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Orthicon
When the United States government discovers that animated cartoon characters and their realms are not fictional but real, and a threat to them, they determine to destroy the realms and exile the characters from Earth.But this is not without conflict or consequence.
271 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 22, 2020
2 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
About the author
David Perlmutter
84 books321 followersDavid Perlmutter is a freelance writer based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. He is the author of America Toons In: A History of Television Animation (McFarland and Co.), The Singular Adventures Of Jefferson Ball (Chupa Cabra House), The Pups (Booklocker.com), Certain Private Conversations and Other Stories (Aurora Publishing), Honey and Salt (Scarlet Leaf Publishing), The Encyclopedia of American Animated Cartoon Series (Rowman and Littlefield, forthcoming) and Orthicon; or, the History of a Bad Idea (Linkville Press, forthcoming) He can be reached on Facebook at David Perlmutter-Writer, Twitter at @DKPLJW1, and Tumblr at The Musings of David Perlmutter (yesdavidperlmutterfan).
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 28, 2020
Orthicon by David Perlmutter is a lively and provocative satire on a dysfunctional society pursuing a conservative policy designed to save them from an incomprehensibly surreal future. President Mucklebackit has ordered the deportation of cartoon characters, the Toons, to a distant planet called Orthicon. Samson J Snead has been named as the First Consul of the Colony, and it is his duty to expedite the initial transports. The conflict begins when Flotsam, Baubles and Betterfist, the Suckerpunch Girls, have to contend with the CIA whose SuperSucker device will vacuum the unruly into the program. It sets the stage for the author's comedic narrative filled with metaphors that make this a work to remember.
The Toons symbolize minorities and fringe elements who are stereotyped as 'terminal adolescents' in failing to meet social expectations. They find it impossible to conform to traditional standards because of their primal nature. Some are robotic characters whose life quest is to save the world. Others, like Snead's Rodmond, are figments of the imagination come to life and have no place outside of the 'closets' of the mind. It is not so much as an indictment of modern society and culture as it is a commentary on how we marginalize The Other and make it impossible for some to find the 'happy medium' cliches of diversity and inclusivity.
Orthicon by David Perlmutter is definitely high school level reading that parents and teenagers won't want to miss.
The Toons symbolize minorities and fringe elements who are stereotyped as 'terminal adolescents' in failing to meet social expectations. They find it impossible to conform to traditional standards because of their primal nature. Some are robotic characters whose life quest is to save the world. Others, like Snead's Rodmond, are figments of the imagination come to life and have no place outside of the 'closets' of the mind. It is not so much as an indictment of modern society and culture as it is a commentary on how we marginalize The Other and make it impossible for some to find the 'happy medium' cliches of diversity and inclusivity.
Orthicon by David Perlmutter is definitely high school level reading that parents and teenagers won't want to miss.
January 28, 2021
Witty characters, fun plot: I really enjoyed this book. It was a delightful read from beginning to end, with many similarities between the fictional cartoon characters and real life stereotypes. I especially liked some of the names. Very clever! The style it's written in is engaging and funny, and it's one of those books you will probably read in one sitting.
May 12, 2021
"If you haven’t read this book, you are missing out on a hilarious sci-fi satire weaved on the deportation of innocent cartoons to save America from their tyranny. A short, insanely funny yet sensitive read which will leave you rolling on the floor and mark the author for the next read."
-ShelleyReviews
Can you imagine a Dystopian world recreated from the ruins of History?
Summary
Orthicon is a sci-fi satire about dystopian America where cartoon characters are alive and planning a malicious coup to overthrow the political regime according to the intolerant conservative government. The President fears that the toons would demand citizenship, equal rights and end up taking over the country. And so, he calls for a timely political intervention to save America from the delinquents by deporting and rehabilitating them to outer space on a planet called Orthicon, with the aid of a large vacuum cleaner kind of SuperSucker machine. CIA Agent Samson Snead, who is a pro in such matters, is entrusted to execute this top secret mission. While the toons struggle to put a fight against this unjust behaviour, a different future awaits them at Orthicon under the dictatorship, Oops! leadership of Sam Snead, who recently had the taste of power.
Structure and Elements of the book
The book is a science fiction satire with dark humour as its core element written by author David Perlmutter. It is weaved in a dystopian environment where the conservative regime is governing America and doing everything against the democratic and liberal ideology. The story follows the full narrative arc where the first half of the book introduces the theme and is set on Earth, the other half takes place on an imaginary planet called Orthicon where the much-awaited and much chaotic climax takes place.
The story has been narrated from many POVs which changes scene by scene. While it may be an attempt to introduce the readers with different characters and their side of story, it may break the flow for some.
Sarcasm and humor are the weapons used to poke the irrational conduct of the officials. The book will make you cry out of laughter and will appreciate the author’s subtle sense of humor and timing. The plot itself is hilarious given the sensitive portrayal of the grave danger the small inanimate objects of joy pose to the powerful conservative regime of America.
“And these ‘toons' have, of late, become a dangerously malfeasant political force in America. They are even now demanding their rights as full and equal American citizens.”
The high profile, ultra-secretive mission to drive them out from the face of the earth involving CIA, NASA and the military makes it even more hysterical.
“This is ultra-highly exclusive information! We must discuss it in the only place where it is appropriate to be discussed: the closet.”
A red flag to warn of some sensitive ethnic remarks, though it is more of a sarcastic comment on the narrow and discriminatory school of thoughts than a direct remark over any race or community.
Writing
The story is narrated in a sarcastic tone to comment on the suppression of the rights of minorities. When reasoned, the intolerant government accuses toons of poisoning the children with liberalism, an inglorious justification that won’t satiate any just and righteous mind. While the elected government and officials have lost reason, the toons seem to have retained it which is reflected at many instances in the book.
“He has plenty of Bibles, but no Darwin!”
The author has balanced the satire and sensitivity of the issue by invoking sympathy in his portrayal of the inglorious exile of toons that were created to spread happiness and joy. A true symbolic representation and near recreation of the horrific misdeeds of the past when power fell into the wrong hands and the innocents had to pay the price.
Even simple sentences can strike you with the gravity of the situation.
“Nobody laughed. And I thought these people were supposed to have a sense of humor.”
The momentum of the plot proceeds with the central character ‘Snead’. While reading, it feels some of the toons took a little more space with their backstories that could have been avoided. The execution of this interplanetary plot with so many elements and characters could be a lot. Although there are some instances where confusion was inevitable, the author has made a great effort to preserve the momentum and humor till the end.
Recommendation
There are many elements and instances in the story which makes it worth reading. I loved how it began and was smitten by the short, precise and insanely humorous dialogues. The rebellious, weird and lovely little family of Sam Snead, the wise toons and their punches, and the imaginary world of Orthicon is something to read once. I recommend this book as a short, insanely funny yet sensitive read which will leave you rolling on the floor and mark the author for the next read.
Shelley Reviews Rating
Story: 4/5
Structure and Elements: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
-ShelleyReviews
Can you imagine a Dystopian world recreated from the ruins of History?
Summary
Orthicon is a sci-fi satire about dystopian America where cartoon characters are alive and planning a malicious coup to overthrow the political regime according to the intolerant conservative government. The President fears that the toons would demand citizenship, equal rights and end up taking over the country. And so, he calls for a timely political intervention to save America from the delinquents by deporting and rehabilitating them to outer space on a planet called Orthicon, with the aid of a large vacuum cleaner kind of SuperSucker machine. CIA Agent Samson Snead, who is a pro in such matters, is entrusted to execute this top secret mission. While the toons struggle to put a fight against this unjust behaviour, a different future awaits them at Orthicon under the dictatorship, Oops! leadership of Sam Snead, who recently had the taste of power.
Structure and Elements of the book
The book is a science fiction satire with dark humour as its core element written by author David Perlmutter. It is weaved in a dystopian environment where the conservative regime is governing America and doing everything against the democratic and liberal ideology. The story follows the full narrative arc where the first half of the book introduces the theme and is set on Earth, the other half takes place on an imaginary planet called Orthicon where the much-awaited and much chaotic climax takes place.
The story has been narrated from many POVs which changes scene by scene. While it may be an attempt to introduce the readers with different characters and their side of story, it may break the flow for some.
Sarcasm and humor are the weapons used to poke the irrational conduct of the officials. The book will make you cry out of laughter and will appreciate the author’s subtle sense of humor and timing. The plot itself is hilarious given the sensitive portrayal of the grave danger the small inanimate objects of joy pose to the powerful conservative regime of America.
“And these ‘toons' have, of late, become a dangerously malfeasant political force in America. They are even now demanding their rights as full and equal American citizens.”
The high profile, ultra-secretive mission to drive them out from the face of the earth involving CIA, NASA and the military makes it even more hysterical.
“This is ultra-highly exclusive information! We must discuss it in the only place where it is appropriate to be discussed: the closet.”
A red flag to warn of some sensitive ethnic remarks, though it is more of a sarcastic comment on the narrow and discriminatory school of thoughts than a direct remark over any race or community.
Writing
The story is narrated in a sarcastic tone to comment on the suppression of the rights of minorities. When reasoned, the intolerant government accuses toons of poisoning the children with liberalism, an inglorious justification that won’t satiate any just and righteous mind. While the elected government and officials have lost reason, the toons seem to have retained it which is reflected at many instances in the book.
“He has plenty of Bibles, but no Darwin!”
The author has balanced the satire and sensitivity of the issue by invoking sympathy in his portrayal of the inglorious exile of toons that were created to spread happiness and joy. A true symbolic representation and near recreation of the horrific misdeeds of the past when power fell into the wrong hands and the innocents had to pay the price.
Even simple sentences can strike you with the gravity of the situation.
“Nobody laughed. And I thought these people were supposed to have a sense of humor.”
The momentum of the plot proceeds with the central character ‘Snead’. While reading, it feels some of the toons took a little more space with their backstories that could have been avoided. The execution of this interplanetary plot with so many elements and characters could be a lot. Although there are some instances where confusion was inevitable, the author has made a great effort to preserve the momentum and humor till the end.
Recommendation
There are many elements and instances in the story which makes it worth reading. I loved how it began and was smitten by the short, precise and insanely humorous dialogues. The rebellious, weird and lovely little family of Sam Snead, the wise toons and their punches, and the imaginary world of Orthicon is something to read once. I recommend this book as a short, insanely funny yet sensitive read which will leave you rolling on the floor and mark the author for the next read.
Shelley Reviews Rating
Story: 4/5
Structure and Elements: 4/5
Writing: 4/5
Creativity: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
August 20, 2022
This was a refreshing read. The plot was unique and highly catchy. Though this book could have been a great piece, somehow it felt a little flat. I liked it no doubt but I think it was more because of the plot rather than the overall writing and finishing this was tough.
But it is not tough for you to continue reading this review, since there are no spoilers.
The plot was unique, and the twist to the modern satire was also appreciated. It's just the execution that felt a little off for me. There were many parts of the book which were not necessary from the perspective of the book. And this is the reason why I deducted one of my two stars.
The characters were the redeeming quality of this book. They are witty, joyful, and humorous, so props to the author for that. I liked the characters, they will stay with me for a while.
The second issue for me was the pacing of the story, it was unusually slow, and the content seemed filler for the most part, although it was interesting in many instances. It was difficult to maintain your focus for a long period of time. This was the reason why I deducted the second star.
I still gave this book a three-star review, since I am optimistic about the author. This book shows creativity and promise. The author for sure has the potential to drop a modern classic sometime in the future and when that happens I will be there to read it again.
Thank you to the author for your efforts. Buy the book, read it and show the author some support so that he can come back again with a banger.
Thank you
Happy Reading
But it is not tough for you to continue reading this review, since there are no spoilers.
The plot was unique, and the twist to the modern satire was also appreciated. It's just the execution that felt a little off for me. There were many parts of the book which were not necessary from the perspective of the book. And this is the reason why I deducted one of my two stars.
The characters were the redeeming quality of this book. They are witty, joyful, and humorous, so props to the author for that. I liked the characters, they will stay with me for a while.
The second issue for me was the pacing of the story, it was unusually slow, and the content seemed filler for the most part, although it was interesting in many instances. It was difficult to maintain your focus for a long period of time. This was the reason why I deducted the second star.
I still gave this book a three-star review, since I am optimistic about the author. This book shows creativity and promise. The author for sure has the potential to drop a modern classic sometime in the future and when that happens I will be there to read it again.
Thank you to the author for your efforts. Buy the book, read it and show the author some support so that he can come back again with a banger.
Thank you
Happy Reading
October 20, 2022
The Orthicon by David Perlmutter was very engaging. I especially loved the journals that were written by different people regarding their exile to the planet Orthicon. The story began with the government’s attempt to get rid of the animated cartoon characters which they deemed a threat to the children of the world. The state came up with a plan to get rid of them and transported them to a planet that was approximately 25 million light years from Earth. Sam Snead, a CIA agent was tasked with ensuring that that happened. The Orthicon project was launched in January and it was kept secret by the government. However, through the efforts of journalist I.M Stoned, the truth came out. In the story, the cartoon characters had a share of unfair treatment by Sam Snead and his cronies. This did not rub well with the ‘toonies and they decided to work together to get justice. Eventually, Snead was forced to declare his resignation as consul and gave an order for a fleet of ships that came to Orthicon and retrieved the populace and took them back to Earth.
October 23, 2023
Satirical realism…
…in the form of a multi-character epistolary with tongue-in-cheek naming convention.
The author brings up many ethical points, including:
‘…and artificial creations do not have legal standing under the Constitution. Only the people who own their copyrights can decide what to do with them’
Towards the end, I picked up on the importance of looking up information before finalizing an opinion. Even if the search begins on “Wickywacky”, at least that’s a springboard to find out what else one needs to find out.
3-star rating does not mean "bad" - it was a quick & light read that I liked.
…in the form of a multi-character epistolary with tongue-in-cheek naming convention.
The author brings up many ethical points, including:
‘…and artificial creations do not have legal standing under the Constitution. Only the people who own their copyrights can decide what to do with them’
Towards the end, I picked up on the importance of looking up information before finalizing an opinion. Even if the search begins on “Wickywacky”, at least that’s a springboard to find out what else one needs to find out.
3-star rating does not mean "bad" - it was a quick & light read that I liked.
January 17, 2025
Take one deranged republican president and almost every '60s to '80s cartoon character you can think of. What do you get? You get Orthicon.
When a deranged Republican becomes president, he sets his sights on getting rid of what he considers to be the greatest threat to the US ofA, namely cartoon characters. He decides to kidnap them and send them to Orthicon, a sister moon, to get them out of sight, out of mind.
He chooses a rabid mad dog named Snead to run the off-world concentration camp.
There’s only one way this can turn out. Amusingly bad.
But you’ll have to read it for yourselves.
When a deranged Republican becomes president, he sets his sights on getting rid of what he considers to be the greatest threat to the US ofA, namely cartoon characters. He decides to kidnap them and send them to Orthicon, a sister moon, to get them out of sight, out of mind.
He chooses a rabid mad dog named Snead to run the off-world concentration camp.
There’s only one way this can turn out. Amusingly bad.
But you’ll have to read it for yourselves.
September 30, 2021
Thank you David for putting such a unique twist on our favorite cartoon characters. The veiled and not-so-thinly veiled take on today's politics and our world at large is strange, yet intriguing. I must warn you, whatever your political views are, leave them at the first page! Just enjoy David's look at those beloved characters you remember from times past and the twists to them in the present. Overall, I enjoyed David's twisted world of political satire, thinking cartoons and their struggle to be.
August 27, 2022
Orthicon by David Perimutter belongs to comedy genre. The plot revolves around US government's secret mission to ousted animated cartoon characters who have become alive. Their aim is to prevent any panic spreading in the public.
It's a unique and refreshing plot. The narrative is simple but unnecessarily streched. The characters are so well crafted, witty and loveable. There are some portions that are extremely interesting and engrossing while some lack the same. However, it is indeed a joyful read from start to finish.
It's a unique and refreshing plot. The narrative is simple but unnecessarily streched. The characters are so well crafted, witty and loveable. There are some portions that are extremely interesting and engrossing while some lack the same. However, it is indeed a joyful read from start to finish.
September 4, 2020
In this short little novel, cartoon characters are rounded up and deported from the United States. They are sent to the newly discovered planet, Orthicon, for resettlement. Although the Toons are housed in nice apartments and given native servants, there is very little to do and they are basically prisoners in a fancy concentration camp. Sam Snead. the Consul who was sent to govern them, quickly becomes a tin pot dictator. This story is told through the writings of several different characters of all types of beings, from humans to superheroes, to funny animals. I found it interesting to read about the inner thoughts of cartoon characters, and the climax of the story was somewhat unexpected. The only real problem was that the "Editor's Introduction' was didactic and boring. I also was sure that the whole novel was going to be a diatribe against the "conservative faction" of American government. I almost decided not to read the book based on those first few pages. Although I could see the author's political leanings and the satirical reference to current issues, mostly dealing with prejudice and Xenophobia, I went on to read the book and enjoyed it. I received this book from Voracious Readers Only.
February 8, 2021
I wanted to give this book more stars because the concept alone was really cool. It just left me with a lot of questions...are the cartoons 3-D? Do they not realize they are different from the rest of the world? Is the world they live in cartoon also? When they travel to a new place is it cartoon or normal 3-D like life? Another thing I truly despised is the emphasis on how Republicans are all terrible racist monsters and Democrats are all amazing humans that just got pushed out of office. That’s not true. Both sides have good and bad people that agree with them. Also, does checks and balances not exist?!?! It tried to say it’s way in the future, but it’s not even kind of in the future. On top of that, there were a bunch of footnotes that were just notes (often ignored) by the editor. It was full of summary and the scenes would only occur after the summary of what was about to happen. There was also numerous grammar issues and spelling issues. It felt like a first draft of a book rather than a final copy. If the book was fleshed out and fixed, it would be wonderful I believe.
March 2, 2021
I enjoyed piecing together the fictional cartoon characters and their 'real life' counterparts, but that was about it. There is a great idea lying at the heart of this story; however, it is buried by poor execution. There are too many characters, and the narrative could use a healthy dose of 'show, don’t tell.' I would rather watch Paul Gutman (based on Peter Griffin) and Sam Snead (based on Stan Smith) interact than read Sam Snead’s description of that interaction. Lastly, the political themes of this story, although necessary to the plot, completely miss the mark of satire and achieve overkill.
September 21, 2020
David Perlmutter brings animation to life in his exciting thriller drama Orthicon! When cartoon characters are ripped from their world and brought into ours, mayhem ensues. This novel is a little more Bicentennial Man than Who Framed Roger Rabbit, with a deeper more thoughtful dive into cartoons being brought into the real world that I really enjoyed! It’s a fun read with great insights. If you’re looking to spice up reality while also adding a touch of realism to your cartoons, come take a look at Orthicon!
January 13, 2021
It took me a bit to get into this book, as I was confused as to how it’s presented as an essay. Once I understood that and read some more, I throughly enjoyed this book. I love that the author used characters that sound like characters from cartoons when I was a kid. As others have mentioned in their review, you definitely read between the lines and see that the author is talking about racism. The author was very creative in coming up with this.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews