“There are few feats more impressive than saving the world. Some of the most beloved stories tell the tale of an endangered existence, a threat to mankind, a nearly insurmountable peril, and an unexpected hero who jumps to the rescue. Cue the adoring society and fanfare, then the happily ever after. But what would happen if the story continued? What does a saved world look, feel, and act like? Michael Loyd Gray's The Armageddon Two-Step begins at this little-explored point, after the world has been saved and the excitement has subsided.
The novel's hero and protagonist, Shelby Albert Goddard, is an unassuming young man from Boise, Idaho. He doesn't quite remember how he saved the world, which is beneficial to a government that wants to keep the details secret and can explain it away with ‘having something to do with thingamabobs, thingamajigs, and doohickeys.’ Shelby has his own assigned secret agent, is exempt from paying taxes for the rest of his life, has appeared on all the major talk shows, and has already enjoyed 867 free tacos with extra sour cream from Taco Bell. However, after a little while, the novelty of such a dramatic event wears off and the world moves on. Everything is back to normal, except for Shelby. He isn't quite sure what to do next, so he drives around the country in search of purpose and enlightenment, encountering a plethora of memorable events and characters along the way.
Gray's writing is rooted in the absurd, and he crafts beautifully bizarre scenarios throughout the novel. For example, in the second half of the book, Shelby founds Ketibog, a vague but successful company funded by Gobitek, another vague but successful company. No one really understands what these businesses do or how they do it, but clients wholly trust in the executives' unearned confidence. Shelby also discovers that he is the muse of the Exalted Church of the Intergalactic Moment, a movement in Parsons Grove, Arkansas, inspired by his saving the world. In these and other situations, Gray masterfully captures humanity's fleeting attention and blind faith.
My favorite part of The Armageddon Two-Step was the way that Gray presents the story. He expertly uses sentence construction, repetition, and dialogue to further amplify the absurd nature of the book. Shelby's conversations with his assigned secret agent, referred to as Roger Valkyrie, are particularly funny. I found myself laughing out loud while reading several parts of this novel, and I genuinely enjoyed the act of reading it. This novel is a full experience, meaningful because of the meaninglessness of the story's details. Gray twists and spins the simple but classic foundation of saving the world in a fresh, novel way. His writing style delightfully captures the absurd and bizarre, reminiscent of other authors in the genre such as Kurt Vonnegut or Franz Kafka. While I believe these comparisons are fair, I also think that Michael Loyd Gray deserves a category all his own.
The only negative thing to report in this book was the number of typographical and grammatical errors, which were not distracting but did number more than a dozen. As such, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Another quick round of editing would amplify it to the full rating it deserves. The Armageddon Two-Step is a novel that appeals to fans of absurdist literature who appreciate twists on classic tropes and laugh-out-loud elements. The thought-provoking nature of this book, along with its modern cultural references, make it a great candidate for book clubs.”
The novel's hero and protagonist, Shelby Albert Goddard, is an unassuming young man from Boise, Idaho. He doesn't quite remember how he saved the world, which is beneficial to a government that wants to keep the details secret and can explain it away with ‘having something to do with thingamabobs, thingamajigs, and doohickeys.’ Shelby has his own assigned secret agent, is exempt from paying taxes for the rest of his life, has appeared on all the major talk shows, and has already enjoyed 867 free tacos with extra sour cream from Taco Bell. However, after a little while, the novelty of such a dramatic event wears off and the world moves on. Everything is back to normal, except for Shelby. He isn't quite sure what to do next, so he drives around the country in search of purpose and enlightenment, encountering a plethora of memorable events and characters along the way.
Gray's writing is rooted in the absurd, and he crafts beautifully bizarre scenarios throughout the novel. For example, in the second half of the book, Shelby founds Ketibog, a vague but successful company funded by Gobitek, another vague but successful company. No one really understands what these businesses do or how they do it, but clients wholly trust in the executives' unearned confidence. Shelby also discovers that he is the muse of the Exalted Church of the Intergalactic Moment, a movement in Parsons Grove, Arkansas, inspired by his saving the world. In these and other situations, Gray masterfully captures humanity's fleeting attention and blind faith.
My favorite part of The Armageddon Two-Step was the way that Gray presents the story. He expertly uses sentence construction, repetition, and dialogue to further amplify the absurd nature of the book. Shelby's conversations with his assigned secret agent, referred to as Roger Valkyrie, are particularly funny. I found myself laughing out loud while reading several parts of this novel, and I genuinely enjoyed the act of reading it. This novel is a full experience, meaningful because of the meaninglessness of the story's details. Gray twists and spins the simple but classic foundation of saving the world in a fresh, novel way. His writing style delightfully captures the absurd and bizarre, reminiscent of other authors in the genre such as Kurt Vonnegut or Franz Kafka. While I believe these comparisons are fair, I also think that Michael Loyd Gray deserves a category all his own.
The only negative thing to report in this book was the number of typographical and grammatical errors, which were not distracting but did number more than a dozen. As such, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. Another quick round of editing would amplify it to the full rating it deserves. The Armageddon Two-Step is a novel that appeals to fans of absurdist literature who appreciate twists on classic tropes and laugh-out-loud elements. The thought-provoking nature of this book, along with its modern cultural references, make it a great candidate for book clubs.”
—onlinebookclub.org
