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My review of Jeff Burk's #Shatnerquest
May. 14th, 2013 06:15 pmShatnerquest by Jeff Burk. Eraserhead Press, 2013
This semi-sequel to Burk's Shatnerquake will catch readers of the former work by surprise. In Shatnerquake, the author starts with slow molestation of the brain and turns up the heat slowly. In Shatnerquest, he goes right for thrusting himself into the mind without warning. The result leaves the reader surprised, sore, satiated and satisfied.
Unlike the prior work, where we build up to the apocalypse, the apocalypse comes in Shatnerquest in the first few pages. Our hapless heroes find their worlds destroyed, with only each other to hang on to. It's an existentialists' paradise, and as truly strong people would, they decide to make sense of the situation by going on a quest: to save their hero, William Shatner. The cross the nation, dodging bikers and other denizens of the post-apocalyptic world along the way. When they reach their destination, the final confrontation would leave lesser persons insane.
This isn't fine literature by any means. Bizarro is lowbrow and revels in it. But what Burk has done here is craft a crazy, hilarious love letter to science fiction fandom. Highly recommended.
This semi-sequel to Burk's Shatnerquake will catch readers of the former work by surprise. In Shatnerquake, the author starts with slow molestation of the brain and turns up the heat slowly. In Shatnerquest, he goes right for thrusting himself into the mind without warning. The result leaves the reader surprised, sore, satiated and satisfied.
Unlike the prior work, where we build up to the apocalypse, the apocalypse comes in Shatnerquest in the first few pages. Our hapless heroes find their worlds destroyed, with only each other to hang on to. It's an existentialists' paradise, and as truly strong people would, they decide to make sense of the situation by going on a quest: to save their hero, William Shatner. The cross the nation, dodging bikers and other denizens of the post-apocalyptic world along the way. When they reach their destination, the final confrontation would leave lesser persons insane.
This isn't fine literature by any means. Bizarro is lowbrow and revels in it. But what Burk has done here is craft a crazy, hilarious love letter to science fiction fandom. Highly recommended.
