Customer Reviews

The Roaches Have No King (A Five Star Title)

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I hate roaches. Can't stand 'em. They truly do make me sick to my stomach. A new friend, however, promised consistent laughs and great writing when she gave me this novel--and she was right on target. Every morning and evening for week, I laughed out loud on the el during my commute to work. The story is clever, the characters are familiar, and the writing is top notch. The roach-narrator's point of view--whether he's perched on a kitchen cabinet, clinging to the toilet bowl, or generally assessing the past and future realities of mankind--is full of truth and humor. I loved this story, and I loved reading it. (However...I no longer stomp barefoot through my hardwood-floored Wrigleyville - Chicago apartment, and I've taken to keeping cereal, pasta, and crackers in the fridge. You may want to do the same).

This is one of the best books I've read in a long while. A phenomenal satire. Mr. Weiss was able to hold the proper character tone/perspective throughout the entire book, which is written, unbelievably, from a cockroach's point of view. Not for the squeemish, but for any one with an open mind, it is an EXCELLENT read!.

I bought this book years ago, and have ended up reading it year after year. In England it was published under a different title:- Unnatural Selection, I recommend it utterly if you want to smile throughout a book. Thank God we have few roaches in this country!

What a wild ride! This novel breezed through with good story-telling and a very imaginitive author. Lots of heady themes for these little bugs to tackle and many eyebrow-raising situations. I think those that are squeamish around these insects will lighten up while reading but may ironically cringe more at the descriptive writings about sex and other adult themes. Think 1960's Jerry Lewis comedy written by Chuck Palahniuk and narrated by a cockroach. I'll definately look for more from this author.

While this novel may not be for everyone (be warned that there are some quite graphic descriptions of bodily functions, human sexual activity, and insect sexual activity), this is perhaps the cleverest book I've read in a very long time. It is funny, touching, and memorable.

The protagonist, a cockroach named Numbers, has big plans. He wants to get Ira Fishblatt's very messy girlfriend to come back to the apartment ... so that the plentiful food will return with her. He has a problem, though, because the strength and longevity of his species derives from their inherent lack of cooperative effort. The title is their best attribute: their selfishness is their strength.

Hilarity ensues as Numbers' plans hit a variety of snags, and I found myself rooting for this very unusual insect. It is a well-written novel, and the pages fly by. If you have the stomach for it, this makes for a different and interesting reading experience.

This book expands perspective, gives a smile, and creates dark humor at its best - without bording on the macabe. The best "blind" book choice I have done in over five years.

The Roaches Have No King, by Daniel Evan Weiss, is a clever tale of cockroach "societal" dynamics, told from the perspective of the cockroach. Mind you, this is not a book for everyone - the "Ew Factor" is very high, especially in passages concerning the interaction between human and cockroach; some may find it downright unreadable for this reason. Even the non-squeamish will want to immediately scrub down their entire home with bleach. That said, I found it a funny, creative and involving story of roach sensibilities and their take on the world around them. The grossness isn't gratuitous - we are talking about cockroaches, aren't we?

Never mind all the gratuitous references to Kafka, this is more like "home alone" with cockroaches and sex (sorta). And literary allusions. Not for the kiddies, very enjoyable from the start to the end.

I have never read anything that showed things from a bug's point of view before, and so when I saw this book, I was completely intrigued. Not only is this an amazing concept for a book but Weiss pulled it off as eloquently as you can a story about a cockroach. What is even more interesting is that this book is more of a fable than a story. Weiss blends biblical conscience almost subconcsiously with every step that our little hero, Numbers, makes. The philosophy, the theories, the manipulation and adventure that this protagonist is involved in is a wild trip. There are some hang ups though. The plot gets a little drug under at points and there is some visual images you might never have wanted to have that become blaringly apparent within the book. Our protagonist's thorough examination of two of the human women's under regions was something I was not quite prepared for, but I'll let you come to your own conclusion. All and all,it's an easy read, and an intriguing one at that. I'm interested to see what else Wiess can dream up.

This book was too funny. Very good satire and entertaining from beginning to end. Weiss keeps the perspective of the roaches and tells a good story.