Birth By S.T. Gulik, Book Review

 

Max lives in a world where the absurd is an everyday occurrence. It is a matter of how he reacts to the events affect his life, and his likelihood to stay alive. Max's world isn't much different from ours; it is only a matter of time from our now and his then.

Chakra Kong Part 1: Birth, or The Exquisite Sound of One Hand Falling Off a Turnip Truck (2^nd edition) by S.T. Gulik is a look at our future through the lens of the absurd. I was given an advanced review copy by the author for review purposes.

Plot

In the future, the world progresses down the path of becoming stranger, odder, and more absurd. The division of society is greater. The threat of crime is greater. The threat of living is greater. The world has zombies living side by side with people who have been mutated by the acts of man and the acts of God. There are intelligent mutants living in the sewers (Iiites). People forced out of regular society because they look different and are stronger. And, there are the Riot Nrrds who are battling the Iiites with their intelligence and advanced degrees. Because they have come to understand, the Iiites are in more control of the world than normal people understand and want to care about.

In the middle of the chaos is Max, one of the masses who doesn't want to know and doesn't care. He is a guy who just wants to live his life by making enough money, having enough to drink, get high, and have sex. Unfortunately, for Max, he keeps getting thrust into the middle of the war between the Iiites and the Riot Nrrds.

Max is given the choice, at different times from both sides, to work for a particular side or die. He decides it is better to live another day. The middle is where he ends up, again and again, as he strives to keep himself in a place of relative safety. But he learns more about what his life is about.

Max has a destiny. He learns about his destiny from his spirit llama, by help from the mystics, who were introduced to by Jengists, who Max was directed to by the Night Noodles. With this greater knowledge, Max brings the first part of the war against the Iiite military arm to an end. Then with his arm wrapped around his Iiite girlfriend, he walks off to prepare for the next phase of the war after they get reacquainted.

Style

S.T. Gulik likes to write absurd stories. Birthis a prime example. Max's story happens in the future with many references to our current time and our past to anchor his absurd world with the absurd happenings people deal with today. Gulik just dials everything up a few notches to take it over-the-top.

Because of the extreme difference of our future society, Gulik starts out his book with some description of our future times. He gives the structure of society and some history of what is to come before we meet Max. At the end of the book, additional entries are available to reference and read more about a number of the elements he introduces.

Max for most of the story is a reactionary character. He would rather just be allowed to go home and live his life by getting drunk and high, but his destiny has other plans for him. Time and again he finds himself in a position where his decisions are limited to a point of basically having no option if he wants to continue living. Life and events are thrust upon him. This brings a number of other characters into Max's life he would not have met otherwise.

Most of the story is told through Max's perspective; however, readers are given insights to events by other characters. All of these combine together to show just how the world is out of control and rising to greater levels of absurdity.

Overall

You're never quite sure what to expect with the start of each chapter. Max's life is like a pinball machine, with him as one of the balls in a multi-ball game, there are a lot of things happening. It is a crazy life and a crazy world he is navigating as he heads into the bumpers and drop targets. But the exit gates are closed and Max keeps getting batted back up into the workings of the game.

There are many references, puns, and insights pulled from our present and past. Max's world, though different in many ways, is strongly grounded in our present. This is not a book to be looking for heavy meaning, but you might find some connection to the crazy stuff happening in your own life.

This is not a book for young readers. The themes, descriptions, and events are for the mature. This is a society where sex, drugs, and murder are everyday events. There is a constant threat of terrorism and war that is seen more as an inconvenience than a real danger. We see a world where there are few lasting consequences to the people living in it.

I recommend Birth to readers who are looking for the absurd and the outlandish.

About the Author (from the book)

S.T. Gulik is a magical cockroach.

He started life as a common wood roach in 1681, living in a small castle outside Dublin. One day, a human alchemist blew himself up while trying to brew the elixir of life. S.T. survived the blast, but he fumes cursed him with self-awareness and immortality. A lot has happened in three-hundred-thirty-five years. Everyone he knew and loved has died. Vampire movies make him cry.

On the upside, he's had countless adventures and learned many things. He worked for the goddess of chaos for one-hundred-twenty-three years. About thirty years ago, she turned him human and disappeared, which is fine because humans are smart and likable.

Oh, and he writes absurdist fiction. That's important. Gotta mention that.

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