Customer Reviews

The Shroud of the Thwacker

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

Not being a great fan of Chris Elliot as a comedian, I feel he has found his medium as a writer. This is a terribly funny book. His characters are hilarious, reminds me of some of the great humorists of the late 20th century- Max Schulman for instance. Mr, Elliott's reference and use of modern situations in a previous age are sidesplitting.
This is a great gift for anyone who enjoys a good novel and a good laugh as well.

Make no mistake about it, this book is silly. It is as far from sophisticated humor as you can get, but it is . . . hilarious! I was reading on the bus, laughing out loud, and people kept looking at me like I was crazy.

I'm a girl who happened to love Get a Life, and Chris's other TV appearances. We should encourage him to write more comic novels. Buy this book.

The man is a genuis If not then he is insane (yes there is a fine Line) The book is really great...Through out the Book It seems like you could hear Chris's goofy voice talking to you as you read it...For those of you who enjoy Chris's humor this is a must have...For those of you who do not its still a must have!!! I really cant say enough it is a Home Run!!!!

I have become a Chris Elliott Fan....More, More

Jb@nhanow.com

This book got a few comparisons to Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy, and that's fair, because both books take a joke and carry it all the way to the end, never letting up. That's harder than it sounds.

Most writers trying to write funny seem to want to write a 'real' book, with a few jokes thrown in, but Chris Elliot wants to write a madcap, joke-filled book, and if there's a plot to follow along with, so much the better. He never simply writes for an audience who only wants a humorous diverting read. You actually have to read closely to follow the details of the plot - inane and absurd though they may be.

He does not give in. Don't think that it suddenly starts making sense after page 50. What you get on page one, is what you'll get on page 200.

So it's not going to be for everyone. If you want a narrative that actually makes sense and is easy to follow along with, you will not be a fan. But, if you liked kooky books like Hitchhikers, or Elliot's TV show 'Get a Life' then you should have a good time with this.

I like that kind of humor, so I liked it a lot. The reason I'm giving it four stars instead of five, is for some minor let-downs at parts, and places where he paid just TOO much attention to the humor and not enough to the story. Still a good job though.

For me Elliott has always been a loveable goofball in films and on TV. Never would I have expected such a project from him. Very glad I gave this a try--a bizarre but loveable send up of historical mysteries like THE ALIENIST and THE DA VINCI CODE, with MONTY PYTHON-esque humor thrown in for good measure. Great setting, ridiculous characters (Yoko Ono and a gassy Teddy Roosevelt), and a good twist that fits well with the genre Elliott is spoofing.

Let's face it: Chris Elliott has a style all his own. And if you don't like it, I can guarantee you won't like this book. Elliott still appears on TV from time to time, but today's shows just aren't the type of vehicle to showcase his sense of humor. So why not write a book? Admittedly, I was a bit put back by the length of the novel, but I managed to get through it, unlike some of the negative reviewers on this site.

I often wonder what it would be like to write a novel about a period in history of which I know very little about, but yet do hardly any research. I applaud Elliott for picking a period in U.S. history we rarely hear anything about as the focal point of his book: the late 1800's. He creates his own caricatures of Teddy Roosevelt that I think is right own the money, especially when you hear about all the things Roosevelt did in his life. But bringing William "Boss" Tweed into the story is sheer genius.

OK, I use "genius" VERY lightly. The book starts a bit slow and Elliott resorts to the same type of joke over and over again, and that's referring to sexual intercourse with very silly innuendos. The book is chock full of them. And while some are funny, we heard it all before, even in his cult movie "Cabin Boy". It appears at first that Elliott uses the book as a means of telling this type of joke, but then something odd happens: a real story starts to develop. And surprisingly, it's a story with a lot of twists. The book is at its best (and, in some spots, worst) when Elliott himself is brought into the story with the other major characters. Also, the pictures in the book add to the amusement, purposely drawn to raise an eyebrow or two.

Elliott consistently portrays himself as a dimwitted loser, poking fun at himself, especially his career. Not many folks are willing to do that. Also, Elliott doesn't try to stray far from his roots for his first book, which is silly, absurd humor. Not many people can do this successfully. Ever read Douglas Adams latter stuff? Yuck. It's not going to be the best book you ever read, but it's a good start.

There are only a handful of writers I've read and laughed out loud; S.J. Perelman, Woody Allen, Merril Markoe (David Sedaris has gotten a few smiles but no outbursts) and now Chris Elliot. He's made me laugh since the onset of Letterman's late night reign but now has gained my appreciation in a way I didn't know he had in him. The Guy Under the Seats has done alright for himself. I hope there's more to come.

This could be the most fun you will ever have with a book.
Chris Elliott unfortunately will go down in history as one of the most intelligent comedians of all time and nobody will get it until it's too late.

Wow! I loved Chris Elliott's humour since Get A Life. Cabin Boy was great and even his brief stint on SNL was as well. When I saw him on Conan O'Brien talk about how he wrote a book I couldn't believe it and knew it would probably be the strangest book ever. So I ordered it as soon as I could. It arrived a week later and I read it in about a week. His style of writing is just so funny, bizarre and twisted. Everything I like about Chris Elliott comes across in this book. If anyone like his style of humour don't hesitate to pick this up for a great read where you can't help but laugh alot.

Sure, I've always loved Chris Elliott. I have every episode of Get a Life! on tape. I've seen the Action Family. The guy's great. But I never dreamed he was smart enough to write a book like this! It is funny-of course-but also... well... good. It's clever. It's complex. It's utterly ridiculous. Very, very enjoyable.