Robert Shea (1933–1994)

I wish I had read it between the age of 17 and 22. Every bit as good as the Hitchhiker's Guide for that age group and fits nicely in with The Book of the Subgenius. As it is, as a middle-age adult, I still found it fun enough to rank it as a cult classic. The facts and fiction are interwoven pretty cleverly, and it will inevitably lead one to investigate its many pop culture, mysticism, and conspiracy theory references. As for me, it reminded me that I had yet to investigate Lovecraft or seriously take on Joyce. The self-parody when the authors discuss literary critics was a good enough laugh to merit reading the whole thing but there's plenty of good stuff to digest here. A true counter-culture classic. I honestly liked it better than Gravity's Rainbow.… (more)

I wish I had read it between the age of 17 and 22. Every bit as good as the Hitchhiker's Guide for that age group and fits nicely in with The Book of the Subgenius. As it is, as a middle-age adult, I still found it fun enough to rank it as a cult classic. The facts and fiction are interwoven pretty cleverly, and it will inevitably lead one to investigate its many pop culture, mysticism, and conspiracy theory references. As for me, it reminded me that I had yet to investigate Lovecraft or seriously take on Joyce. The self-parody when the authors discuss literary critics was a good enough laugh to merit reading the whole thing but there's plenty of good stuff to digest here. A true counter-culture classic. I honestly liked it better than Gravity's Rainbow.… (more)