Tag Archives: humorous

Book Review of Mervyn vs. Dennis, by Niels Saunders

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Mervyn vs. DennisAuthor, Niels Saunders sent me an ecopy of Mervyn vs. Dennis for review.

Description from Goodreads:
Deep in debt, Mervyn Kirby gets a job he doesn’t want by pretending to be racist. His new boss Dennis Lane thinks he’s found a kindred spirit. When Mervyn confesses he’s not really racist, Dennis thinks it’s just part of the act. Day by day, to Mervyn’s horror, Dennis worms his way into Mervyn’s private life. Despite his fears, Mervyn is torn: his new job pays well but he despises Dennis and everything he stands for. How far will Mervyn go to free himself? How far will Dennis go to become friends? Will they settle their differences or end up killing each other? And why are so many shifty people carrying pineapples around town?

Review:
Man oh man, that was horrible in the best way possible. I mean, there’s racism, sexism, abuse, orgies, drugs, alcoholism, multiple sanitation and mental health issues, and a gross misuse of tropical fruit. But most of the really objectionable stuff, like having to read several diatribes against minorities, is an active engagement of the subject. The reader never loses sight of the fact that the main character is as disgusted as the reader. And for all it’s in-your-face xenophobic wretchedness the book is genuinely funny.

My criticisms are that it’s heavy on bathroom humor at times and I’m not a huge fan of including the writing of the book in the narrative of the book. But in the end, I was really pleased with this read.

Book Review of Alan Lennox and the Temp Job of Doom, by Brian Olsen

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Alan Lennox and the Temp Job of DoomI snagged a copy of Alan Lennox and the Temp Job of Doom, by Brian Olsen, from Amazon. At the time of posting is was free.

Description from Goodreads:
Alan Lennox has been assigned yet another soul-crushing temp job, keeping him from his first loves – drinking, playing video games, and looking for a boyfriend. But Alan’s new job proves to be anything but boring when his co-workers start turning up dead. The mysterious megacorporation Amalgamated Synergy has taken a deadly interest in Alan and his three roommates, and the hapless quartet are woefully unequipped to deal with the psychotic secretaries, murderous middle managers, and villainous vice-presidents hunting them down. 

Their investigation leads them deep into Amalgamated Synergy’s headquarters, but can Alan and his friends stay alive long enough to discover who – or what – waits for them on the top floor?

Review:
This is one of those books that is frustrating because it’s almost something special (and probably is for some people, just not for me). I liked the characters, though they were a little stereotypical. I liked the plot, even though it was on the slow side. It was funny, written well enough and possibly an allegory, but none of that really makes up for the fact that I never could buy the ending. The how of what happens is conveniently skipped over and it all felt rather anticlimactic.

Sir Edric's Temple

Book Review of Sir Edric’s Temple, by Thaddeus White

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Sir Edric's TempleI received an e-copy of Sir Edric’s Temple from the author, Thaddeus White, in exchange for an honest review.

Description from Goodreads:
When Sir Edric Greenlock, the Hero of Hornska, is summoned to attend the King in the dead of night he fears imminent execution. Committing adultery is frowned upon in King Lawrence’s domains, especially when it’s with Lawrence’s wife. The King, however, has something else in mind. Priceless royal treasures have been stolen, and the King dispatches Sir Edric to retrieve them in a mission that could optimistically be described as suicidal. 

Accompanied by his pathologically loyal manservant Dog, the prudish elf Lysandra, and a man called Colin, he must travel to the Unholy Temple to retrieve the royal treasures from a mysterious thief

Review:
I can say this book was funny. It had good dialogue. It was well edited. (There was a time or two where I doubted the use of a word, but it wasn’t often.) So objectively it’s a fine book. Unfortunately I found the main characters so disgustingly off-putting that it completely ruined the book for me. Yes, his utter contemptibility is supposed to be so complete as to be a joke in itself, but I just wanted to be done with him and no longer subjected to his vileness. He’s like a 41yo dude-bro, convinced of his own superiority and lacking any respect for women beyond his ability to break their body parts down for his own sexual satisfaction. Ick. The problem for me was that this was the primary running joke of the book. So, it’s basically asking me, the reader, to engage in and laugh at women in the age old tradition of paternalism everywhere. Ummmm, no thank you. I get it. It’s “a joke”….at my, a woman’s, expense. I could do without it, thank you. [Cue the “lighten up, don’t be such a bitch” retorts.]