Dumb and decent can often look the same. It’s depressing, but the truth often is.
Scott Meyer, Off to Be the Wizard [Amazon, Bookshop, Local Library]
Tag Archives: Humorous Fiction
Ella Minnow Pea
Hermetic Library Fellow T Polyphilus reviews Ella Minnow Pea [Amazon, Bookshop, Publisher, Local Library] by Mark Dunn.
This fable of alphabetic elision seems more urgent now, I think, than even in in the burgeoning days of the so-called Global War on Terror when it was first published. So much of our discourse is now mediated and overruled by algorithms intended to incite and/or placate that a Bureau of Letter Enforcement seems superfluous–and yet we are more thoroughly surveilled than ever.
The happy ending of the story, while cleverly constructed, rings a Lyttle hollow.
I despise him, and as such, I will have a hard time pretending not to enjoy every second of his downfall and humiliation. That’s my burden to bear.
Scott Meyer, Off to Be the Wizard [Amazon, Bookshop, Local Library]
“Look,” Phillip said, “the world can be described as a war between two sides. The problem is that everybody has a different idea of what those two sides are.”
Scott Meyer, Off to Be the Wizard [Amazon, Bookshop, Local Library]
“Look, there’s no point in freaking out about the trials and ruining your day,” Phillip said. “I know,” Martin agreed. “Freak out tomorrow. That’s when the trials are. Today is meant to be a day of fun. Possibly your last.”
Scott Meyer, Off to Be the Wizard [Amazon, Bookshop, Local Library]
