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Eco Station One
This is the tale of Eduardo Sinnombre, who gets hired by a shady organization to juggle the books of Eco Station One, an ecological research setup located deep in the middle of a tropical rainforest. From day one, Eduardo realizes he’ll be the designated scapegoat that will get the blame if something ever goes wrong. He also is being stalked by the unattractive, scrawny female secretary of the guy who has hired him… and seems to have the hots for him (lady the secretary, not the guy, ahem!) In Eco Station One, Eduardo meets Mendoza, his soon-to-be nemesis, Harry the genetically enhanced Gorilla, a crazed scientist who believes he’s Moses, the tropical answer to the Three Stooges and a whole bunch of angry Ikawiri Pygmies who are constantly threatening to shoot poor Eduardo with darts coated with an aphrodisiac poison. Can Eduardo cope with all this? Find out by reading this bizarrely funny novel!
260 pages, Paperback
First published December 8, 2010
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 16, 2014
While technically this is a satirical comedy with a hint of romance, the author has put a lot of himself into the writing. His emotions and his thoughts are captured among the madcap plot.
November 1, 2011
South America will never be the same...
Edwin Stark is a writer who, as he would say, is trapped in the hinterlands of Venezuela. This would be terrible if it hadn’t inspired him to write the uproarious romp known as “Eco Station One.”
Eduardo Sinnombre is a man struggling to survive in the financial wasteland that Venezuela has become, so when he stumbles across a help wanted ad for a job that offers a fabulous wage, he lurches toward the chance. But from the moment he meets corpulent job offerer Thaddeus T. Barnum, representative of the evil Mucusoft software company, he knows he’s stepping into a huge muck hole. That knowledge, however, doesn’t dissuade him from accepting the cash—er, position.
And so Eduardo journeys all the way to Eco Station One, a scientific outpost positioned ever-so-inconveniently in the rainforest, which is also smack dab in the center of Ikawiri Pigmy territory. As if having to sing his way past the vicious natives weren’t bad enough, Eduardo soon finds that his guide Pedro Alfredo Mendoza dela Villahuerta Paomos y Linarez (Mendoza for short) has it in for him, and with the help of his three cousins Taco, Paco, and Manolo (the Mendoza Trio) it seems almost certain Mendoza will sabotage his new job.
Populated by wacky events and zany characters (which include Harry the talking—well, signing—black mountain gorilla and Paul Culvert the bus-driving hippy who still thinks he’s in the 1970s), “Eco Station One” is sure to grab you by the armpits and tickle you mercilessly right up until the last page.
Read this book and enjoy a story that is as hilarious as the Stark-raving voice that tells it.
Reviewed by “Maine’s Other Author”(TM) Tim Greaton
Edwin Stark is a writer who, as he would say, is trapped in the hinterlands of Venezuela. This would be terrible if it hadn’t inspired him to write the uproarious romp known as “Eco Station One.”
Eduardo Sinnombre is a man struggling to survive in the financial wasteland that Venezuela has become, so when he stumbles across a help wanted ad for a job that offers a fabulous wage, he lurches toward the chance. But from the moment he meets corpulent job offerer Thaddeus T. Barnum, representative of the evil Mucusoft software company, he knows he’s stepping into a huge muck hole. That knowledge, however, doesn’t dissuade him from accepting the cash—er, position.
And so Eduardo journeys all the way to Eco Station One, a scientific outpost positioned ever-so-inconveniently in the rainforest, which is also smack dab in the center of Ikawiri Pigmy territory. As if having to sing his way past the vicious natives weren’t bad enough, Eduardo soon finds that his guide Pedro Alfredo Mendoza dela Villahuerta Paomos y Linarez (Mendoza for short) has it in for him, and with the help of his three cousins Taco, Paco, and Manolo (the Mendoza Trio) it seems almost certain Mendoza will sabotage his new job.
Populated by wacky events and zany characters (which include Harry the talking—well, signing—black mountain gorilla and Paul Culvert the bus-driving hippy who still thinks he’s in the 1970s), “Eco Station One” is sure to grab you by the armpits and tickle you mercilessly right up until the last page.
Read this book and enjoy a story that is as hilarious as the Stark-raving voice that tells it.
Reviewed by “Maine’s Other Author”(TM) Tim Greaton
February 9, 2012
Despite this NOT being the type of humor I read and despite the content being so "off the wall" I enjoyed this book immensely. Mr. Stark's writing keeps you interested by making you wonder what the heck could possibly happen next, then being totally surprised at the humor of it all.
I rate this as a 5-star book, simply because it is such an intricately designed sci-fi spoof that holds your interest and makes you chuckle. There were a few typos along the way, and as much as I hate typos, they fit in and seemed to add to the craziness, so no mark-downs for that.
Mr. Stark has quite the imagination for the weird and wacky and to be able to put it all down on paper in novel form takes a special talent. Harry the gorilla and Rosita the donkey were believable and endearing. Not many authors could pull this type of story off, but he did a marvelous job.
I highly recommend this book to those of you that like humorous spoofs or satire. I found it to be a great change-of-pace read for me and now I will seek out other books or articles he has written.
Margaret Radisich Sleasman
I rate this as a 5-star book, simply because it is such an intricately designed sci-fi spoof that holds your interest and makes you chuckle. There were a few typos along the way, and as much as I hate typos, they fit in and seemed to add to the craziness, so no mark-downs for that.
Mr. Stark has quite the imagination for the weird and wacky and to be able to put it all down on paper in novel form takes a special talent. Harry the gorilla and Rosita the donkey were believable and endearing. Not many authors could pull this type of story off, but he did a marvelous job.
I highly recommend this book to those of you that like humorous spoofs or satire. I found it to be a great change-of-pace read for me and now I will seek out other books or articles he has written.
Margaret Radisich Sleasman
January 8, 2012
Edwin Stark has written a seriously funny book. Eduardo has stumbled into a position at a rainforest outpost where he gets the opportunity to skim millions from the mega-corporation, Mucosoft. All he has to do is survive the local pigmy tribe, a gang of desperado cousins, the fast-approaching road project that will close his window of opportunity, a steamy love affair, and the jungle itself. Not a problem since he has a gorilla assistant, a maniacal bus-driving hippie, and the beautiful Marina in his corner (at least part of the time).
It’s quite evident that English is not Mr. Stark’s first language, but the odd prepositions, word juxtapositions, and typos lend an additional element of the exotic to his writing, making it seem more authentic. He effortlessly employs beautiful phrasing and on-the-money descriptions that would be hard to find in most books written by Americans.
This book was absolutely delightful from start to finish – wacky, zany, madcap, slapstick, but very creative and imaginative. A great book!
It’s quite evident that English is not Mr. Stark’s first language, but the odd prepositions, word juxtapositions, and typos lend an additional element of the exotic to his writing, making it seem more authentic. He effortlessly employs beautiful phrasing and on-the-money descriptions that would be hard to find in most books written by Americans.
This book was absolutely delightful from start to finish – wacky, zany, madcap, slapstick, but very creative and imaginative. A great book!
October 18, 2012
This is the second book I have read by Edwin Stark. I think he puts a lot of himself in his books and it is fun trying to figure out what is taken from his experiences and what is totally made up! I believe he traveled with a circus for a while, but I think he would deny that. Edwin has written a very interesting and smart story with a lot of details and a great plot. He totally drew me into the rainforests, his characters are off the wall, but so is the story. If you want to sit back and enjoy the ride with pygmies, gorillas, donkeys, and nefarious characters, this book is for you! It is really a three ring circus, and very enjoyable. The author's first language is not English and is evident in some of the wording of his work, but you can tell Edwin puts his heart and soul in this books. Eco Station One is worth a read.
January 11, 2012
This was fun. First-person POV fit this story beautifully. It's obvious English isn't the author's native language, but in this book, the occasional Spanish usage wasn't grating. It actually added veracity to the POV character telling this outrageous story. I highly recommend this book if you're looking for something very different, and a real wide smile.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews