thefancypants's review
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
brookamimi's review against another edition
4.0
This book surprised me. There were the usual Hodgman witticisms and excellent guest voices, but after a while I was just kind of waiting for it to be over. Near the end, it picked up again and had moments like the last episodes of a season of BoJack Horseman--it's weird and sudden but hollows you out (in a good way, if that's even possible). Hodgman, however, helps you fill out again because this is the end of his trilogy.
jmcphers's review against another edition
4.0
On the one hand, I was sad to see this trilogy come to a close. Hodgman's non-sequiturs seem like they could comfortably expand to fit a whole shelf of volumes, and that they somehow should.
On the other hand: NOW I KNOW EVERYTHING.
This book is no good for the beginning Hodgman reader. (It is no good for beginning readers in general, actually.) The book is a continuation of the previous two (The Areas Of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require), down to the page numbers and footnotes. There are running jokes and cross-references. As the series progresses, the books become more and more melancholy and bizarre. If you've started at the beginning, you will become accustomed to the increasingly powerful assault of dischordant ideas and rambling fictions, but start in the middle and I suspect that you will find them overwhelming.
This book does not quite live up to the comedic magic of the first, but in bits and chunks you get to see John Hodgman not simply as a purveyor of the ridiculous but as an actually competent writer, with all of those classical bits in which the Human Condition is Keenly Observed. There's a bit at the end about a writer's convention, which I found so believable that I pulled out my phone and crossed-referenced facts while I read because I actually wasn't sure if I was reading fiction or not.
Perhaps you have read the first book in the trilogy but stalled out in the second. Did you read the Lord of the Rings? Aren't you glad you read Return of the King, even if it means you secretly did not read The Two Towers? (Everything will be OK.) If you read The Areas Of My Expertise, you should read this one too. It's funny, fulfilling, and of course completely preposterous.
On the other hand: NOW I KNOW EVERYTHING.
This book is no good for the beginning Hodgman reader. (It is no good for beginning readers in general, actually.) The book is a continuation of the previous two (The Areas Of My Expertise and More Information Than You Require), down to the page numbers and footnotes. There are running jokes and cross-references. As the series progresses, the books become more and more melancholy and bizarre. If you've started at the beginning, you will become accustomed to the increasingly powerful assault of dischordant ideas and rambling fictions, but start in the middle and I suspect that you will find them overwhelming.
This book does not quite live up to the comedic magic of the first, but in bits and chunks you get to see John Hodgman not simply as a purveyor of the ridiculous but as an actually competent writer, with all of those classical bits in which the Human Condition is Keenly Observed. There's a bit at the end about a writer's convention, which I found so believable that I pulled out my phone and crossed-referenced facts while I read because I actually wasn't sure if I was reading fiction or not.
Perhaps you have read the first book in the trilogy but stalled out in the second. Did you read the Lord of the Rings? Aren't you glad you read Return of the King, even if it means you secretly did not read The Two Towers? (Everything will be OK.) If you read The Areas Of My Expertise, you should read this one too. It's funny, fulfilling, and of course completely preposterous.
8mins19secs's review
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
3.0
I love how the author refers to his daughter and son as Hodgmina and Hodgmanilo. For some reason this just strikes me as hilarious every time I hear it. Another funny book.
chronoguard's review against another edition
5.0
Brilliantly hilarious and seriously deranged. The end of the world has never been this funny.
sbaunsgard's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this, just as I enjoyed the first two Hodgman books. The most surprising thing about this one was how engrossing the story of the (fake) Silopanna trilogy was. If that is how good Hodgman is at writing fictional non-humor, I say BRING ON THE NOVELS.
jillbd's review against another edition
5.0
Started on December 21st, as instructed!
I wish I had more stars at my disposal.
Now I'm re-experiencing it as an audiobook. There's definitely value added in the audiobook edition!
I wish I had more stars at my disposal.
Now I'm re-experiencing it as an audiobook. There's definitely value added in the audiobook edition!
sharonfalduto's review
5.0
Oh, John Hodgman, how I love your beautiful mind and your fake trivia. This book tells us all about the coming Ragnarok, in detail, with a page-a-day type calendar with all sorts of interesting predictions. Every page included something you could read aloud to your spouse or friend and laugh about. Unfortunately, he claims this is his last book. Boo! Write more, John Hodgman!
And yes, my first book of the year is one entitled "That Is All." Too bad I didn't finish it in 2012.
And yes, my first book of the year is one entitled "That Is All." Too bad I didn't finish it in 2012.