The Amazing Snox Box [Hardcover]

Brian Gage (Author), Tom Ellsworth (Author), Robert Park (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

“To subjugate slaves, convince them they’re free.” So says Sammy Sopkins, the Intergalactic Salesman, in this witty send-up of corporate capitalism. Sammy is hired to help King Locks, ruler of the diamond-rich moon Zanic, quell a planned revolt by the oppressed miners. His solution? The Amazing Snox Box. These boxes display images of luxurious lifestyles so tempting the mesmerized miners will work even harder. Color illustrated throughout, this is a wonderful intergalactic fairy tale that spoofs corporate power.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Brian Gage is sneaky...Snox Box comes on all charm and cuteness, while delivering a withering critique of the media. -- Robbie Conal

Right now...consumers are undermined by manipulation. This story warns us to take a fresh look... -- Norman Solomon

About the Author

Brian Gage, a satirist and Web designer living in Los Angeles, is the author of Snark, Inc. Tom Ellsworth graduated from the San Francisco Academy of Art. A freelance illustrator, his clients include Hewlett-Packard, Performance Computing magazine and 3Djoe.com.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 44 pages
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press; 1 edition (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887128573
• ISBN-13: 978-1887128575
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,295,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in Youngstown, Ohio and lived there most my life. Moved to San Francisco, CA after graduating from Ohio State, and finally found my way to Los Angeles which coincided with the publication of my first book. In addition to four books, I also have a short story published in Politically Inspired called "The Vampires of Draconian Hill" which I am currently developing into a 3 part vampire epic.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars TV causes the downfall of all civilization, March 8, 2006

By 

Pants Pants Pants (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Amazing Snox Box (Hardcover)

I first read this book a couple of years ago and thought it was very clever. Though the author sometimes sacrifices compelling language to reach a rhyme, the overall story is a rich, satirical tale for adults about how TV is used to lull a group of dissatisfied slaves back into complacency, presented in the guise of a children's book. I bought a copy recently to read to my junior high media literacy class in honor of "Turn Off Your TV Week" and a lot of it flew right over their heads. I think the rhyming helps to cloud the real issues being presented so I would recommend this title only for a high-school-and-older audience. Also, this book, unedited, is not suitable for read-alouds as it is deceptively long (and one can only listen to rhyming couplets for so long).

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Smart, October 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Amazing Snox Box (Hardcover)

This is a very clever follow up to Snark, Inc. I read a review somewhere stating the book puts more twists into fewer pages, and I agree with that. I liked Snark but this book is more of an interesting critique of its enemy (if you will) as it has a stronger narrative. I think the best underlying theme of the book is that the "protaganosts" are treated as a faceless collective - which is exactly what people become as media consumers. There's a great illustration to convey this when the Snox Boxes are delivered to slaves, and they're all in the background with no discernable faces. Definitely worth picking up if you have your doubts about the true intentions of mega-media corporations. Control, control, control!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kill Your Television!, June 19, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Amazing Snox Box (Hardcover)

This is a fun book. The graphics are really engaging, and the writing has a really incisive glance at consumerism and how TV and media control every aspect of our lives. It's a nice follow up to Snark, Inc. and in many ways it's a stronger book.

Turn off the TV and check it out!