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mckibbin 's review for:
Zombie Spaceship Wasteland
by Patton Oswalt
I'm a fan of the author, but not a fan of this book. Too many half-baked ideas (particularly the strained title essay on nerd culture), too many off-the-mark attempts at whimsical miscellany (epic poems based on D&D! vampires arguing over turf! satirical wine lists and greeting cards!) A big part of Patton's success as a standup, of course, hinges on his incisive writing. Still: a PART. In this book, we get that part without the other stuff. Sometimes we don't even get the part. The whole "self-deprecating but self-righteous" nerd thing, for instance, works much better on stage than on page.
I found myself wishing for a more straightforward memoir; not all of the autobiographical passages resonate, but the successful ones are the book's high points. I understand not wanting to write yet another book for the "young comic pays his dues and finds his voice" pile, but the "celebrated comic churns out a disjointed book of essays and odds-and-ends" is a regrettably big pile, too.
I found myself wishing for a more straightforward memoir; not all of the autobiographical passages resonate, but the successful ones are the book's high points. I understand not wanting to write yet another book for the "young comic pays his dues and finds his voice" pile, but the "celebrated comic churns out a disjointed book of essays and odds-and-ends" is a regrettably big pile, too.