Breakfast of Champions is a surreal satire that addresses themes of sex, pollution, racism, mental health, desperation, and hypocrisy complete with crude and often comical illustrations drawn by Vonnegut himself.
What enthralled me most—and set this book apart from many of his other works (and just about anyone else’s)—was his use of third-person omniscient to remind the reader that he is the creator of this story and in complete control of the characters and situations.
I was thoroughly entertained when he veered off on amusing tangents or took pause to explain some of his plot decisions. A refreshing read!
In a frolic of cartoon and comic outbursts against rule and reason, a miraculous weaving of science fiction, memoir, parable, fairy tale and farce, Kurt Vonnegut attacks the whole spectrum of American society, releasing some of his best-loved literary creations on the scene.
'Vonnegut explains everything from an apple to the pyramids...weird, fast and inventive' Daily Telegraph
Duchovny’s anthropomorphic adventure about farm animals on a quest for a better (and longer) life is a funny, fast-paced, and uplifting read.
The story’s humor—at times dry and subtle, other times blunt and absurd—endeared me to the characters and their naïveté as they fled their mundane, doomed existence to confront the befuddling world of humankind.
It was easy to suspend my disbelief while opening my heart not merely to the plight of animals destined for slaughter, but to a tale that teaches enlightenment, understanding, and mutual respect for those of different beliefs and cultures.
A rollicking, globe-trotting adventure with a twist: a four-legged heroine you won't soon forget
Elsie Bovary is a cow, and a pretty happy one at that--her long, lazy days are spent eating, napping, and chatting with her best friend, Mallory. One night, Elsie and Mallory sneak out of their pasture; but while Mallory is interested in flirting with the neighboring bulls, Elsie finds herself drawn to the farmhouse. Through the window, she sees the farmer's family gathered around a bright Box God--and what the Box God reveals about something called an "industrial meat farm" shakes Elsie's understanding of her world…
I’m always eager to peruse used book shops and vintage book dealer tables at genre conventions. I never fail to leave without a stack of classic gems. One recent find was the The Best of L. Sprague de Camp.
Known in his time as a humorist in the fields of SF and fantasy, de Camp was also a historian, scientist, and engineer, all of which informed his fiction.
I find most short story collections to be uneven in quality and there were a few here that didn’t grab me, but most were clever, delightful, and thought provoking tales that stood out from the usual genre fiction of de Camp’s time. I was thrilled to add this compilation to my collection.
“Triumphant collection from SF's best-educated humanist.” The Washington PostA science fiction collection by one of the all-time greats of science fiction, L. Sprague de Camp. These stories and poems exemplify de Camp’s unique outlook on life and mankind and are told with a quiet but sharp irony that became his trademark. Bold, inventive and humorous, this collection is a must for fans of the writer.“De Camp’s clever fusion of the droll and the sober is evident throughout.”—Booklist
Daniel Masenda thought he had made peace with his dark past when he left his home for a better life fourteen years ago. As the mayor of a small, tranquil town along Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Daniel has everything he ever wanted—until a series of haunting visions, coupled with the death of his estranged mother, pits him against two ghostly entities at war with one another. Each has its own agenda as they force Daniel to relive moments from his violent youth and push him to the edge of insanity. As his idyllic life begins to unravel, will he be able to decipher the message behind the hauntings before they destroy, not only him, but the soul of someone he left behind?
