Humpty Dumpty: An Oval

by Damon Knight

When Wellington Stout is shot in the head in a restaurant in Milan, the bullet shatters not only his skull but the surface of reality itself. Suddenly Stout is falling through a world turned inside out, encountering extraterrestrial shoe salesmen, a mystical cabal of dentists, and an invading army from the planet Mongo. A New York Times Notable Book.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Fiction, Science Fiction Fantasy

281 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Damon Francis Knight was an American science fiction author, editor, and critic.
Knight's first professional sale was a cartoon drawing to a science-fiction magazine, Amazing Stories. His first story, "Resilience", was published in 1941. He is best known as the author of "To Serve Man", which was adapted for The Twilight Zone. He was a recipient of the Hugo Award, founder of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA), cofounder of the National Fantasy Fan Federation, cofounder of the Milford Writer's Workshop, and cofounder of the Clarion Writers Workshop. Knight lived in Eugene, Oregon, with his wife Kate Wilhelm.

Reviews

[Leslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damon Knight's last novel is a surrealist romp with a nod here and there to Finnegans Wake and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. It's a technical masterpiece and a fun story taking place in the moment before a bullet is removed from the brain of underwear salesman Wellington Stout, who thinks he knows a lot about women, but what he knows is how to cover up the mysterious parts.

[Pete · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was weird as hell. It kind of reminded me of VALIS in that it didn't make any damn sense, and wasn't really supposed to. I sort of liked it anyway. I Googled some reviews to try and find out what I had just read, and apparently nobody else can understand it either.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This intriguing, maddening, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant meditation on life, insanity, and aliens was the first novel in some time that I found I could not put down. It is full of puzzles, puns, and passing strangeness; it may be the ultimate un-filmable science fiction novel. Read it only if you are good with not getting the answers when the author poses a question of some kind with almost every paragraph, certainly with every chapter. I had somehow never heard of Damon Knight before finding this on the remainder freebie shelf at the local public library - now I'm very happy to have made the acquaintance of such a brilliant wordsmith, and I hope to read more of his books.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like 'The Dream Life of Balso Snell' retold as a David Lynchian adventure story, with all the symbolism and unanswered questions that implies.

[Evan Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

It probably didn't help that I read right before bed, but I had a hard time staying awake while reading this. There's a lot to like with the stream of consiousness, unstuck in time sui generis story if you're into that sort of thing. I like these stories for the most part, but I didn't quite gel with this one. Surely one day I'll come around to Humpty Dumpty--maybe once I have more nose bristles.

Recommended for those who've never held their body in a position that feels correct.

[Charles Cohen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a random library pickup. This was a cool concept, with a lot of unfulfilled potential. Also, too much misogyny. If I'm going to spend all this time in one character's head, at least make his prejudices interesting. Having him as a lingerie salesman just seemed like an excuse for the author to objectify women - there wasn't a connection between the plot and the main character's job, which was another missed opportunity and made the reading feel kinda yucky.

[Chris Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazing that I wanted to keep reading this book even though it is the closest thing to a fever dream or long running hallucination that I have read.

Does it really need to mean anything? Or is it enough to know that it seems to make sense on some level?

This is the first of his books that I have read, and not yet sure I will pick up any others.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like some of Damon Knight's early short stories, though they tend to be in the 'Twilight Zone' surprise ending genre of Sci-fi, pretty good stuff, though somewhat forgettable. This one though is one of his best. I've been trying to make some space on my bookshelf recently but I've found that I just can't give up this book, it's really become one of my favorites. At first it can seem a bit odd, it becomes apparent that it's actually what is going on the brain of someone who has been shot in the head. The ending was very moving, not at all something I could forget. This one should be more well know, maybe in time it'll become a classic.

[Jeff James · Rating 2 out of 5]

I officially have no idea what on earth this book was about and very little clear idea of what happened. It was less a novel and more like someone else's dream written down, constantly shifting and changing in nature without ever connecting from chapter to chapter. I had a particularly hard time keeping track of details whenever I picked it up again after putting it down for a day or two.

[Laura · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never actually finished this book. After about halfway through it felt like the writing was some long rambling run-on sentence. The character would meet strange people, have a strange conversation, and then end up somewhere else and have the same thing happen again. It didn't seem like the author was going to reach any kind of point or conclusion so I stopped reading.

[Benjamin Plume · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was strange, even by Science Fiction standards. I'll leave it to other readers to say if it's good strange or bad strange. It keeps you guessing, so if that's what you like you'll enjoy it. I would call it clever but not great fiction...but this is only my non-expert opinion.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

"an oval" made me giggle, so i read it. surreal! weird! nightmare inducing!

[Jeff Youngstrom]

My review from May 15, 2002

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

a hilarious romp that made me laugh...and cry (from laughing)