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A review by missnicelady
The Road to Mars by Eric Idle
1.0
The robot's name is Carlton. I had to pick it up.
Actual review (9/23/10): Just...no. I was expecting Douglas Adams-style light sci-fi and humor, but Idle's tone is all over the place here. There's a robot writing a dissertation on comedy, and a bunch of sub-Catskills comedians, and Idle's own theories about comedy (which seem borrowed and not terribly insightful), and Idle's theories about women (which are kind of appalling*), but then also murders, conspiracies, and dog defenestration. And that's just in the first 100 pages, which is as far as I got before giving up. Life is too short for dull books.
*Idle states in the book that women aren't funny because they can't bear to be laughed at. I think what's probably closer to the truth is that men don't think women are funny because MEN can't bear to be laughed at. Not to generalize, of course, but it's true, right? Also, how could anyone who worked with Carol Cleveland for decades not think women are funny? Dude has issues.
Actual review (9/23/10): Just...no. I was expecting Douglas Adams-style light sci-fi and humor, but Idle's tone is all over the place here. There's a robot writing a dissertation on comedy, and a bunch of sub-Catskills comedians, and Idle's own theories about comedy (which seem borrowed and not terribly insightful), and Idle's theories about women (which are kind of appalling*), but then also murders, conspiracies, and dog defenestration. And that's just in the first 100 pages, which is as far as I got before giving up. Life is too short for dull books.
*Idle states in the book that women aren't funny because they can't bear to be laughed at. I think what's probably closer to the truth is that men don't think women are funny because MEN can't bear to be laughed at. Not to generalize, of course, but it's true, right? Also, how could anyone who worked with Carol Cleveland for decades not think women are funny? Dude has issues.