Customer Reviews

Extinction Journals

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

"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.

"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.

"Extinction Journals" is a novella that mutated from a short story, according to its author, Jeremy Robert Johnson. This insect-sized gem of bizarro fiction features Dean, who survives a nuclear war thanks to his suit of living cockroaches, and a little supernatural assistance from a manmade god named Yahmuhwesu.

The story takes place in the blasted and scarred remains of the U.S., which is the ironic setting for Dean's enlightenment. His father's death put his life on hold. The challenge of surviving nuclear devastation forces him to live again.

Brought to us from Swallowdown Press, the book itself is like a wonderful bug: charming on the outside, with its petite size and fabulous cover art; icky on the inside, with its strange typesetting, particularly of dashes. The extra pages at the end have been put to good use, hawking other bizarro books, including Johnson's "Angel Dust Apocalypse." That one's going on my to-be-read list, now that I've had a taste of Johnson's peculiar and witty word stylings.

"Extinction Journals" is a fast read and a good introduction to the bizzaro genre for those who care to delve into it and can endure the inevitable thoughts of crunching cockroach carapaces that will echo in their minds after the last page has been turned.

Jeremy Robert Johnson, whose work I was first introduced to via the excellent short story collection "Angel Dust Apocalypse", has once again created exciting new fiction which, quite literally, shows no boundaries. With "Extinction Journals" Johnson has taken the concept which first appeared as a short story in ADA and turned it into an original, very satisfying short novel of just over 100 pages. The plot is extraordinarily fresh and innovative, and the images range from clever, to funny, to frightening. Really, you couldn't ask for anything more in a book which you will read in one sitting. It is entertaining, yet still maintains the ever present iceberg theory that more lies underneath the surface.
Johnson's work continues to amaze me, and it also gives me hope for the new world of literature that is on the horizon. I hope to see JRJ standing over the trembling body of the old literary guard with his Liston knife in hand, and, with a flash of the blade, signal the dawning of a new era in the written word.

One reviewer felt that the author got bored with the story and rushed the ending. If there is one thing that you can learn by reading bizarro (and related genres) it is to be prepared for the unexpected. Things don't always end like you'd expect them to. What seems rushed may just be an unpredictable way for the author to conclude the story. Is that a cop out? Maybe sometimes.. but in this case, no. Any writer will tell you that many times the path that they had expected the story to go.. often changes. The story often writes itself.. the characters do things that are unexpected..even to the author.

Well, now to EXTINCTION JOURNALS. This is the follow-up to the short story that was in the collection ANGEL DUST APOCALYPSE. It concerns the end of civilization thanks to an idiot president (remember, folks. this is fiction! hmph). Nuclear war comes and there are minimal survivors. One is a man who fashioned a suit covered in cockroaches. Awesome idea.

The novella moves from post-apocalyptic nightmare to bizarro insect-related action. Oh and if you like insectian themes.. look no further.

So, if you like weird fiction about the post-apocalyptic world... check this out.

Right from the beginning, I was drawn in. It was an original story, and so creative. I loved the idea of the cockroach and twinkie suits. The two things that would survive the apocalypse. Maybe the president should have used stale twinkies? I loved it! His internal thoughts, and even the sparse dialogue with the other few survivors, were seamless and I really just fell into the story. The ending was pretty quick to come, but I think I sort of realized about fifty pages in, that the book was more of a short story. There was no real climax that I noticed (aside from the attack of the army ants..), and I believe it could have been so much more if more of Dean's past had been explored, figure out more about the father he so obviously missed. I wanted to know more about why he made the suit, why other people did. I got a vague idea that the world knew the nuclear holocaust was imminent, but still. It was a very interesting idea. It probably wouldn't have felt the same if Dean was too informed, too lucid, but I do miss the details. The only drawback was when he met Mave. I was so disappointed in how the book ended. I wanted to love it, I tried to, but the last ten pages just didn't do anything for me. The ant debacle turned a great book, into a silly one. Though I believe the author is very talented. I felt serious similarities between his voice and Chuck Palahniuk, which is always a plus for me. Just bought his other two books, and can't wait to get started.

Cockroaches and Ants and Nukes! Oh, my! This is definitely not a read for Twinkies. Nor is it for folks who are easily bugged (though the certifiably buggy will have a field day). It may encroach on your sensibilities and antagonize your digestion.

If this is the way the world tries to off itself, I might as well cut and leave right now. This is a quick read and not a bit sluggish or boring. I really liked it and my friend Katy did, too.

Time flies and my wife is telling me I must quit. OK Honey .... (psst - read this, you'll get a real buzz!)

This is a strange, strange book. Strange like Bosch, de Cosimo and Dadd. Strange in a good way.

The book opens at the Washington Monument, where the cockroach-covered suit that saved Dean (our hero) from the nuclear holocaust is eating the president. Who is wearing a Twinkie-covered suit. After finally prying his suit away from the president's body, Dean begins his frankly bizarre trip across what's left of the United States. On the way, he meets something very like a god, but more confused, a man wearing someone else's skin and, finally, Mave, who is the queen of an ant colony.

The books at a headlong pace, crashing through its short, weirdly sweet narrative with the force of an "Indiana Jones"-style boulder. Dean's trek across the nuclear wasteland of America is lonely and brutal, but even though he is becoming closer to his cockroach suit, he refuses to allow himself to sink too far. In these respects, the book is good -- extreme and "out there," yes, but not to the extent that it becomes unpleasant. And it's funny.

But there are a few problems. Despite the fact that the bulk of the novel is spent with Dean and Dean alone, the reader leaves the book feeling that he is still largely unknown, or not quite present. His acceptance of the new state of the world is so easy, he seems to be almost in a state of shock. And while he does have a few exhcanges with other characters, these also feel somehow sterile -- as if everyone's still a bit off and their personalities haven't had a chance to kick in yet.

But overall, it's a very good book, and one of the better representatives of the Bizarro genre that I've encountered. I'd recommend it to those wishing to read more in this fascinating genre.

And to anyone who ever thought Gregor Samsa didn't have it so bad, after all.

I couldn't ask for a better introduction to the bizarro genre. It's a hundred page book heavy with actional-packed nuclear fun, sentient insect squads and a shimmering god summoned by the prayers of the now-dead. So inspiring, I wrote a song based off of it for my band.