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The Isolate
"A work exuding such inventiveness, playfulness, humor, and heart, it dazzles the imagination." —Jeff Weisman, author of THE GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH
"A novella for our times, the author illuminates a world of uncertainty, misfortune, and absurdity with astonishing accuracy, simultaneously crafting a powerful and compelling story infused with hope and humor in his signature style." —Adrienne Auvray
Apollo Camembert’s first novel, The Isolate , tells the tale of a man who has become so fed up with city life that he holes himself up in stealth housing to avoid all personal contact with the outside world. Unfortunately, the outside world has some nasty tricks up its sleeve. We could say more, but that would risk giving too much away and we do't want to spoil the fun. What we can reveal is that “Apollo Camembert” is the brainchild (and nom de plume) of Eckhard Gerdes who, after writing his gargantuan The Chronicles of Michel du Jabot , began composing shorter works, i.e., novellas and flash fictions, including two recent releases Marco & Iarlaith and The Pissers’ Theatre . We invite you to escape into Camembert’s quirky fictional world -- a world you won’t soon forget.
****
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR ECKHARD GERDES
"Whatever you do, don´t even look into Eckhard Gerdes’ book, The Chronicles of Michel du Jabot , because you’ll never get out of it again! If J. Joyce were to be reincarnated—and instead of writing in his inextricably reinvented and rather illegible (without the help of an East European multi-lingual scholar) Panglish, were to practice an altogether clear and charmingly grammatical English as here (admittedly with a scatter of soft linguistic implosions but few)—he would have written this book. It will take generations of English professors to sort it out. Hilarious semantic sport. And don’t expect me to tell you what it is about. I would have to give you a involuted idio-semantic analysis with innumerable brackets and labels, which wouldn’t help anyway. No, okay then, dare to tip-toe into the cavernous echoing brain-chamber of Gerdes’ The Chronicles and if you’re lucky you’ll come tumbling out into the dull everydaylight with a mad enlightened gleam in your eyes and will never read another novel. Yes, this — not Finnegans Wake —is the novel to end the novel. —Alain Arias-Misson, author of Autobiography of a Character from Fiction
"A novella for our times, the author illuminates a world of uncertainty, misfortune, and absurdity with astonishing accuracy, simultaneously crafting a powerful and compelling story infused with hope and humor in his signature style." —Adrienne Auvray
Apollo Camembert’s first novel, The Isolate , tells the tale of a man who has become so fed up with city life that he holes himself up in stealth housing to avoid all personal contact with the outside world. Unfortunately, the outside world has some nasty tricks up its sleeve. We could say more, but that would risk giving too much away and we do't want to spoil the fun. What we can reveal is that “Apollo Camembert” is the brainchild (and nom de plume) of Eckhard Gerdes who, after writing his gargantuan The Chronicles of Michel du Jabot , began composing shorter works, i.e., novellas and flash fictions, including two recent releases Marco & Iarlaith and The Pissers’ Theatre . We invite you to escape into Camembert’s quirky fictional world -- a world you won’t soon forget.
****
CRITICAL PRAISE FOR ECKHARD GERDES
"Whatever you do, don´t even look into Eckhard Gerdes’ book, The Chronicles of Michel du Jabot , because you’ll never get out of it again! If J. Joyce were to be reincarnated—and instead of writing in his inextricably reinvented and rather illegible (without the help of an East European multi-lingual scholar) Panglish, were to practice an altogether clear and charmingly grammatical English as here (admittedly with a scatter of soft linguistic implosions but few)—he would have written this book. It will take generations of English professors to sort it out. Hilarious semantic sport. And don’t expect me to tell you what it is about. I would have to give you a involuted idio-semantic analysis with innumerable brackets and labels, which wouldn’t help anyway. No, okay then, dare to tip-toe into the cavernous echoing brain-chamber of Gerdes’ The Chronicles and if you’re lucky you’ll come tumbling out into the dull everydaylight with a mad enlightened gleam in your eyes and will never read another novel. Yes, this — not Finnegans Wake —is the novel to end the novel. —Alain Arias-Misson, author of Autobiography of a Character from Fiction
132 pages, Paperback
Published February 1, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
May 10, 2026
The Isolate by Apollo Camembert is one of those books that slowly pulls you in without you realizing it. At first, the story feels quiet and mysterious, but the deeper you get, the more intense and emotional it becomes. It has that kind of atmosphere where every page feels heavy with meaning, and there’s always this sense that something bigger is waiting in the background.
What stood out the most to me was the writing style. It’s descriptive without being overwhelming, and it really builds the lonely, almost haunting mood of the book. The author does a great job of making isolation feel real—not just physically, but emotionally too. You can feel the main character’s struggle, confusion, and need for connection.
The pacing can be a little slow in some parts, especially in the beginning, but it feels worth it once everything starts coming together. The tension builds gradually, and when the bigger moments hit, they actually matter.
Overall, The Isolate feels thoughtful, emotional, and a little unsettling in the best way. It’s the kind of book that stays in your mind after you finish it. If you enjoy character-driven stories with mystery and atmosphere, this one is definitely worth reading. I would love to see more of his books!
What stood out the most to me was the writing style. It’s descriptive without being overwhelming, and it really builds the lonely, almost haunting mood of the book. The author does a great job of making isolation feel real—not just physically, but emotionally too. You can feel the main character’s struggle, confusion, and need for connection.
The pacing can be a little slow in some parts, especially in the beginning, but it feels worth it once everything starts coming together. The tension builds gradually, and when the bigger moments hit, they actually matter.
Overall, The Isolate feels thoughtful, emotional, and a little unsettling in the best way. It’s the kind of book that stays in your mind after you finish it. If you enjoy character-driven stories with mystery and atmosphere, this one is definitely worth reading. I would love to see more of his books!
May 25, 2023
Just as I would expect from Eckhard , another truly original, unique, playful, exceptionally well written character driven ( oh so well!) novel that I read in one day. I loved it.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews