Kings of Infinite Space: A Novel
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Paul Trilby is still haunted by the ghost of Charlotte, the cat he drowned in "Queen of the Jungle" (included in Hynes's 1997 story collection, Publish and Perish), in this hilarious supernatural sendup of office life. An affair having destroyed his marriage and promising academic career, Paul now temps as a tech writer in the General Services Division of the Texas Department of General Services (TxDoGS) in the Austin-like city of Lamar. One hot summer morning, stuck in traffic, he has an encounter with a peculiar homeless man who repeats a question from H.G. Wells's Island of Doctor Moreau, "Are we not men?" This is but the first of a series of uncanny incidentsâ€"a corpse in a cubicle no one appears to notice, a recycling bin that seems to have no bottomâ€"that dog Paul at TxDoGS. The romance he strikes up with Callie, the appealingly goofy company "mail girl," provides the novel's emotional center. When the feckless Paul is put to the ultimate test, a Faustian bargain with zombies to surrender his soul and sacrifice Callie for a free ride at TxDoGS, readers will be on the edge of their seats wondering whether he'll do the right thing. Amusing incidentals include the subversive sentences Paul pens for a textbook and the cat-related fare that is all Charlotte allows him to watch on TV. While the office may not be quite as juicy a subject for satire as the academic world skewered in the author's last novel, The Lecturer's Tale (2002), the same literate wit should have wide appeal.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Booklist
According to Paul Trilby, there's something weird going on at the Texas Department of General Services, where he slaves away as the lowliest-of-lowly corporate workers, the office temp. Of course, Paul also thinks his apartment is haunted by the ghost of his ex-wife's cat, and that egg-headed aliens wearing pocket protectors are stalking his daily commute. Yes, ol' Paul's grasp on reality is none too secure, but that's understandable. Divorced, destitute, and driving a rattletrap clunker amidst a sea of sleek SUVs, Paul's down-and-out existence is a far cry from his former glory days as an up-and-coming university professor. Confronted by his smarmy co-workers (who are not above selling their souls for a better gig), Paul is introduced to a mysterious world of former employees, equally downtrodden middlemen downsized in state budget cuts. The only difference is--they're dead. In the best tradition of Baum, Carroll, and Orwell, Hynes crafts a mordantly incisive satire on a corporate America where incompetence is rewarded and talent ignored. Carol Haggas
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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First Sentence:
ONE BRUTALLY HOT SUMMER'S MORNING, Paul Trilby-ex-husband, temp typist, cat murderer-slouched sweating in his t-shirt on his way to work, waiting behind the wheel of his car for the longest red light in central Texas. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bob Wier, Stanley Tulendij, Olivia Haddock, Building Services, John Wayne, Texas Department of General Services, San Antonio, Paul Trilby, Travis Street Bridge, Angry Loner Motel, Lonesome Knob, South Austin Avenue, Ben Jonson, Born Free, Colonel Travis Pentoon, General Services Division Building, Jesus Christ, Microsoft Word, Callie the Mail Girl, Casa Pentoon, Marion Morrison, Wild Turkey New!
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Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
ONE BRUTALLY HOT SUMMER'S MORNING, Paul Trilby-ex-husband, temp typist, cat murderer-slouched sweating in his t-shirt on his way to work, waiting behind the wheel of his car for the longest red light in central Texas. Read the first page Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Bob Wier, Stanley Tulendij, Olivia Haddock, Building Services, John Wayne, Texas Department of General Services, San Antonio, Paul Trilby, Travis Street Bridge, Angry Loner Motel, Lonesome Knob, South Austin Avenue, Ben Jonson, Born Free, Colonel Travis Pentoon, General Services Division Building, Jesus Christ, Microsoft Word, Callie the Mail Girl, Casa Pentoon, Marion Morrison, Wild Turkey New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 9
books:
See all 9 books this book cites
- The Island of Dr. Moreau (Bantam Classics) by H.G. Wells in Front Matter, page 91, and page 152
- The Time Machine / The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells on page 32, and page 33
- The Time Machine by H G Wells on page 32, and page 33
- The Time Machine by H. G. Wells on page 32, and page 33
- The Time Machine (Penguin Classics) by H.G. Wells on page 32, and page 33
See all 9 books this book cites
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55% buy the item featured on this page: Kings of Infinite Space: A Novel $14.53 |
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18% buy Next: A Novel $16.31 |
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13% buy Publish and Perish: Three Tales of Tenure and Terror $14.53 |
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9% buy The Lecturer's Tale: A Novel $14.53 |
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