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The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe
Kara Everglades has just finished her first year of high school and is longing for an adventure. So far her only option is an invitation from some upperclassmen to watch them drunkenly race a bunch of bullfrogs in a ditch. To be honest, she was hoping for something a bit more exciting.
Her grandfather, Cornelius Everglades, is a renegade who founded his own island micronation. Unfortunately, the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge it (possibly because he’s gone about the nation-building process using wildly illegal and unethical means).
When Cornelius shows up at Kara’s door needing her help and promising an adventure, Kara agrees to go along with his far-fetched plan to put his micronation on the map, even though a) she thought Cornelius was dead, and b) his scheme depends heavily on Kara wearing a mascot costume.
If Kara had known about the giant alien spaceship currently speeding toward her grandfather’s country with the intent to subjugate and humiliate mankind, she might have reconsidered.
Her grandfather, Cornelius Everglades, is a renegade who founded his own island micronation. Unfortunately, the rest of the world refuses to acknowledge it (possibly because he’s gone about the nation-building process using wildly illegal and unethical means).
When Cornelius shows up at Kara’s door needing her help and promising an adventure, Kara agrees to go along with his far-fetched plan to put his micronation on the map, even though a) she thought Cornelius was dead, and b) his scheme depends heavily on Kara wearing a mascot costume.
If Kara had known about the giant alien spaceship currently speeding toward her grandfather’s country with the intent to subjugate and humiliate mankind, she might have reconsidered.
314 pages, Paperback
First published January 30, 2018
21 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Conor Lastowka
8 books57 followersConor Lastowka has written two comedy novels, The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe and Gone Whalin'. He's also co-authored two anthologies of terrible Wikipedia writing, [Citation Needed] Vol. 1 & Vol. 2
He works as a Senior Writer-Producer at RiffTrax.com.
He co-hosts the podcast book club "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" with Mike Nelson.
He lives in Burlington, VT with his wife Lauren and can often be found performing at Vermont Comedy Club.
Find him on twitter @clastowka and instagram @conorlastowka
He works as a Senior Writer-Producer at RiffTrax.com.
He co-hosts the podcast book club "372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" with Mike Nelson.
He lives in Burlington, VT with his wife Lauren and can often be found performing at Vermont Comedy Club.
Find him on twitter @clastowka and instagram @conorlastowka
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
July 3, 2022
Hilarious! A solid, fun, absurd screwball novel full of exasperating oddball characters, aliens with untold anuses, classic comedy routines, typography-based fraud, not actually any hookers, a scary-as-fuck mascot costume, and, of course, Hitler-based humour.
The cover art entirely does it justice.
The cover art entirely does it justice.
January 24, 2019
The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe doesn't quite reach the heights of Gone Whalin', but once it finds its groove it proves a more than worthy follow up. Both of Conor Lastowka's novels are exercises in unbridled insanity and watching it unfold is glorious. The fact that a good portion of the insanity in this book is pretty close to fact makes it even better. The real life micronation of Sealand is a more than close approximation of HAWAll (minus feral seagulls, I assume).
I can't recommend this and Gone Whalin' enough. These are two of the funniest, most entertaining books I've ever read
I can't recommend this and Gone Whalin' enough. These are two of the funniest, most entertaining books I've ever read
March 16, 2018
A very funny story about formerly dead grandfathers, Nazi-curious aliens, mascots imparting important life lessons, pirate radio shows with catchy titles, The King of Maui’s succulent pigs (extra crispy), runner’s diarrhea and so much more. As with his first novel, “Gone Whalin’,” Conor Lostowka made me laugh every few pages, and I had a great time reading this book. Check out his (and Mike Nelson’s) podcast, 372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back, and, of course, RiffTrax.
January 21, 2019
A hint of Heinlein, a dash of Adams, and a pinch of Pratchett.
February 14, 2019
"372 Pages We'll Never Get Back" is doing their podcast on "The Forensic Certified Public Accountant and the Cremated 64-SQUARES Financial Statements", which was not a book I could see my way clear to purchasing but was available on Kindle Unlimited. In my ongoing quest to not read Ulysses, I thought I might as well use my 30-day free trial to read 372 Page's own Conor Lastowka's recent effort.
This is the story of a girl who discovers her dead grandfather is actually the king/governor/sole inhabitant of a small fake island in the Atlantic that he has named HAWAll (pronounced "huh-WALL") in a dubious attempt to trick people into coming there. His master plan for recognition from the UN—which somehow figures into the bigger master plan of becoming a world leader in dispensing knock-off pharmaceuticals—is to hold the Olympics on his little island.
Meanwhile, out in the universe, the captain of a garbage scow wants to prove himself to his race and his father by bullying some lesser civilization and chances upon Earth. And what better way to show up Earth than to beat them at ever single Olympic event?
Hilarity, as they say, ensues.
I actually didn't laugh that much, though I was amused throughout. There's a brilliant bit with an airport skycap, and another absurdly wonderful part involving hundreds of dead seagulls, but the thing about comedy writing is that it's all about...(wait for it)...timing! You kind of have to be in the same rhythm as the author and if you're not, even very funny things, will not hit you in quite the right spot.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to which this book owes a nod, for example, made me laugh out loud with its writing style but my kids have never been able to get into it. There's nothing particularly racy here, but I find the various curse words often pull me out of the humor. (I find this is often true in "Rifftrax" and "372 Pages" as well.) Also, being familiar with his style seems to have meant I wasn't surprised by a lot of the shenanigans and goings-on, which worked against the belly laugh.
As I say, I enjoyed reading it and was amused, and will read his Gone Whalin' I think, and I may get the audiobook of this which has an impressive cast.
This is the story of a girl who discovers her dead grandfather is actually the king/governor/sole inhabitant of a small fake island in the Atlantic that he has named HAWAll (pronounced "huh-WALL") in a dubious attempt to trick people into coming there. His master plan for recognition from the UN—which somehow figures into the bigger master plan of becoming a world leader in dispensing knock-off pharmaceuticals—is to hold the Olympics on his little island.
Meanwhile, out in the universe, the captain of a garbage scow wants to prove himself to his race and his father by bullying some lesser civilization and chances upon Earth. And what better way to show up Earth than to beat them at ever single Olympic event?
Hilarity, as they say, ensues.
I actually didn't laugh that much, though I was amused throughout. There's a brilliant bit with an airport skycap, and another absurdly wonderful part involving hundreds of dead seagulls, but the thing about comedy writing is that it's all about...(wait for it)...timing! You kind of have to be in the same rhythm as the author and if you're not, even very funny things, will not hit you in quite the right spot.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, to which this book owes a nod, for example, made me laugh out loud with its writing style but my kids have never been able to get into it. There's nothing particularly racy here, but I find the various curse words often pull me out of the humor. (I find this is often true in "Rifftrax" and "372 Pages" as well.) Also, being familiar with his style seems to have meant I wasn't surprised by a lot of the shenanigans and goings-on, which worked against the belly laugh.
As I say, I enjoyed reading it and was amused, and will read his Gone Whalin' I think, and I may get the audiobook of this which has an impressive cast.
November 21, 2018
Donald and I decided to read this together after enjoying the "372 Pages" podcast by the author, Conor Lastowka, and Michael J. Nelson (of MST3K and Rifftrax fame). We didn't know what to expect, but considering that the author writes for Rifftrax (and was funny in the podcast), we were optimistic.
It took me a little while to acclimate to this style of humor (which often veers into the absurd), but once we'd settled in, it was a very funny read, and we laughed more and more frequently as the story progressed.
At first, I thought the book was tailored for a young adult audience (mainly because of a teenage protagonist and the cartoony cover art), but some adult language (and maybe a few of the jokes) soon disabused me of that notion. (Not that modern YA is pure as the driven snow, as far as cursing goes. An older YA reader could enjoy this book, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily geared toward that audience.)
Both Donald and I thought that Cornelius was a strange, completely unsympathetic character (especially for a long-lost grandpa)-- and I'm not sure how I felt about Kara's increasing resemblance to him-- but this isn't exactly the kind of novel you should take too seriously, so though I don't really like Cornelius, I enjoyed the humor he brought to the story.
We agreed that the strongest parts of the novel were those featuring the aliens, which we thoroughly enjoyed. (I wouldn't mind reading more about them, in fact.)
Recommended to anyone in need of a good laugh!
It took me a little while to acclimate to this style of humor (which often veers into the absurd), but once we'd settled in, it was a very funny read, and we laughed more and more frequently as the story progressed.
At first, I thought the book was tailored for a young adult audience (mainly because of a teenage protagonist and the cartoony cover art), but some adult language (and maybe a few of the jokes) soon disabused me of that notion. (Not that modern YA is pure as the driven snow, as far as cursing goes. An older YA reader could enjoy this book, but I wouldn't say it's necessarily geared toward that audience.)
Both Donald and I thought that Cornelius was a strange, completely unsympathetic character (especially for a long-lost grandpa)-- and I'm not sure how I felt about Kara's increasing resemblance to him-- but this isn't exactly the kind of novel you should take too seriously, so though I don't really like Cornelius, I enjoyed the humor he brought to the story.
We agreed that the strongest parts of the novel were those featuring the aliens, which we thoroughly enjoyed. (I wouldn't mind reading more about them, in fact.)
Recommended to anyone in need of a good laugh!
June 27, 2018
Comedy is hard. I expected to like this book more than I did - I adore Rifftrax and enjoy Conor's podcast, but this book was a little too silly for my taste.
November 18, 2024
I first heard of Conor Lastowka from my brother, Alex. He told me that I should listen to a hilarious podcast from the guys that do RiffTrax and MST 3000. The podcast is called 372 Pages We Will Never Get Back, where they make fun of really bad books. Listening to the show, I was surprised to hear that Conor had written a couple of his own books. He was a bit timid to be talking about it on his show, since it clearly opens up the floor for people ridiculing and over analyzing his prose. But my curiosity was sparked and I went ahead and bought the book.
The story takes place in contemporary modern times. It follows the 15 year old girl Kara Everglades who is about to have the worst summer vacation in the history of any high schooler's life. She is going to be working for the principle of her school, who is an immature man with the emotional range of a teaspoon. But she is "rescued" by a man that she discovers is her long lost, not actually dead, grandfather Cornelius. A conman that is trying to legitimize a micronation that he is "President" of, off the coast of England. To force the U.N. to recognize his metal platform as a nation, Cornelius has conned the Olympic Committee into hosting the games there. He needs his daughter to compete as an American so that he can then give a medal to a person from a real nation and thus show that the games were "legitimate."
We also follow the alien 9-Krelblax from the planet Larvilkian-B, a spoiled brat who is doing a community service type punishment for the galaxy because of some very bad behavior, aka drunk driving and crashing his sporty spaceship into a moon. He is deadly sick of his incompetent crew and being forced to pick up the galaxy's garbage. He discovers this planet called Earth, and hatches a plan on humiliating them and enslaving them for the betterment of his alien race's nation. His idea… compete in the Olympics and take all the medals.
This is a hilarious story. I found myself laughing hysterically as I got deeper into the story. It is a light read; something I didn't know that I needed right at this moment. Conor is funny in that deeply nerdy way of someone that has watched too many bad movies and is able to take all of the most goofy things out of those and write a masterpiece in comedy. It is a Sci-fi book that is light on the science and more about what makes us here on Earth so spectacular. How a teenage girl with her con artist grandfather can have an epic adventure while both growing in ways that you wouldn't have thought possible when you first met them.
I highly recommend this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. If you are looking for an easy breezy read that doesn't force you to think, this is the book for you. It is no Terry Pratchett novel, but it doesn't need to be. Just a silly story of a girl and an alien looking to find acceptance in their respective lives.
The story takes place in contemporary modern times. It follows the 15 year old girl Kara Everglades who is about to have the worst summer vacation in the history of any high schooler's life. She is going to be working for the principle of her school, who is an immature man with the emotional range of a teaspoon. But she is "rescued" by a man that she discovers is her long lost, not actually dead, grandfather Cornelius. A conman that is trying to legitimize a micronation that he is "President" of, off the coast of England. To force the U.N. to recognize his metal platform as a nation, Cornelius has conned the Olympic Committee into hosting the games there. He needs his daughter to compete as an American so that he can then give a medal to a person from a real nation and thus show that the games were "legitimate."
We also follow the alien 9-Krelblax from the planet Larvilkian-B, a spoiled brat who is doing a community service type punishment for the galaxy because of some very bad behavior, aka drunk driving and crashing his sporty spaceship into a moon. He is deadly sick of his incompetent crew and being forced to pick up the galaxy's garbage. He discovers this planet called Earth, and hatches a plan on humiliating them and enslaving them for the betterment of his alien race's nation. His idea… compete in the Olympics and take all the medals.
This is a hilarious story. I found myself laughing hysterically as I got deeper into the story. It is a light read; something I didn't know that I needed right at this moment. Conor is funny in that deeply nerdy way of someone that has watched too many bad movies and is able to take all of the most goofy things out of those and write a masterpiece in comedy. It is a Sci-fi book that is light on the science and more about what makes us here on Earth so spectacular. How a teenage girl with her con artist grandfather can have an epic adventure while both growing in ways that you wouldn't have thought possible when you first met them.
I highly recommend this book. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. If you are looking for an easy breezy read that doesn't force you to think, this is the book for you. It is no Terry Pratchett novel, but it doesn't need to be. Just a silly story of a girl and an alien looking to find acceptance in their respective lives.
March 15, 2019
After a slow, dad joke-filled start I was wondering whether I had found myself in a mire of bland, unfunny madcap shenanigans that would never manage to right itself.
But Conor Lastowaka manages to step up his game once he makes it past the awkward introductions to his "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"-like intergalactic goof, he's able to interject occasional strings of hilarious, belly laugh-erupting writing.
Comedy novels are among the toughest to write, so a certain measure of inconsistency is expected, but Lastowka's work extends the full range of comedic success and failure to a degree I've never seen.
The story follows two threads: One of an eccentric, self-fashioned dictator of a platform-country the size of half a football field he calls "Hawall" in order to trick Hawaii-bound tourists into visiting by accident. He recruits his estranged granddaughter to visit and compete, while also continuing the family tradition of wearing a dirty, ruined and mind-manipulating costume. The other is about a megalomaniacal alien who dreams of shedding his race's reputation for garbage collection in favor of conquering the Earth and proving his athletic dominance.
The writing sometimes comes off as a 10-year-old snickering to himself while filling out Mad Libs. But at times, Lastowka is funny enough to emerge as something of a creative mastermind.
A capable Audible cast, which includes Eliza Skinner, Janet Varney, Weird Al Yankovic and Mike Nelson, assembles for something close to a full-featured, extravagantly produced radio play. It's easy to imagine the play working as a stage musical. I could also see it becoming a really awful animated movie. The future of this franchise is as mercurial and unclear as that of Hawall itself.
But Conor Lastowaka manages to step up his game once he makes it past the awkward introductions to his "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"-like intergalactic goof, he's able to interject occasional strings of hilarious, belly laugh-erupting writing.
Comedy novels are among the toughest to write, so a certain measure of inconsistency is expected, but Lastowka's work extends the full range of comedic success and failure to a degree I've never seen.
The story follows two threads: One of an eccentric, self-fashioned dictator of a platform-country the size of half a football field he calls "Hawall" in order to trick Hawaii-bound tourists into visiting by accident. He recruits his estranged granddaughter to visit and compete, while also continuing the family tradition of wearing a dirty, ruined and mind-manipulating costume. The other is about a megalomaniacal alien who dreams of shedding his race's reputation for garbage collection in favor of conquering the Earth and proving his athletic dominance.
The writing sometimes comes off as a 10-year-old snickering to himself while filling out Mad Libs. But at times, Lastowka is funny enough to emerge as something of a creative mastermind.
A capable Audible cast, which includes Eliza Skinner, Janet Varney, Weird Al Yankovic and Mike Nelson, assembles for something close to a full-featured, extravagantly produced radio play. It's easy to imagine the play working as a stage musical. I could also see it becoming a really awful animated movie. The future of this franchise is as mercurial and unclear as that of Hawall itself.
April 28, 2019
Listened to the Audible Original edition.
This one goes on my unexpectedly recommend list. If anyone has such a thing this would be on the top of it. It was quirky, funny and totally on point for a not quite alien takeover but more like they don't know anything about anything.... except for...trash. Yep, trash.
The whole Everglades family relationship was absolute craziness and one could totally picture at least part of it being one of their family members.
And who knew being part of the Olympics was as easy as taking over a minor nation and conning the whole world?
It was a good listen and spot on voice talents. Definitely will listen again.
This one goes on my unexpectedly recommend list. If anyone has such a thing this would be on the top of it. It was quirky, funny and totally on point for a not quite alien takeover but more like they don't know anything about anything.... except for...trash. Yep, trash.
The whole Everglades family relationship was absolute craziness and one could totally picture at least part of it being one of their family members.
And who knew being part of the Olympics was as easy as taking over a minor nation and conning the whole world?
It was a good listen and spot on voice talents. Definitely will listen again.
February 22, 2021
It was fun, I suppose. I listened to the audio book which felt more like a radio serial than a book but I think it worked well for a book rooted in comedy.
Some jokes felt a bit too expected, along the lines of the gag of someone talking ill of someone who is standing directly behind them prompting them to stop and be like "They're standing right behind me, aren't they?" Like almost to the point of disbelief that makes you think the entire time leading up to the pay off that there would be no way this joke will payoff this way. And it does. Which was kind of sad.
There were also at least 2 poop/fart jokes. I'm technically a fan of poop jokes but don't think they have a place outside of "hanging out with the friends" for humour talk. I guess it's less of a maturity thing and more of a "this just felt kind of cheap and I'd kind of expect better from someone whose job revolves around humour."
It was also tough to read the book and go along with its notion of pole vault being a sport for losers with nothing else going for them and anyone stuck doing it would rather be dead than seen vaulting. Maybe it was because I competed it Division 1 athletics and know pole vaulters and know that nobody really thought in this manner. I wasn't offended that someone took a podshot at something that was part of my life, but since it was a part of my life I can knowingly say I never once met someone who felt negatively towards the event. Honestly, I don't see what people would have against seeing someone try and clear a 16 foot bar with a giant stick but I can definitely say the only reason we hated the pole vault was because it took forever and would always make us have to stay later at meet when we all wanted to leave. That's it. This felt the same for the comments on cricket and the emaciated look of distance runners. Just kind of a myopic view point that the author probably got people to laugh at in their social circle without realizing it's really not a dramatic as it's made to be just because they seemingly have no world view on it. After a little bit the already hollow joke got old and I just found myself saying, okay we get it, YOU don't like or know anything about these things and think it's funny that people do. It didn't work for me, if that point wasn't clear.
That being said, these pieces weren't a detriment to what was otherwise a fun time. Some parts were better than others and I believe if you fully embrace the absurdist fiction than you're bound to find yourself laughing at it.
Some jokes felt a bit too expected, along the lines of the gag of someone talking ill of someone who is standing directly behind them prompting them to stop and be like "They're standing right behind me, aren't they?" Like almost to the point of disbelief that makes you think the entire time leading up to the pay off that there would be no way this joke will payoff this way. And it does. Which was kind of sad.
There were also at least 2 poop/fart jokes. I'm technically a fan of poop jokes but don't think they have a place outside of "hanging out with the friends" for humour talk. I guess it's less of a maturity thing and more of a "this just felt kind of cheap and I'd kind of expect better from someone whose job revolves around humour."
It was also tough to read the book and go along with its notion of pole vault being a sport for losers with nothing else going for them and anyone stuck doing it would rather be dead than seen vaulting. Maybe it was because I competed it Division 1 athletics and know pole vaulters and know that nobody really thought in this manner. I wasn't offended that someone took a podshot at something that was part of my life, but since it was a part of my life I can knowingly say I never once met someone who felt negatively towards the event. Honestly, I don't see what people would have against seeing someone try and clear a 16 foot bar with a giant stick but I can definitely say the only reason we hated the pole vault was because it took forever and would always make us have to stay later at meet when we all wanted to leave. That's it. This felt the same for the comments on cricket and the emaciated look of distance runners. Just kind of a myopic view point that the author probably got people to laugh at in their social circle without realizing it's really not a dramatic as it's made to be just because they seemingly have no world view on it. After a little bit the already hollow joke got old and I just found myself saying, okay we get it, YOU don't like or know anything about these things and think it's funny that people do. It didn't work for me, if that point wasn't clear.
That being said, these pieces weren't a detriment to what was otherwise a fun time. Some parts were better than others and I believe if you fully embrace the absurdist fiction than you're bound to find yourself laughing at it.
February 8, 2018
Olympic Gold in the Belly Laugh competition!
After having read and re-read Conor Lastowka's first novel, Gone Whalin', I understandably was eager to see if his newest novel would reach the same lofty heights of comedy. I'm happy to say it does-it pole vaults over the bar, in fact! Enh? Nothing? Tough crowd. At any rate, if you're a fan of zany misunderstandings, obscure cultural phenomenons, and possibly-cursed mascot costumes, this novel is definitely for you. Hilarious from beginning to end! Highly recommended!
After having read and re-read Conor Lastowka's first novel, Gone Whalin', I understandably was eager to see if his newest novel would reach the same lofty heights of comedy. I'm happy to say it does-it pole vaults over the bar, in fact! Enh? Nothing? Tough crowd. At any rate, if you're a fan of zany misunderstandings, obscure cultural phenomenons, and possibly-cursed mascot costumes, this novel is definitely for you. Hilarious from beginning to end! Highly recommended!
May 27, 2019
3.75 stars
For some reason, I don’t usually like very comedic sci-fi books, or ones that are just overly silly. I think I should since I like funny stuff, but I get bored and feel like the author is trying too hard. But I liked this one. It is definitely overly silly and straight up ridiculous at times. But I liked it all. I am guessing it is because of how well-done the audio production was. Without the audio, I think I would not have liked it and would have ended up quitting on it. Even though Weird Al only had a small audio-role, this book felt very “Weird Al” to me!
For some reason, I don’t usually like very comedic sci-fi books, or ones that are just overly silly. I think I should since I like funny stuff, but I get bored and feel like the author is trying too hard. But I liked this one. It is definitely overly silly and straight up ridiculous at times. But I liked it all. I am guessing it is because of how well-done the audio production was. Without the audio, I think I would not have liked it and would have ended up quitting on it. Even though Weird Al only had a small audio-role, this book felt very “Weird Al” to me!
May 21, 2018
I entered into this book with low expectations if I'm going to be honest. I don't like pole vaulting, have no interest in aliens vs humans sporting literature, and the cover looked like a book for kids.
But I trusted Conor Lastowka because he works for Rifftrax and I was right to do so. This is a hilarious book that made me genuinely laugh out loud--not one of the "LOLs" that the kids say but do not really mean.
But I trusted Conor Lastowka because he works for Rifftrax and I was right to do so. This is a hilarious book that made me genuinely laugh out loud--not one of the "LOLs" that the kids say but do not really mean.
February 15, 2020
Lots of laughs in it; enough to make me buy it as a gift for someone. But the thin excuse for a plot is completely unsatisfying. This book isn't about telling a story; it's a collection of jokes and bizarre props and characters, held together in fairly lazy ways. Maybe that's a necessary trade-off when you want a book that makes you laugh; it's rare to see anyone achieve that and achieve consistent humor at the same time. So, three stars for the give-and-take.
February 21, 2019
Unconventional (grand)parenting
Out-conning the IOC
The Wide Galaxy of Sports
Sometimes books come along that checks all the boxes right off the bad. Going in, I'm a fan of Conor's 372 pages podcast. The audiobook voice cast is outstanding with a lot of RiffTrax/MST3K alumns. This book was right in my wheelhouse and it didn't disappoint. Entertaining and very funny.
Out-conning the IOC
The Wide Galaxy of Sports
Sometimes books come along that checks all the boxes right off the bad. Going in, I'm a fan of Conor's 372 pages podcast. The audiobook voice cast is outstanding with a lot of RiffTrax/MST3K alumns. This book was right in my wheelhouse and it didn't disappoint. Entertaining and very funny.
July 5, 2019
I think I've listened to the audiobook at least 3 times in the past month. Very funny, wonderfully terrible characters (a la A Confederacy of Dunces), great voice cast and sound effects, great performances. I particularly love Eliza Skinner as the narrator-- very smooth and easy to listen to while also slyly funny.
November 29, 2019
Do you like comedy, the Olympics, and (or) estranged relatives? What about a really creepy mascot? Look no further than The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe, my friend. Lastowka's second book, and hopefully not last, is a welcome addition to modern literature. Books can be fun, and this one sure is.
December 31, 2019
More silly than funny. Can't say it isn't what I was expecting though. Had to at least give it a listen since the MST3K/Rifftrax guys were involved.
The narration was good considering how annoying multicast books are. Some unnecessary sound effects. I don't have to have an intercom distorted voice to understand that the character is on an intercom.
The narration was good considering how annoying multicast books are. Some unnecessary sound effects. I don't have to have an intercom distorted voice to understand that the character is on an intercom.
February 14, 2023
2 Stars for story, 5 Stars for voice acting.
The Audiobook is, like Riff Trax, always mildly amusing, seldom lough out loud funny and sometimes just a bit too silly. I would not read the novel, but as an full cast audiobook it just works. Kudos to the stellar cast with the Riff Trax guys, Weird Al Yankovich, John diMaggio and others.
The Audiobook is, like Riff Trax, always mildly amusing, seldom lough out loud funny and sometimes just a bit too silly. I would not read the novel, but as an full cast audiobook it just works. Kudos to the stellar cast with the Riff Trax guys, Weird Al Yankovich, John diMaggio and others.
January 31, 2019
This is one of those slapstick style comedy novels that focuses on pushing things into the very limits of human absurdity. The jokes are decent and the whole thing does make for a nice break from more serious fare.
March 5, 2019
I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. But a little way in I found myself listening closer and closer. It's whimsical and fun with a host of interesting characters. A great diversion from what I normally read and listen to.
March 6, 2019
I’ve never read anything this weird but the Audible version of this book was amazing. It has about 20 people doing voices and all sorts of sound effects and background noise. A super, super fun listen.
January 13, 2022
Funny and creepy and wonderful. Listen to the Audible production, which features a full cast, and then head over to the 372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back podcast for more from Conor and Michael J. Nelson.
August 1, 2018
Hilarious second offering from an author worth watching. The characters and world created in The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe kept me at least smiling the whole time.
February 19, 2019
The chapter on the history of the mascots had me trying and failing to hold in tears of laughter at work.
March 6, 2019
I quite enjoyed it. There are definitely some really funny bits. This is probably the closest I will ever come to reading a book about any form of sports.
March 7, 2019
Audio version is a masterpiece!
P.S. Don't be misled by a 4 star rating. In my subjective system of ratings, 4 stars means 11/10.
P.S. Don't be misled by a 4 star rating. In my subjective system of ratings, 4 stars means 11/10.
May 15, 2019
Hysterical.
May 22, 2019
Very fun. Not sure if it's better than Douglas Adams, but it's definitely more modern. And it might even be funnier.
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