Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits--A Novel

Starred review from August 3, 2015
Cracked.com executive editor Wong (This Book Is Full of Spiders) unabashedly trolls everyone and lampoons everything in this beautifully outrageous science fiction adventure. In a near-future U.S. that’s even more narcissistic and technology-obsessed than the present, Zoey Ashe is a typical down-and-out young woman with an absentee father. She and her cat are more or less content to sleep the day away in their trailer park until a predator-obsessed Internet celebrity decides to stalk and kill her, with a million viewers following along. Zoey is rescued by some confederates of her father (who she learns is dead), which leaves her having to flee from his enemies, but his friends aren’t much better. It seems as though everyone wants something from her, and she isn’t sure what she even wants from herself. She makes it to Tabula Ra$a, a Vegasesque city deep in the Utah desert, where there are no rules and everything goes beyond over-the-top. Staying alive is Zoey’s top priority as she and her sketchy new companions struggle to work out the mystery of her father’s legacy—oh, and save the world from a megalomaniac calling himself Molech. Biting humor and blatant digs at modern society overlay a subtly brilliant and thoughtful plot focused on one young woman’s growth and survival against all odds. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group.

August 1, 2015
A young woman who believes her father dead enters a cyberpunk theme park where everyone is trying to kill her for a secret she doesn't even know she has. All right, grab some popcorn and strap in. We're in for another profane and funny roller-coaster ride from Wong (This Book is Full of Spiders, 2012, etc.)-better known as the playful pseudonym of Cracked's Jason Pargin. Here the author strays from his previous horror adventures to craft a sci-fi comedy-thriller full of ray guns, sentient programs, and cybernetically enhanced psychotic killers. Our hero(ine) is Zoey Ashe, a self-identified "trailer troll" from rural Colorado whose single mother shills drinks in a zombie-themed bar. It doesn't take long for Wong to offer lots of clues that this is the near future, one in which the chasm between the rich and the poor has reached cartoonish proportions. It turns out that Zoey's father was Arthur Livingston, the founder of a utopian city geared toward criminals and the superrich called Tabula Ra$a, located out in the high desert. Arthur was blown up by a rival arms dealer, so his gang, the Suits of the title, are under instruction to fetch Zoey, who holds the key to retrieving his fortune, not to mention his violent revenge. "I want no part of this nonsense," Zoey says. "This whole city is a butt that farts horror." The enhanced bad guys are all broadcasting to the fictional "Blink" network, a kind of POV live stream that lends itself well to the insane supervillain monologues that pepper the book. Meanwhile, Zoey's lack of enthusiasm is irksome to Will Blackwater, her escort. "You take risks; you get hurt," he says. "And you put your head down and plow forward anyway and if you die, you die. That's the game. But don't tell me you're not a hero." Some of the sci-fi elements are comic book-y and the humor is as juvenile as ever, but the book more than makes up for any shortcomings with its Technicolor tomorrowland, mischievous humor, and frenetic action sequences.

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Starred review from March 1, 2016

In this laugh-out-loud adventure complete with superhero costumes and a cat named Stench Machine, Zoey Ashe discovers that she has inherited billions from her deadbeat dad. Unfortunately, the sudden windfall means that the entire city of Tabula Rosa (think of a tackier, more sinful Las Vegas multiplied by 10) is out to capture her to control her money and her inherited weapons. Zoey may have just been a curvy barista living in a trailer park, but she is her father's child-she's smart, a bit conniving, and a threat to her enemies. She's ready to take on Molech and his biologically enhanced minions, especially after they kidnap her mother from the strip club. This hilarious novel is perfect for students who are ready to move from Brandon Sanderson's Steelheart (Delacorte, 2013) and on to something more like Matt Ruff's Alex Award-winning title Bad Monkeys (Harper, 2007). Wong (a pseudonym of Jason Pargin) is a comedic writer at Cracked.com, as well as the author of John Dies at the End (2009) and This Book Is Full of Spiders (2012, both St. Martin's). Readers can't help but snicker-Zoey is snarky, and a serial killer and chili farts are mentioned in the opening pages. Just as in a box office hit, the action is nonstop, the humor is crude (the book's back cover features a picture of a robotic middle finger), and the plucky female main character saves the day. VERDICT Give to mature young adults who appreciate wit and crude humor.-Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, ILNonfiction

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2015
The day that barista Zoey Ashe inherits a fortune from her estranged billionaire father, she also earns a high-dollar contract on her head and a prime spot in the middle of a futuristic Mob war. It's the near future, and things are pretty much the same as now, except that Facebook has been replaced by live video social media called Blink, cars drive themselves, and a rogue defense contractor has developed technology to create superhumans using cyborg-like implants. Members of Zoey's father's former team, called the Suits, rescue her from a series of contract killers with terrifying powers like titanium jaws and electricity-shooting fingers so that she can open her father's vault. They're certain that the vault contains the secret to defeating Molech, the hilariously absurd supervillain leader of the Mafia competition who has had himself and his henchmen implanted. The thing is, the implants are unstable, causing them to unexpectedly explode, and Molech thinks Zoey has the code to fix the bug. So, unfortunately, her life depends on guiding the Suits to victory over Molech. Well-timed humor and explosive thrills, a smart backbone, and witty wordsmithing make this new release by Cracked.com's pseudonym-wielding Jason Pargin (John Dies at the End, 2009) as fun as it gets. Steer this one toward readers of sf with a sense of humor, and fans of Max Barry's satirical futuristic novels.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

Starred review from September 15, 2015

As this volume reveals, 2014 was an outstanding year for stellar short speculative fiction. Edited by master anthologist Adams and award-winning horror author Hill, this collection features a number of stories previously published elsewhere, but their high quality makes them worth revisiting. Readers will particularly enjoy Seanan McGuire's take on mermaids in "Each to Each" and Neil Gaiman fans will relish a visit to London Below in "The Marquis of Carabas." One of the very best pieces is from the only author to have two stories selected for this volume, newcomer Sofia Samatar. "How To Get Back to the Forest" is a haunting tale of the near future that will leave readers wanting more of her lyrical writing. VERDICT An illuminating anthology for genre devotees and curious readers interested in exploring sf/fantasy without committing to a full novel or series.--JM

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2015

When he's not Jason Pargin, executive editor of the comedy site Cracked.com, Wong writes New York Times best sellers like This Book Is Full of Spiders. In his latest, set in a bloody near-future, superhero vigilantes duke it out with self-proclaimed supervillains, as a group called the Men in Fancy Suits keep things calm. When Zoey discovers that her recently deceased con artist dad had redeemed himself by joining the Fancy Suits, who subsequently rescue her from some nasties, what choice does she have but to put on a suit herself?

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September 15, 2015

Upon the death of her fabulously wealthy absentee father Arthur Livingston, Zoey agrees to come to his home in Tabula Ra$a, a no-rules, vice-filled city in the desert, to help his former associates open a vault. Even before she gets there, she becomes a target for a host of bounty hunters and psychopaths determined to use her to gain their 15 minutes of fame. A megalomaniac calling himself Molech squares off against Zoey and Livingston's executive team (collectively known as the Suits) in a battle to gain control of weapons technology that Livingston developed and left to Zoey. VERDICT Astoundingly violent, Wong's novel (John Dies at the End; This Book Is Full of Spiders) goes for sf rather than horror this time. There are the gross-out moments one would expect from this author, who combines his trademark over-the-top action with snort-worthy humor for another genre-defying hit. Wong's vision of the near future is cynical and believable, with Zoey providing a nice moral center. [See Prepub Alert, 4/27/15.]--MM

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.