Come Take Me: A Celestial Satire by Ethan Herberman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Marshall M. Shmishkiss isn’t enjoying his life, but he’s taking steps to change it. He’s eating healthier, and taking classes in everything from self-defense to advanced emergency first aid. And he’s looking to move out of his dingy basement digs—not just across town, or to another city. Marshall’s set his sights much higher.

In the increasingly urgent videos he regularly sends to ComeTakeMe.com, Shmishkiss earnestly explains why he’s the perfect candidate for alien abduction. But are aliens actually reviewing his video applications? Maybe so, maybe not, but the easily-amused employees of CorpInc, the company that owns and oversees the website sure are.

While the book is quite silly and pokes fun at everything, it’s also surprisingly insightful, especially when examining the human condition from an outsiders point of view. A caution: I wouldn’t recommend it for young readers, as some of the topics up for lampooning are adult in nature.

What kept me reading well past my bedtime was the ‘what happens next?’ factor. This adventure is so original that I just couldn’t second-guess it. I loved the feeling of knowing that something new was waiting around every corner. Surprise-junkie that I am, I got hooked on this grand, weird adventure, right up to the last page.

Fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will be amused by the author’s energetic, wide-eyed view of the universe. And if you like Doctor Who or The IT Crowd, odds are you’ll also find Come Take Me a welcome treat.

Received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Not my cup of tea. Feel like there were some gaps in time that could have been filled with more detail. It jumps too much. Also, felt myself reading without really reading in some areas. Would have liked more story on Melody or the website submissions.

'Come Take Me' is an eccentric, unique look at the universe - and utterly hilarious!

In a world that everybody is dying to leave, you can make your pleads to the alienkind on cometakeme.com - but you'd better make it convincing if you want a chance!

And while you're reading through this whirlwind adventure, bordering on the wonderfully absurd, you'll notice the subtle nods to the very strange world we're already living in.

Following our cluelessly lovable hero, we get into all sorts of mishaps as he bumbles through like a clueless bee, bumping into countless obstacles on his journey to finally understand the universe.