The Dick Cheney Code: A Parody [Paperback]

Henry Beard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 31, 2004

A bestselling, Harvard-bred humorist plans to knock out a slapdash, quick-buck parody of a wildly successful, head-spinning, clue-laden thriller in a flagrant attempt to cash in on the publishing sensation of the decade, but the tousle-haired satirist's sleazy scheme goes awry when his two heroes -- beautiful, brilliant Sandra Damsel and brawny, brainy Professor William Franklin -- stumble on an explosive and frankly preposterous centuries-old secret that plunges them into a puzzle-packed, plot-crammed, prose-swollen Washington intrigue whose flabbergasting finale will determine the outcome of the 2004 presidential election.

Cryptic praise for The Dick Cheney Code

"1, 1!" (highest rating) -- The Fibonacci Report

"Hysterical! Lacey shirt!" -- Anagram Monthly

"I laughed so hard I xxxxxx in my pants!" -- Redacter's Digest

"I bend over double! I hold my sides! I tickle my ribs! I slap my thighs!" -- Mime Magazine

"Three syllables, sounds like: Upper arm? Broken arm? Broken bone? Radius? Humerus? HUMOROUS!" -- Charade Magazine

"Too funny for words!" (9 letters, starting with P, ending in S) -- Acrostic Review

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code is all about an ancient brotherhood trying to keep a shocking secret. In The Dick Cheney Code, there is also a brotherhood and a shocking secret. The difference between the two books is that this one is a lot shorter, moves a lot faster, acknowledges its reliance on genre cliches, and is very funny. Beard has been writing parodies for a long time, and he pretty much has the drill down pat. He knows, for example, to throw in plenty of self-referential jokes and lots of silly names (Government agents named Dan Fine and Jim Dandy, preachers Jordy Weevil and Pud Buggerson). Like most literary parodies (e.g., Kaplow's The Cat Who Killed Lilian Jackson Braun), Beard's effort is funnier for those familiar with the source material. Still, if you happen to be one of the six people on the planet who hasn't read The Da Vinci Code, you will still find plenty to laugh at here (presuming you sit on the left side of the political aisle). David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Henry Beard attended Harvard College and was a member of the Harvard Lampoon during the period when it published nationally noted parodies of Playboy, Life, and Time. He went on to found the National Lampoon with Douglas Kenney (the writer/producer of Animal House and Caddyshack) and served as its editor during the magazine's heyday in the 1970's. He is the author or coauthor of five New York Times bestsellers--Miss Piggy's Guide to Life, Sailing: A Sailor's Dictionary, French for Cats, Leslie Nielsen's Stupid Little Golf Book, and O.J.'s Legal Pad--and more than two dozen other popular humorous works, including Latin for All Occasions, Xtreme Latin, Bill Gates' Super Secret Laptop, The Official Politically Correct Dictionary, Zen for Cats, Mulligan's Laws, and a series of humorous pocket dictionaries, including Golfing, Fishing, Skiing, and Sailing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Original edition (August 31, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743270029
• ISBN-13: 978-0743270021
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,054,135 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificently humorous!!, October 6, 2004

By 

Erin Esposito "esposito" (Rochester, New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dick Cheney Code: A Parody (Paperback)

This is a book that one can truly laugh outloud while reading, only if they've met the following two criteria: 1.) they've read the DaVinci Code and 2.) they are up to speed on all the happenings in Washington, DC and the political arena. If you have not met these two criteria, then the book will not seem as enjoyable or as funny.

The author has brilliantly masterminded a way to incorporate the similar twists from the DaVinci Code into a political thriller/parody. This is an easy reading, which can be read in one sitting (well, depending on how many times you have to stop reading because you're laughing so hard...) and is well worth the time!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A delicious parody, September 18, 2004

By 

Dr. K. Speeth - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Dick Cheney Code: A Parody (Paperback)

From page one, "The Dick Cheney Code" surpasses "The Da Vinci Code" whose peculiarities it caricatures. It's not only civilized, clever, and well written, but also -- and this is crucially important, because these days it would be easy, with what's going on inside the Beltline, to succumb to despair -- it's delightfully funny! A good laugh is hard to find. As Norman Couisins would attest, Henry Beard has contributed to the health of the nation by offering this delicious parody just when we need it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Thank You Dan Brown, February 21, 2005

By 

Russell Weisfield - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Dick Cheney Code: A Parody (Paperback)

This hidden message found on the back cover of the book tells exactly why this book is so funny. That is, Beard perfectly parodies The Da Vinci Code taking many stabs at Brown's style. The book even starts by mentioning what organizations are real like Brown does.

From a political standpoint, Beard definitely has a liberal slant. He takes many jabs at the Patriot Act and President Bush. While he does have make fun of John Kerry's flip flopping, the needling is far less than that of the President.

Beard's overall writing style is nothing great. He jumps around a bit and does not fill in many details. Nor does Beard try overly hard to write a coherent and absorbing story preferring instead to rely on the strength of the parody.

From this point of view he succeeds marvelously. If you find Dan Brown's writing to be somewhat predictable and long winded then you will find great joy in Beard's novel. Beard will even point out extra flaws in The Da Vinci Code and Brown's overall style.