#humor

This is one of my "secret lore" books; my oldest friend introduced me to it when I was in my early teens. He also introduced me to "The Young Ones", "Young Lust Magazine" (it's a parody), and a LOT of comic books. He ended up working at Marvel and DC later on, although not at the same time.

"Those of you who remember how great it was to be a little kid, gang, don't •remember• how it was to be a little kid..."

Drawn and written by the brilliant Gahan Wilson, this book is one of the most accurate representations of what childhood was really like that I've ever seen. Which is probably why it's also the funniest.

The Kid (as he's referred to) is an ordinary kid with the usual experiences. His parents don't understand. His friends (some of them, at least) are idiots. And he WANTS things so desperately much. Toys, and candy, and comic books...

Individual strips of "Nuts" appeared in National Lampoon during their golden era. The book was rare; I treasured my copy. Luckily you can borrow it for free from the Internet Archive. And there are PDFs of it out on the high, seas, too. I'm sure the Kid would understand.

archive.org/details/nuts0000wils_q2w6

Happy reading! 🤓📖

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Are there any books that made you a different person? Particularly when you were a kid or young teen? There were for me, and this was one of them. The funny thing is that it was •written• by a teen, too: Harry Medved was 17 years old when he wrote "The Fifty Worst Films of All Time".

Specifically it had a HUGE impact on my sense of humor. It covers fifty films which, if not STILL the worst of all time, are certainly still among the worst of the worst. You probably haven't heard of most of them, although some are so awful that they've earned a sort of perverse immortality and even fans. Of course the book was written long before MST3K, but it has much of the same spirit: a twisted enjoyment of the biggest flops, the stupidest scripts, the dumbest concepts, and the most painful acting.

At least a few of these films were also given the MST3K treatment years later, such as "Santa Claus Conquers The Martians" and (I think) "Robot Monster". You can probably find them on YouTube or the Internet Archive.

Each film gets a thorough (and thoroughly funny) writeup, including stills, plot summaries, "Unforgettable Performances", "Immortal Dialogue", the story behind the film, and more.

One example from "The Ambushers" (1967) starring Dean Martin:

MATT HELM: Oh, when you say you're a “38” you ain't just kidding! LINDA: It’s not a gun, Mr. Helm. It’s the new weapon they gave me, developed right here in our labs. MATT: Developed pretty well, too! LINDA: May I point out... MATT: You already do! LINDA: ... that that’s why you're here. To become familiar with our latest equipment. MATT: You're right. An agent should always keep •abreast• of the times!

Feel free to cringe.

This is the book that CREATED bad film fandom. It inspired MST3K, as well as two excellent sequels and a lot of other professional film mockers. Its cultural impact has been enormous.

I've only ever seen the book as a large paperback; I have a copy, of course. But it was never released as an ebook. Luckily it's available to borrow for free online at the Internet Archive, every bad film buff's best friend!

archive.org/details/fiftyworstfilmso0000medv

Happy reading! 🤓📖

#Books #Bookstodon #Humor #Movies #Films #BookRecommendation #BookRecs

"Master of the Five Magics" (1980) by Lyndon Hardy

Not every good book has to be a classic for the ages. Sometimes a good, light, enjoyable read is exactly what you need.

And that describes Lyndon Hardy's "Master of the Five Magics" to a T. It's the story of Alodar, a journeyman thaumaturge in a fantasy world. Alodar has a problem: his father was a noble, but was cast out of the aristocracy long before. Now Alodar harbors a secret determination: to win the hand of Queen Vendora and by so doing, erasing his family's disgrace.

His path isn't an easy one. As a journeyman thaumaturge, his status isn't high. But war plagues the kingdom, and if he can serve the Queen he hopes to parlay that into being accepted as a suitor for her hand.

But that's the general plot. The specifics are where things get interesting, because the book is effectively a series of really interesting and fun puzzles.

There are five schools of magic:

• Thaumaturgy, in which manipulation of a part of an object gives control over the whole

• Alchemy - many repetitions produce only some correct results

• Magic - years-long rituals are required to produce perfect enchanted objects

• Sorcery - the art of commanding the will of others

• Wizardry - the dangerous art of summoning and commanding demons

Each school is described clearly with the applicable principles for each. As Alodar proceeds from one adventure to another, each bringing him a little closer to the hand of the Queen, he moves from one school of magic to another—discovering along the way synergies between the schools that no one else ever anticipated.

In other words, this is a •thinking• book. Puzzles layered on puzzles, developing new levels of meaning as the plot moves along. It's a damned good book and I've found it fun to re-read many times.

A few notes:

There are two sequels. They're both good, but as is often the case they're not •quite• as good as the first one. They're still worth reading, though!

I'll note that while Alodar is included in the two sequels, he's not the main character in either.

Lyndon Hardy rewrote the book years after it was published as a "2nd edition". I'm sorry to say that the rewrite is NOT an improvement by any means. Stick with the original.

Fortunately the original edition is available to borrow available to borrow for free at the Internet Archive. archive.org/details/masteroffivemagi0000hard

Happy reading! 🤓📖

#Books #Bookstodon #fantasy #Mystery #Humor #QuasitBookRecs