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In “King Pest,” Poe’s understudied story contains a broader critique of the self-serving and autocratic governmental tendencies that Jackson had come to embody in the eyes of his opponents. More »
Dave Eggers 3 January 2014 Review by Dan Geddes The Circle, Dave Eggers’ novel named for a fictitious Google-like company that profits from its users’ data and destroys individual privacy, is a topical and compelling read. The story takes place in a... More »
By Lawrence S. Wittner Review by Dan Geddes What’s Going On at Uardvark? is a satirical campus novel, one where the university is utterly dominated by corporate interests. Companies outbid each other to have the campus buildings named after them. “... More »
Essay by Dan Geddes See also: The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity’s Rainbow, Vineland, Inherent Vice, and Dys, an imaginary Pynchon novel Most Thomas Pynchon fans will not be disappointed by Bleeding Edge, his new novel set in New York in 2001. Some may be dis... More »
Clark Casey Review by Dan Geddes Clark Casey’s The Perfect Defective is a hilarious short novella, an enjoyable beach read if your sense of humor includes ribald parody of the LA private detective genre. Aside from the Spade or Marlowe associations, some... More »
Review by Dan Geddes Note: The first part of this review is for would-be readers and thus contains no spoilers. The second part is further commentary, including spoilers. John Irving would admit that sexual orientation is still an important political issue in ... More »
Henry Miller By Dan Geddes See also review of Miller’s The Air-Conditioned Nightmare Henry Miller is sui generis. It is difficult to place his works in a particular genre, though novels may still be the best category. Some have termed his works “au... More »
Umberto Eco Review by Dan Geddes Umberto Eco’s The Prague Cemetery is an entertaining tour de force of 19th century European history. Blending history and fiction as in his previous novels (The Name of the Rose, Foucault’s Pendulum), Eco uses the f... More »
Freedom by Jonathan Franzen Review by Dan Geddes Summary: Franzen solidifies his reputation with a worthy follow-up to The Corrections. Note: This review contains spoilers and is intended to be read only after you have read the book. Jonathan Franzen’s F... More »
by Dan Geddes It will probably be impossible for future generations to understand the special place that J.D. Salinger held in the minds of readers in the mid-to-late twentieth century. The Catcher in the Rye remains a classic statement of youth alienation, an... More »
Thomas Pynchon Review by Dan Geddes 5 January 2010 See also: Inherent Vice (2014) (movie) The Crying of Lot 49, Gravity’s Rainbow, Vineland, Bleeding Edge and Dys, an imaginary Pynchon novel Inherent Vice is a pleasant surprise. After Against the Day’s... More »
by Evan Keliher Review by Dan Geddes Editor’s note: The Satirist does not endorse tyrannicide in any way. This is just a book review! The novel Tyrannicide: The Story of the Second American Revolution hilariously depicts a viable rebellion in mode... More »