Rock Manning Goes for Broke
by Charlie Jane Anders
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Pub Date Sep 30 2018 | Archive Date Oct 01 2018
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Description
Vikings vs. Steampunks! Ice cream sundae hearse disasters! Roman gladiators meet vacuum-cleaner salesmen! Inappropriate uses of exercise equipment and supermarket trolleys! Unsupervised fires, and reckless destruction of public property! Nothing is off limits.
Rock Manning lives and breathes slapstick comedy, and his whole life is an elaborate tribute to the masters, like Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and Jackie Chan. With his best friend, Sally Hamster, he creates joyfully chaotic short movies that are full of mayhem and silliness.
But Rock and Sally are becoming famous at a time of unrest, when America's economy has collapsed and people are taking refuge in highly addictive drugs. America's youth are being drafted to take part in endless wars against imaginary enemies overseas, while at home, a fascist militia known as the Red Bandanas is rising to power. As America becomes more mired in violence and destruction, Rock Manning's zany comedy films become the escapist fun that everybody needs.
Over-the-top physical comedy and real-life brutality collide, as Rock and Sally find themselves unable to avoid getting sucked into the slow implosion of their country. The Red Bandanas want Rock Manning to star in propaganda films promoting their movement, and soon Rock and Sally are at the center of the struggle for the soul of America. The trauma and death that Rock witnesses begin to take a toll on him.
When a botched weapon test plunges the world into deeper chaos, Rock and Sally must confront once and for all the outer limits of comedy.
Advance Praise
Booklist (Starred Review):
“Disaffected young-adult filmmakers who specialize in escapist stunt comedy are caught in a propaganda war in Anders’ sharp, absurdist novella… This gonzo vision of an apocalyptic America is a challenging mixture of both farce and tragedy; it makes its point about the influence and responsibility of the media in the weirdest possible way.”
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781596068780 |
| PRICE | $40.00 (USD) |
Links
Featured Reviews
Geonn C, Reviewer
This is an excellent, thoughtful story told in a deceptively simple way. The reader is eased into the story, lulled by its familiar surroundings, almost immediately. Then you get swept away by the actual story being told. This is a big book in terms of ideas, worldbuilding, and message, but it's compact enough to read in a single sitting. I recommend doing that, but then go back to reread at a slower pace to really get all the nuances of what happens. So much thought and care was put into this world that it deserves to be explored as carefully as possible.
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