What do you think?
Rate this book
Egglike
Underneath a highway bridge, two mysterious vehicles—a driverless purple truck and a riderless yellow motorcycle—pass twice a day. A man is standing on that bridge, observing and transcribing their routines. Little about them makes sense, but the man has his theories.
All of his theories are wrong.
However, this sets him off on a journey to implausible places and leads to bizarre encounters between man, machines, alien life forms, cats, and vegetables in this part surrealist, part sci-fi reflection on human existence.
All of his theories are wrong.
However, this sets him off on a journey to implausible places and leads to bizarre encounters between man, machines, alien life forms, cats, and vegetables in this part surrealist, part sci-fi reflection on human existence.
276 pages, Paperback
Published November 20, 2018
29 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
February 8, 2019
What a fantastic, fantastical, quirky absurdist tale! I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Egglike begins oddly but, for the most part, grounded in reality. Details then begin to accumulate that take the main character into a stranger and stranger world until we eventually become entirely detached from reality. What starts as an exploration of odd patterns and repetitions becomes eventually an ecstatic embrace of transcendent Buddist non-ego and universal unity. And along the way, all manner of weird, humorous and disturbing events occur. Some aspects of this book reminded my of the first novel Death by Zamboni and other aspects of it reminded me of my second novel, A Greater Monster! Yet always with a unique and arresting tone.
I’d rather not describe any plot details because that would give too much away, but as the book’s description notes it features artificial intelligence, aliens, and cats. If you appreciate surreal absurdity in any form then you will enjoy Egglike. Recommended!
December 31, 2018
I laughed from the beginning, and was dazed at the end. This story is a ridiculously eccentric sci-fi rollercoaster, akin to Stanisław Lem’s 'The Futurological Congress', yet with a much more rewarding existentialist take on matters.
The main character tells his experiences from the 1st person; we don’t know much about him except that he is extremely inquisitive and thorough, can’t stand a day job, loves chicken sandwiches, and really, really wants to know who or what is driving a colourful truck and motorcycle everyday back and forth like clockwork. What seems like an innocent, yet comical self-determined and frivolous mission, turns into a whirlwind of bizarre experiences that sees our main character systematically kidnapped, imprisoned, drugged, intellectually challenged, and finally put to the test by a supercomputer with an inferiority complex hellbent on reaching out to a higher being, higher than mere humans, of course!
Eventually our main character and the supercomputer team up, and that’s when the curtains of reality truly fall to reveal unhinged insanity. The next world they enter has no barriers. We’re taken to a place where cats fight garbage men for their garbage, and other cats for their turf; where there are other characters like a beaver that speaks through pyramids it carves from its teeth, and a shark-man (a man with a hammerhead shark head for a head, no less) who can lift and whirl a party yacht full of college students till their bathing suits fly off (yet still knows how to love), humanoid figures with bassoons sprouting from their faces who eat raw eggs through their instrument appendages, and of course, a travelling lake that can float them all around, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
As truly meaningless as all of that sounds, there’s still an underlying philosophical thought to it that makes it all the worthwhile, and that’s what really makes this fictional memoir a pleasure to read. Fans of Stanisław Lem, Philip K. Dick, and Douglas Adams would most likely really enjoy this book.
The main character tells his experiences from the 1st person; we don’t know much about him except that he is extremely inquisitive and thorough, can’t stand a day job, loves chicken sandwiches, and really, really wants to know who or what is driving a colourful truck and motorcycle everyday back and forth like clockwork. What seems like an innocent, yet comical self-determined and frivolous mission, turns into a whirlwind of bizarre experiences that sees our main character systematically kidnapped, imprisoned, drugged, intellectually challenged, and finally put to the test by a supercomputer with an inferiority complex hellbent on reaching out to a higher being, higher than mere humans, of course!
Eventually our main character and the supercomputer team up, and that’s when the curtains of reality truly fall to reveal unhinged insanity. The next world they enter has no barriers. We’re taken to a place where cats fight garbage men for their garbage, and other cats for their turf; where there are other characters like a beaver that speaks through pyramids it carves from its teeth, and a shark-man (a man with a hammerhead shark head for a head, no less) who can lift and whirl a party yacht full of college students till their bathing suits fly off (yet still knows how to love), humanoid figures with bassoons sprouting from their faces who eat raw eggs through their instrument appendages, and of course, a travelling lake that can float them all around, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
As truly meaningless as all of that sounds, there’s still an underlying philosophical thought to it that makes it all the worthwhile, and that’s what really makes this fictional memoir a pleasure to read. Fans of Stanisław Lem, Philip K. Dick, and Douglas Adams would most likely really enjoy this book.
December 28, 2018
Wheee, this book is quite the ride.
I've been a fan of Adi Gelbarts strange, but highly skilled musical and visual work for quite some time now and this book feels like the logical continuation of the journey into his quirky world.
As other reviewers here, I do recommend familiarising yourself with his other stuff, it won't be your loss.
Egglike has a dreamlike, trippy quality. As far as science fiction goes, it reminds me of the weirder stories from Rudy Rucker or Philip K. Dick. But then it also ramps up on the surrealism quite a bit beyond that. There's manta ray monsters and World War 1 Hamster Dioramas, mobile lakes and sentient retro-sci-fi supercomputers. Generally, you get thrown around in a rollercoaster of imagination that encompasses existential thoughts as much as outrageous silliness. And Music! Something I really liked was the musicality of the book. Whether it is featuring what reads like exact descriptions of Gelbarts actual music (listen to it, it's great!), there is communication happening entirely through musical means and an incredible symphonic showdown.
Very nice.
I've been a fan of Adi Gelbarts strange, but highly skilled musical and visual work for quite some time now and this book feels like the logical continuation of the journey into his quirky world.
As other reviewers here, I do recommend familiarising yourself with his other stuff, it won't be your loss.
Egglike has a dreamlike, trippy quality. As far as science fiction goes, it reminds me of the weirder stories from Rudy Rucker or Philip K. Dick. But then it also ramps up on the surrealism quite a bit beyond that. There's manta ray monsters and World War 1 Hamster Dioramas, mobile lakes and sentient retro-sci-fi supercomputers. Generally, you get thrown around in a rollercoaster of imagination that encompasses existential thoughts as much as outrageous silliness. And Music! Something I really liked was the musicality of the book. Whether it is featuring what reads like exact descriptions of Gelbarts actual music (listen to it, it's great!), there is communication happening entirely through musical means and an incredible symphonic showdown.
Very nice.
November 28, 2018
Not everyday you get to read a book, which touches existential matters in such a colorful way.
Egglike is wise, fun, and full of surprises. Some words and parts in it are so accurate, it made my heart burst.
Egglike is wise, fun, and full of surprises. Some words and parts in it are so accurate, it made my heart burst.
December 7, 2021
Brilliantly bonkers. I really enjoyed this. Very surreal but also very funny.
December 20, 2018
Adi (the author) is a very interesting individual, expanding his creative output from music, trough painting, stop-motion animation and now, writing. If you're familiar with his previous work in these other areas you'll notice its contents are all part of the same universe, and to have a clearer view of his work, one must go after his other methods of communication (you can get a limited edition 7" vinyl with your book that will support this claim and if you're not already familiar with his music, hopefully it will be your entry door to his musical world).
Fortunately, his body of work is of great cohesion, meaning the characteristics of his music composition, for example, can be identified in his painting, writing and so on. The subjects of his work are all treated with the same underlying philosophy and infused in a gamma of particular interests that gives every piece the unmistakable Gelbart flavor, so if you have appreciated any of his previous works, there's a great chance you'll find interesting other things he's done.
The advancement of technology and its relation to human beings, the imagined future of the past, artificial intelligence, curiosity, fun and fear, all things enigmatic and metaphysical. Everything that makes us human and what it means to be human are concepts that will be tapped into but don't expect to get any straight answers, for existence itself is loose of constraints such as meaning. You can expect, however, to have tons of fun and feel instigated, hungry for life once again, like having a breath of fresh air. I reckon such richness, however, can come across as somewhat repellent if you are not previously prepared with a healthy dose of fascination for the weird and the appalling, the quirky and the beautiful, so be prepared to be taken aback if this is your first foray into the unknown, but then again, what did you expect from a book called "Egglike"?
Fortunately, his body of work is of great cohesion, meaning the characteristics of his music composition, for example, can be identified in his painting, writing and so on. The subjects of his work are all treated with the same underlying philosophy and infused in a gamma of particular interests that gives every piece the unmistakable Gelbart flavor, so if you have appreciated any of his previous works, there's a great chance you'll find interesting other things he's done.
The advancement of technology and its relation to human beings, the imagined future of the past, artificial intelligence, curiosity, fun and fear, all things enigmatic and metaphysical. Everything that makes us human and what it means to be human are concepts that will be tapped into but don't expect to get any straight answers, for existence itself is loose of constraints such as meaning. You can expect, however, to have tons of fun and feel instigated, hungry for life once again, like having a breath of fresh air. I reckon such richness, however, can come across as somewhat repellent if you are not previously prepared with a healthy dose of fascination for the weird and the appalling, the quirky and the beautiful, so be prepared to be taken aback if this is your first foray into the unknown, but then again, what did you expect from a book called "Egglike"?
December 22, 2018
Adi Gelbart's debut novel is a marvellous mix of sci-fi, existentialism, music and adventure; with just the right touch of nonsense and playful English that makes you think and smile at the same time.
January 31, 2019
Egglike: An Over-the-Road Mystery
"So, does he still enjoy the asylum life?"
That's what I wrote under the book's dedication. Don't know exactly when. Don't know the motive. But it sticks, as an appropriate phrase to describe what's going on here. I got the fix on the flux - in an aesthetic sense, above all. It's what one expects: you get lost, but don't care too much: just follow the stream. You'll find the exit - in the end. And what to say more, in retrospect? Thought about it, for a while: made me read it again. Same story, different experience. You might try it yourself. Recommended.
"So, does he still enjoy the asylum life?"
That's what I wrote under the book's dedication. Don't know exactly when. Don't know the motive. But it sticks, as an appropriate phrase to describe what's going on here. I got the fix on the flux - in an aesthetic sense, above all. It's what one expects: you get lost, but don't care too much: just follow the stream. You'll find the exit - in the end. And what to say more, in retrospect? Thought about it, for a while: made me read it again. Same story, different experience. You might try it yourself. Recommended.
March 27, 2024
This book is halfway between science fiction and absurdist fiction. A man observes strange occurrences around him and decides to investigate. This leads him on a series of adventures in a world populated by mythical figures, where computers write poetry and couples endlessly discuss the amazing connection they share. The pages are packed with brilliant dialogue and wordplay. The humour is reminiscent of a 90s American sitcom, but with a visionary twist. It is not the easiest book to read at first, but later I found myself captivated by the author's strange imagination.
July 11, 2021
a strange yet entertaining read! thought-provoking, but I came to no conclusions on the deeper meaning
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews