Charlene Reviews: Pirate Therapy and Other Cures by Mark A. Rayner

ISBN #: 978-0986662782

Page Count: 168

Copyright: March 12, 2012

Publisher: Monkeyjoy Press

Description:

(Taken from back cover)

Ever wondered what might happen if your therapist was replaced by a pirate? Or how disquieting it would be to receive postcards from your future self? If William Shatner was elected President of the United States, what would his inaugural address sound like? Mark A. Rayner tackles these and stranger questions in his collection of short stories, essays and flash fiction that thrum with the absurd and hum with alienation, all to a humorous beat. Jesus contends with dinosaurs. Marcel Duchamp describes what happens to a Dadaist who has a monkey's tail grafted to his butt. Whether he is explaining how Anne of Green Gables destroyed the world, or outlining Thor's new PR strategy, Rayner entertains with wit, humor and an imagination that is one step short of certifiable.

Charlene's Review:

Mr. Rayner brings us wit, sarcasm, and a slightly deranged view of the world, as he sees it, in Pirate Therapy and Other Cures. From "wrap rage" which is "the rising anger and dementia that you feel when you are unable to open the shiny new thing you have just purchased" (e.g., CD's) to the "Thomas Kincaid Pop-up Christmas Tree and Santa Virus Dispenser" (which helps to increase holiday sales) there is no limit to Mr. Rayner's comic genius. Most of the vignettes are 2-3 pages, so this is light reading at its best. Satirical and sharp, entertaining and whimsical, Pirate Therapy is a collection of gems that will cure what ails you, or at least keep you entertained while you recuperate.