The Road to Mars: A Post-Modem Novel
The Road to Mars: A Post-Modem Novel
Author: Eric Idle
Amazon info http://www.amazon.com/Road-Mars-Eric-Idle/dp/0375703128/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-4129198-2250411?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1193075413&sr=1-1
It's not particularly great science fiction, but if you are a fan of comedy you will like this book. And by "fan of comedy" I mean someone who is interested in what makes things funny. The book concerns Carlton (a robot) who is trying to overcome his literal programming and discover humor. He meets up with two comedians (Alex Muscroft and Lewis Ashby), who fit his White Face/Red Nose comedy combo theory (think Abbott and Costello) and adventures ensue. The book is narrated by a professor (in the field of micropaleontology - the study of what has happened in the past 10 minutes or so) who has become fascinated with Carlton's work. The narrator's progression through the book is fun to watch, although somewhat predictable.
Overall, this book was fine - I sometimes had trouble figuring out who was speaking and the writing was a bit awkward at times. It wasn't hysterically funny, but it was very funny in parts. Dry humor, puns, language jokes, and references to Monty Python all worked well for me. But there might be better choices.
PS - I particularly enjoyed the sub-title - as "post-modem" looks just like "post-modern" in many fonts and this has often confused me. But my confusion has always been mis-reading post-modern as post-modem - I have never seen it this way around before.
Recommended: Fans of comedy, Monty Python afficionados.