The 2012 Guide Book or How to Make the End of the World Fun / Corey Deitz

Reviewed by: BigAl

Genre: Humor/Satire

Approximate word count: 40-45,000 words

Availability
Kindle US: YES UK: YES Nook: NO Smashwords: NO Paper: YES
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Author:

A long-time radio personality, Corey Deitz now lives in Arkansas and is the morning DJ on KDJE-FM (100.3) in Little Rock. Deitz has written three other books: The Cash Cage, which explores the radio business from the inside, Lessons from Camp: Life in the Past Tents, which is a humorous look at his childhood experiences at Boy Scout Camp, and Vilified, a political satire. For more visit his website or the website for this book.

Description:

Subtitled The Last Book You’ll Ever Need, the premise of this book is that, as we all know, the world is ending in 2012. It must be true because the Mayan calendar says so. Because the Mayans left us guessing exactly what the final straw will be, Dietz explores the possibilities.

Appraisal:

Other than erotica, I think humor is the genre where personal taste drives an individual’s reaction the most. Overall, I liked the way Dietz approached his concept. He chose various ways the world might come to an end that ranged from ridiculous (a Zombie invasion) to controversial (melting of the polar ice caps) and on to a long shot – possible although not probable (being sucked into a black hole). He then riffed on the subject, looking at what others have said (who would have guessed the University of Florida would include a zombie invasion in their Disaster Preparedness plans?) and offering his own humorous take. Other sections target potential ways to prepare for the end; for example, how to “develop a bunker mentality” discusses building an underground bunker and satirizes those who have. The book was a little hit-and-miss with me. I found some sections much funnier than I did others, although I could see the humor in most.

A satirical book will sometimes take swipes at politicians, which this one does. It is only natural that those are more likely to be aimed at the party in power. However, it felt to me as though the author chose targets from the left much more than those from the right and made the swipes much more personal. Although this is a relatively small percentage of the book, it is enough that those whose political leanings are left-of-center might find it to be offensive. Those who lean the other way are more likely to enjoy those portions.

Format/Typo Issues:

A small number of typos, wrong words, and other editing and proofing oversights.

Rating: *** Three stars