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dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
You click on a spam email and wake up a sloth after an all night bender. When people start acting strangely, you team up with Randy the Retard and Cross the Asshole, your friends/neighbors, and start getting to the bottom of things. Can you save the city?
You are Sloth! is a tale of spammers, brainwashing, and drunken debauchery, told in the second person point of view by you, the hapless apartment dweller transformed into a sloth. It's kind of like Kafka's the Metamorphosis, only instead of being transformed into insectoid vermin, you're transformed into a sloth, and instead of being an exploration of the alienation and isolation, it's a collection of dick jokes. Okay, so it's not very much like The Metamorphosis but it is pretty entertaining.
Steve Lowe delivers the chuckles in this slim book. While the situations are funny, dialogue is Steve Lowe's forte. Sloth, Randy, and Cross all have great dialogue that sounds like it's out of a Judd Apatow movie. The spammer's broken English is really authentic if you've every opened one of their ineptly crafted missives.
So yeah, I enjoyed it but I didn't enjoy the shit out it. It wore a little thin after a while and the ending went a little long. Other than that, it was a fun read. How many books have you read that have the phrase "death by bukkake" in them? 3.5 out of 5 stars.
You are Sloth! is a tale of spammers, brainwashing, and drunken debauchery, told in the second person point of view by you, the hapless apartment dweller transformed into a sloth. It's kind of like Kafka's the Metamorphosis, only instead of being transformed into insectoid vermin, you're transformed into a sloth, and instead of being an exploration of the alienation and isolation, it's a collection of dick jokes. Okay, so it's not very much like The Metamorphosis but it is pretty entertaining.
Steve Lowe delivers the chuckles in this slim book. While the situations are funny, dialogue is Steve Lowe's forte. Sloth, Randy, and Cross all have great dialogue that sounds like it's out of a Judd Apatow movie. The spammer's broken English is really authentic if you've every opened one of their ineptly crafted missives.
So yeah, I enjoyed it but I didn't enjoy the shit out it. It wore a little thin after a while and the ending went a little long. Other than that, it was a fun read. How many books have you read that have the phrase "death by bukkake" in them? 3.5 out of 5 stars.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
Remember that spam email you received promising to share millions of dollars if you'd just share your bank account with the spouse of some crooked African dictator? How about the one where some 'gorgeous' Russian girl with a vocabulary south of the bimbo mark begs you for the pleasure of calling her 900 number? Or what about the one threatening absolute catastrophe if you don't immediately forward the message to 20 of your closest friends? If you've ever had even a passing thought of opening one of those ticking e-bombs, Steve Lowe has a word of caution for you:
"Why you are sloth? Because fuck you is why! HAHAHAHAHA!!1!"
It is with that pithy, English-as-a-third-language, taunt that everything begins going wrong for the reader - because, as the title suggests, YOU are the protagonist. Magically transformed into an honest-to-gosh sloth, complete with yellow claws, a furry back, and an extraordinary long tongue, you're left to play everything from cute wingman, to furry target of gay men's affections, to vengeance-seeking superhero. This is one rude, crude, and lewd adventure, filled with ridiculous toilet humor, the worst kind of gay stereotypes, and a rather piss-poor opinion of humanity. It's also wildly imaginative, very funny, and even pithy and insightful, provided you can allow yourself to see through the Bizarro spectacle.
Lowe is definitely one of the more accessible authors of the genre, somebody who gives as much attention to telling a story as to exploring the surreal. His narrative is simple and free-flowing, without playing any sort of literary tricks to confuse or amuse. In addition, his characters actually have a personality, and develop through the course of the story. His story is deliberately offensive in many ways, but as a caricature or over-the-top parody, never as a mean-spirited attack. There are some Bizarro titles I skim through for scenes that catch my eye, and others that I read cover-to-cover . . . Lowe is definitely one of the latter, and a gentleman I need to read more of.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
"Why you are sloth? Because fuck you is why! HAHAHAHAHA!!1!"
It is with that pithy, English-as-a-third-language, taunt that everything begins going wrong for the reader - because, as the title suggests, YOU are the protagonist. Magically transformed into an honest-to-gosh sloth, complete with yellow claws, a furry back, and an extraordinary long tongue, you're left to play everything from cute wingman, to furry target of gay men's affections, to vengeance-seeking superhero. This is one rude, crude, and lewd adventure, filled with ridiculous toilet humor, the worst kind of gay stereotypes, and a rather piss-poor opinion of humanity. It's also wildly imaginative, very funny, and even pithy and insightful, provided you can allow yourself to see through the Bizarro spectacle.
Lowe is definitely one of the more accessible authors of the genre, somebody who gives as much attention to telling a story as to exploring the surreal. His narrative is simple and free-flowing, without playing any sort of literary tricks to confuse or amuse. In addition, his characters actually have a personality, and develop through the course of the story. His story is deliberately offensive in many ways, but as a caricature or over-the-top parody, never as a mean-spirited attack. There are some Bizarro titles I skim through for scenes that catch my eye, and others that I read cover-to-cover . . . Lowe is definitely one of the latter, and a gentleman I need to read more of.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
sheldonnylander's review against another edition
5.0
The sloth: An odd tree-dwelling animal, the most commonly referred to species of which has three toes and a permanent smile on its face.
The spammer: An internet-based douchebag who sends unsolicited email in bulk.
How are these two related? In You Are Sloth by Steve Lowe, a criminal simply known as the Spammer has begun sending out emails that turn people into their power animal. When you (yes, you) are turned into a sloth, you must join with your neighbors Cross the Asshole and Randy the Retard (named so by Cross the Asshole), you must track down the Spammer, discover his dastardly plot, and reap some three-toed vengeance.
So, the first thing you'll notice is how I referred to “you” as the main character. That's because this book is written in a second-person perspective (for those not familiar with literary terms, first person is “I,” second person is “you,” and third person is “he/she/it,” to put it quickly). The second-person perspective is usually used in things like those old “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. This is not one of those. It's simply an experimental way of telling the story, and it works. I have to give Lowe a lot of credit for risking this kind of perspective. It's odd at first, but you get used to it very quickly.
The second thing is that this book is funny. It is really funny. The humor is gross, inappropriate, and yet given the characters this book deals with, it couldn't be any other way. These are very low-brow characters. If you don't like lots of feces or mature themes in your story, especially death by bukkake, this might not be the best book for you. For me, it works perfectly in the context of this story.
The story flows, the characters develop, and it's a fun journey along the way as you discover how to be a sloth. If anything, this book actually reminds me a little of Lowe's earlier book Muscle Memory. In both books, characters find themselves in different bodies and have to come to terms with themselves, what they've done, and how they've lived their lives. This similarity isn't necessarily a bad thing. I liked “Muscle Memory,” and while it's a similar theme, the story itself is completely different.
I can't really find a fault with this book. It's hysterically funny, thoughtful, experimental, and really just an outright fun book to read. You really can't go wrong here. Steve Lowe has written what is arguably one of the best books I've read all year, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.
You Are Sloth by Steve Lowe earns 5 three-toes out of 5.
The spammer: An internet-based douchebag who sends unsolicited email in bulk.
How are these two related? In You Are Sloth by Steve Lowe, a criminal simply known as the Spammer has begun sending out emails that turn people into their power animal. When you (yes, you) are turned into a sloth, you must join with your neighbors Cross the Asshole and Randy the Retard (named so by Cross the Asshole), you must track down the Spammer, discover his dastardly plot, and reap some three-toed vengeance.
So, the first thing you'll notice is how I referred to “you” as the main character. That's because this book is written in a second-person perspective (for those not familiar with literary terms, first person is “I,” second person is “you,” and third person is “he/she/it,” to put it quickly). The second-person perspective is usually used in things like those old “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. This is not one of those. It's simply an experimental way of telling the story, and it works. I have to give Lowe a lot of credit for risking this kind of perspective. It's odd at first, but you get used to it very quickly.
The second thing is that this book is funny. It is really funny. The humor is gross, inappropriate, and yet given the characters this book deals with, it couldn't be any other way. These are very low-brow characters. If you don't like lots of feces or mature themes in your story, especially death by bukkake, this might not be the best book for you. For me, it works perfectly in the context of this story.
The story flows, the characters develop, and it's a fun journey along the way as you discover how to be a sloth. If anything, this book actually reminds me a little of Lowe's earlier book Muscle Memory. In both books, characters find themselves in different bodies and have to come to terms with themselves, what they've done, and how they've lived their lives. This similarity isn't necessarily a bad thing. I liked “Muscle Memory,” and while it's a similar theme, the story itself is completely different.
I can't really find a fault with this book. It's hysterically funny, thoughtful, experimental, and really just an outright fun book to read. You really can't go wrong here. Steve Lowe has written what is arguably one of the best books I've read all year, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.
You Are Sloth by Steve Lowe earns 5 three-toes out of 5.
mrfrank's review against another edition
4.0
YOU ARE SLOTH! by Steve Lowe could very well be the most unique hit of 2013. Lowe manages to tell a very captivating tale of man turned into a Sloth, and that man is YOU! Duh. Not only is Lowe able to tell a fast paced story based on the world's slowest animal (I did not fact check that) but he does it in the seldom used 2nd person point of view. It all comes together in a story of hackers and terrorists and assholes.
At it's heart, YOU ARE SLOTH is a whodunnit. Yet, without the fast paced plot, the characters really drive this story and keep you glued to the pages. The sloth, you, is fun to get to know seeing how you adapt from being human you whole life then suddenly adapting to the life of a sloth. To help hinder that process are the sloth's (you) friends, an asshole and a retard.
That is where another great part of the story comes in. It's hilarious every bit as much as captivating. The humor can be off color to more sensitive folks, but if you're that sensitive you shouldn't be even mildly interested in this type of book anyway. There are plenty of jabs at pop culture and modern technology as well that helps to keep everything fresh and interesting.
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from YOU ARE SLOTH. Was it going to be some silly story jumping on the Sloth Meme bandwagon? Was it going to be a completely off-the-wall bizarro tale that would be difficult to follow? Was it going to be a boring story about a boring sloth that goes absolutely nowhere? The answer is none of the above. This is action, adventure, thrills and laughs all rolled into on of the best stories you are going to read in awhile.
At it's heart, YOU ARE SLOTH is a whodunnit. Yet, without the fast paced plot, the characters really drive this story and keep you glued to the pages. The sloth, you, is fun to get to know seeing how you adapt from being human you whole life then suddenly adapting to the life of a sloth. To help hinder that process are the sloth's (you) friends, an asshole and a retard.
That is where another great part of the story comes in. It's hilarious every bit as much as captivating. The humor can be off color to more sensitive folks, but if you're that sensitive you shouldn't be even mildly interested in this type of book anyway. There are plenty of jabs at pop culture and modern technology as well that helps to keep everything fresh and interesting.
I wasn't sure exactly what to expect from YOU ARE SLOTH. Was it going to be some silly story jumping on the Sloth Meme bandwagon? Was it going to be a completely off-the-wall bizarro tale that would be difficult to follow? Was it going to be a boring story about a boring sloth that goes absolutely nowhere? The answer is none of the above. This is action, adventure, thrills and laughs all rolled into on of the best stories you are going to read in awhile.
nkmeyers's review against another edition
4.0
If you ever wondered just how wrong things could go when you click a link in a spam email - this terrifically insane yet somehow logically constructed tale of coincidences that are anything but will take you to that happy place !
moimoi5c878's review
5.0
Snažila som sa napísať normálnu recenziu lenže to sa nedá, v prvom rade by najprv kniha sama o sebe musela byť normálna. Tento skvost má od toho ďaleko. Je to bizarný chaos a rozprávanie v druhej osobe a príšerný humor a urážlivý obsah a všetko čo som chcela a ani o tom nevedela. A leňochod s fezom na hlave...fez!!!
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