Review by Cazrichmond -- Of Zots and Xoodles
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Caroline Anne Richmond
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Review by Cazrichmond -- Of Zots and Xoodles
[Following is a volunteer review of "Of Zots and Xoodles" by Zarqnon the Embarrassed.]
Theodil enters a room and approaches a small desk. Surrounding him is an uninterested audience, too busy playing badminton to notice his arrival. Disregarding the indifferent crowd he rolls a die, the initiation of creating the universe. Of Zots and Xoodles: Theodil Creates a Universe, by Zarqnon the Embarrassed, is a fictional story containing scientific and philosophical concepts regarding the creation of the universe and what came before.
As the die is rolled, dot-like Zots appear, and from these Zots, noodle-like Xoodles develop. With the audience beginning to pay attention, a child enters the room and the Xoodles collide. The collisions create a great light, which splits into fibers to create material and weaker forms of energy. Another Xoodle disrupts the light even further and produces mass, matter and antimatter. With each collision, gravity and material are redistributed to allow for bigger and more intricate things.
This short novel is written unusually and uniquely. The actual name of the author is J.W. McLaughlin, and his narrative includes poetry and creative writing techniques, such as alliteration. The book is illustrated by Frank Louis Allen, and his artwork is perfectly placed throughout the text to provide extra detail to the complicated scientific and philosophical ideas in the book. Both the author and the illustrator have done an excellent job of bringing so much creativity to a science-based story, which I believe makes this book more appealing to a wider audience.
There are complicated subjects addressed in the book, such as entropy, gravity, time, mass and energy. Some of these concepts could be a bit daunting to readers who have limited science knowledge or are uninterested in the subject, but the author has been able to explain these concepts relatively straightforwardly. The drawings are also useful in helping to explain the theories, as often, a simple illustration can provide more information than many words.
Theodil’s audience is an interesting group of characters. They are sceptical, critical, questioning nitpickers. I enjoyed reading their questions and statements, with some holding some humor. They seem like a group of people who could never be pleased and not ready for too much change. A quote I liked that encompasses this is: “why have a past at all? No Future, No Past, only a splotch called now?”
My favorite part of the book was the ending, which was brilliant. It’s unexpected and thought-provoking and a real highlight of the book. The book is short, but it is an appropriate length for the subject and scientific content. Its forty-seven pages are enough, as in parts I had to re-read paragraphs to understand the theories and the unusual writing style.
I didn’t find any spelling or grammatical errors, so I believe the book has been professionally edited. I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars, as it is unique and thought-provoking. I also loved the ending. I deducted a star because some of the story is hard to understand and I got a bit lost with the writing style. The book doesn’t contain any profanity or sexual content and is suitable for adults and teenagers. It will appeal to science and philosophy fans, but it is appropriate for any reader. This book differs from anything I’ve read before, so if you want an atypical reading experience, give this one a try.
******
Of Zots and Xoodles
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Theodil enters a room and approaches a small desk. Surrounding him is an uninterested audience, too busy playing badminton to notice his arrival. Disregarding the indifferent crowd he rolls a die, the initiation of creating the universe. Of Zots and Xoodles: Theodil Creates a Universe, by Zarqnon the Embarrassed, is a fictional story containing scientific and philosophical concepts regarding the creation of the universe and what came before.
As the die is rolled, dot-like Zots appear, and from these Zots, noodle-like Xoodles develop. With the audience beginning to pay attention, a child enters the room and the Xoodles collide. The collisions create a great light, which splits into fibers to create material and weaker forms of energy. Another Xoodle disrupts the light even further and produces mass, matter and antimatter. With each collision, gravity and material are redistributed to allow for bigger and more intricate things.
This short novel is written unusually and uniquely. The actual name of the author is J.W. McLaughlin, and his narrative includes poetry and creative writing techniques, such as alliteration. The book is illustrated by Frank Louis Allen, and his artwork is perfectly placed throughout the text to provide extra detail to the complicated scientific and philosophical ideas in the book. Both the author and the illustrator have done an excellent job of bringing so much creativity to a science-based story, which I believe makes this book more appealing to a wider audience.
There are complicated subjects addressed in the book, such as entropy, gravity, time, mass and energy. Some of these concepts could be a bit daunting to readers who have limited science knowledge or are uninterested in the subject, but the author has been able to explain these concepts relatively straightforwardly. The drawings are also useful in helping to explain the theories, as often, a simple illustration can provide more information than many words.
Theodil’s audience is an interesting group of characters. They are sceptical, critical, questioning nitpickers. I enjoyed reading their questions and statements, with some holding some humor. They seem like a group of people who could never be pleased and not ready for too much change. A quote I liked that encompasses this is: “why have a past at all? No Future, No Past, only a splotch called now?”
My favorite part of the book was the ending, which was brilliant. It’s unexpected and thought-provoking and a real highlight of the book. The book is short, but it is an appropriate length for the subject and scientific content. Its forty-seven pages are enough, as in parts I had to re-read paragraphs to understand the theories and the unusual writing style.
I didn’t find any spelling or grammatical errors, so I believe the book has been professionally edited. I rate the book 3 out of 4 stars, as it is unique and thought-provoking. I also loved the ending. I deducted a star because some of the story is hard to understand and I got a bit lost with the writing style. The book doesn’t contain any profanity or sexual content and is suitable for adults and teenagers. It will appeal to science and philosophy fans, but it is appropriate for any reader. This book differs from anything I’ve read before, so if you want an atypical reading experience, give this one a try.
******
Of Zots and Xoodles
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
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