Typo Squad

by Stephen Lomer

Typos are lethal to 98% of the population. Be thankful Typo Squad is on patrol ... Richard Shonnary was a Typo Squad legend. He had a gift for seeking out and destroying errorist cells, and was almost singlehandedly responsible for bringing about the end of errorism. But one night, a single errant bullet fired by his brother prematurely ended his career. Convinced to come out of self-imposed retirement after five years, Richard unknowingly gives rise to his greatest enemy - Anton Nym. Will he and his new partner be able to stop this latest threat before deadly typos are unleashed upon an unwitting world?

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Contemporary

284 pages, Paperback

Published June 14, 2017

About the author

Stephen Lomer is the Amazon best-selling author of the hugely popular Typo Squad book series, the short story collections Stargazer Lilies or Nothing at All and Hell’s Nerds and Other Tales, and the holiday novella Belle’s Christmas Carol. He also has featured stories in the anthologies UnCommon Evil, Once Upon a Time in Gravity City, and The Dystopian States of America.

Stephen wrote the screenplay for, and starred in, the short film Typo Squad: Words Can Hurt You, and is the host of the YouTube series Tell Me About Your Damn Book.

He’s a hardcore fan of the Houston Texans, despite living in the Hub of the Universe his whole life, and believes Mark Twain was correct about pretty much everything.

Reviews

[Lydia Deyes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the unique setting and endless puns in this book! The adventure, pacing, team dynamics, and conflict are engaging. There are a multitude of references to past events, though, that made me wish the book was set back when they happened initially, and the language difficulty felt like it was too low for the audience that would get the most out of this book (closer to MG or YA reading level for an adult novel).

[Viga Boland · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the dedication of Typo Squad (yes, some of us do read dedications and introductions), Stephen Lomer tells us this crazily brilliant book of his is dedicated to proofreaders and copy editors. He needs to add book reviewers to that list ie… all of us tasked with the job of rating books and trying to explain why we just couldn’t give this or that masterpiece 5 or even 4 stars because of the grammar, punctuation, spelling, incorrect word usage and above all, typos!

In a kind of “Men in Black” scenario, the Typo Squad is on the lookout for typos in books, papers, even store signs. The members of the Typo Squad are particularly sensitive to typos and spotting them causes the members to react strangely. Some vomit; others swear; one even has orgasms! The protagonist, Richard Shonnary, falls into drunken stupors. If you’re beginning to sense this book is humorous, you’re right. It would probably have Howie Mandell’s hand reaching for the golden buzzer.

Lomer writes Typo Squad as it were a mystery. Shonnary is summoned back from retirement after typos start appearing in droves, probably thanks to the current reliance on auto-corrects that don’t correct, our obsession with texting, and the fact that teachers stopped teaching grammar decades ago. In fact, dare I suggest that many of today's teachers wouldn't recognize bad grammar if it hit them between the eyes? There, I've finally said it.

Shonnary and his team set out to find the villain causing all the chaos, and because I don’t want to spoil your enjoyment of this escapade, I’m refraining from sharing some of the punny names of Shonnary’s assistants. You see, figuring out what they mean is half the fun of reading this book!

If you are going to read Typo Squad, and I do recommend it, keep an open mind and prepare to laugh. It is certainly a clever concept and Lomer carries it off beautifully. Since the book is based on the angst some of us feel when we’re reading and keep hitting typos and grammar problems, I had to giggle when I spotted an incorrect use of “lie” and “lay”. And Stephen, you must forgive me for the shriek I let out when I read these sentences containing one of the worst abominations of grammar ever:

“Chicago was yanked roughly off of him and dragged backward”

“He pulled the straightjacket off of Dick and helped him to his feet.”

Please send out an APB to the Typo Squad immediately. We need that abomination eradicated NOW!

In summary, Typo Squad is witty, unique and grammar nerds will love it. So let your hair down and enjoy!

©Viga Boland, author and book reviewer
http://www.vigaboland.com

[Jamie Bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pun-tastic

I am a freelance editor—along with several other jobs—so I totally word- and grammar-nerded out with this book. I loved the premise right away, of course. Imagine a world where typos are actually lethal to 98% of the population. I know some authors who could have killed small cities! Luckily, the 2% of the population who doesn't have this problem can become members of the Typo Squad, saving the world from errorism! Yes, that is one of the puns used in the book—I laughed out loud the first time I saw the phrase “errorist cells.” Actually, every name in this book is a pun of some sort, including our main character Richard “I prefer Dick” Shonnary’s name. Say his preferred name with his last name, and you'll hear one of the puns. His new partner is Thea Saurus, of course.What better names could you have for an errorist-fighting duo? All the other members of a Typo Squad also have awesome names, too, but I’ll let you discover those yourself. But this book isn’t just about puns—although they do add a particular delight to the reading of the story. Dick is coming back to Typo Squad after 5 years away because of a bad incident involving his broth. Now, he has to confront his nemesis, Anton Nym. The author writes with a very smooth style, and the dialogue is particularly well written and realistic. Each of the members of the Typo Squad had distinct personalities, and some relationships between team members are fractious (adding humor with the putdowns—imagine a refined older English gentleman coming up with eloquent but snarky smackdowns). The author is able to keep this unusual premise front and center, and it seems to imbue every part of Dick’s world. The book does end on a bit of a cliffhanger, but at least we have two more books to enjoy the punnery and general good fiction writing. I look forward to the next book.

By the way, I found no errors of punctuation or grammar in this book—a delight in and of itself!

I received a free copy of this book from the author, but that did not affect my review.

My book blog: https://www.readingfanaticreviews.com

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book dedicated to all the proofreaders and copy editors of the world was one that I, as a writer and reader, needed to check out.

This is the story of Dick, who is living in a world where typos can kill people. That is, everyone except Dick, who found out as a kid that he was immune to typos. Now a grown up, Dick is approached by Thea Saurus of the Typo Squad. Oh, how cleverly cheesy! =D
At first, Dick refuses to re-join the Typo Squad because of what happened 5 years ago. What could be so bad? After all, he did take down a bunch of errorists. (I’m so bustin’ here.) But, eventually, he goes back to Los Palabras, where, suddenly, he finds himself commanding his team against a black-masked villain twisting impressionable kids to put out typos. He vows to drown the world in typos… And his name was Anton Nym (still bustin’ here!) The Typo Squad is surely on the case.
Well-written and witty, Typo Squad is practically a parody of Men in Black, which I love btw. I mean, we have a team of secret agents, saving the word (oops, sorry, world – still quite fitting, huh?) from lethal typographical errors. The team are snarky and humorous, each with a little Will Smith and Tommy Lee in them. What a great team!
The only thing that might’ve slowed it down was the “Double-O7” type execution. So official. So militant. So stifling. Man, they were hell-bent on catching those typos.

A wacky, comic-style, mission-driven, action story full of clever word puns that you’ll just get a kick out of. It’s cheesy, but it’s a riot.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book introduces you to Richard "Dick" Shonnary, a former Typo Squad agent. After five years of absence, he is convinced to return to Typo Squad.

With Typo Squad, Stephen Lomer has created a well elaborated story focussed on Dick Shonnary and the Typo Squad team's fight against errorism. It was easy to get into the story while trying to solve the case with Dick and his team. The characters are of sufficient depth, believable with their flaws. Typos are not lethal for Typo Squad members, nearly all of them have their own tics when seeing one, though. The author made me discover my tic when it comes to typos; he did so by (on purpose!) naming the town Los Palabras instead of Las Palabras (in Spanish, 'las palabras' (f) means 'the words'). Stephen Lomer created a thrilling and fun story that kept me glued to my reader, the reading intensified my newly discovered tic. The story proceeds at a steady pace, leading the reader on a mysterious journey; it comprises some unexpected turns, and has a good flow.

This is a book for you if you like thrilling adventures with hilarious moments, words, puns, grammar, the absence of typos, as well as nicely elaborated and unusual plots, characters, and events.

Recommended.

[Bonnie Dale Keck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kindle Unlimited but came across it on a freebie day so for some reason decided to go ahead and read it {unusual, having around 14,000 books in my kindle account waiting, not counting ones from kindle unlimited}, more than a bit odd and some of the gags/puns wore off after a bit, but still....

Typos are lethal to 98% of the population. Be thankful Typo Squad is on patrol …Richard Shonnary was a Typo Squad legend. He had a gift for seeking out and destroying errorist cells, and was almost singlehandedly responsible for bringing about the end of errorism. But one night, a single errant bullet fired by his brother prematurely ended his career.Convinced to come out of self-imposed retirement after five years, Richard unknowingly gives rise to his greatest enemy — Anton Nym. Will he and his new partner be able to stop this latest threat before deadly typos are unleashed upon an unwitting world?

[Sarah Vigue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pun-errific

Typo Squad is an easy read any one can enjoy – seriously. The humor starts as early as the dedication page and continues through the book. Page 90 just really cracked me up, no pun intended.

Pros: The bouquet of quips brings out the literary dork in us all and the dialog is extremely well written, which is quite hard for writers to master. The tone is smooth and consistent throughout – also very hard to accomplish. But, don’t be deceived by the jokes. The book is fun and tasty but it was crafted by a writer who knows what he’s doing.
Cons: Seeing Jesus and Jesus Christ used as expletives is tough for me because the name is sacred. There’s nothing else in the book that gave me pause. The characters talk like normal people and aren’t stilted in any way.

Definitely a fun and quick read – constantly entertaining. Good purchase and very share-able to literary friends and pun lovers.

[Jim Hardison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It's a fast, funny, intelligent and engaging who-dunnit with a twist. In a world where typographical errors are fatal to ninety-eight percent of the population, the other two percent usually wind up as "errorist" super-villains or the grammar police trying to stop them. The main character is a retired detective in the Typo Squad, called back to duty just as a dark and wicked plot begins to unfold.

The book is tightly plotted and full of humor ranging from groaningly bad puns (the main character is Detective Dick Shonnary) to absurd situations and saucy double entendres. If you are offended by racy jokes, you should probably avoid this--although there's no explicit sex or over the top violence.

You should probably also know that this is the first book in a series and that the story consequently does not have a typical ending.

[Jessica Lucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Typo Squad" by Stephen Lomer
If you have the sense of humour of a 14 year old boy and the grammatical wit of an ancient librarian, this is your book.
New drinking game: every time you read a pun, drink. You will have alcohol poisoning by the last page.
The premise of the story is that reading a typo could injure or kill you. The Typo Squad is a special branch of the police force that protects the population from such trauma.
It might sound corny, and it is, but the story is tight and fast paced like a great crime novel should be.
I did find one error in grammar. I might be the only one who noticed. I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Stephen Lomer, and am convinced that he and his crew pored over each and every word with diligence. I might be Typo Squad material.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

In many ways this book is fun, although the writing could be stronger. It is packed with puns, mostly in the names of the characters. (Examples: the key villain is named Anton Nym and the hero is Dick Shonnary (Both names should spoken together with the accent on the second syllable. (Groan)). The premise is that if one sees a typo, he/she will die. So the Typo Squad's work is cleaning up typos before they get out to the public. This is remarkably dangerous work, at least in the book.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Is it bad to call a book cute? I thought it was. The writing style flows well, making for an easy read, and the dialogue and humorous tone are pretty great. The story is very comic-book/cartoony (in a good way) so I think the sex innuendos and puns are doing more of a disservice because it’d be a fun middle school (and up) read otherwise.

[Jason Katzwinkel · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you love bad puns and plenty of dick jokes, pick this one up.

[Zara's Corner · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story is focussed around trying to break up an errorist cell that is determined to create lots of errors in the written word so as to kill the vast majority of the populace. The Typo Squad has to catch these people so as to protect the world. The only people that can do this are those rare people who don’t die from seeing errors. These people have other reactions, some funny and some embarrassing (at least some people may think so).

This is the second book of Lomer’s that I’ve read. It was a quick and easy read with short chapters and not overly wordy. Lomer has a very unusual sense of humour, or at least some people may think so. He also has a gift of being able to turn simple phrases into a funny names. For example a couple of the characters in this book are called Autumn Leaves - one of the Typo Squad - and Anton Nym - the bad guy. Whilst this is a funny book more because of the clever use of English, it is necessary to note that it can be crude in spots but this isn’t overdone, had this been the case I would never have finished the book which would have disappointed me enormously. It is well worth a read.

[Tori Knightwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun story. Reminds me of Jasper Fforde.

[T. Blake · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an interesting concept.