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Wednesdaymeter
An eggplant wails, a ladder breaks, and the guise of civility shatters.
A professor of festival studies, a potato hunter, a deadly career counselor, and a part-time terrorist are struggling to retain their sanity in a magically mundane city. Their carefully laid plans fall apart when they meet Mr. Pearson, an everyman who suspects a conspiracy of evil polygons behind his company’s absurd practices.
Theirs is a world in which people use raw produce and wasted time to alter reality. If it were not for the stringent safety standards on fruits and vegetables, the citizens would live in misery. Most live a life of willful ignorance instead, desperate to avoid facing the threats surrounding them. Festival season is about to begin, but the colorful banners cannot hide the tragic past any longer.
A professor of festival studies, a potato hunter, a deadly career counselor, and a part-time terrorist are struggling to retain their sanity in a magically mundane city. Their carefully laid plans fall apart when they meet Mr. Pearson, an everyman who suspects a conspiracy of evil polygons behind his company’s absurd practices.
Theirs is a world in which people use raw produce and wasted time to alter reality. If it were not for the stringent safety standards on fruits and vegetables, the citizens would live in misery. Most live a life of willful ignorance instead, desperate to avoid facing the threats surrounding them. Festival season is about to begin, but the colorful banners cannot hide the tragic past any longer.
297 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 30, 2014
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Dean Carnby
1 book10 followersDean Carnby spends most of his free time learning about our world and worlds created by our imagination. He believes that everything can be made light of, especially the things we would rather not examine up close.
It is his conviction that one does not have to travel to other dimensions and meet exotic aliens to live a life of adventure. Given the right framing, a battleship gray cubicle can be just as terrifying as a tentacled monstrosity. If you do not believe him, just look up which one drives more people to madness in actuality.
If you have had at least one thankless, dead-end job before, you might appreciate his blend of sarcasm and serious storytelling.
It is his conviction that one does not have to travel to other dimensions and meet exotic aliens to live a life of adventure. Given the right framing, a battleship gray cubicle can be just as terrifying as a tentacled monstrosity. If you do not believe him, just look up which one drives more people to madness in actuality.
If you have had at least one thankless, dead-end job before, you might appreciate his blend of sarcasm and serious storytelling.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 15, 2014
I received my copy of Wednesdaymeter as a digital book through LibraryThing in return for an honest review – and one can always tell that my reviews are honest ;). As a result I put it in my First Reads reading list and in with my other ‘review’ books. About 2 weeks I ago I was able to start Wednesdaymeter.
Now, the reason that I mention the fact that I started the book about 2 weeks ago is because, like many people, I only read in the evenings. Consequently, I don’t spend much of my overall time reading, even though I am quite prolific. In fact, I recent read a non-fiction book of similar length in about 5 days. I hope everyone can see where this is going.
As you can see, I, unlike other reviewers, gave this book 2 stars (I reserve 1 star reviews for trash that doesn’t deserve print, let alone reading – I think I have one book, perhaps 2 that low) and I wonder why the others gave this book 3, let alone 4 or 5 stars. Do my fellow reviewers feel entitled to give a free book praise because it was free (I ask because most of the positive reviews didn’t really say anything at all) or did I just totally miss something in this novel? Unfortunately, I have to say the former because many of the issues I had with this book are mentioned or pointed out by the other reviewers and yet they still gave 3+ stars.
*SPOILERS*
Wednesdaymeter begins 8 years in the past in the middle of an action sequence where a character, Amanda, is running away with her stolen plant supply after dropping plot points that the world has become contaminated by dream logic seeping into reality. She is then engaged by ‘reckless plant users’ who have become polygons. Unfortunately, Amanda has made a fatal mistake, but rather than kill her she is to become a career counselor. Now, fast forwards to the ‘present’ and a bland and boring office scenario of the Felid Corporation of New Bensonville where we are introduced to the main character of Pearson.
Pearson is a quality control specialist in a society where polygons are attempting to create conformity, plant use is illegal (as well as, apparently, emotions), and a few people seem to somehow be against the system. Unfortunately, the novel never really explains any of this. We are constantly being introduced to situations, characters, and events that have no background within the story itself and without logic in the narrative. At the beginning it appears that a few of the characters are plant users that have decided to rebel against the system making us, the reader, see this as perhaps an allegory around government prohibition of psychotropic substances; but then things get more complicated, and it turns out that nothing is what it seems. However, unlike say the Illuminatus! Trilogy (which is both way better and way worse), where our lack of understanding is in actually part of the point, Wednesdaymeter just comes off as bad writing. In addition, important plot elements aren’t built, but rather dropped into our laps fully formed like the baby that a stork delivers in old cartoons.
Finally, after sloughing our way through chapters and chapters of unexplained phenomenon and events we ultimately are lead to the climax of the story. Apparently, 4 characters are in fact one. This would be an amazing reveal, but Michael isn’t really a character, Helene doesn’t do much of anything until the end, the Lady in the dream world who talks to Pearson seems to just be a plot point until this reveal, and the Silver Triangle – the ultimate polygon nemesis – is a plot point until this moment. In addition, since this is really Pearson’s story, we should be learning things as he does, but the narrative doesn’t unfold ideas they just appear. Consequently, we don’t learn anything about how the society truly works nor its history until the finale and epilogue, and even these ‘answers’ don’t give us an explanation only clarify certain events in the narrative leaving the reader confused as to how this world and magic system actually operates.
Certainly, as some others have pointed out, there elements of the writing that is good. The office humor is great, and certain aspects of the ‘mundane’ that exist (purposefully) lead to moments which can be appreciated by most; however, these are few and far between. Essentially, this novel reads like a story in a continuing universe that has already had many stories written about it – it is like reading the middle book in a series; for example, reading God Emperor Dune first would be possible since it is a standalone novel, but you wouldn’t understand the plot or character actions without the first 3 novels. Yet, this is the author’s debut novel and therefore there is no excuse for such sloppy or lazy writing. It is possible that Mr. Carnby will improve as a writer and that later books, should they appear, will address most of these issues, but, until then, avoid unless you wish to be frustrated and confused by something with much potential.
Now, the reason that I mention the fact that I started the book about 2 weeks ago is because, like many people, I only read in the evenings. Consequently, I don’t spend much of my overall time reading, even though I am quite prolific. In fact, I recent read a non-fiction book of similar length in about 5 days. I hope everyone can see where this is going.
As you can see, I, unlike other reviewers, gave this book 2 stars (I reserve 1 star reviews for trash that doesn’t deserve print, let alone reading – I think I have one book, perhaps 2 that low) and I wonder why the others gave this book 3, let alone 4 or 5 stars. Do my fellow reviewers feel entitled to give a free book praise because it was free (I ask because most of the positive reviews didn’t really say anything at all) or did I just totally miss something in this novel? Unfortunately, I have to say the former because many of the issues I had with this book are mentioned or pointed out by the other reviewers and yet they still gave 3+ stars.
*SPOILERS*
Wednesdaymeter begins 8 years in the past in the middle of an action sequence where a character, Amanda, is running away with her stolen plant supply after dropping plot points that the world has become contaminated by dream logic seeping into reality. She is then engaged by ‘reckless plant users’ who have become polygons. Unfortunately, Amanda has made a fatal mistake, but rather than kill her she is to become a career counselor. Now, fast forwards to the ‘present’ and a bland and boring office scenario of the Felid Corporation of New Bensonville where we are introduced to the main character of Pearson.
Pearson is a quality control specialist in a society where polygons are attempting to create conformity, plant use is illegal (as well as, apparently, emotions), and a few people seem to somehow be against the system. Unfortunately, the novel never really explains any of this. We are constantly being introduced to situations, characters, and events that have no background within the story itself and without logic in the narrative. At the beginning it appears that a few of the characters are plant users that have decided to rebel against the system making us, the reader, see this as perhaps an allegory around government prohibition of psychotropic substances; but then things get more complicated, and it turns out that nothing is what it seems. However, unlike say the Illuminatus! Trilogy (which is both way better and way worse), where our lack of understanding is in actually part of the point, Wednesdaymeter just comes off as bad writing. In addition, important plot elements aren’t built, but rather dropped into our laps fully formed like the baby that a stork delivers in old cartoons.
Finally, after sloughing our way through chapters and chapters of unexplained phenomenon and events we ultimately are lead to the climax of the story. Apparently, 4 characters are in fact one. This would be an amazing reveal, but Michael isn’t really a character, Helene doesn’t do much of anything until the end, the Lady in the dream world who talks to Pearson seems to just be a plot point until this reveal, and the Silver Triangle – the ultimate polygon nemesis – is a plot point until this moment. In addition, since this is really Pearson’s story, we should be learning things as he does, but the narrative doesn’t unfold ideas they just appear. Consequently, we don’t learn anything about how the society truly works nor its history until the finale and epilogue, and even these ‘answers’ don’t give us an explanation only clarify certain events in the narrative leaving the reader confused as to how this world and magic system actually operates.
Certainly, as some others have pointed out, there elements of the writing that is good. The office humor is great, and certain aspects of the ‘mundane’ that exist (purposefully) lead to moments which can be appreciated by most; however, these are few and far between. Essentially, this novel reads like a story in a continuing universe that has already had many stories written about it – it is like reading the middle book in a series; for example, reading God Emperor Dune first would be possible since it is a standalone novel, but you wouldn’t understand the plot or character actions without the first 3 novels. Yet, this is the author’s debut novel and therefore there is no excuse for such sloppy or lazy writing. It is possible that Mr. Carnby will improve as a writer and that later books, should they appear, will address most of these issues, but, until then, avoid unless you wish to be frustrated and confused by something with much potential.
September 16, 2015
In a bland world of cubicles, a supernatural force known as contamination is gradually undermining reality. It has brought with it the ability to use magic by consuming fruits and vegetables, but their use is restricted in a society dominated by plant-users who masquerade as polygons. These polygons rule each city as a corporate fiefdom.
This is an odd but interesting hook for a novel. Unfortunately, the author fails to communicate anything of significance regarding the setting, the characters, or the overarching plot until the last tenth of the novel. The other ninety percent felt like an abstract painting produced solely for the author’s amusement that the reader is only begrudgingly allowed to experience. Poorly described scenes and wonky pacing compound the issue and leave the book an indecipherable mess.
Every work of fiction involves a dialogue between the author and the reader. An essential part of that dialogue is communicating enough information about the world to the reader so that she has a coherent lens to view the characters and events of the story through. This is particularly important in works of science fiction and fantasy because the world the reader is used to, and its basic rules, are usually different. Often, it’s difficult to balance informing the reader and leaving enough unknown to maintain a sense of intrigue.
In this case, the author created a wholly unique world and magic system that only shares some vague aesthetic similarities to the world we’re used to. Although not a problem in and of itself, a world like this requires a lot of heavy lifting to bring the reader up to speed, and the author utterly failed to do so. I spent the vast majority of the book frustrated because, until the end, I didn’t have a clue what was happening.
The novel is laced with hints, but they only make sense at the very end of the book. As far as plot and intrigue goes, this normally isn’t a problem, but in this case I had such a small amount of information about the world and characters to work with that I could not begin filling in the blanks. It could have been interesting instead of confounding, but until the final pages of the book I was left wondering what the point was.
The second issue with the book is the author’s use of description and language. Very few of the scenes have a firm base that allows the reader to visualize them. Instead, the author immediately leaps into soaring descriptions of the strangest parts of the scenes and more or less leaves the reader to make everything else up. Mundane objects and surroundings are generally mentioned, not described. This often causes the book to read more like a fever dream than a work of fiction.
Additionally, the author gets a bit lofty with his use of vocabulary and commits the literary sin of trying to be too clever. This is a matter of my personal taste, but I prefer the complexity in a novel to reside with the setting, plot, and characters, not the sentence structure and use of vocabulary.
My final issue is the pacing. The author jumps between a wide variety of character perspectives which, in a novel with as unusual a premise as this one, only serves to dilute and confuse things. Worse, every character leaps from crisis to crisis at a manufactured pace. I felt like many of the events in the novel happened because something was needed to fill the space, rather than because another chase scene, or another break in, or another catastrophe was necessary to the plot. There’s little time for the world to grow on the reader or the characters to become anything more than an odd collection of plot devices and contrived twists.
Ultimately, it feels like the author had a fascinating dream, rolled out of bed, scribbled it into a book, and then failed to render it in language the rest of us can understand. There was the potential for something unusual and fascinating, but it was not realized. This one is a 2/5.
This is an odd but interesting hook for a novel. Unfortunately, the author fails to communicate anything of significance regarding the setting, the characters, or the overarching plot until the last tenth of the novel. The other ninety percent felt like an abstract painting produced solely for the author’s amusement that the reader is only begrudgingly allowed to experience. Poorly described scenes and wonky pacing compound the issue and leave the book an indecipherable mess.
Every work of fiction involves a dialogue between the author and the reader. An essential part of that dialogue is communicating enough information about the world to the reader so that she has a coherent lens to view the characters and events of the story through. This is particularly important in works of science fiction and fantasy because the world the reader is used to, and its basic rules, are usually different. Often, it’s difficult to balance informing the reader and leaving enough unknown to maintain a sense of intrigue.
In this case, the author created a wholly unique world and magic system that only shares some vague aesthetic similarities to the world we’re used to. Although not a problem in and of itself, a world like this requires a lot of heavy lifting to bring the reader up to speed, and the author utterly failed to do so. I spent the vast majority of the book frustrated because, until the end, I didn’t have a clue what was happening.
The novel is laced with hints, but they only make sense at the very end of the book. As far as plot and intrigue goes, this normally isn’t a problem, but in this case I had such a small amount of information about the world and characters to work with that I could not begin filling in the blanks. It could have been interesting instead of confounding, but until the final pages of the book I was left wondering what the point was.
The second issue with the book is the author’s use of description and language. Very few of the scenes have a firm base that allows the reader to visualize them. Instead, the author immediately leaps into soaring descriptions of the strangest parts of the scenes and more or less leaves the reader to make everything else up. Mundane objects and surroundings are generally mentioned, not described. This often causes the book to read more like a fever dream than a work of fiction.
Additionally, the author gets a bit lofty with his use of vocabulary and commits the literary sin of trying to be too clever. This is a matter of my personal taste, but I prefer the complexity in a novel to reside with the setting, plot, and characters, not the sentence structure and use of vocabulary.
My final issue is the pacing. The author jumps between a wide variety of character perspectives which, in a novel with as unusual a premise as this one, only serves to dilute and confuse things. Worse, every character leaps from crisis to crisis at a manufactured pace. I felt like many of the events in the novel happened because something was needed to fill the space, rather than because another chase scene, or another break in, or another catastrophe was necessary to the plot. There’s little time for the world to grow on the reader or the characters to become anything more than an odd collection of plot devices and contrived twists.
Ultimately, it feels like the author had a fascinating dream, rolled out of bed, scribbled it into a book, and then failed to render it in language the rest of us can understand. There was the potential for something unusual and fascinating, but it was not realized. This one is a 2/5.
August 16, 2014
Tired of all the same types of fantasy stories out there? Wishing you could read something completely new and original? Like to eat fruit? And maybe enjoy a bit of quirk? Then you might find this book to your liking. As a newish author who I had never explored before, I decided to take a chance on this and see what he had to offer.
Wednesdaymeter is a thinker. It is not an easy read nor is it in any way familiar to something else. I applaud Carnby’s originality. As well, I do not feel this book is as complicated as some others may feel. Fruit and colors are the magic components in the story. While the actual breakdown of how the magic system works is never clearly defined, it is clear they hold the power to distort and change the character’s reality. The world we know has been contaminated and now there are two dimensions. Some characters are represented by shapes, like polygon and triangle characters. I might be getting metaphorical here, but to me their shapes represented their power level like how the military and police use symbols to denote status. Whether this was meant to be metaphorical, I can’t say, but it is how I interpreted the abstractness. There were other symbols used that also had metaphorical tones that could be read into that were scattered throughout the book. Also, included throughout the story was social commentary on life in general and how pointless our jobs and activities can be spending so much of our time on fruitless agendas. Often to dehumanizing effects. This is more of a fantasy literary read with an awkward adventure, than a standard fantasy experience. However, Pearson, a character relatively new to the powers of fruit is learning about the world as much as we are and so having him as a somewhat uninformed perspective helped me as a reader feel not as blind. I appreciated that by incorporating Pearson we are supposed to be as wide eyed and confused too.
On a side note, I would like to mention how pretty the cover is. The designer Tyler Edlin did an awesome job of capturing the essence of the book. There is quite a bit of pineapple riding and in general just a captivating cover. It helped make my decision to read the book easier. Never underestimate the power of a good cover.
Carnby created a clean and well-written wacky story that will have you scratching your head at times. Occasionally, I thought the author might have been high out of confusion and wonder as to where in the world he came up with these ideas. This is definitely a different ride and if you want to spend some time in New Bensonville exploring this strange world, then I encourage you to pick it up and give it a try. While this tale was not my exact cup of tea, I acknowledge that this is a well done story and will appeal to readers who enjoy the unusual.
*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
Wednesdaymeter is a thinker. It is not an easy read nor is it in any way familiar to something else. I applaud Carnby’s originality. As well, I do not feel this book is as complicated as some others may feel. Fruit and colors are the magic components in the story. While the actual breakdown of how the magic system works is never clearly defined, it is clear they hold the power to distort and change the character’s reality. The world we know has been contaminated and now there are two dimensions. Some characters are represented by shapes, like polygon and triangle characters. I might be getting metaphorical here, but to me their shapes represented their power level like how the military and police use symbols to denote status. Whether this was meant to be metaphorical, I can’t say, but it is how I interpreted the abstractness. There were other symbols used that also had metaphorical tones that could be read into that were scattered throughout the book. Also, included throughout the story was social commentary on life in general and how pointless our jobs and activities can be spending so much of our time on fruitless agendas. Often to dehumanizing effects. This is more of a fantasy literary read with an awkward adventure, than a standard fantasy experience. However, Pearson, a character relatively new to the powers of fruit is learning about the world as much as we are and so having him as a somewhat uninformed perspective helped me as a reader feel not as blind. I appreciated that by incorporating Pearson we are supposed to be as wide eyed and confused too.
On a side note, I would like to mention how pretty the cover is. The designer Tyler Edlin did an awesome job of capturing the essence of the book. There is quite a bit of pineapple riding and in general just a captivating cover. It helped make my decision to read the book easier. Never underestimate the power of a good cover.
Carnby created a clean and well-written wacky story that will have you scratching your head at times. Occasionally, I thought the author might have been high out of confusion and wonder as to where in the world he came up with these ideas. This is definitely a different ride and if you want to spend some time in New Bensonville exploring this strange world, then I encourage you to pick it up and give it a try. While this tale was not my exact cup of tea, I acknowledge that this is a well done story and will appeal to readers who enjoy the unusual.
*I received a free copy in exchange for an honest review
June 25, 2014
This book is well written, full of entertaining characters, and highly imaginative. It follows the exploits of a group of people as they seek to make sense of their world.
Unfortunately, I didn't really understand most of what took place. The characters struggle against mind- and soul-crushing conformity that's wrought a mind-boggling array of overreaching regulations and safety standards. How and why they pursued the struggle left me confused in many places. There's another world superimposed on the 'real' one, there's magic gained from using plants in one fashion or another, there's a second magic system that runs by draining colors from objects, there's some kind of folding magic or skill, and more. Each part lacked enough explanation for me to wrap my head around it sufficiently.
Putting all of that aside, I found the writing itself well done without being compelling. I didn't have to force myself to read it, but I didn't churn hungrily through it. The story requires thought and contemplation to get through, and it left me exhausted after short passages.
The characters amused me with their personality clashes and bizarre ideas. I can't say I fully grasped why they did the things they all did, but I can say they had entertaining thought processes and conversations while carrying them out.
I recommend this for people who like cerebral dystopian fantasy. It's not a quick read, but if you go into it expecting weird, you won't be disappointed.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Unfortunately, I didn't really understand most of what took place. The characters struggle against mind- and soul-crushing conformity that's wrought a mind-boggling array of overreaching regulations and safety standards. How and why they pursued the struggle left me confused in many places. There's another world superimposed on the 'real' one, there's magic gained from using plants in one fashion or another, there's a second magic system that runs by draining colors from objects, there's some kind of folding magic or skill, and more. Each part lacked enough explanation for me to wrap my head around it sufficiently.
Putting all of that aside, I found the writing itself well done without being compelling. I didn't have to force myself to read it, but I didn't churn hungrily through it. The story requires thought and contemplation to get through, and it left me exhausted after short passages.
The characters amused me with their personality clashes and bizarre ideas. I can't say I fully grasped why they did the things they all did, but I can say they had entertaining thought processes and conversations while carrying them out.
I recommend this for people who like cerebral dystopian fantasy. It's not a quick read, but if you go into it expecting weird, you won't be disappointed.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 2, 2014
This is a very unique book and I don't even really know where to start or how to describe it; so here's my best shot:
In a dull, corporate and highly regulated world, a few citizens try to break up the monotony and alter their reality using magic fruits and vegetables. There is also a possibility of corrupt polygons creating absolute ridiculousness in the workplace.
So, magical food and shapes running businesses, it sounds like the start to a YA novel, but this is very much for adults. This is a book that will make you think, it is not a light, easy read. Humor and satire are used throughout the book to show parallels between the absurdity happening in the character's world with everyday things that happen in our own. There is quite an interesting group of characters with an even more intriguing set of ideas that they use for problem solving. The world that has been built in the story is highly imaginative and different. I have no clue how to begin explaining the use of a switched on eggplant or colorful ladies panties...you will have to read it for yourself. My only complaint is that I wish there were more descriptions or third person narrative to let me know that what I thought was happening or what the characters were seeing was what was actually happening or what was being seen.
Not a book for everyone, but definitely something different.
This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.
In a dull, corporate and highly regulated world, a few citizens try to break up the monotony and alter their reality using magic fruits and vegetables. There is also a possibility of corrupt polygons creating absolute ridiculousness in the workplace.
So, magical food and shapes running businesses, it sounds like the start to a YA novel, but this is very much for adults. This is a book that will make you think, it is not a light, easy read. Humor and satire are used throughout the book to show parallels between the absurdity happening in the character's world with everyday things that happen in our own. There is quite an interesting group of characters with an even more intriguing set of ideas that they use for problem solving. The world that has been built in the story is highly imaginative and different. I have no clue how to begin explaining the use of a switched on eggplant or colorful ladies panties...you will have to read it for yourself. My only complaint is that I wish there were more descriptions or third person narrative to let me know that what I thought was happening or what the characters were seeing was what was actually happening or what was being seen.
Not a book for everyone, but definitely something different.
This book was provided for free in return for an honest review.
April 3, 2015
(This book received a 3.5 on my blog, and I received it free in exchange for an honest review.)
As I write this review, it’s been about a week since I read the story and I’m still not entirely sure what I just read…
This was a very strange book. Using raw vegetables to do things like run faster or change appearance, which you can fold like paper and uses wasted time to function… People like polygons… And yet, I commend the author’s imagination and creativity, and as bizarre as it was, it was a generally well-constructed story that I did over-all enjoy.
After the Curiosity Factor wore off, the story did begin to drag a little through the middle. The characters felt somewhat two-dimensional at times as well, but part of it–given the scenario and backgrounds–made sense and may have been intentional, although it did make it a little hard to fully “hook into” the character we were reading about.
The conformity versus non-conformity theme is, however, one I greatly appreciate, so I liked that about it and I did ultimately like the strangeness of it. It had the feeling of allegory although I’m not entirely sure what exactly it’s allegorical to.
So…I liked it, although I can’t say I really liked it. 3.5 Fireballs.
As I write this review, it’s been about a week since I read the story and I’m still not entirely sure what I just read…
This was a very strange book. Using raw vegetables to do things like run faster or change appearance, which you can fold like paper and uses wasted time to function… People like polygons… And yet, I commend the author’s imagination and creativity, and as bizarre as it was, it was a generally well-constructed story that I did over-all enjoy.
After the Curiosity Factor wore off, the story did begin to drag a little through the middle. The characters felt somewhat two-dimensional at times as well, but part of it–given the scenario and backgrounds–made sense and may have been intentional, although it did make it a little hard to fully “hook into” the character we were reading about.
The conformity versus non-conformity theme is, however, one I greatly appreciate, so I liked that about it and I did ultimately like the strangeness of it. It had the feeling of allegory although I’m not entirely sure what exactly it’s allegorical to.
So…I liked it, although I can’t say I really liked it. 3.5 Fireballs.
June 21, 2014
It is a bit of a conundrum this book. As yet I have not decided whether I should introduce my co-middle management colleagues to this fantastical story. Either they would revel in recognition or write it, and me, off as completely crazy! But I am very happy I came across this book as it made me rethink my position at work and in life on many occassions.
Though thought provoking and at times thoroughly philosophical there are humorous moments that made me giggle out loud and there is a substantial story being told in this book too. Its many characters come into play often with menial introduction and the reader needs to constantly pay attention and think ahead. It gets daunting at times but reading on and reminding yourself that this is a magical world certainly pays off.
I was very glad that most mysteries were explained in the last chapters, though there are somethings I feel I might have overlooked. After a couple of months I will try a second read and see what else will come to light.
All in all: a tough read that needs some dedication to get through but offers valuable food for thought and is highly entertaining at times.
Though thought provoking and at times thoroughly philosophical there are humorous moments that made me giggle out loud and there is a substantial story being told in this book too. Its many characters come into play often with menial introduction and the reader needs to constantly pay attention and think ahead. It gets daunting at times but reading on and reminding yourself that this is a magical world certainly pays off.
I was very glad that most mysteries were explained in the last chapters, though there are somethings I feel I might have overlooked. After a couple of months I will try a second read and see what else will come to light.
All in all: a tough read that needs some dedication to get through but offers valuable food for thought and is highly entertaining at times.
June 21, 2014
This isn't the easiest ebook to read, but it is a great one.
Wednesdaymeter is filled with philosophical undertones, examining the human mind and how it reacts to change. It also pays attention to how change affects society as a whole. In all seriousness, I highlighted several lines throughout the story, ensuring I'd remember them.
This ebook requires that you think.
I mean... duh. All books do that. This one goes a step further than most, however. There are quite a few quotable lines in this story, which means it has quite a few ideas within that make you want to delve deeper.
Just like the characters do.
Carnby takes the reader on a mental roller coaster, forcing them to focus not only on the story, but also on their own mind. While the world is completely fictitious, you can't help but examine real-world dynamics and reasoning.
And yearn to ride a pineapple...
Or arm yourself with an eggplant.
This is not your standard, run-of-the-mill "popular" fiction. This goes into an entirely different category. It's entirely unique, and you won't find anything similar in a bookstore. At least, I never have.
In a word: fantastic.
Wednesdaymeter is filled with philosophical undertones, examining the human mind and how it reacts to change. It also pays attention to how change affects society as a whole. In all seriousness, I highlighted several lines throughout the story, ensuring I'd remember them.
This ebook requires that you think.
I mean... duh. All books do that. This one goes a step further than most, however. There are quite a few quotable lines in this story, which means it has quite a few ideas within that make you want to delve deeper.
Just like the characters do.
Carnby takes the reader on a mental roller coaster, forcing them to focus not only on the story, but also on their own mind. While the world is completely fictitious, you can't help but examine real-world dynamics and reasoning.
And yearn to ride a pineapple...
Or arm yourself with an eggplant.
This is not your standard, run-of-the-mill "popular" fiction. This goes into an entirely different category. It's entirely unique, and you won't find anything similar in a bookstore. At least, I never have.
In a word: fantastic.
reviewed-on-blog
March 4, 2015DNF - 0 stars
Where I stopped reading: The 2.7% mark on my Moon+ Reader.
Why I stopped reading: You know when you’re swimming in a river and you open your eyes underwater to see where you are, but instead of a clear image you just see a brown, murky sort of cloud? Yeah. This book was like that, only with words — muddy and muddled. It wasn’t just that, though — there was also some severe thesaurus abuse.
You know that cooler of Jell-O shots you tie to the side of your raft at the beginning of your lazy river adventure? It’s a great idea, right? But . . . just because you CAN drink all that alcohol doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Now, let’s pretend that cooler is a thesaurus and each shot is a really cool word. See where I’m going here? Yeah. Please enjoy your thesaurus responsibly.
As reviewed by Melissa at Every Free Chance Books.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://everyfreechance.com/2014/10/dn...
Where I stopped reading: The 2.7% mark on my Moon+ Reader.
Why I stopped reading: You know when you’re swimming in a river and you open your eyes underwater to see where you are, but instead of a clear image you just see a brown, murky sort of cloud? Yeah. This book was like that, only with words — muddy and muddled. It wasn’t just that, though — there was also some severe thesaurus abuse.
You know that cooler of Jell-O shots you tie to the side of your raft at the beginning of your lazy river adventure? It’s a great idea, right? But . . . just because you CAN drink all that alcohol doesn’t mean you SHOULD. Now, let’s pretend that cooler is a thesaurus and each shot is a really cool word. See where I’m going here? Yeah. Please enjoy your thesaurus responsibly.
As reviewed by Melissa at Every Free Chance Books.
Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
http://everyfreechance.com/2014/10/dn...
May 24, 2017
I've meant to put a review up for some time... just didn't get to it as I kept trying to read this book ALL the way through.
The writing draws me in and then somehow I get lost. This book wasn't for me and yet I'm sure there is someone who will enjoy his writing. The concept was there and as I skimmed pages, I would read a portion and love it, yet to read it beginning to end, I just couldn't.
Again... the style was there and I loved it, the author has a wonderful style... I just couldn't get into the content of the story. I hope to see more as I may be a fan of any author... I'm not always a fan of EVERYTHING they write.
The writing draws me in and then somehow I get lost. This book wasn't for me and yet I'm sure there is someone who will enjoy his writing. The concept was there and as I skimmed pages, I would read a portion and love it, yet to read it beginning to end, I just couldn't.
Again... the style was there and I loved it, the author has a wonderful style... I just couldn't get into the content of the story. I hope to see more as I may be a fan of any author... I'm not always a fan of EVERYTHING they write.
June 21, 2014
I am not really what to say about [Dean Carnby's] [Wednesdaymeter]. I know I will never look at fruit or shapes the same way again. To say the least it was absurd but still enjoyable. The same way Monty Python is enjoyable.
The book was very well written and detail oriented. The language, although high level, was never pretentious. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a thought provoking mental break.
The book was very well written and detail oriented. The language, although high level, was never pretentious. I would recommend this book to anyone who needs a thought provoking mental break.
October 17, 2014
This is a very unique and creative story! This takes world-building to a whole new level, taking normal words and terms and using them in very unusual ways. It is a great read if you really like a challenge and like reading between the lines. In all honesty, though, it really confused me and I didn't understand what was going on. I suppose it takes a different kind of person to really get into this. But if you can, I'm sure it would be great!
August 24, 2015
Confused is the word for this book. I was confused from page one to the last page. It took me so long to read it. I could only handle a little at a time otherwise my focus would start to drift away. I still don't know what was going on. The only reason I'm giving a two instead of a one is the characters were muti-dementional and the writing style was nice. The concept, well all I can say is confused.
August 12, 2014
First I won this book on Librarything in exchange for an honest review.
If you are looking for a book that requires some thought then this is the book for you. I am used to reading books that have lots of fantasy and adventure, but do not require much thought. I am glad I read this book. It has plenty of adventure, plus a little extra.
If you are looking for a book that requires some thought then this is the book for you. I am used to reading books that have lots of fantasy and adventure, but do not require much thought. I am glad I read this book. It has plenty of adventure, plus a little extra.
August 30, 2014
"Oh, for the love of beets!" might be the least convoluted sentence in this strange book. The plot seems more suited to a graphic novel making the extensive language all the odder. Just when you're lulled by the verbiage you find yourself chuckling and turning to the next page. Not for the faint of vocabulary or the grammatical purist this book will find it's own appreciative audience.
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