Grady HarpTop Contributor: Children's Books

HALL OF FAMETOP 50 REVIEWER5.0 out of 5 stars Just the antidote for today’s madness! Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2020Verified Purchase Pow! Onto the scene pounces William Shatspeare as a court jester par excellence. Even the choice of sobriquet – wonderfully occult in origin and simultaneously as funny as this highly entertaining book – is in keeping with the degree of tongue in cheek parody and reflection in a funhouse mirror of the state of mind of today. Hint: pay attention to the subtitle…. The book copyright owner is one James T. Quark

Every aspect of this original book leads down the lane to hilarious parody. Even the chapter heads are digitalized and the innuendoes pepper the story with giggles and guffaws. That is not to say that the irony is without substance: twist your head a certain way and the political and social commentary rise out of the pages.

An example, early on, after a mind bending prologue, from Chapter 2.01 Argust 15, 2124, 3:15pm “…I’ll bet that’s not what your read in high school.” Maxwell Muddle, professor of history at Santa Barbara College, surveyed the amphitheater. Some of the faces registered alarm. Dr. Muddle, in his early forties, balding, but otherwise sound of mind and body, had a tendency to call on his students. Worse, he often did so without posing a discernible question. Gesturing to the top of the amphitheater, Muddle hazarded, “But isn’t that why you’re in college? To learn the truth?”…..’The truth is there’s no such thing as truth.’ The book’s flavor is apparent – sort of.

A capital item here is the theory of Historical Transitivity: Interpretations of the past often change when priorities shift in the present – the past was just as malleable as the present. And another tidbit ‘Instead of Faux News blurbs, the SmartScreen displayed the mind-blowing image of a vast spacecraft descending over Washington, PC.’ (Yes, spelling is correctly intended) But jumping into the ride of the coming story, ‘Universes are colliding. Characters from a tangle of universes—Star Trek, Marvel Comics, Star Wars, Harry Potter, DC Comics, Middle Earth and more—are colliding in a reality that has simply gone mad. The evil, orange-skinned usurper, Uranus Blowhard, has hypnotized Amerricans with this mind-numbing MAGA chant. Blowhard is determined to collect the five Time Cheaters that will make him the most powerful roach motel tycoon in the Infiniverse. The only thing standing in Blowhard’s way is Captain Quark and his crack team of superheroes, The Funtastic Five. Will Quark and the FF thwart Blowhard's scheme to conquer the Infiniverse?’

This is one completely and extravagantly delightful work of comedy. Though the pages turn quickly, take time to absorb and appreciate all the double entendres and kinks the author has created (or reported!!!). This is a book we all need to experience at this time. Highly recommended for relaxation. Grady Harp, May 20 Customer Review