Zod Wallop [Paperback]

William Spencer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 1996

Harry Gainesborough wrote a children's story called Zod Wallop. And then his daughter died. Now Raymond Story, a patient at Harwood Psychiatric Hospital and Harry's biggest fan, has escaped--to find Harry in his remote cabin. Raymond is convinced that the people, creatures, and places of Zod Wallop are real. And as events transpire, Harry begins to wonder if Raymond is right.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

There are two versions of Harry Gainesborough's bestselling children's book Zod Wallop: the published version, written second, and the original version, stolen by Harry's zealous fan, Raymond Story, while Harry and Raymond were both patients in a mental hospital. The published version has a happy ending; the private version was Harry's confrontation with the death of his child. And the private version, emotionally true and infused with the power of a group hallucination, ending with the destruction of the world, is becoming real.

It's inevitable that Zod Wallop will be compared to The Land of Laughs by Jonathan Carroll; both are about authors of Oz-like children's books whose literary creations leak over into our world. Both are dark in tone, and in both death and denial are key elements, but Spencer's poignant story owes as much to Philip K. Dick as to Carroll.

From Publishers Weekly

Sly humor and eccentric characters raise Spencer's third novel (following Resume, with Monsters) far above run-of-the-mill fantasy fare. Since his daughter drowned three years ago, children's-book author Harry Gainesborough has settled into a life of quiet desperation. He hasn't written a word, and though his agent is badgering him to spin out another book or at least to sell the film rights to Zod Wallop, the phenomenally successful novel he wrote just before Amy died, Harry is in no mood to do either, or in fact to have any contact with the outside world. But he can't avoid Raymond Story, an inmate of a local asylum who's so enchanted by Zod Wallop that he breaks out, hunts down Harry and tells him that the characters of the novel are coming to life. And the lunatic seems to be right: Fantastic creatures that have hitherto existed only in Harry's books now seem to take great delight in indulging in acts of antic destruction, from ruining the paint job on Harry's car to blowing up a helicopter. The line between reality and imagination blurs further when it's revealed that Harry knows Raymond through his own psychiatric hospitalization. By raising the question of who is crazy and who is sane, Spencer seduces the reader into considering the underlying question: What is craziness and what is sanity? Happily, this very talented author has not only the irreverent humor, but also the insight into the manic rhythms of madness, to pull this query off.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: White Wolf Publishing (October 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565048709
• ISBN-13: 978-1565048706
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #142,638 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Spencer's Sinister Fantasy World, May 15, 2003

By 

Jeffrey Leach (Omaha, NE USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zod Wallop (Hardcover)

I read William Browning Spencer's "Resume with Monsters" and was quite impressed. Here is an author who knows how to combine quirky plots, horrific elements, and great character development into a seamless blend of grand entertainment. Why this guy is not sitting on the bestseller's list is a mystery of the highest order. Several of his books are not even in print anymore, another crime that needs a remedy as quickly as possible. Fortunately, public libraries often save the day when one looks for out of print material. His books are magical in that once read, they stay with you forever. This may be due in part to Spencer's habit of pouring himself into his stories. The familiarity shown in both "Zod Wallop" and "Resume with Monsters" with psychological problems and the difficulties of coping in modern society give hints into the author's knowledge about such unpleasant incidents.

Harry Gainesborough wrote a book called Zod Wallop after the death of his daughter Amy. The tragedy of his daughter's demise sent Harry into a tailspin, requiring a short stay in a mental asylum. A psychologist in the institution recommended Harry continue writing as a means of therapy, so Harry continued to work on Zod Wallop during his hospital stay. But the book he wrote while incarcerated took on a much grimmer, more dangerous tone than your everyday children's story. The characters in the land of Zod Wallop began to resemble some of the other patients and doctors in the ward. There are characters that bear a striking resemblance to Harry's literary agent. The problem comes when there are real life people who resemble the evil characters in the book because Zod Wallop is more than a book; it has the potential to become reality.

Harry is now out of the hospital and living alone in an isolated cabin. Amy's death still troubles him greatly, but he manages to get through each day until a triumvirate of patients from the mental institution arrives on his doorstep. Led by the over exuberant Raymond Story, this gang of miscreants includes Rene, a troubled but beautiful young girl; Emily, Raymond's new wife and a total invalid; and Allan, a man plagued with fits of violent rage. Joined by Lord Arbus, a monkey, the group tries to involve Harry in their quest to go to Florida where a showdown with the evil Lord Draining awaits. As Harry and his literary agent take part in Raymond's seemingly delusional odyssey, reality starts to warp on an increasingly disturbing level.

There is a perfectly (well, maybe) rational explanation for the strange encounters endured by Harry and his friends. Two executives from rival pharmaceutical companies take a significant interest in these escaped asylum inmates. The reasons are best left unsaid here, but it is safe to say that it involves something both men want very badly for research and development. As it turns out, Harry and his friends shared something special, albeit slightly sinister, during their residence at the hospital. As the executives take up the hunt, they too end up becoming a part of the fantasy of Zod Wallop.

I enjoy how Spencer deftly blended reality with the looming world of Zod Wallop. The reader never knows what is coming down the pipeline in this book. One minute everything seems to be going great, the next minute brings an attack by a Ralewing. A mundane trip to a convenience store turns into a mind-blowing experience with the full force of Harry's past. The conclusion of the story witnesses startling revelations, total immersion in the world of Zod Wallop, and closure for Harry and his ex-wife.

Spencer's book is a real hoot. This guy has a phenomenal imagination along with the ability to write engaging prose. Again, it is difficult to imagine why he is not considered a preeminent author. Both "Resume with Monsters" and "Zod Wallop" is enough to place Spencer head and shoulders above most of the drivel passed off on the public today. For those seeking a whimsical romp through the realms of unreality, Spencer is the man.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Broken Spirit: Shadows of the Past redefined., January 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Zod Wallop (Paperback)

This book is one of the few that has made me cry - it happens every time I pick it up and come to those last few pages. Call it a ride through Harry Gainesborough's broken soul, if you will, still wounded from the death of his daughter... you can feel his pain as vividly as if it were your own. William Browning Spencer has crafted a masterwork - a novel that penetrates through to the heart. As an aside, I've had three copies of this book 'permanently borrowed' by friends - everyone that I've exposed to the world of Zod Wallop has been affected by the power of it.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well written, thoughtful, full of surprises, April 25, 2006

By 

Henry W. Wagner (Rockaway, NJ USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Zod Wallop (Paperback)

Having read and loved Spencer's previous novel, the critically acclaimed Resume with Monsters, I thought he'd be hard pressed to match that effort. I can happily report that I was wrong--his follow-up, entitled Zod Wallop, is a thoroughly engaging, very wise dark fantasy, reminiscent of such modern classics as Jonathon Carroll's Land of Laughs.

The tragic death of his daughter Amy sends Harry Gainesborough, the author of several popular children's books, into a depression so deep it destroys his marriage. Gainesborough is so despondent that his agent, Helen Kurtis, has him committed to Harwood Psychiatric. There, Gainesborough is instructed to deal with his feelings by writing. The product of this therapy is a very dark book called Zod Wallop, where, contrary to tradition, evil triumphs over good.

The original manuscript is stolen and presumably destroyed by Raymond Story, a fellow patient and rabid fan of Gainesborough's work, who finds the book too disturbing for general consumption. At first outraged by the theft, Gainesborough eventually accedes to Raymond's fervent pleas to rewrite the book. The second version is less morbid, and later becomes a huge best seller. Raymond embraces this version, eventually coming to believe the events recorded inside actually occurred.

Gainesborough finishes his treatment, and retires to his country estate, desiring only to be left alone. His solitude is disturbed, however, by Raymond and a ragtag bunch of inmates who have just escaped from Harwood. Raymond seeks "Lord" Gainesborough's assistance in protecting the "Ice Princess" (in reality, Raymond's wife, Emily, who is catatonic) from the evil Lord Draining.

Gainesborough's initial reaction is to humor Raymond until he can be returned to Harwood. But suddenly, the landscape of his reality starts to shift--people start saying things right out of his book, and he encounters strange creatures who only exist in the world he created. Puzzled, he decides to accompany Raymond in search of answers, unaware that he and his new companions are being tracked by Roald Peake, doppleganger to Lord Draining. Peake wants to capture and study the group, who all received illegal doses of Ecknazine, an experimental drug which might be causing reality to warp.

Zod Wallop is a well written, thoughtful book, full of surprises. Spencer is careful to provide several possible reasons for the impossible events he describes. Is Raymond a mutant? Did Gainesborough's extreme grief give his creations life? Did the Ecknazine create some kind of mass delusion so powerful it is now affecting even those who didn't take it? Whichever reason you choose, it will not diminish your enjoyment of the book. The "reasons" behind the events of the story are ultimately unimportant--they exist only to launch an enthralling flight of fantasy nicely suited to more modern, cynical tastes. Spencer is an excellent storyteller. Listen to what he has to say.