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being_b's review against another edition
DNF at the 17% point. The idea is interesting, but the white boy protagonist who does crude comedy about his imaginary girlfriend's sex life interspersed with postmodernist dreamscapes is just... no thank you. Neither original nor compelling. "Women as props" is officially my least favorite trope of 2018.
euzie's review against another edition
2.0
Agh this was frustrating at times.
It's hard to say what this book is
As I've hidden this due to spoilers I assume that if you are reading this you know the basic premise at least. Stand-up comedian in a world where there is a humour virus sweeping the nation.
OK, the first 75% of this didn't seem to care about the actual virus story line much, more trying to set up the contrast of the protagonist before and after. This seemed to consist of a bunch of sub Marc Maron meets angry redditor musings on life and a bunch of genuinely unfunny jokes and schtick. There were also some punk lyrics that could have been written by a 14 yr old emo kid on a particularly bad day.
I know it was written in the first person, but does that explain why every single character speaks with the same voice?
Then the book actually went somewhere, echoing Flowers for Algernon as the virus took hold. At this point I finally realised (maybe wrongly) that the book seemed to be an allegory for modern day society, over political correctness, lack of individuality and a general "spirit". (it did get a tad heavy handed towards the end)
So as a critique on modern society it does work rather well, but takes forever to get there.
Thing is, the main character is an absolute bellend (non Brits feel free to look this up) , really one of the worst whiny, angry, self loathing but egotistical piles of sh¡t I have had to endure. Constantly believing he is funny but really really isn't. Also, there is a difference between being politically incorrect to make a point, and coming across as borderline misogynistic and racist. Simple word choice.
Unless that's the point? Maybe the lack of humour is supposed to make me think I have the virus? hmmm? or maybe the character had the virus all along? That would explain it.
Why did i finish it? The premise was actually interesting. so a star for that
It's hard to say what this book is
As I've hidden this due to spoilers I assume that if you are reading this you know the basic premise at least. Stand-up comedian in a world where there is a humour virus sweeping the nation.
OK, the first 75% of this didn't seem to care about the actual virus story line much, more trying to set up the contrast of the protagonist before and after. This seemed to consist of a bunch of sub Marc Maron meets angry redditor musings on life and a bunch of genuinely unfunny jokes and schtick. There were also some punk lyrics that could have been written by a 14 yr old emo kid on a particularly bad day.
I know it was written in the first person, but does that explain why every single character speaks with the same voice?
Then the book actually went somewhere, echoing Flowers for Algernon as the virus took hold. At this point I finally realised (maybe wrongly) that the book seemed to be an allegory for modern day society, over political correctness, lack of individuality and a general "spirit". (it did get a tad heavy handed towards the end)
So as a critique on modern society it does work rather well, but takes forever to get there.
Thing is, the main character is an absolute bellend (non Brits feel free to look this up) , really one of the worst whiny, angry, self loathing but egotistical piles of sh¡t I have had to endure. Constantly believing he is funny but really really isn't. Also, there is a difference between being politically incorrect to make a point, and coming across as borderline misogynistic and racist. Simple word choice.
Unless that's the point? Maybe the lack of humour is supposed to make me think I have the virus? hmmm? or maybe the character had the virus all along? That would explain it.
Why did i finish it? The premise was actually interesting. so a star for that
timbooksin's review against another edition
1.0
Dumpster. Fire.
This is a fascinating concept (what happens when everybody loses their sense of humor?) poorly executed.
Rather than focusing on the humor virus crisis, this book focuses on drugs, sex, drugs, horrible relationships, drugs, death, violence, and drugs.
Nothing was funny. And I'm not here to police anyone's language, but the use of words like r*tard and f*g were completely and utterly distasteful. There was no need.
Hard pass.
This is a fascinating concept (what happens when everybody loses their sense of humor?) poorly executed.
Rather than focusing on the humor virus crisis, this book focuses on drugs, sex, drugs, horrible relationships, drugs, death, violence, and drugs.
Nothing was funny. And I'm not here to police anyone's language, but the use of words like r*tard and f*g were completely and utterly distasteful. There was no need.
Hard pass.
bibliowrecka's review against another edition
1.0
This book is trying to be some sort of deep exploration of the state of human society amid heavy-handed allusions to the 2016 presidential election. In truth, I can't stand anything about what the main character or, apparently, the author, thinks is "comedy". I'm sure that to the author and others like him, that means I'm just a humorless zombie like those infected by the virus in this book. Personally, I think I've got a decent sense of humor, it's just that ableism, racism, sexism, Islamophobia, homophobia, etc. etc., aren't actually funny. Uh oh, guess I'm just too politically correct.
meeranair_54's review against another edition
Robbert Guffey dives right into the field of stand up comedy with his science fiction novel, Until The Last Dog Dies, speculating a future devoid of humour. A virus has infected people's ability to register or respond to humor, thereby threatening Elliot and his friends' profession.
The premise of this novel is a fantastic one! I couldn't have been more excited to read it. But sadly, I didn't finish it. The initial couple of chapters weren't gripping at all and try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to push through till the very end. There were some scenes strung together that didn't make sense to me and Elliot's character didn't help make matters better. All throughout the chapters, his thought process is all over the place and so the narrative digresses multiple times in a confusing manner. The writing style of the author is pretty articulate and does not heavily rely on dialogue. Apart from the writing style, the plot was something I really looked forward to. But when you are unable to connect with any of the characters in a book, it becomes a little difficult to keep reading.
Perhaps if you do finish reading it, you could let me know your thoughts about the book. But I tried a couple of times to get a grip on it and failed.
What do you get out of it? Honestly, other than coming to terms with what it's like to be a stand up comedian, I can't highlight any plus-points within the chunk of the book that I read.
Thank you Ingram Publisher Services and Edelweiss for an e-galley in exchange for a review.
The premise of this novel is a fantastic one! I couldn't have been more excited to read it. But sadly, I didn't finish it. The initial couple of chapters weren't gripping at all and try as I might, I couldn't bring myself to push through till the very end. There were some scenes strung together that didn't make sense to me and Elliot's character didn't help make matters better. All throughout the chapters, his thought process is all over the place and so the narrative digresses multiple times in a confusing manner. The writing style of the author is pretty articulate and does not heavily rely on dialogue. Apart from the writing style, the plot was something I really looked forward to. But when you are unable to connect with any of the characters in a book, it becomes a little difficult to keep reading.
Perhaps if you do finish reading it, you could let me know your thoughts about the book. But I tried a couple of times to get a grip on it and failed.
What do you get out of it? Honestly, other than coming to terms with what it's like to be a stand up comedian, I can't highlight any plus-points within the chunk of the book that I read.
Thank you Ingram Publisher Services and Edelweiss for an e-galley in exchange for a review.
crankylibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
Elliot is a not-so-up-and-coming comedian scraping by on his wits in the hellish cacophony of hipster L.A. So far so predictable, except for a terrifying twist: a worldwide virus is destroying the humor center of everyone’s brain. In denial, Elliot sees friends, audiences and even world leaders succumb to drug abuse, irrational rage, and torpor. Battling the virus himself, and feeling his comic sensibility fade like a stand-up comedian in Flowers for Algernon, Elliot wonders: can society survive without a sense of humor?
Guffey (Chameleo: A Strange but True Story of Invisible Spies, Heroin Addiction, and Homeland Security, 2015) keeps things lively with facepaint-addicted clowns, Mormons in psychedelic ties, a mysterious graffiti artist with a perverse world view, and a punk band composed entirely of terminally ill musicians. Foul mouthed and joyously un-p.c., Elliot relishes his dying role as humor merchant to an increasingly humorless world.
Will appeal to fans of Charlie Huston's The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death.
Guffey (Chameleo: A Strange but True Story of Invisible Spies, Heroin Addiction, and Homeland Security, 2015) keeps things lively with facepaint-addicted clowns, Mormons in psychedelic ties, a mysterious graffiti artist with a perverse world view, and a punk band composed entirely of terminally ill musicians. Foul mouthed and joyously un-p.c., Elliot relishes his dying role as humor merchant to an increasingly humorless world.
Will appeal to fans of Charlie Huston's The Mystic Arts of Erasing All Signs of Death.
lbw's review
3.0
2.75-3 stars. I wanted to like this a lot, but it was more “good enough” than “great.”
The first 1/4 or so seems like it’s leading up to an exploration of the disease that destroys humor, but then that storyline appears to be dropped. However, it’s not until near the end when the book ends right after the 2016 election that I realized the story is probably a comment on modern society and that maybe the appearance of dropping the disease storyline was to make the reader experience the disease in some way. The old comic’s musing that he always thought the apocalypse would happen without anyone knowing is going to stick with me, but the story does end on a somewhat hopeful note.
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