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48th out of 95 books
—
23 voters
The Oblivion Society
What would you do if you slept through the apocalypse? What if everything you knew about disaster survival came from old B-movies? What would you do if society as you know it suddenly became The Oblivion Society? After an accidental nuclear war reduces civilization to a smoldering ruin, grocery clerk Vivian Gray joins a comically inept bunch of twentysomething survivors, a...more
Paperback, 324 pages
Published
September 1st 2007
by Permuted Press
(first published August 2nd 2006)
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Metaphors, and similes, and flowery prose, oh my! Just get to the frackin' point already!
Here an excerpt:
Adjacent to the front entrance was a display that had not been there the day before, composed of a pile of soggy wooden crates filled with ice. She stepped up to the crate and looked inside, and a foul smell seared through her sinuses. The beds of ice were populated with the corpses of the most pathetic selection of fish that she had ever seen. There was not a matching set of species-mates to...more
Here an excerpt:
Adjacent to the front entrance was a display that had not been there the day before, composed of a pile of soggy wooden crates filled with ice. She stepped up to the crate and looked inside, and a foul smell seared through her sinuses. The beds of ice were populated with the corpses of the most pathetic selection of fish that she had ever seen. There was not a matching set of species-mates to...more
I went into this book really wanting to love it. Honestly, I did. A snarky, witty heroine and her strange bunch of friends on a post-apocalyptic road trip? Awesome. Sign me up. When I actually read it, I found there was just too much that fell short in the story to make it something I could properly enjoy. It does have some redeeming parts, for example I did quite like Sherri's character and there were some genuinely funny moments, but overall the whole thing seems somewhat contrived.
The charact...more
The charact...more
Jul 26, 2007
Jer
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
geeks with a bit of pop culture knowledge
The Oblivion Society is a novel filled with sharp wit, entertaining characters, and scenarios that can only be described as "delightfully absurd." This fast-paced novel combines one part sci-fi B-movie adventure, one part foul-mouthed slacker comedy, one part post-apocalyptic road movie, with just a pinch of chick-flick to create an explosive read.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
Spooktoberfest 2010 continues with ... the end of the world!
So funny enough this book opens with a foreword by David Wong, who wrote John Dies At The End, which is how I kicked off Spooktoberfest. There are a fair number of similarities between Wong's book and Hart's, but ultimately I think Hart's suffers by the comparison. Both books have a dark sense of humor, but Hart pushes deeply and frequently into wacky comedy including way too many pop culture references (and for ME to say that, just ......more
So funny enough this book opens with a foreword by David Wong, who wrote John Dies At The End, which is how I kicked off Spooktoberfest. There are a fair number of similarities between Wong's book and Hart's, but ultimately I think Hart's suffers by the comparison. Both books have a dark sense of humor, but Hart pushes deeply and frequently into wacky comedy including way too many pop culture references (and for ME to say that, just ......more
What do Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinski have to do with the apocalypse? Not much, outside of inspiring the tryst that brings it on. And, as in this review, you won't see them again after the introduction. "The Oblivion Society" is a hilarious post-dot-com, energy-drink-fueled apocalyptic romp with some fun science (somewhat abused) and clever characterizations.
The book is populated by a group of late teen/early twenties geeks, goths, and jocks. They form a ragged party trying to survive in the...more
The book is populated by a group of late teen/early twenties geeks, goths, and jocks. They form a ragged party trying to survive in the...more
view all 3 comments
Oct 17, 2007
Christopher
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
lovers of humorous science-fiction.
After reading a three-chapter excerpt of "The Oblivion Society," I decided to buy the book. I am very glad that I did -- I enjoyed this novel *very* much.
Hart's writing is witty and skillful. The element which impressed me the most was his ability to tie in seemingly-unimportant plot points from much earlier in the story to events which unfold hundreds of pages later. Very, very solid.
His characters are earnest and real. I wanted to kick Mr. Boltzmann in the groin, and I wanted to strangle Trent...more
Hart's writing is witty and skillful. The element which impressed me the most was his ability to tie in seemingly-unimportant plot points from much earlier in the story to events which unfold hundreds of pages later. Very, very solid.
His characters are earnest and real. I wanted to kick Mr. Boltzmann in the groin, and I wanted to strangle Trent...more
OMG BUG SQUICK WARNING!
If you are easily bugsquicked like I am, this book's last third is gonna give you the serious wiggins.
Other than that, though?
Vivian, our awesome lil redheaded heroine -- rocks.
Erik, the heart of the group, also rocks.
Even foulmouthed Sherri rocked in her horrifyingly vulgar way.
It was mostly unpredictable, though when Viv's wings show up you know she's gonna fly at some point.
And the pop culture geekery made me think it was all very Night of the Comet.
If you are easily bugsquicked like I am, this book's last third is gonna give you the serious wiggins.
Other than that, though?
Vivian, our awesome lil redheaded heroine -- rocks.
Erik, the heart of the group, also rocks.
Even foulmouthed Sherri rocked in her horrifyingly vulgar way.
It was mostly unpredictable, though when Viv's wings show up you know she's gonna fly at some point.
And the pop culture geekery made me think it was all very Night of the Comet.
I was swayed to read this book due to the preface by David Wong, author of John Dies at the End. Sadly, I found the characters to be flat and the dialogue uninspired. There were a few moments that were entertaining, but in general it wasn't really worth reading.
Quirky. The book is a good read however I found the nonuse of breaks in the pages between perspective changes confusing. I'd be reading about character A and then the next paragraph nothing would make sense until a few sentences in I realized I was now reading from character B's perspective.
If you like postapocalytic stories and mutants and good characters that fit their molds like jello then this is worth a read.
If you like postapocalytic stories and mutants and good characters that fit their molds like jello then this is worth a read.
Mutant or zombie? That is the question Vivian Oblivion and her friends are trying to answer while wading through a radiation-drenched apocalypse. And that's about it...Not much happens in this tale...There's a lot of snarky one-liners and dialogue, but I found myself thinking from the beginning, "Oh, come on! Something happen already!!" A couple of things do, in fact, happen, but much too late to save the book from being dead-boring.
The book had its moments with some clever writing, but I eventually gave up on it as it was too much of the same thing over and over. The characters were stereotypes and became too unbelievable as they stuck to those stereotypes in spite of the stupidity of doing so in their situation. I suppose it was done for humor, but it became the same joke over and over, as did the silly "mutation" plot device.
This was a spectacular failure. The book promised so much. I liked the name, the post-apocalyptic setting, some good pop culture references at the start, etc. etc.
But suddenly, Hart dumbed down all the "bad" guys in his book. There is the boss of the departmental store where Vivian (female protagonist) works who couldn't count and then there is the main "villain" who is the most annoying bad guy you will ever read about.
The female lead (Vivian) was quiet interesting but other characters (especi...more
But suddenly, Hart dumbed down all the "bad" guys in his book. There is the boss of the departmental store where Vivian (female protagonist) works who couldn't count and then there is the main "villain" who is the most annoying bad guy you will ever read about.
The female lead (Vivian) was quiet interesting but other characters (especi...more
A "realistic" post apocalyptic novel, in which a group of believable characters try to find a remnant of society. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Original and very funny, burned through the pages over christmas. I really hope hart writes some more books!
Fun, plus as a bonus, a totally different direction.
Entertaining enough, if a bit predictable.
Indie-published humor horror; great stuff.
This was a very fun book to read. The conversations can get really heated and there is a lot of laughs all around. At the end, I was yearning for a follow up. However, I don't think it'll happen.
The world seems pretty messed up at the end.
The beginning was kind of slow and full of jokes. This book is more of a commentary on life than really about the "end times". The author was using it as a backdrop.
It is definitely not a true sci-fi, fantasy book. but one that uses it as a backdrop for comment...more
The world seems pretty messed up at the end.
The beginning was kind of slow and full of jokes. This book is more of a commentary on life than really about the "end times". The author was using it as a backdrop.
It is definitely not a true sci-fi, fantasy book. but one that uses it as a backdrop for comment...more
So entertaining I read it twice!
freaking fantastically funny, interesting, and fun!
Awesome and funny!
This was such a great book-absurd, funny, lots of adventure. I've always had a thing for post-apocolyptic stories and this is a different view-point on it. Reminds me of a comic book adventure without the pictures
The book started slowly, but I realized it was mostly a buildup for the characters, to make you start caring for them. Its a great book with sad points and exciting points and I know I couldnt put it down. I basically read the whole book in one night. Totally recommend it to everyone.
And the geek shall inherit the earth. This was a great post-apocalyptic pop culture romp. The Gen-x slacker characters were great, there was a lot of humor, some violence and gore and a wee bit of social and political satire. What more could one want? This was a fun read.
I've always wanted to know what a dark comedy version of Cormac McCarthy's the Road mixed with David Cronenberg body horror would look like. Thanks, The Oblivion Society, now I do! And you also sprinkled in Late 90s period piece for good measure!
Irreverent and sometimes shocking—but always entertaining—The Oblivion Society is a enjoyably offbeat adventure.
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
Read the full review at http://www.nightsandweekends.com/arti...
Not the best book ever but a light and fun read.
May 15, 2013
Charlie
is currently reading it
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