Field Notes From Dimension X

by Carson Mell

In and against the tradition of such tales as "Gulliver's Travels" and "The Little Prince" comes an episodic Sci-Fi adventure from writer Carson Mell that spans thousands of years, and thousands of dimensions.

Genres: Fiction

400 pages, Paperback

Published February 18, 2018

Reviews

[Sean Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

The books are very funny but often delve into much deeper and darker areas than you might expect. Getting these little books in the mail takes me back to the joys of youth. That unique excitement of discovering an amazing new thing, and wanting to squeeze all the juice out of it you possibly can. Highly recommended.

[Kilean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Track down Mell's work and read all of it (including his novel SAGUARO and then watch its accompanying youtube shorts). Do this especially if you're in one of those weird reading ruts or dry zones where everything you pick up seems to induce sleep or worse, angry disappointment. His stuff's more original and flat-out fun than most anything I've put on my shelf in last few years.

[jello · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carson Mell delivers a knockout punch to the sci-fi Jones... I've long been a fan of his work and this series filled a long empty hole in my guts. His characters trip through life (and time) in a world of comedy and tragedy that I haven't see since Vonnegut's glory days. His images and concepts trip me the f*** out. The journey of Fred Rogard pays homage to such luminous time/space trippers as Billy Pilgrim, Malachi Constant and Arthur Dent. I came for the buzz but I stayed for the mind expansion.

[Chumofchance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly strange, if nothing else than for how stirring and profound it is.

[Grellan]

A journey through the delightfully, demented cosmos. Saguaro on a spaceship.

Couldn't get enough of these books.

It's not *like* George Saunders work, but Field Notes From Dimension X's surreal, yet human, out-of-left absurdities are Saunders-adjacent.

Highly recommend.

[Aaron N · Rating 5 out of 5]

Field Notes is a bizarre sci-fi story that twists into and out of logic. Perhaps that is the main appeal, but it is all wrapped in humor and colorful characters through Carson Mell's unique voice. Poetic.

[Philip Shive · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carson Mell quality!

[John Koblinsky · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm jealous if you can pick these up as a set and read right through them. I've read the first three and am waiting for the fourth. In the story, a native american astronaut struggles to find balance and his place on earth. Then he pin-balls through space. Reading the space parts gave me the same fun creative sparks Hitchhikers Guide produced.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

man, this was a fun series. i’ve been in a slump and this absolutely pulled me out of it. a bizarre and enjoyable read well worth the time.

[Justin Babare · Rating 4 out of 5]

pleasant, wacky and bleak all at once, would read again!

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This series is nothing short of a masterpiece. The ending had me crying and I felt so touched. Would definitely recommend this series for anyone looking for something funny, sad and profound.

Without spoiling too much, I will also say the chapters where Rogard is in Dimension X are incredibly creative and refreshing! I really feel that alternating the chapters between past and present really helps the reader get to know Rogard and helps you be drawn deeper into the series. It helps you care more about what happens to him in alien worlds.

Below I have a tid-bit that I really liked:

"These spaces are designed to make you feel uncomfortable. Like there's something wrong with you that the product can fix. Be bigger than that. I don't care how crummy your clothes are, how profane your soul. Belong everywhere you go, for you are the man of the hour, every hour, every second." - Colonel Ready to Fred Thunderbird Rogard in a Prada store

[Daniel Culshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carson Mell has an amazing way with words, with the ability to conjure up the most fascinating & deranged imagery with his descriptive language. Anyone familiar with his animation & writing on YouTube (especially the Field Notes from Dimension X video from 2010, which (I assume) was the basis for this phenomenal series) will already know this. If you are a fan of otherworldly sci-fi, bizzare monsters & normal(ish) people caught in extremely wild scenarios, this is the series for you.

Fans of the John Dies at the End books by David Wong will find the same vibe within the world Mell has created here, albeit more coherent than Wong's writings.

[Samantha]

Field Notes From Dimension X, like all of Mell's writing, pulls you into a universe all its own - funny, sad, strange, and bristling with an odd sense of hope even in the darkest moments. I'm still waiting for the last installment, and the serialization itself has been a fantastic experience, akin to being early readers of, say, some left-field sci-fi serial in the 1970s. Soon you can tear through them all in one go, which works too, I suppose :)