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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A survival story for the times, September 28, 2007
This review is from: Extinction Journals (Paperback)
In an age where misinformation has spread to epidemic proportions, where the issues of peak oil and environmental collapse are addressed by the creation of hybrid SUVs, and where technology has quietly invaded and altered every aspect of human life, books like Extinction Journals are more important than ever. Despite all of today's problems (a looming conflict with Iran, celebrity antics, etc.), it's still possible to find hope for a solution. And yeah, constructing a cockroach suit to survive nuclear fallout isn't exactly a solution, but it does shed some light on the utter absurdity of our current dilemmas. As Dean, the novella's protagonist, says, "One day you go to bed happy. The next day your dad dies. In a stupid, stupid way."
Later, after Dean encounters a woman who also owes her life to insects, we eventually come to learn that as devastating as the planet's destruction might be, it doesn't have to be all misery and loneliness. Even when just about every living thing has been annihilated, there still exists a potential for new life. In this case, that new life might turn out to be far stranger than any Darwinist can conceive.
A few have pointed out that Extinction Journals isn't perfect, and upon first reading, it did feel too rushed toward the end. After reading it again, this was far less of an issue. As is the case with many short novels, characters aren't always fully fleshed out, but the re-read demonstrated that this isn't necessarily detrimental to the book either.
If you're looking for a fresh, freakishly funny read, look no further than Extinction Journals. Your inner insect won't regret it.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HOO BOY!, May 7, 2006
This review is from: Extinction Journals (Paperback)
"Extinction Journals," by Jeremy Robert Johnson is so cool that upon finishing it, I walked out of my apartment and kicked a tree until it collapsed. Then I screamed. Some neighbors came out and complained, but I simply shrugged and lent them this incredible little book. Their screams now fill the night and not a single tree within five miles is left standing.
Let me start off by saying that Mr. Johnson's short story "The Sharp-Dressed Man at the End of the Line" is quite possibly my favorite short story, ever. In it, a man named Dean makes a suit out of cockroaches and summarily survives a nuclear holocaust and kills the Twinkie-suit wearing president. If this is too awesome for you, I'm sure Nicholas Sparks has some new heartwarming tale, just a click away.
The book picks up where the story left off, and right from the beginning I was hooked. The weirdness escalates, but Johnson's genius lies in his ability to inject just enough off-hand, real-world knowledge to allow you to suspend your disbelief when you're introduced to fishy chariot-gods and a naked love interest covered in ants.
Johnon's writing is frenzied, hilarious, and at times very beautiful. His incredibly sharp style is unrivaled by any young up-and-coming author, and is truly stunning.
The book has its shortcomings, the main issue being that the breakneck pace leads to an underdeveloped villian and a not quite fully realized relationship between Dean and the ant girl. Johnson doesn't seem to want to let up, and while this works for most of the book, it left me wanting to know more about these two characters.
Which leads me to think that maybe (despite Johson's thought in the back of the book) there should be a sequel. I loved these characters, and I would love to see the weirdness continue.
"Extinction Journals" is pure imagination. I have to say I enjoyed it immensely from start to finish. This is a funny, scary, disgusting, and body rockin' little novel. Five stars, easily.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Original, June 13, 2006
This review is from: Extinction Journals (Paperback)
"Extinction Journals" is a hair raising journey through a post-apocalyptic United States.
The narrator survives a nuclear holocaust with the help of an intricate cockroach suit he builds. Early on, he meets the president of the United States, an idiot who caused the war, and he kills him. He also meets another survivor who managed to survive with the help of an ant colony and who is now the queen of that colony.
The writing is gripping and the characters are unique. I was hooked and wished the book was longer (it's a little over 80 pages long). Johnson's imagination is vivid and inventive.
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