A sometimes uneven but gleefully bizarre otherworldly story-in-progress.
A much-beloved actor inspires fan fiction that takes on a life of its own in Dwyer’s debut novel.
In Australia, in the year 1998, Barb and her friends have been crushing on German actor Siegfried P. Hinkelheimer. When they can’t get their “Siegfried fix” through theatrical releases or video rentals, they turn to the relatively new internet and quickly discover a fansite, enabling them to discuss all things SPH with fellow aficionados from around the world. Then Barb writes a story set in “UnEarth,” a virtual world in which her avatar, “UnEarthly Barb,” has a chance encounter with Siegfried. Others contribute ensuing chapters, including Barb’s Aussie pal, Lottie, and webmaster Donna. Their collective narrative spins off into the SF/fantasy realm, with the Hinkelheimer fans as major characters and Siegfried himself functioning more like a supporting cast member. It’s a zany, unpredictable tale boasting aliens, clones, Vulgarian sailors, a Fairy Queen, and a crocodile that may or may not devour someone. Their celebrity adoration soon turns into an obsession as they spin the never-ending story. Dwyer’s novel smoothly alternates between the “Fantasy Saga” and the messages and thoughts from the women in the real world. The book cleverly satirizes fans’ devotion as an undying infatuation—that may suddenly transfer to someone or something else. The author weaves in copious parodies of actors and movie titles, ranging from the genuinely funny (The British Are So Impatient) to the outright silly (like an actor called Nicolas Birdhouse). The women’s ongoing story, though entertaining, is occasionally too cleverly meta as the characters/avatars question the ever-evolving plot, suggest others write themselves in or out of the narrative, and repeatedly check the “Rule Book on [storytelling] Etiquette.” Still, there’s plenty of humor, both within the UnEarthly fantasy and the reality of the women, as when Barb is offended by certain story directions others take (“‘Thanks a lot, Lottie!’ Barb yelled into the phone. ‘Blowflies and an emaciated kangaroo, eh? How dare you try to ruin my outback mansion!’”) Most of the characters get their own UnEarthly backstories, as well as retro-style black-and-white illustrations of themselves and their more fashionable avatars.
A sometimes uneven but gleefully bizarre otherworldly story-in-progress.Pub Date: March 1, 2024
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: -
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: Dec. 13, 2023
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.
Are we not men? We are—well, ask Bigfoot, as Brooks does in this delightful yarn, following on his bestseller World War Z(2006).
A zombie apocalypse is one thing. A volcanic eruption is quite another, for, as the journalist who does a framing voice-over narration for Brooks’ latest puts it, when Mount Rainier popped its cork, “it was the psychological aspect, the hyperbole-fueled hysteria that had ended up killing the most people.” Maybe, but the sasquatches whom the volcano displaced contributed to the statistics, too, if only out of self-defense. Brooks places the epicenter of the Bigfoot war in a high-tech hideaway populated by the kind of people you might find in a Jurassic Park franchise: the schmo who doesn’t know how to do much of anything but tries anyway, the well-intentioned bleeding heart, the know-it-all intellectual who turns out to know the wrong things, the immigrant with a tough backstory and an instinct for survival. Indeed, the novel does double duty as a survival manual, packed full of good advice—for instance, try not to get wounded, for “injury turns you from a giver to a taker. Taking up our resources, our time to care for you.” Brooks presents a case for making room for Bigfoot in the world while peppering his narrative with timely social criticism about bad behavior on the human side of the conflict: The explosion of Rainier might have been better forecast had the president not slashed the budget of the U.S. Geological Survey, leading to “immediate suspension of the National Volcano Early Warning System,” and there’s always someone around looking to monetize the natural disaster and the sasquatch-y onslaught that follows. Brooks is a pro at building suspense even if it plays out in some rather spectacularly yucky episodes, one involving a short spear that takes its name from “the sucking sound of pulling it out of the dead man’s heart and lungs.” Grossness aside, it puts you right there on the scene.
A tasty, if not always tasteful, tale of supernatural mayhem that fans of King and Crichton alike will enjoy.Pub Date: June 16, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-2678-7
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Del Rey/Ballantine
Review Posted Online: Feb. 9, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK TO SCREEN
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.
A lifetime’s worth of letters combine to portray a singular character.
Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous but exceedingly well-mannered septuagenarian, is the titular correspondent in Evans’ debut novel. Sybil has retired from a beloved job as chief clerk to a judge with whom she had previously been in private legal practice. She is the divorced mother of two living adult children and one who died when he was 8. She is a reader of novels, a gardener, and a keen observer of human nature. But the most distinguishing thing about Sybil is her lifelong practice of letter writing. As advancing vision problems threaten Sybil’s carefully constructed way of life—in which letters take the place of personal contact and engagement—she must reckon with unaddressed issues from her past that threaten the house of cards (letters, really) she has built around herself. Sybil’s relationships are gradually revealed in the series of letters sent to and received from, among others, her brother, sister-in-law, children, former work associates, and, intriguingly, literary icons including Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry. Perhaps most affecting is the series of missives Sybil writes but never mails to a shadowy figure from her past. Thoughtful musings on the value and immortal quality of letters and the written word populate one of Sybil’s notes to a young correspondent while other messages are laugh-out-loud funny, tinged with her characteristic blunt tartness. Evans has created a brusque and quirky yet endearing main character with no shortage of opinions and advice for others but who fails to excavate the knotty difficulties of her own life. As Sybil grows into a delayed self-awareness, her letters serve as a chronicle of fitful growth.
An affecting portrait of a prickly woman.Pub Date: May 6, 2025
ISBN: 9780593798430
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Crown
Review Posted Online: Feb. 15, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2025
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