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I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room
"Absurd. Existential. Ridiculous. Tragic. Comic. The antiheroes of "I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room" are a kind of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with space packs, inadvertently colliding with their destinies against a starry background of witty wordplay. With a vision as sprawling and limitless as the loveably goofy universe in which it's set, Browning's wit, wisdom and heart are always at play, combining to form a wonderfully panoramic and very silly heroes' journey that visits every trope of its overlapping genres and draws moustaches on all of them."
- Marcel St. Pierre, author of "Vengeful Hank" and "Cliché and Wind Go Hitchhiking".
The universe is a very strange place. It will take even stranger heroes to save it.
Potto is dim-witted, extremely forgetful and incredibly naïve. He wasn't always this way. Aye-Aye is devilishly shrewd and has boozed his way into a comfortable existence of incompetence and sleaze. How they ended up being two of the most wanted aliens in the galaxy is anyone's guess. Chased down by every oddball bounty hunter in the known universe, and befriended by a libidinous assassin, a fire-breathing reptilian, and a telepathic tree, their misadventures take them past Earth (the mall planet), to a floating sex circus, a planet of killer stuffed animals, an underground spaceship impound lot, and to a planet of reasonably priced bungalows. All while flying around in a ship powered by the brain waves of a psycho killer.
A great prophecy proclaims that only "one of light, and one of dark" can save the universe from the dictatorship of The Node. That can't be Potto and Aye...Potto doesn't know what the word prophecy means, and neither know how to spell it.
Part sci-fi epic, part absurd dark comedy, I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room is a comment on human behavior, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. But way more fun than that sounds.
So, do up your space seatbelts...it's going to be a bumpy ride. Despite the lack of potholes in space.
- Marcel St. Pierre, author of "Vengeful Hank" and "Cliché and Wind Go Hitchhiking".
The universe is a very strange place. It will take even stranger heroes to save it.
Potto is dim-witted, extremely forgetful and incredibly naïve. He wasn't always this way. Aye-Aye is devilishly shrewd and has boozed his way into a comfortable existence of incompetence and sleaze. How they ended up being two of the most wanted aliens in the galaxy is anyone's guess. Chased down by every oddball bounty hunter in the known universe, and befriended by a libidinous assassin, a fire-breathing reptilian, and a telepathic tree, their misadventures take them past Earth (the mall planet), to a floating sex circus, a planet of killer stuffed animals, an underground spaceship impound lot, and to a planet of reasonably priced bungalows. All while flying around in a ship powered by the brain waves of a psycho killer.
A great prophecy proclaims that only "one of light, and one of dark" can save the universe from the dictatorship of The Node. That can't be Potto and Aye...Potto doesn't know what the word prophecy means, and neither know how to spell it.
Part sci-fi epic, part absurd dark comedy, I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room is a comment on human behavior, depression, anxiety, and self-esteem. But way more fun than that sounds.
So, do up your space seatbelts...it's going to be a bumpy ride. Despite the lack of potholes in space.
302 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 17, 2020
5 people are currently reading
15 people want to read
About the author
Sean Browning
1 book9 followersSean Browning is a writer/actor, humourist/fantasist, husband/father, sci-fi fanatic/80's New Wave enthusiast, LGBTQ+ ally/amateur naturalist, tree-loving Canadian, and mostly ridiculous.
He is a two-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee for his sketch comedy duo Reid Along With Browning (with composer Mathew Reid) and has been performing in Toronto one way or another since 1992. He has written for and/or performed in theatre, television, video games (various voices in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey!), music and comedy.
For a full bio, and some other fun stuff visit theseanbrowning.com or storywellpublishing.com.
He is a two-time Canadian Comedy Award nominee for his sketch comedy duo Reid Along With Browning (with composer Mathew Reid) and has been performing in Toronto one way or another since 1992. He has written for and/or performed in theatre, television, video games (various voices in Assassin's Creed: Odyssey!), music and comedy.
For a full bio, and some other fun stuff visit theseanbrowning.com or storywellpublishing.com.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 28, 2021
It would be lazy for me to say this book was like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but with way more heart. It would be apt, but lazy. The story follows the misadventures of two aliens, Aye and Potto as they dimwittedly traverse a universe ruled by an evil entity known as The Node who wants what one of the duo unwittingly has. The characters are very well flushed out and have real emotions towards one another that pull the reader in.
I let the book sit with me for a couple of days after reading before writing this. When I think back over the characters there is a central theme to this book, and that is loneliness. Outside of the very funny situations and descriptions every character is alone in some way. Sometimes that its because of their own doing such as killing their entire race, sometimes they are actually surrounded by others but don't have the tools or realize contact is needed, and sometimes is completely outside of their control. It's a study of being alone and how the characters change when they come in contact with others in a meaningful way.
At its base, this is a very funny book, that made me laugh multiple times, but even the funniest novels don't allow you to think about deeper human conditions and how important connections with others really is like this one is.
Laugh and think. Laugh and think.
I let the book sit with me for a couple of days after reading before writing this. When I think back over the characters there is a central theme to this book, and that is loneliness. Outside of the very funny situations and descriptions every character is alone in some way. Sometimes that its because of their own doing such as killing their entire race, sometimes they are actually surrounded by others but don't have the tools or realize contact is needed, and sometimes is completely outside of their control. It's a study of being alone and how the characters change when they come in contact with others in a meaningful way.
At its base, this is a very funny book, that made me laugh multiple times, but even the funniest novels don't allow you to think about deeper human conditions and how important connections with others really is like this one is.
Laugh and think. Laugh and think.
June 17, 2021
LOVE THIS BOOK!!!
July 10, 2021
Well, that was silly. And well worth reading.
It's hard not to compare this book to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But is it fair? Sean Browning packs in four times as many jokes as Douglas Adams, and twice as many characters, so it might seem that he's trumped Adams. But it comes down to a matter of personal taste. For example, if you thought Adams was irreverent, you'll find Browning downright blasphemous (in a good way). And perhaps the biggest difference is in the characters. Arthur Dent was highly-relatable, as was Ford Prefect, though he was an alien. Aye-Aye and Potto are overwhelmingly alien but it's their human qualities that makes them so engaging. It may be an apples against oranges comparison, but I'll still recommend this book to Adams fans and be confident they'll enjoy it.
It's hard not to compare this book to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. But is it fair? Sean Browning packs in four times as many jokes as Douglas Adams, and twice as many characters, so it might seem that he's trumped Adams. But it comes down to a matter of personal taste. For example, if you thought Adams was irreverent, you'll find Browning downright blasphemous (in a good way). And perhaps the biggest difference is in the characters. Arthur Dent was highly-relatable, as was Ford Prefect, though he was an alien. Aye-Aye and Potto are overwhelmingly alien but it's their human qualities that makes them so engaging. It may be an apples against oranges comparison, but I'll still recommend this book to Adams fans and be confident they'll enjoy it.
January 6, 2021
The world-building and the world itself was fascinating. I also thought the characters were so well built and they had personalities that drew you in.
March 4, 2023
I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room
By
Sean Browning
Rating:5/5
Description:
"Absurd. Existential. Ridiculous. Tragic. Comic. The antiheroes of "I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room" are a kind of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with space packs, inadvertently colliding with their destinies against a starry background of witty wordplay. With a vision as sprawling and limitless as the loveably goofy universe in which it's set, Browning's wit, wisdom and heart are always at play, combining to form a wonderfully panoramic and very silly heroes' journey that visits every trope of its overlapping genres and draws moustaches on all of them."Potto is dim-witted, extremely forgetful and incredibly naïve. He wasn't always this way. Aye-Aye is devilishly shrewd and has boozed his way into a comfortable existence of incompetence and sleaze. How they ended up being two of the most wanted aliens in the galaxy is anyone's guess. Chased down by every oddball bounty hunter in the known universe, and befriended by a libidinous assassin, a fire-breathing reptilian, and a telepathic tree, their misadventures take them past Earth (the mall planet), to a floating sex circus, a planet of killer stuffed animals, an underground spaceship impound lot, and to a planet of reasonably priced bungalows. All while flying around in a ship powered by the brain waves of a psycho killer.
Review:
👉Talking about the title of the book, the title of the book is really so interesting to read.
👉The cover is appealing and attractive as well.Writing style is appreciable .This is a book of bloody daily revenge and intergenerational grudges, where tears flow as easily as blood. The most exhilarating elements of space opera and Ren and Stimpy cartoons mixed together in a violent smoothie. Definitely a book to bring to that family weekend when you just want to get away from your relatives and think about the best method to collect someone's ears for a bounty. Have I said too much? Was that too specific?
For book link:
https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Seem-Brig...
For complete read do order the book on @amazondotcom
👉I just loved reading the book ...
Happy reading!
By
Sean Browning
Rating:5/5
Description:
"Absurd. Existential. Ridiculous. Tragic. Comic. The antiheroes of "I Don't Seem So Bright in a Well-Lit Room" are a kind of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern with space packs, inadvertently colliding with their destinies against a starry background of witty wordplay. With a vision as sprawling and limitless as the loveably goofy universe in which it's set, Browning's wit, wisdom and heart are always at play, combining to form a wonderfully panoramic and very silly heroes' journey that visits every trope of its overlapping genres and draws moustaches on all of them."Potto is dim-witted, extremely forgetful and incredibly naïve. He wasn't always this way. Aye-Aye is devilishly shrewd and has boozed his way into a comfortable existence of incompetence and sleaze. How they ended up being two of the most wanted aliens in the galaxy is anyone's guess. Chased down by every oddball bounty hunter in the known universe, and befriended by a libidinous assassin, a fire-breathing reptilian, and a telepathic tree, their misadventures take them past Earth (the mall planet), to a floating sex circus, a planet of killer stuffed animals, an underground spaceship impound lot, and to a planet of reasonably priced bungalows. All while flying around in a ship powered by the brain waves of a psycho killer.
Review:
👉Talking about the title of the book, the title of the book is really so interesting to read.
👉The cover is appealing and attractive as well.Writing style is appreciable .This is a book of bloody daily revenge and intergenerational grudges, where tears flow as easily as blood. The most exhilarating elements of space opera and Ren and Stimpy cartoons mixed together in a violent smoothie. Definitely a book to bring to that family weekend when you just want to get away from your relatives and think about the best method to collect someone's ears for a bounty. Have I said too much? Was that too specific?
For book link:
https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Seem-Brig...
For complete read do order the book on @amazondotcom
👉I just loved reading the book ...
Happy reading!
September 22, 2021
An awesome book. Following the wild adventure of Potto and Aye-Aye you will find love and hate and colour and fire, joy and tears, stupid jokes and heartfelt emotion. I really really recommend it to everyone who likes humour and sci-fi.
Longer "review": https://helynalclove.com/2021/05/22/b...
Longer "review": https://helynalclove.com/2021/05/22/b...
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews