Another wacky (and every-page humorous) story from John Scalzi. I love that every Scalzi story that I read reminds me of … absolutely no other story I’ve read. Unique, fun, and — regardless of the weirdness (and sometimes grossness) — pretty upbeat! I bet Scalzi doesn’t even have to work hard on this stuff — I think his tall tales come tumbling out of his brain already perfectly formed.
The setting — a small town in Ohio, a greedy corporation ready to extract every resource before tossing the remainders away, an even sleazier representative of said corp looking to further line his own pockets with some friendly embezzlement on the side. One thing about Scalzi’s books — it’s always very clear who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. Enter our hero, the wry, competent, guy-you-want-on-a-desert-island Mike Boyd — freshly “released” from a D.C. job in the USDA, coming “home,” tail between legs to an emotional set of townies. And then things start to get weird in the way only Scalzi tales can get. Check out the book cover for a few hints. Reminds me of old Astounding magazine covers…
A couple of extra points. Loved the first chapter which is told in second person from the perspective of … a rabbit. Hysterical. Could not stop laughing but also completely engrossed in the rabbit’s experience! Also — cryptids — have not heard that word before but I like it and it has high relevance. Look it up!
Fun, easy to read, a great reality-based hero, and did I mention weird? Really stimulates the creative centers and the funny bone.
Thank you to Tor Books and NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published on November 3rd, 2026.
Books to look forward to ... 