Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane

by Jeff Giles

Langley Powell died. Then, much to his surprise, he kept living. Sort of. And then he had to save the universe from erasure. Langley Powell was definitely the world’s most famous non-believer, a debunker of mysteries and exposer of hoaxes who lived a life of casual reason and lucrative celebrity. But then he died. Crushed by a falling piano. So it goes. Instead of immediately ceasing to exist in a vast expanse of nothing, as he’d expected, Langley found himself right back on Earth — but a different one. Aided by an extremely surly childlike guide, Langley goes to work for the network of the powerful elites that run whatever realm this is to stop his childhood hero’s mystical, magical mentor from resetting the entirety of existence. Along the way, there are secret decoder rings, rare foods, reborn rock stars, red herrings both literal and figurative, and blasts from the past and present, all terribly necessary to the mission of Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane.

Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane is part sci-fi, part fantasy, and part philosophy, a passionate and compassionately humanist novel full of laughs, tears, secret decoder rings, rare foods, reborn rock stars,
and red herrings (both literal and figurative), all to serve a wildly creative and dazzling take on what could happen after death. Jeff Giles, a prolific pop culture writer (Popdose, Rotten Tomatoes, Beer-Topia, Llanview in the An Oral History of One Life to Live) and podcast host (The Record Player) delivers a staggering, entertaining, and thoughtful first novel.

Advance Praise for Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the

“Saying this book is wonderfully mundane is the highest praise one can heap upon it.”

—Jimmy Pardo, Never Not Funny Podcast

“Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane is a delightfully zany romp through the afterlife. Smartly written and wonderfully imaginative, this wacky, dimension-hopping adventure from Jeff Giles tickles the funny bone and tugs at the heartstrings in equal measure. I gobbled it up like a plate of crispy dodo tenders."

—Lauren Thoman, I’ll Stop the World

310 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2024

About the author

For the last 30-plus years and counting, Jeff Giles has been a pop culture writer of mild renown, with bylines at an array of publications including Paste Magazine, the Village Voice, American Songwriter, Ultimate Classic Rock, and Rotten Tomatoes. The founder of beloved aughts online zine Jefitoblog, he also co-founded Popdose and is the author of three books: "Llanview in the Afternoon: An Oral History of One Life to Live," "Uncle John's Beer-Topia: A Heady Brew of Beer Miscellany," and the supernatural comedy "Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane."

Reviews

[Mattie (Honeycomb Stories) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Sometimes I love venturing outside of my book comfort zone and reading something different. At the beginning of the year I decided that I wanted to expand my horizons a bit and try something outside my normal reading realm.

Jeff Giles’ novel “Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane” is completely outside of my normal realm of reading and fit the bill perfectly.

I can honestly say I’ve never read anything like this before. I’m not really sure if there is even anything else like this out there. The story is original and kept me guessing the entire time! I love when a book keeps me guessing with all of its twists and turns.

“Langley Powell” takes place in heaven, but not the heaven we typically think about. In fact, it’s nothing like I’ve ever thought it would be. It’s an interesting take on heaven and I’m curious as to how Jeff Giles thought of and created this version for his novel.

The novel was a little slow at the beginning but there is quite a lot that needs to be explained about how this version of heaven works as well as things about Langely and Neville Pemberton. Once you get into the story a bit all of the background information makes sense and comes into play quite a bit.

One of my favorite things about this novel was the unexpected flashbacks. They don’t start at the beginning of the story and I was surprised and excited to get a peak into Neville Pemberton’s life and how he came to be such a driving force in Langely’s life. I also love how much background information these chapters provided. It was a fun way to get so many of my questions answered.


Content Warnings: drinking, smoking

[Christine Choptovy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of the novel from Voracious Readers Only. It's in the supernatural/fantasy genre. I can't even begin to tell you how much I loved this book! Langley Powell is a man who thinks a bit differently than other people. He believes that death is mundane (sometimes defined as that which is ordinary but as he likes to point out in the dictionary, it also means of this earthly world rather than a heavenly or spiritual one). As a child, he did believe in magic and the supernatural, until his favourite magician was exposed as a fraud on TV. This crushes him and he completely turns his back on magic and the supernatural. As an adult, he became famous by proving that magic and the supernatural did not exist. He could easily prove that seances and hauntings were fake. Imagine his surprise when the piano being delivered to his home breaks free of the straps hoisting it and falls down on him, killing him instantly. He's a bit confused when he sees his feet sticking out from underneath the broken piano and realizes that he still feels very much alive. Hmmm, perhaps he was wrong about magic and the supernatural? The reader gets to join along as he comes to the realization that nothing is mundane (according to his definition) about death.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Society for the Defense of the Mundane is a stroke of genius. The book is peppered with clever humor, irony, heart-tugging moments, and just enough whimsy and hilarious cameos to keep you grinning like an idiot while reading.

Jeff Giles has crafted a story that is both imaginative and relatable, with characters who feel like old friends by the time you reach the final chapter. Langley, in particular, is a protagonist who is impossible not to root for. With his endearing quirks and quiet bravery, Langley is a hero for anyone who has ever felt overlooked or underestimated. And Frank... well you'll need to read the book to fall in love with this foul-mouthed little sidekick.

This story is a delightful reminder that magic can be found for those who are open to it. That things are not always as they appear. That the universe has a wicked sense of humor. That unexpected friendships are powerful. And that life is a beautiful creation.

So, if you’re in the mood for a read that’s equal parts humorous, magical, heartwarming, imaginative, and delightfully profound, "Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane" is your next must-read.

[Steven Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

And with the sound of a fart, I enjoyed this book tremendously

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

A funny, imaginative take on the afterlife, populated with pugnacious personalities and familiar faces. A promising debut.

[Teri M Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Langley Powell and the Society for the Defense of the Mundane by ​Jeff Giles ​is a humorous fantasy - another combination I had never read but truly enjoyed. It was sort of Harry Potter "esque" with far more tongue-in-cheek references and great bits of history trivia thrown in.

The story starts with Langley's death - he is crushed by a falling piano. Langley spent his entire life debunking the idea of ghosts, magic, and anything you couldn't see with your own eyes or prove with science. However, when he becomes a ghost, he realizes he's been wrong.

Before he can wrap his mind around his error, he finds himself on a quest to save mankind by finding his childhood hero - the magician who failed and thrust Langley toward his lifelong obsession of proving magic doesn't exist.

This dual timeline story moves quickly, has great characters, and lots of laughs. However, it also causes the reader to think about what is important in life and what holds the universe together. I highly recommend this book.