Customer Reviews

The Knuckleball From Hell

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

 

 

I got this book as a pre-publication copy. I often enjoy sports fiction, particularly comic baseball novels, of which Philip Roth's "The Great American Novel" is the gold standard.

In "The Knuckleball from Hell" I found an admittedly zany plot, but written all too flatly to be a good comic novel. For much of the way, dialogue and sentence structure just laid there on the page. I enjoyed some of the baseball references--the surfing gang named after baseball nicknames--Whitey, Duke, etc. especially, but I found it hard to suspend disbelief of some peripheral elements of the story - drive-thru funeral parlors, and surfing in the ballpark stands to name two in particular.

I admire and envy the author for his effort and courage to write and self-publish this book, but I can't honestly recommend the results. Read Roth's book or watch "Bull Durham" with Kevin Costner and Susan Sarandon for real quality in this genre.

I was lucky to get an advance copy of The Knuckleball from Hell. I must admit at first, I wasn't sure what to expect. I tend to read a lot of historical baseball books, and although I've read baseball fiction, I'm not a big fan of baseball novels.

That being said, Michael Wayne's book is a really good, fun read! Filled with zany characters, crazy situations (and of course the old staples - murder, love, sex, baseball), this book had me hooked right from the start. A guy pitching 120 mph? A Met team even worse than the 1962 Mets? A team where the starting nine all speak different languages (including an Arab and Israeli who come up with a viable peace plan)? Real? Doesn't matter. Wayne's writing, characterization, and plot keep this book moving. Imagine if Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut Jr (with some help from maybe Robert Ludlum) got together and wrote a baseball novel. This is it.

And then I got to thinking of real life comparisons. A maverick billionaire from the software industry owning a sports team? Sounds like Paul Allen or Mark Cuban. Ball players colliding because they can't speak the same language? Make sure to google Richie Ashburn, Elio Chacon, and "Yo lo tengo". Lightening fast rookies? Doc Gooden and Sidd Finch. Okay, maybe that's going to far.

So maybe this isn't as far-fetched as my initial impression. The bottom line is that Michael Wayne's The Knuckleball from Hell is a great, fun read, and in case I haven't mentioned it, it's a lot of fun. There are pretty much two good times of the year to read this. Right now, while the baseball season is in full swing (and the Mets are in first), or during the offseason when a good baseball book can cure the winter blues. I recommend this be read right now!

Here's hoping the 2007 Mets celebrate each win by surfing in Flushing Meadow Park!

This was a well-written, funny escapist romp. A nice mix of quirky humor and a fast-paced zany plot.

Knuckleball from Hell is a wonderfully entertaining book, full of colorful characters and an abundance of humor. I enjoy baseball, but don't think you have to be a baseball fan to enjoy this great read!

Just received this book and read it in 4 hours.Laughed all the way through.The cast of characters were so outrageously funny and brings you back to the hapless days of the old Mets.
This has to be a must read for any baseball fan young or old, or for anyone who wants a good laugh from a book.

Arnold West

I picked up this book and couldn't put it down. It was hysterical and the
characters were really really funny. Like the bus drivers who become the
general managers. Like the Hollywood producer who remakes "To Kill a
Mockingbird" as a feel-good romantic comedy. Like the batboy with the sacred
donut. Like the Rastafarian quantum physicist. Like the color-coordinated
Transylvanian bad guy. And on and on and on. This book is destined to become
a cult classic. It's like Elmore Leonard mixed up with the Marx Brothers and
mixed together with baseball. And you don't have to know a thing about
baseball to thoroughly enjoy it.

This is a very unusual baseball book. The book is about a bad New York Met baseball team. Not 1980 Mets bad, but a Met team so bad that only 20 fans show up for games that are not even broadcast on TV or radio.

The first thing the reader must do is suspend belief. The book lives in a fantasy world of bizarre farce. Do not read it as an actual description of a real team or reality. The book is full of tales of 120mph fastballs and Russian and African major league players. None of this is explained, you just have to go with it.

The book has plenty of Queens, NY references which New Yorkers will enjoy. The plot is stitched together just enough for the next strange event to occur. Most of the plot occurs around baseball, vice being about Met games. The book moves quickly and is more just weird than laugh out loud funny. Every time I thought it could not get any stranger, it did. A great beach book for those taking a break from the red seats at Shea.

A totally original and outrageous mix of comedy and crime all thrown together. I couldn't put it down and laughed and laughed all the way thru it. Hilarious...a great summer read...or anytime really. And now I know what a knuckleball is....or do I?? Can't wait for his next book!!