Official Review: Damaged Beyond All Recognition

[Emie Cuevas]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Damaged Beyond All Recognition" by Alan Felyk.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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“Fate had chosen me and the two women I loved to prevent God from meeting His Grim Reaper before His replacement could be named.” As soon as I read this line, I knew that this book, Damaged Beyond All Recognition by Alan Felyk, was going to be one hilariously funny wild ride! I wasn’t wrong. This is a science fiction comedy, written in the first person from the perspective of Paul Tomenko.

Paul Tomenko is an orphan with the aspiration to become a writer. While at college, where he was close to flunking out, he met Maggie Mae and fell in love. Maggie Mae is quite possibly the most intelligent person on the planet. As she is about to graduate, she is offered a very prestigious job at Bioprovedence. The only condition she has to fulfill to get the job is she has to break up with Paul. This is because of some left wing articles he had written for a publication called “Cosmic Circles” which had made him famous.

Distraught at the breakup, Paul buys a cabin in the mountains. On the way there, he has to swerve to avoid Allie as she is getting out of her car. This causes Paul to lose control and crash his car into a tree. As he is about to enter Heaven he collides with God. This causes God to send him back to Earth, where his body has been resuscitated.

His editor hires him a secretary after this event, she just happens to be the person who caused his near fatal accident. She ends up moving in with him and they fall in love with one another. Paul is committed to waiting for Maggie and so the relationship stays in the friend zone.

Reaching for a can of food in a high cupboard, Paul accidentally positions his arms in a manner that gets him transported to God’s library. A place he can enter because he has touched God. While he is in there, God informs him that He has made a mistake and none of the souls of the dead can recall any memories. This is a big problem and could cause the end of all life forever. God recruits Paul to solve this little problem. Does he manage to find a solution? What happens in the love triangle? You’ll have to read Damaged Beyond All Recognition to find out.

This is a superb comedy. Alan writes in a style similar to Douglas Adams. He had me in stitches most of the way through the book. However, there were parts of the book that made me cry too, most notably the ending. The plot of this story is unique, as far as I know, with several unexpected occurrences throughout the book. The twist at the end was totally unexpected. The story seems to be complete and not part of a series, though a few comments made near the end could possibly be used as the basis of a sequel. I really hope there is one because I’ve enjoyed this novel more than any other I’ve read this year.

I loved this entire book; I couldn’t point to anything and say I wish Alan had missed that part out. The part I found the best was the way that Paul and Maggie first got together. I don’t know how to explain it, but if you read the book you’ll know what I mean.

The characters are all fully formed with lots of detail. Alan describes their appearances with lots of detail so I know exactly how they look. Their backgrounds are provided though some of the background isn’t revealed until very late in the story. When you come to that point you realize what motivated them to do what they did.

This book is excellently proofread; I only found a handful of mistakes in the entire book. It is excellently written and incredibly funny. I have no qualms about giving this a rating of 4 out of 4 stars. I think this book would appeal to many people, including fans of sci-fi, comedy, romance and apocalypse stories. I do think that people who have a problem with an author poking fun at religions should avoid this book.

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Damaged Beyond All Recognition
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Like Emie Cuevas's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Arrigo_Lupori]

First of all, that book cover looks so refreshing and unique. Second of all, I love how enthusiastic and emotional of a ride it has been for you. Third, I'll definitely add this to my reading list.

[kandscreeley]

Oh my! He accidentally enters God's library? That's interesting. I don't know that this is for me due to the comedy aspect, but I should probably look at it more closely. Thanks!

[NL Hartje]

Yahoo for fusing comedy into the sci-fi world! Books that make me laugh go to the top of my list! Thanks for this review!

[MsTri]

This sounds like quite a raucous ride, and I'm sold because of the unique plot; in this day and age, with so many rehashed themes, it's great to read something unique. I also find it interesting when God is given an unusual character in a book and He sounds pretty interesting. I wonder what His library is like; I guess I'll have to read this to find out.

[prettysmart]

I love that it has comedy embedded in the plot. Will read. Admirable review!

[HeatherTasker]

I love comedic science fiction as well! Great review.

[Poppy Drear]

This seems like a fun, unique approach to both science fiction and religion! I'm glad to see a book that deals with the concept of a higher power, but doesn't take itself far too seriously.

[VictoriaMcMillen]

Thank you for the well written review. I am not usually into sci-fi books but this one does sound interesting and fun! The love story between Maggie and Paul has to a page turner, especially with the possibility of him moving on. Thanks for the review.

[Berylmboyabakita]

superb!!thanks for your wonderful review !!!you have really made a big sell for this book
I love that it is also a "funny wild ride"
thanks

[londonmartine]

I was reading your review and I was JUST thinking: sounds a bit like Douglas Adams! So there you go

I enjoyed your review - sounds like the kind of thing that would be up my street!