Shock Totem 8: Curious Tales of the Macabre and Twisted by K. Allen Wood

Author:K. Allen Wood
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Shock Totem Publications
Published: 2013-12-31T22:00:00+00:00

–Robert J. Duperre

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, by Patton Oswalt; Simon & Schuster, 2011; 265 pgs.

I’m going to come out of the gate here and admit that I bent the parameters of the “horror” tie-in to review this book. I say that because aside from Oswalt’s wonderfully nostalgic references to horror playing a part in his childhood and teenage years (both in film and literature), there is next to nil of the scary stuff in here. But that doesn’t make it rock any less.

Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is a pseudo-memoir, all handed to us in that self-deprecating, sneaky snarky way that Oswalt has. His childhood and teen years in Virginia, working at a movie theater and playing Dungeons & Dragons, devouring volumes of fantasy and horror books—we start the ride there and go through to the early years of his comedy career. all peppered with hilarious anecdotes and darkly funny scenarios.

To break up the monotony, he throws in chapters of utterly strange things like “Chamomile Kitten Greeting Cards,” all presented with little explanation, but they appear to be a line of greeting cards with ideas and historical rhetoric penned by Patton. Wryly hysterical to say the least.

The chapter on old Hobo songs made me laugh so loud, my wife told me to put the book away as I was keeping her awake. There is a bittersweet chapter wherein his grandmother explains her increasingly bizarre gifts over the years.

The book is tied off with “Appendix A: Erik Blevins,” which is an alter ego Oswalt created to pass time and break monotony when he was working in the script writing biz. Wild and off-kilter workups of ridiculous films that never were, such as Cancer Pond, Slade Ripfire: Punch to Kill, and what would be the best of the franchise, Slade Ripfire: Deadly Blood-Kick to Oblivion.

Not to snuff the flame he lights with “Appendix A,” he delivers a second featuring the underground reviews of another persona, Neill Cumpston. We get to read his brutally honest and heartfelt reviews such as “Blade Fuckin’ II, Fuck Yeah!” and “X2: X-Men Kicking You In the Balls So Hard That You Puke On Your Balls and Also Your Ass!” Just ridiculous.

I must admit, it probably helps if you’re a fan of Oswalt’s brand of humor, as this book reads like an extension of his routines. In fact, those familiar with his bits will no doubt recognize some constant themes as they show themselves in this book. But I found it quite fun and funny.

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