Steve Lowe

Remember that last book I said had the best title ever? Well, I was wrong, because this book actually has the best title ever.

UPDATE: Just threw this book across the room. Here's why: in an entry purporting to demonstrate why people who use audio books are philistines, the authors refer to Joyce's Finnegan's Wake (sic).

Now, here's a rule I consider elementary: if you're going to write a book that's essentially a long, sneering diatribe that purports to demonstrate your intellectual show more superiority over everything and everyone, you'd better not also demonstrate to your readers that you don't know what you're talking about. There's nothing wrong with a good sneering diatribe that purports to show why everyone but you (and perhaps your reader) is stupid and benighted -- it has a long and distinguished history in American letters. But if you're going to write one, you'd better be smart and you'd better be knowledgeable. That means that you don't get to make mistakes like writing Finnegan's Wake, especially when you're looking down your nose at people who use audio books. Once you do that (and they did it three times in one paragraph, so I know it's not a typo), you've told the reader that, in fact, not only are you are not intellectually superior to people who use audio books, but you're also an arrogant, witless, self-satisfied fuck who shouldn't be allowed to try and read a book, much less write one.

So you know, shut the fucking fuck up, don't expect me to read your book, and actually, don't be writing it in the first place. show less

Excellent book! This book is about a man (Billy) who wakes up in his wife’s body and discovers that almost everyone in the town has also switched bodies with whoever they were closest to at the time - their spouses, lovers, or even their sheep. So the cat is barking, the dog is meowing, one neighbor is a sheep and Billy and his other neighbors are trying to figure out what happened and how to fix it. There is also the not-so-minor complication that Billy’s wife poisoned him so he’s got show more to deal with his dead body and her in it instead of him. It is a funny, sweet and tragic journey to see the characters experience each other’s worlds, realize how hard things are for their spouses, and think that it may be too late to really show their appreciation. I like how the author combines humor (can’t get the image of Terry Bradshaw breastfeeding a baby out of my head!) with some heavy topics like exploring traditional male/female roles, and a man realizing he has neglected his wife and wanting a chance at redemption. This is a funny and thought provoking tale and I would definitely recommend it! show less

What could have been the most tedious day of my life was SAVED by [b:Wolves Dressed as Men|9995079|Wolves Dressed as Men|Steve Lowe|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293073416s/9995079.jpg|14536154]! Seriously, I forgot my phone this morning AND I had an appt at the hairdresser's. That is a TERRIBLE combination worthy of complete fear and loathing and all things impatient!

BUT lucky for me I started Wolves last night and it is such a tidy, slim little entertaining short piece of fiction that show more it fit in my handbag AND happened to be there.

What kind of person takes were-fiction to work with them? Well, I guess now you know!

Anyway, it is really maybe ONLY a 4.5 of a book because in this genre there honestly could be some more gratuitous sex scenes, or senseless violence, or maybe some more visceral gore, but this book makes up for it with a strangely compelling reporter character who's had more important stories, some unusual were-action and an uncanny sense of the olfactory. hmm.

Plus there was nothing else like it at the hairdresser's, I guarantee it! Didn't even miss my phone which I usually tap on with ruthless abandon while waiting around for anything sort of like an adult finger pacifier!

So damn it, this little book gets five stars for being my savior today. show less

The sloth: An odd tree-dwelling animal, the most commonly referred to species of which has three toes and a permanent smile on its face.

The spammer: An internet-based douchebag who sends unsolicited email in bulk.

How are these two related? In You Are Sloth by Steve Lowe, a criminal simply known as the Spammer has begun sending out emails that turn people into their power animal. When you (yes, you) are turned into a sloth, you must join with your neighbors Cross the Asshole and Randy the show more Retard (named so by Cross the Asshole), you must track down the Spammer, discover his dastardly plot, and reap some three-toed vengeance.

So, the first thing you'll notice is how I referred to “you” as the main character. That's because this book is written in a second-person perspective (for those not familiar with literary terms, first person is “I,” second person is “you,” and third person is “he/she/it,” to put it quickly). The second-person perspective is usually used in things like those old “Choose Your Own Adventure” books. This is not one of those. It's simply an experimental way of telling the story, and it works. I have to give Lowe a lot of credit for risking this kind of perspective. It's odd at first, but you get used to it very quickly.

The second thing is that this book is funny. It is really funny. The humor is gross, inappropriate, and yet given the characters this book deals with, it couldn't be any other way. These are very low-brow characters. If you don't like lots of feces or mature themes in your story, especially death by bukkake, this might not be the best book for you. For me, it works perfectly in the context of this story.

The story flows, the characters develop, and it's a fun journey along the way as you discover how to be a sloth. If anything, this book actually reminds me a little of Lowe's earlier book Muscle Memory. In both books, characters find themselves in different bodies and have to come to terms with themselves, what they've done, and how they've lived their lives. This similarity isn't necessarily a bad thing. I liked “Muscle Memory,” and while it's a similar theme, the story itself is completely different.

I can't really find a fault with this book. It's hysterically funny, thoughtful, experimental, and really just an outright fun book to read. You really can't go wrong here. Steve Lowe has written what is arguably one of the best books I've read all year, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that.

You Are Sloth by Steve Lowe earns 5 three-toes out of 5. show less