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noz021's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
ti_leo's review against another edition
3.0
Besser, als erwartet, was leicht war. Erstaunlich detailverliebt und gut geschrieben. Der Autor hat durchaus ein Gespür für Spannung. Ziemlich abruptes Ende. Kann man lesen.
cheesygiraffe's review against another edition
4.0
So very SS in this book but it was amusing. To take this subject and bring some humor to it, has to be a hard accomplishment but it was pulled off here.
phronk's review against another edition
4.0
Bizarro at its purest. I enjoyed this short read, partially because asses never cease to be funny, and partially because there are more serious themes at work if you care to look for them. Sometimes it gets so bizarre that it's hard to follow what is even going on, and I think it has more to do with unclear writing than intentional ambiguity. More hit than miss though, and well worth reading if you enjoy butts and/or asses.
sheldonnylander's review against another edition
3.0
If you've noticed a recent trend in my reviews, I've been reading a lot of what gets classified as “bizarro fiction.” I remember when I first heard about it, about a year ago, and I pictured stories that would be weird, off-the-wall, and probably containing concepts or imagery that would be purely for shock value. What I had read so far was okay in these regards, but I was more surprised at the way these authors had chosen not to push these boundaries as hard as I expected.
Then I read Ass Goblins of Auschwitz by Cameron Pierce, a book whose title alone would immediately push the envelope. This is the kind of book that I pictured bizarro fiction would be like when I first heard about it. It's shocking to the point that, if you're not disturbed or even feel the need to vomit, at least early on in the book, then you probably need psychological help.
The story itself is pretty simple. It's told from the perspective of a boy named 999, a conjoined twin with his brother Otto from Kidland, who are prisoners in the land of Auschwitz, ruled by the cruel ass goblins. The only prisoners are children. Some are sacrificed on a daily basis.
The first half of the book deals with describing life in Auschwitz, while the second half is where the full plot really comes in as 999 and his brother become the subjects of an experiment by a particular ass goblin known as the White Angel.
In terms of describing daily life, I'm not sure if the author was attempting some kind of satire or underlying meaning to everything, whether it's the cruelty of adults to children, the jealousy of childhood innocence, or the injustice of a prostate exam. Most of this gets buried under imagery so disturbing that you don't really care about any underlying meaning.
Are there flaws in the book? Well, honestly, I can't really point to any in particular. While the imagery is disturbing and even over-the-top, I'm pretty sure that was the author's goal, so mission accomplished. I guess there are a few logistical problems in terms of consistent character description or actions, but these tend to get diluted in an otherwise consistent novel. So the novel is definitely very proficient technically
At the same time, while I try to be fairly objective, personal opinion and feelings are going to come into reviews like this, and keeping that in mind, I failed to really like the novel. Based on my previous experience with bizarro fiction, the title, and the somewhat silly cover, I expected something that would be a little more satirical and probably a bit offensive but ultimately funny in its offense. I was not prepared for the mental assault experienced, particularly at the beginning. Come to think of it, that's very much what the opening feels like. It's like you're being assaulted mentally by the disconcerting, and it feels a bit like the author is doing it for the same reason that the ass goblins torture the children: Because he can.
At the same time, it's difficult to fault the novel or the author. He had a goal in mind, and if I read it correctly he achieved his goal, even if I'm not entirely sure what that goal was, but at the end I just felt drained and empty over the usual curiosity or wanting more.
Ass Goblins of Auschwitz is ultimately an okay novel, but the assault to the senses can be a bit much, even for bizarro fiction based on my previous experiences. At the same time, it did leave me somewhat morbidly curious about Cameron Pierce's other works, as the novel is quite good on a technical level. But I would only recommend this novel for those who want something more “extreme” in the genre and have a fairly strong stomach. Which I do, but I think I simply wasn't prepared for what I got, like expecting hot buffalo wings that turn out to be atomic.
Ass Goblins of Auschwitz earns 2.5 out of 5 stars (three stars on Goodreads for benefit of the doubt and lack of half-star ratings).
Then I read Ass Goblins of Auschwitz by Cameron Pierce, a book whose title alone would immediately push the envelope. This is the kind of book that I pictured bizarro fiction would be like when I first heard about it. It's shocking to the point that, if you're not disturbed or even feel the need to vomit, at least early on in the book, then you probably need psychological help.
The story itself is pretty simple. It's told from the perspective of a boy named 999, a conjoined twin with his brother Otto from Kidland, who are prisoners in the land of Auschwitz, ruled by the cruel ass goblins. The only prisoners are children. Some are sacrificed on a daily basis.
The first half of the book deals with describing life in Auschwitz, while the second half is where the full plot really comes in as 999 and his brother become the subjects of an experiment by a particular ass goblin known as the White Angel.
In terms of describing daily life, I'm not sure if the author was attempting some kind of satire or underlying meaning to everything, whether it's the cruelty of adults to children, the jealousy of childhood innocence, or the injustice of a prostate exam. Most of this gets buried under imagery so disturbing that you don't really care about any underlying meaning.
Are there flaws in the book? Well, honestly, I can't really point to any in particular. While the imagery is disturbing and even over-the-top, I'm pretty sure that was the author's goal, so mission accomplished. I guess there are a few logistical problems in terms of consistent character description or actions, but these tend to get diluted in an otherwise consistent novel. So the novel is definitely very proficient technically
At the same time, while I try to be fairly objective, personal opinion and feelings are going to come into reviews like this, and keeping that in mind, I failed to really like the novel. Based on my previous experience with bizarro fiction, the title, and the somewhat silly cover, I expected something that would be a little more satirical and probably a bit offensive but ultimately funny in its offense. I was not prepared for the mental assault experienced, particularly at the beginning. Come to think of it, that's very much what the opening feels like. It's like you're being assaulted mentally by the disconcerting, and it feels a bit like the author is doing it for the same reason that the ass goblins torture the children: Because he can.
At the same time, it's difficult to fault the novel or the author. He had a goal in mind, and if I read it correctly he achieved his goal, even if I'm not entirely sure what that goal was, but at the end I just felt drained and empty over the usual curiosity or wanting more.
Ass Goblins of Auschwitz is ultimately an okay novel, but the assault to the senses can be a bit much, even for bizarro fiction based on my previous experiences. At the same time, it did leave me somewhat morbidly curious about Cameron Pierce's other works, as the novel is quite good on a technical level. But I would only recommend this novel for those who want something more “extreme” in the genre and have a fairly strong stomach. Which I do, but I think I simply wasn't prepared for what I got, like expecting hot buffalo wings that turn out to be atomic.
Ass Goblins of Auschwitz earns 2.5 out of 5 stars (three stars on Goodreads for benefit of the doubt and lack of half-star ratings).
booklover145101's review against another edition
1.0
I can't finish it. I made it less then half way through, and I've decided not to finish. I normally don't read Comedy types of books, but since a friend at work bought this as basically a joke for my birthday I thought I would give it a try. I regret even starting this book.
cwebb's review against another edition
3.0
Quite a weird one. Puke-tastic and bizarre enough to have earned the #1 spot in Bizarro Central's top book list.
http://www.weberseite.at/buecher/ass-goblins-of-auschwitz/
http://www.weberseite.at/buecher/ass-goblins-of-auschwitz/
sarahconnor89757's review against another edition
5.0
Josef Mengele and Sigmund Freud had a baby and Cameron Pierce shit on it.
This book is probably the most disgusting thing I've ever read and I could not put it down.
This book is probably the most disgusting thing I've ever read and I could not put it down.
mrfrank's review against another edition
3.0
OMG! WTF! ASS GOBLINS OF AUSCHWITZ by Cameron Pierce FTW. What the HELL what that? I though I had read Bizarro before until I read Pierce. ASS GOBLINS could easily define the genre. Part fairy tale, part fable and all whacked out this story pushes the limits of imagination. The story is a tour de force of mind bending,oddball, off beat and down right pondeorus adventure.
Its a story of oppressive monsters (who happen to be shaped like giant grotesque buttocks with a flair for Nazi swag) who take away the lives of children as redemption for their own lost youths. Not even the children escape the bizarro treatment in this story. There are giant apples, toilet toads, wall of chocolate cake and bicycles made from parts of discarded children. And that just scratches the surface.
The all the strange being thrown at you from every angle underlies some very real perspectives on life and politics. This is at its heart a fable and a fairy tale. It not hard to replace some of the harsher images presented and superimpose unicorns and princes. In the end you find that Cameron Pierce is not only oddly brilliant but also human. Like the rest of us.
If it's Bizarro you want, read ASS GOBLINS and it's Bizarro you will get. No book has yet to stand as a pillar of the genre near as much as this one does.
Its a story of oppressive monsters (who happen to be shaped like giant grotesque buttocks with a flair for Nazi swag) who take away the lives of children as redemption for their own lost youths. Not even the children escape the bizarro treatment in this story. There are giant apples, toilet toads, wall of chocolate cake and bicycles made from parts of discarded children. And that just scratches the surface.
The all the strange being thrown at you from every angle underlies some very real perspectives on life and politics. This is at its heart a fable and a fairy tale. It not hard to replace some of the harsher images presented and superimpose unicorns and princes. In the end you find that Cameron Pierce is not only oddly brilliant but also human. Like the rest of us.
If it's Bizarro you want, read ASS GOBLINS and it's Bizarro you will get. No book has yet to stand as a pillar of the genre near as much as this one does.