Sea of the Patchwork Cats [Paperback]

Carlton Mellick III (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2006

Everyone in the world committed suicide at the same time . . .

Thus begins the surreal tale of an old man living alone in an empty world after everyone else on Earth killed themselves for no particular reason at all. In search for other survivors, he drifts in a floating house out to sea until he comes to a mysterious structure in the middle of the ocean. It is a building shaped like two giant nude women conjoined at the back. And issuing from a lighted window, echoing on the ghostly wind, is the sound of hundreds of meowing patchwork cats.

Sea of the Patchwork Cats is a sad dreamlike tale set in the quiet ashes of the human race. A must-read for Mellick enthusiasts who also adore The Twilight Zone.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

Praise for Sea of the Patchwork Cats:

"A very weird, but enjoyable post-apocalyptic yarn."
- RICH RISTOW

"A ride through the mind of an eccentric storytelling genius. Mellick takes everything he knows about literature and the structure of a story and turns it inside out. An interesting read for those bored of conventional stories."
- THE ACTIVIST

"It is both an end of the world novel and a novel of new beginnings. It is a story of entrapment and of freedom. It is a story of horror and of beauty."
- ANITA DALTON

From the Back Cover

Praise for Carlton Mellick III

"Easily the craziest, weirdest, strangest, funniest, most obscene writer in America."
- GOTHIC MAGAZINE

"Carlton Mellick III has the craziest book titles... and the kinkiest fans!"
- CHRISTOPHER MOORE, author of The Stupidest Angel

"If you haven't read Mellick you're not nearly perverse enough for the twenty first century."
- JACK KETCHUM, author of The Woman and The Girl Next Door

"Carlton Mellick III is one of bizarro fiction's most talented practitioners, a virtuoso of the surreal, science fictional tale."
- CORY DOCTOROW, author of Little Brother

"Bizarre, twisted, and emotionally raw--Carlton Mellick's fiction is the literary equivalent of putting your brain in a blender."
- BRIAN KEENE, author of The Rising and Dead Sea

"Carlton Mellick III exemplifies the intelligence and wit that lurks between its lurid covers. In a genre where crude titles are an art in themselves, Mellick is a true artist."
- THE GUARDIAN

"Just as Pop had Andy Warhol and Dada Tristan Tzara, the Bizarro movement has its very own P. T. Barnum-type practitioner. He's the mutton-chopped author of such books as Electric Jesus Corpse and The Menstruating Mall, the illustrator, editor, and instructor of all things Bizarro, and his name is Carlton Mellick III."
- DETAILS MAGAZINE

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Eraserhead Press (February 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976249863
• ISBN-13: 978-0976249863
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,508,674 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

CARLTON MELLICK III is one of the leading authors in the bizarro fiction movement. His influences range from offbeat children's book authors such as Dr. Suess and Roald Dahl to Japanese cult directors such as Takashi Miike and Shinya Tsukamoto to trashy B-movies such as those from Troma and John Waters.

He lives in Portland, OR, where the breweries, bookstores, and strip clubs are the best in the country.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mellick's Novella is a Classic, April 9, 2006

By 

Charles Glover - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sea of the Patchwork Cats (Paperback)

From the back cover:

"A must-read for Mellick enthusiasts who also adore the twilight zone. It is a story that has been passed down from generation to generation. The story of conjoined twin goddesses floating peacefully in the middle of the sea. Many who have seen them, usually on calm starlit nights, swear that they are the sirens of mythology, luring sailors to their doom. Others claim that the twins are not live women, but an ancient structure carved to resemble two females sitting back to back. A few believe they mark the gateway to the lost city of Atlantis, or a gateway to the spirit realm. But on all accounts there is one consistency: if you listen closely, at the right distance, you will hear them on the wraithy wind... dozens and dozens of meowing cats. Sea of the Patchwork Cats is a dream-like tale set in the quiet ashes of the human race."

This is the set-up for the story, but much of this is not covered in the text of the book, so you'll have to be familiar with the legend before you begin. This is a three act book... first everyone is gone except for one man, who watches tv and drinks until the electricity quits. Then the house he is in is floating on an ocean that brings him to a mysterious place...

I enjoyed this one a lot, perhaps one of my favorites by Mellick. The chapters are very brief, and this novella is barely over 100 pages, but it is a very entertaining story well worth the price. This is a very funny book with a unique narrator who is a 67 year old drunk. The characters he encounters along the way are vintage Mellick. You have to read the book to get the full effect.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Introducing The Avant Punk Book Club..., March 22, 2006

By 

Spock (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sea of the Patchwork Cats (Paperback)

"Everyone in the world committed suicide at the same time."

Like the first line of Kafka's Metamorphosis, the opening of Sea of the Patchwork Cats is destined to someday find its niche in the canon of classic literature.

If you've read anything by Mellick, you understand that his books are from another universe. In the author's note, however, he reveals that SotPC is the first book he's written largely based on dreams. This alone makes it worth the cover price to not only CM3 fans, but dream-enthusiasts as well.

I'd rather not delve into plot, but it's an apocalyptic scenario involving an alcoholic, a "place" called Nerve Works, three very interesting women, and of course, cats.

Also included is information on joining The Avant Punk Book Club...$55 for the next SIX Mellick books. I might also mention the stunning cover featuring the art of Alexander Casteels.

If you've never picked up a book from Eraserhead Press or its imprint, Avant Punk Books, I strongly suggest Sea of the Patchwork Cats along with Jeremy Robert Johnson's Angel Dust Apocalypse and CM3's The Steel Breakfast Era. Do yourself a favor, pick these up now. You'll just end up kicking yourself later for having waited.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Strange, dreamlike..., August 19, 2007

By 

J. Krall "Horror/Bizarro/Noir Author" (Noir Jersey, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sea of the Patchwork Cats (Paperback)

I don't understand the negative reviews.

I'm a teacher.. and if one of my students wrote this, I'd quickly tell them to start submitting it to publishers. No doubt about that. So just ignore those reviews for the readers probably just weren't in the state of mind to really enjoy it.

I won't go into the whole plot but what I will say is that it is indeed like a dream. The back of the book compares it to the twilight zone and that's true though I think this has more aspects to it. There are allusions to deviant sexuality and experimentation that I'd like to see explored later on (perhaps in a sequel?) There's even a part that reminded me of japanese "tentacle" anime though maybe that's a coincidence.

Being a cat lover, I also liked the inclusion of so many cats but I guess that just makes me a dork.

As a warning, I'd recommend NOT making this your first CM3 book. It's good but try some other works first.

All in all, if you like surreal tales that drop you into a strange world with hints of deeper realities, pick this one up.