Mike Nelson's Death Rat!: A Novel
3.5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
What if an aging, unsuccessful Minnesota author of history books with names like Old von Steuben Had a Farm: The German-American Settlement of the Midwest decided he could write a book every bit as vapid and ridiculous as the books that sold four hundred times more copies than his own? Well, he would write Death Rat, of course, the thrilling tale of a man who battles prejudice, his inner demons, and a cunning six-foot-long rat.
And what if he was told by publishers that, at sixty years of age, though his book was a thrilling read, he just didn’t look the part of a virile writer of gripping adventure books featuring cunning six-foot-long rats? Well, he would cook up a scheme so outrageous, it would incur the wrath of Gus Bromstad, the beloved author of the homespun Dogwood Downs series of books. And it would stir up the bizarre religious fervor of King Leo, the libidinous funk superstar whose CD “LoveDeathTomorrowJelly” was one of the biggest sellers of the decade. And it would throw him into a strange symbiotic relationship with the entire town of Holey, Minnesota, population 38.
Such is the fate of one Pontius Feeb, the hapless author of Death Rat. . . and perhaps the fate of all who attempt to write gripping novels featuring cunning six-foot-long rats.
Michael J. Nelson
Michael J. Nelson is an actor, writer, director, and musician who served as head writer for ten seasons, and on-air host for five seasons, of the television series Mystery Science Theater 3000. He was also the composer of most of MST3K's original music, and is coauthor of The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide (1996). Nelson lives in Minneapolis with his wife, writer-performer Bridget Jones, and their two children.
Read more from Michael J. Nelson
Mike Nelson's Death Rat!: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Mike Nelson's Mind Over Matters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to Mike Nelson's Death Rat!
Related ebooks
The Kids in the Hall: One Dumb Guy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Born Funny Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStrange 80's State of Mind Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Year of Flops: The A.V. Club Presents One Man's Journey Deep into the Heart of Cinematic Failure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Worst We Can Find: MST3K, RiffTrax, and the History of Heckling at the Movies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSTEP RIGHT UP!...I'm Gonna Scare The Pants Off America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Let's Start A Riot: How A Young Drunk Punk became A Hollywood Dad Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Cinematic Misadventures of Ed Wood Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Manos: The Hands of Fate Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy Dirty Life in Comedy Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAll My Friends Are Superheroes: Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Splatters Quickly: The Collected Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrivate Midnight: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In My Humble Opinion: My So-Called Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Like What I Know: A Visual Autobiography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Man with Kaleidoscope Eyes Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Clowns & Horror: Rivals of Terror Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChasing the Panther: Adventures and Misadventures of a Cinematic Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Rod Serling’s Triple W: Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Powdered Eggs: A Novel Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Zombie Spaceship Wasteland: A Book by Patton Oswalt Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Back From the Future: A Celebration of the Greatest Time Travel Story Ever Told Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStronger Than Spinach: The Secret Appeal of the Famous Studios Popeye Cartoons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Attack of the Killer Tomatoes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDangerous Liaisons Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOpening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American '70s Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Humor & Satire For You
The Best F*cking Activity Book Ever: Irreverent (and Slightly Vulgar) Activities for Adults Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious People: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Love and Other Words Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5101 Fun Personality Quizzes: Who Are You . . . Really?! Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer: A Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tidy the F*ck Up: The American Art of Organizing Your Sh*t Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Big Swiss: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Can't Make This Up: Life Lessons Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Will Judge You by Your Bookshelf Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: the heartfelt, funny memoir by a New York Times bestselling therapist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Swamp Story: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Killing the Guys Who Killed the Guy Who Killed Lincoln: A Nutty Story About Edwin Booth and Boston Corbett Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mindful As F*ck: 100 Simple Exercises to Let That Sh*t Go! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Soulmate Equation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything I Know About Love: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Solutions and Other Problems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar...: Understanding Philosophy Through Jokes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everything Is F*cked: A Book About Hope Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sunshine Nails: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5My Favorite Half-Night Stand Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Go the F**k to Sleep Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Be Alone: If You Want To, and Even If You Don't Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/51,001 Facts that Will Scare the S#*t Out of You: The Ultimate Bathroom Reader Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 2,548 Wittiest Things Anybody Ever Said Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Reviews for Mike Nelson's Death Rat!
44 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What happens when an aging history writer loses his job and decides to write what he thinks will be a great survival story?Mayhem.First, nobody wants a thrilling adventure tale from a sixty year old never-was, so he turns to his handsome, virile, young coworker at the burger place as the new “face” of the book, selling it instantly.From there the book devolves into chaos, funk, pay-offs, crimes and misdemeanors, and the mighty wrath of the popular author they just pushed out of the top selling spot.I was expecting something very different when I first picked this up years ago. In fact, I was actually expecting more along the lines of what the fictional Death Rat book plot was. I mean, it IS from Mike Nelson of MST3K fame... and there IS a giant rat on the cover.But still, a fantastic story about the absurdities of life in the tradition of Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut. And, thrilling in its own right with a very interesting Prince pastiche thrown into the mix for fun.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A humorous story of a hapless writer and the ridiculousness that escalates during and after the publishing of his book.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Light, often funny, sometimes hilarious read from one of the funniest people I've never met, Michael J. Nelson. I'm a MSTie, but I never got around to checking out Mike's non-movie riffing projects until now. Perhaps because I've watched so much Mystery Science Theater and RiffTrax it felt like Mike was in my head reading his own novel to me. I couldn't separate his voice from his prose. The funniest moments of Death Rat felt like movie riffs - characters make funny observations and clever comments, either through first or third person, about absurd moments or situations in the plot. His use of puns (mostly through book titles written by his hapless protagonist, a failed history book author), although funny at first, gets somewhat old after the first few instances. But isn't that the nature of puns, after all? The premise of the story is rather silly, but it serves as a strangely proper vehicle for Mike's humor. I've heard that Mike found the publishing experience to be very frustrating and rather unenjoyable, but he pulled off a fun read that had me laughing out loud more than a few times.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5If you have anything whatsoever to do with publishing, or with Minnesota, do yourself a favour and get this book. You will laugh until you cry.The characters are immensely likeable and relatable, the story is so implausible it hits an Einsteinian warp and becomes utterly believable, and the humour is simply wry, sharp, and non-stop. You can tell who everyone is "supposed" to be, and that just makes it funnier. And if you've ever, EVER tried to write and sell a book, only to be told that you "don't have a platform" or "aren't marketable," do yourself a favour - read Death Rat!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pretty funny. A light entertaining farce.