|
Loading... Bear v. Shark (original 2002; edition 2001)by Chris Bachelder
Work detailsBear v. Shark: The Novel by Chris Bachelder (2002)
None. Satirizes American media and culture through a family trip to the sovereign nation of Las Vegas to witness THE event. In an era when TVs no longer have off switches and saturate your environment, the all consuming topic culminating in a mechanized showdown in the Darwin Dome is: Given a relatively level playing field- i.e. water deep enough so that a Shark could maneuver proficiently, but shallow enough so that a Bear could stand and operate with its characteristic dexterity- who would win in a fight between a Bear and a Shark? The criticism is well-founded and a bit horrifying. Also rather amusing. (  ) dandelionroots | Dec 22, 2012 |  I was rooting for the bear. (  ) abbot | Jul 21, 2008 | This was supposed to be a commentary on the way the media is ruining our lives. It fell short as a satire and as a commentary. Not good! (  ) Djupstrom | Apr 20, 2008 | mortaine | Jan 9, 2008 | "Bear V Shark" was Bachelder's first novel, "U.S.!" was his second, and reading them, you can really tell that they were written in that order. "U.S.!" is much more accomplished, whereas "Bear V Shark," while clever, suffers from being far too one-note. It's also more bleak and depressing, eviscerating American culture—which, in a not-too-distant future where televisions no longer turn off, involves a nation that has become obsessed with a virtual fight between the titular animals—without leaving even the shred of hope or optimism "U.S.!" offered. Plus, the (intentional) errors in fact that all the characters spout (a Gordian knot is referred to throughout as a guardian knot, for example) drove me *insane*. I can't stand that amount of dumb! Not even in the cause of satire! However, it *is* very amusing to picture Stephen Colbert reading this novel. I'm thinking audio book? trinityofone | May 30, 2007 | no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
|
 Google Books — Loading...Popular coversRatingAverage: (3.41)
Is this you?Become a LibraryThing Author. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Wikipedia in English
2