A hodgepodge of essays that hit their mark more than they don't. Oswalt's first book is a little rough around the edges. But for longtime fans of his comedy, he shows a reflective maturity here that is wildly endearing as he really has a knack for encapsulating moments in his life and making the right kind of reader feel like they were right there with him as a teenager playing the role of the social outsider without all the coolness cache of being a "social outsider." The night of the 2008 U.S. election, I was writing a paper in the library and frantically checking for updates. In the midst of this nailbiting, I somehow came across Patton Oswalt's live-Tweeting of the results. Fucking. Hilarious. So when I saw this collection of anecdotes and weird short pieces, I was game. "I'll laugh! I'll think! I like this guy!"I still really like this guy. He writes candidly, appreciates words, has the same verbal hardon for Harlan Ellison as I do, and is generally pretty funny. That said, the collection never quite came together in any cohesive or interesting ways. Perhaps intentionally, the stories (and the writing itself) were scattered. Fun, often engaging, frequently touching, but not with a whole lot to say...or at least, not a whole lot said exceptionally well.
What do You think about Zombie Spaceship Wasteland (2011)?
Very disappointing. I was expecting something much funnier from Patton Oswalt.
—CarterMarie
A collection of shorts, the story of his first headlining gig is hilarious.
—billpeake
There were some good parts and then there was the rest.
—Terrance
I was hoping this book would be funny. It was not.
—einah
