Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Tachyon Publications (2014), 192 pages
Description
"New York City, 1953. The golden age of television, when most programs were broadcast live. Young Kurt Jastrow, a full-time TV writer and occasional actor, is about to have a close encounter of the apocalyptic kind. Kurt's most beloved character (and alter ego) is Uncle Wonder, an eccentric tinkerer whose pyrotechnically spectacular science experiments delight children across the nation. Uncle Wonder also has a more distant following: the inhabitants of Planet Qualimosa. When a pair of his extraterrestrial fans arrives to present him with an award, Kurt is naturally pleased--until it develops that, come next Sunday morning, these same aliens intend to perpetrate a massacre. Will Kurt and his colleagues manage to convince the Qualimosans that Earth is essentially a secular and rationalist world? Or will the two million devotees of NBC's most popular religious program suffer unthinkable consequences for their TV-viewing tastes? Stay tuned for The Madonna and the Starship!" -- Back cover.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member themulhern
There are a bunch of James Morrow novels and novellas and short stories that I have liked very much. But this seems like one of his bad short stories, inflated. On the other hand, I was laughing out loud at the the third paragraph, so it's definitely not all bad. I may revisit this when I've read
On the bright side his recent blog entry convinced me that I must read Moby Dick very soon and that I'll find it hilarious.
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more philosophy or more history of philosophy, and find that I like it better. But it may be hopeless.On the bright side his recent blog entry convinced me that I must read Moby Dick very soon and that I'll find it hilarious.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
James Morrow writes very entertaining Kurt-Vonnegut-esque type dark comedies employing a lot of satire, especially of the religious variety.
This latest book takes place in the 1950’s and centers on protagonist Kurt Jastrow, an aspiring dramatist who earns a living as a pulp-fiction science
Jastrow’s mediocre existence is jolted when he gets a message from two blue lobster-like creatures from the planet Qualimosa. They announce they are coming to see him because they love his program, and want to present him with the “Zorningorg Prize”. They also intend to exterminate the pockets of irrationality throughout the universe, which means destroying all viewers of another program on the same network, a weekly religious series “Not By Bread Alone.”
Jastrow, along with the religious program's writer/producer and babe Connie Osborne, conspire to come up with a satirical script that will convince the Qualimosans that “Not By Bread Alone” is actually exposing the illogic of religion rather than valorizing it. They write a script called “The Madonna and The Starship,” which is very amusing, and they succeed in saving the Earth.
The book has lots of funny bits, such as this one:
"Connie: “Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that these crustaceans are exactly what they say they are. Somewhere beyond our solar system lies a planet of logical positivists. … I hope your Qualimosans aren’t typical of alien races. What could be more boring than a galaxy run by Bertrand Russell?”
And then there is the need to placate the sponsors’ during the airing of "The Madonna and The Starship," resulting in this scene (that results in a sharp uptake in sales for these products):
"Jesus: “Eat these measures of Sugar Corn Pops … for they are my body.”
Brock: “You know, Jesus, the great thing about Sugar Corn Pops is that it’s got the sweenenin’ already on it….”
Jesus: ‘Most impressive,’ Jesus replied, methodically distributing eight mugs of warm, chocolate-flavored beverage. ‘Drink this Ovaltine, for it is my blood.’”
There is also a bit of a surprise twist to the ending, so that even non-atheists will be pleased.
Evaluation: If you love satire and aren’t offended by writing that makes gentle fun of religion, this short book has many laugh-out-loud moments. Morrow has won a number of awards for his work, and is worth getting to know. (My two personal favorites are This Is The Way the World Ends, 1985, and Towing Jehovah, 1994.)
This latest book takes place in the 1950’s and centers on protagonist Kurt Jastrow, an aspiring dramatist who earns a living as a pulp-fiction science
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fiction writer. Currently he is head writer for a schlocky tri-weekly science fiction adventure series, “Brock Barton and His Rocket Rangers.” He also stars in a ten-minute epilogue at the end of each installment, “Uncle Wonder’s Attic,” in which he guides a young kid through a scientific experiment suggested by that week's Brock Barton episode. Jastrow’s mediocre existence is jolted when he gets a message from two blue lobster-like creatures from the planet Qualimosa. They announce they are coming to see him because they love his program, and want to present him with the “Zorningorg Prize”. They also intend to exterminate the pockets of irrationality throughout the universe, which means destroying all viewers of another program on the same network, a weekly religious series “Not By Bread Alone.”
Jastrow, along with the religious program's writer/producer and babe Connie Osborne, conspire to come up with a satirical script that will convince the Qualimosans that “Not By Bread Alone” is actually exposing the illogic of religion rather than valorizing it. They write a script called “The Madonna and The Starship,” which is very amusing, and they succeed in saving the Earth.
The book has lots of funny bits, such as this one:
"Connie: “Let’s suppose, for the sake of argument, that these crustaceans are exactly what they say they are. Somewhere beyond our solar system lies a planet of logical positivists. … I hope your Qualimosans aren’t typical of alien races. What could be more boring than a galaxy run by Bertrand Russell?”
And then there is the need to placate the sponsors’ during the airing of "The Madonna and The Starship," resulting in this scene (that results in a sharp uptake in sales for these products):
"Jesus: “Eat these measures of Sugar Corn Pops … for they are my body.”
Brock: “You know, Jesus, the great thing about Sugar Corn Pops is that it’s got the sweenenin’ already on it….”
Jesus: ‘Most impressive,’ Jesus replied, methodically distributing eight mugs of warm, chocolate-flavored beverage. ‘Drink this Ovaltine, for it is my blood.’”
There is also a bit of a surprise twist to the ending, so that even non-atheists will be pleased.
Evaluation: If you love satire and aren’t offended by writing that makes gentle fun of religion, this short book has many laugh-out-loud moments. Morrow has won a number of awards for his work, and is worth getting to know. (My two personal favorites are This Is The Way the World Ends, 1985, and Towing Jehovah, 1994.)
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LibraryThing member wunder
As I read further, I kept thinking of more people I should tell about it. First it was anyone who wanted a lightweight SF romp. Then it was anyone who enjoyed the pulp era in SF. Then it was anyone who'd done live radio or TV. Then it was anyone who'd taken philosophy and/or religion in
What the heck, read this book.
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college.What the heck, read this book.
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LibraryThing member ChrisRiesbeck
The first Morrow book I've been disappointed in. Similar in length and setting to Shambling toward Hiroshima, this has none of the emotional weight and stakes of Shambling. Both are comic crises set in the recent past of a popular media. In Shambling it was B movies, in Madonna, it's American late
Readable but only for Morrow completists. Those new to Morrow can pick almost anything to start -- Shambling if you want something darkly comic and short, or The Last Witch-Finder if you want something long and rich.
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50's television. The setting is fun, but I doubt it will resonate for anyone who didn't see Space Patrol or Lamp Unto My Feet when they originally aired. As is often true for Morrow's stories -- though not Shambling -- the conflict is religion vs rationalism. Unusually for Morrow, religion is not portrayed particularly negatively. The villains are the blue alien lobsters who intend to kill all viewers of the Sunday morning religious program Not By Bread Alone because they are so offended by religious material. The rom-com protagonists never take on any substance, compared to many similar rom-com couples in previous Morrow stories.Readable but only for Morrow completists. Those new to Morrow can pick almost anything to start -- Shambling if you want something darkly comic and short, or The Last Witch-Finder if you want something long and rich.
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Original language
English
Physical description
192 p.; 5 x 0.75 inches
ISBN
1616961597 / 9781616961596