The Roaches Have No King

by Daniel Evan Weiss

When Ira Fishblatt's girlfriend, Ruth Grubstein, moves into his apartment, he has the kitchen renovated to make her feel at home. She is tickled pink, but hundreds of other houseguests aren't-the cockroaches who'd been living high on the hog before they were starved out. Weiss is a witty fabulist whose animals have profound things to say about the human condition.

Genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Humor, Horror, Contemporary, Novels, Animals

258 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1990

About the author

Daniel Evan Weiss is the author of four novels: The Roaches Have No King, Hell on Wheels, Honk if You Love Aphrodite, and The Swine’s Wedding. His most recent book is non-fiction, The Magic of Middle-aged Women: Romance, Sex, Deviance--Freedom.

Reviews

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the more bizarre books I've read lately, and I'm not a stranger to bizarre books. I'm not exaggerating when I say that there were a few sections in this book that I had an actual, visceral reaction to. The story is about a colony of intelligent roaches who are trying to carve out a better life for themselves by ruining the lives of the humans whose apartment they occupy. It's equally funny and unsettling, and it'll probably give you pause the next time you go to crush some insect that's strayed inside your home. But don't take MY word for it... *cue Reading Rainbow credits*

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the only book in existence with a scene in which a roach 'explores' a human woman's genitals, which could technically be construed as 'roach rape', I guess? Does it count if it's a bug? :shudder: It also paints a stirring portrait of what it's like to be trapped in a roach motel, i.e. the trying to molt to break free, the hopelessness, the claustrophobia, the despair. It's all here. The narrator roach is named Numbers, and he seems to admire the human homeowner, Ira, from afar, following his personal dramas from day to day, his cocaine habit, his sexual partners and his squeamishness at the narrator's existence. It's all here and in a very readable format, I might add. This is one hundred percent an 80's book.

[Llona ❤️ "Così tanti libri, così poco tempo." · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quanta importanza ha perdere un'amante? Al vertice del regno animale la risposta è semplice: assolutamente nessuna importanza. Il coito è un'esperienza magnifica, non inferiore ai piaceri dell'escrezione o della gola. Ma ogni cosa ha una fine, specialmente le cose buone, e l'amante scolore, diventa uguale a tutti gli altri.
Mai per troppo tempo. Giustamente gli umani si preoccupano di quando torneranno a mescolarsi: noi no. Quando i ferormoni sono tranquilli, noi siamo sessualmente indifferenti. Quando si scatenano, queste miracolose sostanze chimiche ci portano immancabilmente un amante ideale, sempre all'altezza del precedente.
Al livello di pavimento, non esiste amore non corrisposto.

[Bianca · Rating 1 out of 5]

why are the cockroaches racist

[KDog229 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up

This book was CRAZY! Life through the eyes of the roaches. Who would've thought? I loved this book. It was very funny! Creepy, but funny! I don't think I'll ever eat raisin bran again!

[Paul Bryant · Rating 1 out of 5]

After a while it was the same damn joke over and over again. Really bad, bad, bad.

[matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, a caveat or ten for this one: I flew through it. It was like reading a book version of Jackass or South Park or something. Absolutely disgusting, revolting, and gross.... and well written, fascinating, and so out-of-left-field that it was kind of awesome. (Okay, maybe more South Park and less Jackass) But I can't actually recommend this to anyone who is easily offended or has a weak stomach. So. There you go. Read at your own risk.

[Joe · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most humorous books, up there with Dug Adams Hitchiker's Guide. It is also quite good as an allegory. Imaginative beyond belief.

[Rob · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is no 'Metamorphosis' ('Die Verwandlung') with laughs. A herd, bunch , flock, mob (not sure what the collective noun is) of Cockroaches achieve some sort of human understanding by eating through the contents of a book case. Some of them take on human characteristics of the authors or characters of these books but they are still roaches with no real understanding of human behavior.
The protagonist roach is called Numbers. He tries to manipulate the humans of the apartment into becoming more cockroach friendly. So the book is based around why humans are so stupidly non-roach in their behaviours. A premise that could be rich with humour. But unfortunately it is not. There are far too many flat gross out jokes. Nothing wrong with that except it they are not funny.
Numbers just does not observe humans, he passes comment on each particular human he meets. This is where the novel has some dark underpinnings. In Numbers opinion liberal Jews are weak flabby self haters who will be gobbled up by the darker, more dynamic races. Afro-Americans are mostly welfare queens and/or drug pushers. WASPs are narrow white bread master race boars. Gypsies are dirty and so are Italians. This sort of humour is defensible if we have an Archie Bunker or Alf Garnett character who gets his comeuppance for being an ignorant racist. We do not get this here, it is just a roach commentary that sounds awfully proto-fascist. Numbers supposedly gets away with it because he is a roach after all. But can the author really get away with this sort of humour? Not really in my opinion.

[Tom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am conflicted about my review of this novel. While it has some great ideas, I don't like it as much as that would suggest. The story is told from the point of view of Numbers who is a member of a cockroach colony that sees its fortunes fall when Ira Fishblatt's girlfriend Gypsy walks out on him following yet another argument. Why? Because Gypsy's carefree ways and lifestyle (particularly as they pertain to cooking and cleaning) have allowed the colony to flourish.

As with most science fiction stories, one of the chief interests for me is how two cultures make first contact and what their reactions to each other are and how they develop through the story. I think Weiss does a good job with this aspect, through Numbers' more nuanced thoughts on humans vs. the singlemindedness of Ira and the other humans towards the roaches. For some reason though, the writing just felt flat to me, and unfortunately I can't think of anything I could point to as the reason why. Some of it struck me as juvenile, and other parts as unnecessarily graphic, but every now and then a bit of wisdom emerges.

While I find The Roaches Have No King to be creative and innovative, the emotional connection just is not there for me. I think I'd rate this book 2.5 stars, but since Goodreads does not have half points, I must reduce it to a two to reflect my overall reaction to the book, not just to the ideas presented in it.

[Emma Bussolotta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever watched The Parent Trap and thought, "man, I wish they had casted a bunch of roaches rather than Lindsay Lohan! And made it gratuitously sexual!" Well, you're in luck!

Unfortunately, The Roaches Have No King is the type of book I would write. Therefore I found it annoying and disturbing. But interesting and philosophical, at least.

[JenniferRuth · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you want an original read then I would recommend this book. It is probably quite unlike most things I have read before. The closest comparison I could make would be to Will Self's Great Apes. Both books are trying to comment on human nature by moving outside of ourselves.

The basic plot is that a cockroach called Numbers wants to take over an apartment and try to manipulate the human inhabitants into making life better for him and his fellow cockroaches. Via Numbers the author makes quite an unflattering portrait of humanity. Misogyny, racism, selfishness, privilege, economics and politics are all targets in this novel. I didn't mind the racism from a characters mouth (for example, the character of Oliver is fantastically satirical in his racism) but at one point the author indulges in the trope of the hyper-sexual black woman and lazy black man which is embedded within the narrative itself. Why? It soured my enjoyment of the story and seemed quite out of place next to the more insightful and sharp observations in the text.

Regardless, the book was very funny and quite dark. Some of the descriptions will make your toes curl and you read about things you have never even thought about before (and most likely probably don't want to again...especially if you are a woman). More than that, it is just a really enjoyable story. You actually find yourself identifying far more with the cockroaches than you do the humans. Perhaps that was the point.
It will remain at the back of my brain for some time, I think!

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

After allowing this book to loiter on my "to-read" shelf and in my Amazon wishlist (although a used copy ran all of $.50) forever, finally I ordered and read it. It was definitely worth the wait.

I've just been through a string of disappointing reads. Not that the works in and of themselves were bad, but I just haven't read anything lately that I full out enjoyed, and I'm so glad I picked this book off the shelf.

The reality is that this book is actually about roaches; in particular, one diabolical roach who plots to manipulate the humans who reside in the apartment of his particular colony.

Another reality is that this book is both hilarious and gross. I could blame that on the unforgettable experience of having a roach crawl up my pant leg as a child, but I'm fairly sure that damn near everyone (excepting perhaps entomologists) finds roaches creepy and/or repulsive. Weiss perpetuates that stereotype when he has Numbers eating poo, munching on dandruff flakes, hanging out underneath the toilet seat, or digging his way through pubic hair to explore human genitalia. Yet, even in the most repulsive of sequences, there is an underlying satirical humor - Weiss making fun of religious fanaticism, etc.

This book is definitely a worthy read, if you have the stomach for it. It also makes some choice observations about humanity for those with a philosophical inclination.

[Nick Colen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of the books that tought me to love contemporary fiction. Daniel Evan Weiss is one of my all time favorite authors. The NY called him "the evil kanievel of novelist" his stories are gritty to the point of being filthy but they also feature more heart and honesty than almost any of his more famous contemporaries. This book is the story of numbers, a cockroach born in the bible chapter of the same name and his struggle to understand the world the humans around him and his place in it. I read this as a teenager and couldn't help but see a lot of myself and my friends in this strange character. If you know a teen strugling to understand the world around them (especially if they like Burroughs or Bukowski then you should by this book for them. POI my first tattoo that I got was a reference to this book. It will always have a special place in my heart.

[Cameron Casey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilaross. I combined hilarious and gross because this book is both. It is almost always disgusting, but so creative and possibly cerebral, assuming you enjoy roach humor and very graphic descriptions of everything. Told from the roach persepctive; an objective view at human beings and an imaginative take on roach life. Weiss knows how to tell an interesting story.

Amazing. Interesting. Disgusting. Creative. I cannot possibly warn and suggest this book enough.

[Kacey4kc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very well written but strange. I probably would have never read it if it hadn't been on the shelf due to my husband. I happened to see it on our shelf and picked it up. I ended up finishing the book in one sitting although i did stay up later than I planned.I think I might have found it difficult to sleep after reading it if I lived in place where roaches are more common. The story was engaging an I found myself rooting for Number even while being disturbed by some of his actions.

[Meli · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick read, viscerally gross, often funny, sad/absurd, super not woke yet enlightened for a roach.

- If you ever wanted to see the POV of a cockroach (who grew up consuming the Bible then developed a savior complex) as he and his brethren look on in alien bewilderment at humanity and try to maintain their heritage lands in a small NYC apartment, this is your one.
- The intraspecies perspective (terrestrial aliens) is its strong point and a key redeeming feature even if you lack stomach for the rest (as the 2020s self improvement prayer goes, you are who you surround yourself with, and this book is mostly roaches).
- The plot moves forward with a bunch of fuckery, machismo, and immorality as witnessed and practiced by roaches (it feels like every hate crime everywhere all at once).

It's a fascinating particle from 1990 to carry 3+ decades into an era so illuminated and fumigated that surely there's no crevice for such a foul smelling thing. this belongs near the top of some weirdfic/grossfic list

I read the first half several years ago and had to put it down bc it was so nauseating (2 roach companions died one right after the other in very graphic scenes and I felt for them too much, you feel me?). I found it again and reread/finished it, can confidently say it only gets worse.

[Delaney Lynch]

My first DNF like ever? Found this in the darkest corner of a used bookstore and thought I’d found a perfect freaky little gem but I gotta say this was too much for me. Weiss is lowkey a creep? I love a weird book but this was sexually obsessive and disturbing (sorry there’s NO REASON for a cockroach to be that interested in the vagina!), racist (the cockroaches are racist?), and pretentious. I feel like Weiss really thinks he did something here but I got nothing but grimy cockroach rape fantasy energy (never thought I’d write that in my lifetime). I’m mad about it!

[Netanella · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like weird. I like literary fiction. And I like humor. So when I found a book that purportedly combined all three, about a colony of intelligent roaches living in an apartment, I think I might have a winner. Instead what I read was juvenile humor about body parts, bodily functions, and of course, body odors. Things soured for me quickly after the toilet scene and I had to DNF this at around 30%. Not to my taste.

[Valentina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Numeri è una Blattella germanica colta, cresciuta in un libro come altri della sua colonia.
Trascorsa la giovinezza in un periodo di prosperità muta e cresce, ma poi qualcosa cambia…non si depositano più briciole a terra, niente di commestibile è raggiungibile, ma Numeri ha un piano e vuole portarlo a termine!

[Nicole Kamin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give this a better rating but through the blatant racism, weird sexual content, and overall weirdness I can’t. The POV of a cockroach is maybe not something we need to experience. The book would’ve been better had it not been so racist for no reason. Interesting? Yes. But in a bad way.

[Jonah · Rating 3 out of 5]

First 100 pages were a very solid 4 stars and then I realized there was still 160 pages left and it all went downhill from there

[Vanessa Sumner · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are no words.

[Martina Hava · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like the author. He is intelligent, funny, witty actually, and he has an amazing vocabulary, far superior to that found in, for example Harlequin Books. His writing addresses intelligent, educated people.
After finishing The Magic of Middle-Aged Women, I was looking for another book from the same author.
The Roaches Have No King was compared to Kafka’s Metamorphoses. It is not comparable. I think Daniel Weiss’ book is far better. Similar in theme, creating a bug’s world that is humanized, I feel The Roaches Have No King is far better, more up to date and really, really funny.

One afternoon I and my boyfriend were reading. He was reading his Sunday paper. I was reading The Roaches Have No King. Every two minutes I would burst into uncontrolled laughter. My companion looked up from his paper and asked “What is so funny?” I started reading him the passages that had caused me to laugh. He has decided he will probably read The Roaches Have No King, and possibly other books written by Daniel Weiss. As my boyfriend said; Daniel Evan Weiss is a good writer, really funny, witty, with a very wide, excellent vocabulary. I am almost tempted to compare him to Shakespeare based on his skilful use of the English language.

Daniel Weiss has a somewhat twisted mind as well; most of his books have an underlying sexual flavour – or are rather kinky, a behaviour or lifestyle with which he seems quite preoccupied. But hey, I had no idea that a cockroach can be kinky – and hilarious. Just read the book and you'll see what I mean. The author is totally hilarious in this book. He really unleashes his sense of humour and a great knowledge about cockroach’s anatomy including the reproductive functions of the bug.

By the way, I am still laughing and so is my boyfriend.

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whether the author's idea was to cram as many shocking and/or disgusting images into two hundred brief pages as possible, or something more high-minded (probably both), he made a decent job of it either way. Here, what we get is a cockroach's-eye-view of humanity, warts and all.
    Through the eyes of Numbers, just one member of a whole colony of Blattella germanica inhabiting a New York apartment, we see the grim aftermath of a disaster: one human has moved out and another moved in; the Gypsy, Ira's former girlfriend, was sloppy and tempestuous, spilling (occasionally throwing) food; Ruth, Ira's current girlfriend, is tidy and clean, particularly in the kitchen. Result: no more pools of soup or globs of goulash lying around—and for the roaches that means famine. The story follows Numbers as he schemes to save the colony by, somehow, getting rid of Ruth and manoeuvring the hapless Ira into the arms of a neighbour's wife. It's not an easy road, either for him or us, and readers likely to suffer an attack of the vapours or start fluttering their fans at any of the following, should think twice before tackling it: there's indiscriminate mass-slaughter, insecticide sprays, boric acid, cannibalism, lavatories (seen from inside the bowl), excrement itself, cockroaches and even (ugh!) humans.
    It's yukky, yes, funny and some of the writing brilliant. Recommended for: anyone who always suspected that our own species are no better (or worse) than cockroaches, but thought no one else had noticed.

[Riccardo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gli scarafaggi non hanno re, in questa grottesca storia di Weiss, ma di sicuro sono dotati di un'intelligenza superiore che gli permette di leggere e comprendere il nostro linguaggio. In prosperità, gli scarafaggi filosofi analizzano le differenze, soprattuto legate alla sfera sessuale, fra le due specie. Tuttavia presto la batteglia per la sopravvivenza li spingerà ad organizzarsi e a cercare di collaborare. Nonostante gli sforzi e i piani ben architettati, la vita è dura per gli amici a 6 zampe e per il protagonista, fino al soprendente finale dove forse, a pendere l'ago della bilancia, sarà il vizio.
Roaches have no king, in this grotesque Weiss's story, but they are definitely endowed of a superior intelligence, that allows them reading and understanding our language. In times of prosperity, philosophers roaches analyse difference between, especially they one related to sex field. However soon struggle for survival will push them to prepare and trying to collaborate. Despite the efforts and well designed plans, life is hard for our 6 feet friends and the main character, until the astonishing end when maybe, will be the vice the one will help the winner.

[La Stamberga dei Lettori · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ammetto di essere di gusti un po' difficili. Al ristorante sono capace di studiare il menu per un'ora prima di fare la mia scelta e lo stesso accade spesso in libreria. È raro quindi che mi ritrovi per le mani qualcosa che mi faccia proprio schifo (libri da 1 stellina, per intenderci) e quando accade, evito di parlarne perché mi hanno lasciato così poco che non saprei cosa dire. Questa volta però la delusione è stata troppo intensa e quindi ho scritto di getto questa recensione.
La trama mi appariva simpatica e originale, nella quarta di copertina avevano scomodato addirittura Pennac a cantarne le lodi, il commesso della libreria me lo ha consigliato con un sorriso raggiante (ok, quello magari era solo particolarmente zelante nello svolgere le sue mansioni!) e mi sono ritrovata per le mani la più grossa delusione della mia carriera di lettrice.

Continua su
http://www.lastambergadeilettori.com/...

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book used because I needed a beach read on my vacation. The concept intrigued me - the central character is a cockroach trying to reclaim his apartment from its human occupants. It was pretty entertaining and light enough for the beach, but the depiction of black characters seemed a bit racist - I couldn't tell if it was meant to be satirical or not. Also, and I know this sounds ridiculous in a review of a book about a talking cockroach, but - some of the story didn't make sense. The internal logic was unclear. How did Numbers know about the outside world? Why didn't he just move the bills? Why do I care?

[Juliet Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book, sometimes hilarious, sometimes gross and always intelligent and clever. The basic plot is that cockroaches take over an apartment and try to manipulate the human inhabitants into making life better for them, the cockroaches. The fact that the story is narrated from the point of view of a cockroach gives the author plenty of opportunity to make observations on evolution, ecology and human civilisation from a distinctly non-human viewpoint. I love the way that each roach has a life philosophy drawn from the book he or she was eating through when growing up! Its certainly a thought provoking book as well as very entertaining, but not for the faint hearted!

[Leezus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A castle of excrement - this is a genius piece of work. Magical animal blattella germanus on (literal)crack do not disappoint. Overtly comedic and always disgusting these roaches rules, fending for their lives while utilizing unholy racism and eclecticism to score the face of human history with a truly immortal primordialism. The perspective is perfect, Pixar couldn't have done a better job and the disgusting imagery is so effective that even I, man of the iron guts, was physically retching at the final revenge of Drano hotshots for the insect genocide. I learned more in this pornography about bugs than from every copy of "Ranger Rick" I've ever read put together.