIMMY!But I think if you come more for the random jokes than the story you might really enjoy it.
Do you like Taft jokes? (If you don't then get out.) Are you into Mexican dragons because they're neat as shit? Does the idea of Thor working a menial job sound hilarious? Does it amuse you when things are set in New Jersey?
Then we should be friends. Also, you might like this book.
I got the kindle version for a dollar so shit son, why not?
curiousnoel's review against another edition
4.0
A wacky and hilarious romp. I giggled the whole way through. :)
proffy's review against another edition
4.0
I have been rejecting offers to receive review books from publishers, partly due to my serious backlog, but when Monica of Jersey Devil Press emailed me about a book that is reminiscent of Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers series, my little heart it did aflutter. I jumped on it. Monica also wrote that the book "been labeled as speculative satire, but we like to consider it just a damn entertaining book". I agree. This is pure entertainment.
In the world Gumeny created, the world has ended twenty-two times, and many variations of sentient beings have carved out their chunk of what's left including humans, atomic mutants, robots, stoner-hippie-liberal arts majors, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, genetically engineered Horsemen of the Apocalypse, undeified or partially deified ancient gods, squirrels, etc. etc. Love it. Not only do I seriously get a kick out of bringing ancient gods to modern times, I really like books which situate various types of intelligent beings in close proximity. Seeing how they get along both with each other and with the world in general just really interests me.
Another thing this book has going for it, at least for me, is its irreverence. I am not sure what it says about me - and I would prefer to not think too hard about it - but books which defy traditional expectations, glory in profanity, make the gods idiotic or belligerent or stoned, freely discuss the violent removal of appendages, and include entire chapters where nothing happens except someone asking "are we there yet?", well, these type of books just tickle my funny bone. I really enjoy a pseudo-intellectual, practically blasphemous laugh from time to time.
To be honest, there is very little depth, minimal character development, and okayish writing. But none of that matters when there is a chapter titled This One Goes Out to All the English Majors and another called Motherfucker Got Stuck in a Bathtub. Or Torsos-a-go-go, It's on Now Bitches, or Fun with Adjectives. Seriously, I could list all of the chapter titles, all 84 of them plus Prologue and Epilogue, and have a rollicking good time doing it. Oh, and don't worry about the 80+ chapters, they're like 1-4 pages long. :)
While reading I wasn't really reminded of Douglas Adams, this felt more like I, Lucifer, Whom God Would Destroy, or gods behaving badly. This type of read is quick, laugh-out-loud, naughty fun, and I really think the world needs more of it. And if you aren't convinced yet, all I can say is - You MUST meet Timmy.
In the world Gumeny created, the world has ended twenty-two times, and many variations of sentient beings have carved out their chunk of what's left including humans, atomic mutants, robots, stoner-hippie-liberal arts majors, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, genetically engineered Horsemen of the Apocalypse, undeified or partially deified ancient gods, squirrels, etc. etc. Love it. Not only do I seriously get a kick out of bringing ancient gods to modern times, I really like books which situate various types of intelligent beings in close proximity. Seeing how they get along both with each other and with the world in general just really interests me.
Another thing this book has going for it, at least for me, is its irreverence. I am not sure what it says about me - and I would prefer to not think too hard about it - but books which defy traditional expectations, glory in profanity, make the gods idiotic or belligerent or stoned, freely discuss the violent removal of appendages, and include entire chapters where nothing happens except someone asking "are we there yet?", well, these type of books just tickle my funny bone. I really enjoy a pseudo-intellectual, practically blasphemous laugh from time to time.
To be honest, there is very little depth, minimal character development, and okayish writing. But none of that matters when there is a chapter titled This One Goes Out to All the English Majors and another called Motherfucker Got Stuck in a Bathtub. Or Torsos-a-go-go, It's on Now Bitches, or Fun with Adjectives. Seriously, I could list all of the chapter titles, all 84 of them plus Prologue and Epilogue, and have a rollicking good time doing it. Oh, and don't worry about the 80+ chapters, they're like 1-4 pages long. :)
While reading I wasn't really reminded of Douglas Adams, this felt more like I, Lucifer, Whom God Would Destroy, or gods behaving badly. This type of read is quick, laugh-out-loud, naughty fun, and I really think the world needs more of it. And if you aren't convinced yet, all I can say is - You MUST meet Timmy.
bluepigeon's review
5.0
Exponential Apocalypse is an exciting, funny page turner. It is the first book in a series, which means there is much more joy to come. There is so much in the crackling dialog among the very many crazy and bizarre characters that it's hard to keep up with it all. The obvious references that Eirik Gumeny comfortably and so very callously (in a good way!) plays with range from Greek mythology to Voltron. As far as bizarro fiction (or weird fiction) goes, Gumeny has it all, except maybe for vampires, which may not be the case for too long. There are killer robots, clones, inept scientists, mutants, zombies, ghosts, undead cows, superhero squirrels, apocalyptic creatures, gods of many kinds, hipsters, English majors, hippies, zine publishers, hobos... The writing is fluid and funny. Though the style (the cheekiness, I should say) reminded me of Christopher Moore, because most of the book is based on dialog, the pace is much faster. The influences cited by the author are evident, especially Douglas Adams and Vonnegut.
Overall, a brilliant, fun read. Recommended for the beach, bleak winter days, boring lunch breaks at work, and for anyone who likes squirrels and mole sauce (or squirrels in mole sauce, if you like to combine interests).
Thanks to the author and LibraryThing for a free digital copy for my honest review. It was a blast!
Overall, a brilliant, fun read. Recommended for the beach, bleak winter days, boring lunch breaks at work, and for anyone who likes squirrels and mole sauce (or squirrels in mole sauce, if you like to combine interests).
Thanks to the author and LibraryThing for a free digital copy for my honest review. It was a blast!
avoraciousreader68's review
4.0
Where do I begin with this book? There are many characters and it’s told from several points of view. There are gods, werewolves, zombies, clones, robots, cyborgs, philosophers…well, basically everything except the kitchen sink. Why was there no kitchen sink? Anyway, if you like books that are quirky, absurd, irreverent, strange, outlandish, bizarre, um, I’m running out of words here. Let me put it to you this way…this book is like Monty Python on crack. I happen to love Monty Python (but not crack, not that I’ve ever tried it), so I found this book quite amusing and an entertaining way to spend an afternoon. I look forward to reading Book 2, Exponential Apocalypse: Dead Presidents.
*Many thanks to Jersey Devil Press for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog.
*Many thanks to Jersey Devil Press for providing me with a review copy. Please see disclaimer page on my blog.
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