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Call Me Stan: A Tragedy in Three Millennia (188)
Long-listed for the 2022 Leacock Medal for Humour When King Priam's pregnant daughter was fleeing the sack of Troy, Stan was there. When Jesus of Nazareth was beaten and crucified, Stan was there - one cross over. Stan has been a Hittite warrior, a Roman legionnaire, a mercenary for the caravans of the Silk Road and a Great War German grunt. He’s been a toymaker in a time of plague, a reluctant rebel in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381, and an information peddler in the cabarets of post-war Berlin. Stan doesn't die, and he doesn't know why. And now he's being investigated for a horrific crime. As Stan tells his story, from his origins as an Anatolian sheep farmer to his custody in a Toronto police interview room, he brings a wry, anachronistic perspective to three thousand years of Eurasian history. Call Me Stan is the story of a man endlessly struggling to adjust as the world keeps changing around him. It is a Biblical epic from the bleachers, a gender fluid operatic love quadrangle, and a touching exploration of what it is to outlive everyone you love. Or almost everyone.
- GenresScience FictionFantasy
420 pages, Paperback
Published December 1, 2021
1 person is currently reading
346 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
June 17, 2022
I loved this book and can truly say that once I started reading it, I didn't want to put it down. In fact, I was thrilled when I got to the end of the book and read in the author's bio that he is working on a sequel.
"Call Me Stan" is a 1st person narrative by a human who can't die. Born in Bronze Age Mesopotamia, the story follows his travels across the world and throughout time. We hit some very well-known historical junctures (like Jesus' ministry or the fall of Troy) and some less trod territory (like 1950's Berlin dive-bars or Richard Wagner's circle in Switzerland). The charm of the book lies in the fact that all of these episodes get filtered through the narrator's wry voice and hilariously timeless perspective.
The book is funny but is threaded with loss and tragedy. The writing is snappy and the plot is well-paced. All the historical details seem deeply researched and thoughtfully arranged.
In its scope, it reminds me of Gore Vidal's "Creation", but there are so many additional elements: hints of hardboiled detective fiction, Black Adder like humour, le Carre intrigue, and a little of the fascinating tradecraft you get from books like Jerzy Kosiński's "Cockpit".
All in all, I highly recommend this for anyone who likes historical fiction that is serious but doesn't take itself too seriously.
"Call Me Stan" is a 1st person narrative by a human who can't die. Born in Bronze Age Mesopotamia, the story follows his travels across the world and throughout time. We hit some very well-known historical junctures (like Jesus' ministry or the fall of Troy) and some less trod territory (like 1950's Berlin dive-bars or Richard Wagner's circle in Switzerland). The charm of the book lies in the fact that all of these episodes get filtered through the narrator's wry voice and hilariously timeless perspective.
The book is funny but is threaded with loss and tragedy. The writing is snappy and the plot is well-paced. All the historical details seem deeply researched and thoughtfully arranged.
In its scope, it reminds me of Gore Vidal's "Creation", but there are so many additional elements: hints of hardboiled detective fiction, Black Adder like humour, le Carre intrigue, and a little of the fascinating tradecraft you get from books like Jerzy Kosiński's "Cockpit".
All in all, I highly recommend this for anyone who likes historical fiction that is serious but doesn't take itself too seriously.
June 8, 2022
Call Me Stan: A Tragedy in Three Millennia by K.R. Wilson has been nominated for the Stephen Leacock Award for Humour. Stan has been born with an immortality gene and takes us through his life to date, spanning a mere three-thousand years. Wilson has applied his sharp wit and impressive grasp of socio-cultural history and human behaviour to frame this entertaining tale. Stan’s adventures include sojourns as Hittite warrior, a Thracian soldier, a Benedictine monk, an opera singer, and a British spy. He has been both rich and poor, male and female, celibate and sexually-active, isolated and popular, married and single. Stan’s fluidity hints at the possibilities in life we all encounter in terms of choice-making and identity. How Stan actively chooses to engage with the world around him is, in part, the brilliance of the book. Tongue-in-cheek asides, such as Stan’s disappointment when he realizes that he somehow missed “the Fall of the Roman Empire” or when he has to re-learn how to work in a smithy because “bronze was so last epoch,” are both droll and waggish. But there are also moments of tenderness, such as Stan’s anguish when his son dies, in addition to moral quandaries positioned to provoke thought about such things as politics, power and antisemitism. This is a clever and incredible book by a provocative and gifted writer.
June 27, 2023
i mean wow.
at first i was like man why is he talking to me? what’s with all the “you”’s? who’s he telling the story to? then he just keeps talking and every time jump is it’s own story with its own mini plot and everything and then there’s the snippets of real time and we’re like what is happening and then in the end it’s a POLICE INTERVIEW??? that was so cool.
i loved it so much, it was so fun to read in every way. hilarious and adorable and completely wild.
at first i was like man why is he talking to me? what’s with all the “you”’s? who’s he telling the story to? then he just keeps talking and every time jump is it’s own story with its own mini plot and everything and then there’s the snippets of real time and we’re like what is happening and then in the end it’s a POLICE INTERVIEW??? that was so cool.
i loved it so much, it was so fun to read in every way. hilarious and adorable and completely wild.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 29, 2023
I tried. It's 21st century comedy set in Highlander's ancient past. Quite a dissonance for me. I like trying new authors but this is not for me.
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December 4, 2021An engrossing, entertaining and
entirely innovative book. Most highly recommended.
entirely innovative book. Most highly recommended.
January 2, 2022
Absolutely LOVED this book! Witty and heart-wrenching, Call Me Stan is a masterfully written piece of magic realism with a singular spin on the immortal narrative.
We follow Stan—a person of many names—as he inexplicably lives through the centuries, grappling with humanity, immortality, and the limits of both.
From the first page, I was hooked. Stan is an irreverent, relatable, and irresistibly complex narrator. He begins by addressing a murky “you” and it’s not until the last pages we learn who the “you” is—and this is a substantial book, so that’s a long time.
But Stan is telling the “you” his story—explaining his immortality with no real investment in whether or not the listener believes him—and this approach is so compelling and captivating that I forgot anyone but me as the reader was being addressed. Through his exceptional rendering of Stan and attention to the minutiae of historic detail, Wilson creates an intimacy, immediacy, and electricity that followed me around even when I wasn’t engrossed in the book.
Absolutely recommend!
We follow Stan—a person of many names—as he inexplicably lives through the centuries, grappling with humanity, immortality, and the limits of both.
From the first page, I was hooked. Stan is an irreverent, relatable, and irresistibly complex narrator. He begins by addressing a murky “you” and it’s not until the last pages we learn who the “you” is—and this is a substantial book, so that’s a long time.
But Stan is telling the “you” his story—explaining his immortality with no real investment in whether or not the listener believes him—and this approach is so compelling and captivating that I forgot anyone but me as the reader was being addressed. Through his exceptional rendering of Stan and attention to the minutiae of historic detail, Wilson creates an intimacy, immediacy, and electricity that followed me around even when I wasn’t engrossed in the book.
Absolutely recommend!
July 18, 2023
Stan is the MAN, or sometimes woman, in this truly epic work of fiction journeying through the millennia. Wilson weaves a wonderfully character driven tale with historical figures and events peppered with great wit - hence STAN’s deserved longlist for the 2022 Leacock Medal for Humour.
I loved the concept of the eternal Stan and the clever bit of magic realism which keeps it both whimsical and original. Following Stan on his adventures had the feel of an odyssey with many tales and many more to follow. Indeed, I didn’t want the book to end. Luckily more STAN is coming in 2026 when the sequel STAN ON GUARD will be released - I can’t wait!
I loved the concept of the eternal Stan and the clever bit of magic realism which keeps it both whimsical and original. Following Stan on his adventures had the feel of an odyssey with many tales and many more to follow. Indeed, I didn’t want the book to end. Luckily more STAN is coming in 2026 when the sequel STAN ON GUARD will be released - I can’t wait!
January 10, 2022
I was given an advance copy of Call Me Stan in exchange for an honest review.
Call Me Stan is a delightful romp through time. Stan is a man who seems to not die, he comes close many times but always seems to keep on keeping on, and spends the book recounting his various lived lives while also stumbling into some of the most significant historical moments in Western civilization. Think Forrest Gump if his main interests in life were "soldiering, singing, and contemplation" and he lived for thousands of years. Throughout the book, Stan recounts in engrossing detail the daily trials and tribulations of the people he lives amongst, including their predominant currency, threats, and livelihood, interspersed with modern banter and tongue-in-cheek jokes. It is clear that the book was heavily researched. All-in-all it was a lot of fun although I felt the plot dragged in certain areas. Just as a certain epoque of Stan's life is beginning to feel tedious, he usually leaves town quickly (or is chased out) for all kinds of historically significant reasons. I do wonder if some sections couldn't have been cut down more if not cut entirely. Read it for the laughs and interesting facts about various time periods!
Call Me Stan is a delightful romp through time. Stan is a man who seems to not die, he comes close many times but always seems to keep on keeping on, and spends the book recounting his various lived lives while also stumbling into some of the most significant historical moments in Western civilization. Think Forrest Gump if his main interests in life were "soldiering, singing, and contemplation" and he lived for thousands of years. Throughout the book, Stan recounts in engrossing detail the daily trials and tribulations of the people he lives amongst, including their predominant currency, threats, and livelihood, interspersed with modern banter and tongue-in-cheek jokes. It is clear that the book was heavily researched. All-in-all it was a lot of fun although I felt the plot dragged in certain areas. Just as a certain epoque of Stan's life is beginning to feel tedious, he usually leaves town quickly (or is chased out) for all kinds of historically significant reasons. I do wonder if some sections couldn't have been cut down more if not cut entirely. Read it for the laughs and interesting facts about various time periods!
August 16, 2022
What an incredible book!
I was, as I am always, daunted by its length, but honestly once you're into the story, you can't help but keep going. This is one of the funniest historical fiction books I have ever read!
The novel is about a character who lives for 3000 years (and still counting)who, in the span of this part if his life, teaches himself to play many musical instruments and even becomes a female opera singer! There is a lot of music in the novel. Given that Wilson holds a degree in music, this is not surprising.
Given the character's immortality, there is a lot of talk about death, which I couldn't help but connect to my own Catholic upbringing (there is so much about religion too, as Ishtanu moves through history as all of the religions are born/created). Why do we fear death? Likely because religion tells us there is so much that happens after life that we need to pay for while we're here.
There is a good deal of history in the novel, but also fictionalized versions of events that make it a truly interesting read.
I was, as I am always, daunted by its length, but honestly once you're into the story, you can't help but keep going. This is one of the funniest historical fiction books I have ever read!
The novel is about a character who lives for 3000 years (and still counting)who, in the span of this part if his life, teaches himself to play many musical instruments and even becomes a female opera singer! There is a lot of music in the novel. Given that Wilson holds a degree in music, this is not surprising.
Given the character's immortality, there is a lot of talk about death, which I couldn't help but connect to my own Catholic upbringing (there is so much about religion too, as Ishtanu moves through history as all of the religions are born/created). Why do we fear death? Likely because religion tells us there is so much that happens after life that we need to pay for while we're here.
There is a good deal of history in the novel, but also fictionalized versions of events that make it a truly interesting read.
June 20, 2021
The idea of the immortal crossing the ages and coming into contact with historical reality, becoming the originator and creator of myths, is not new. In this case, the immortal on duty is presented as the source of the myth of the wandering Jew, as he was born in the land of the Hittites.
The whole first part of the book, as in general the 'historical' sections, is very enjoyable, especially the events leading to the creation of the Norse gods Odin and Thor.
To compensate (badly) for this excellent narration, there are the present-day interludes, which seem more like filler, a poor attempt to stitch the episodes together, than anything else.
In particular the reappearance as an immortal of a Trojan princess that was better left dead, since her return, in the eyes of the reader, should have led to some deepening, but instead is left there, useless and hanging.
Even the ending is a bit predictable, since it winks at a possible second volume (no, please, no).
The whole first part of the book, as in general the 'historical' sections, is very enjoyable, especially the events leading to the creation of the Norse gods Odin and Thor.
To compensate (badly) for this excellent narration, there are the present-day interludes, which seem more like filler, a poor attempt to stitch the episodes together, than anything else.
In particular the reappearance as an immortal of a Trojan princess that was better left dead, since her return, in the eyes of the reader, should have led to some deepening, but instead is left there, useless and hanging.
Even the ending is a bit predictable, since it winks at a possible second volume (no, please, no).
December 27, 2021
Loved this book. If Keyser Szoze had been three thousand years old…and not a psychopath
January 15, 2022
Stan doesn't die, but he certainly lives his lives with gusto. I enjoyed how he handled his long and never-ending life.
October 19, 2021
Although this is certainly not the first book about an immortal's long and storied life, it was highly entertaining and a quick read. The earlier portions of the book were more enjoyable than the later, but it held my interest. The sometimes anachronistic language is explained by the fact that the narrator is telling his story to someone in the present day, as in Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire. While we never see any signs of great introspection in the course of Stan's story ("why am I still here?"), his getting on with things and the characters he encounters are good fun. Many thanks to Guernica Editions and NetGalley for the opportunity to read Call Me Stan.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews