Critical Acclaim

From Wendy S. Delmater at Abyss & Apex (4 Jan 2011)

If you like The Daily Show and thought that George W. Bush was the world’s biggest idiot…if you like your political satire served up science-fiction style…if you can’t wait to get your hands on a book that names its native American characters things like “Stuffed in a Gym Locker” and “Should Switch to Decaf” – your book is here. If you thought the Iraq war was a complete waste of time and can envision a future where eating actual food is such a novelty that an army is incapacitated by cheeseburgers (and they did not even know to take off the paper wrappers before eating them)…if you think the warriors at the sharp end of the stick often know much more than their political masters…William Freedman is about to make your day.

Brought to you by a South African press, this book was written by a New Yorker who has not sacrificed a plot for humor. But, boy, does he sacrifice a number of sacred cows. Mark Twain was right: sacred cows do make the best hamburger, and Freedman serves up a fast food chain’s worth of satire and wit.

Land That I Love is Jon Stewart and Douglas Adams’ bastard love child.

 

From B.D. Whitney at BookWenches: (7 May 2010)

When I received a copy of William Freedman’s novel Land That I Love from the fine folks at Rebel e Publishers, I took one look at the cover and made a few snap judgments. I mean, really…Barbie with a gun in front of Mount Rushmore? How strange was this book going to be, anyway? (So sniffs a woman who reads books covered with nekkid male torsos. Honestly, I should be ashamed.) I’m a sucker for a laugh, however, so I dove in to this story expecting something fluffy and funny. What I actually got completely surprised me. Yes, this story is humorous; it is also fiercely satirical, intelligent, and extremely well-written. This clever novel is filled with political and social commentary, most of it humorous but some of it serious, and while the fun it pokes is frequently sharply pointed, it is never mean-spirited.

Land That I Love retells the story of 911 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with, of course, much artistic license. The Eminent Doman plays the role of the United States, and America and its timber represent – you got it – Iraq and oil. And while I did not exactly make a character-by-character list, I had a heck of a good time playing the game of trying to identify who or what each one is meant to represent.

This story is not just a retelling of Iraq, however. It also contains elements of Star Trek and The War of the Worlds that will delight fans of science fiction. One of the recurring gags in the story involves the repeated demise of red-shirted young occupation soldiers, all by the name of “Coder.” Mr. Freedman also manages to fit Gene Roddenberry and H. G. Wells into the story in very minor roles, and even though when they use the phrase “Beam me up,” they are talking about a certain Kentucky bourbon, it still doesn’t fail to strike a comic note.

One of the most humorous and distracting aspects of Land That I Love is Mr. Freedman’s naming of his characters. Faced with monikers like Sajak Pickfour, Sanmateo Veecey, Reit Daytrader, and M. Griffin Croupier VII (don’t call him “Lucky”), I found myself so caught up in the beginning with the multitude of colorfully-named characters that I almost lost my grasp of the story. But after a little initial confusion, which I believe reflects more on me than on the novel, I settled in to enjoy the heck out of the story, the characters, and the occasional intercepted zinger or two.

I found Land That I Love to be a wonderful, colorful, and very thought-provoking novel. It has just a whisper of what I would consider a Douglas Adams feel to it (if I can say that without detracting from the obvious intelligence and talent of the author) but is without a doubt utterly unique. And believe me when I say that the cover featuring Amazon Silicone Barbie actually does make a funny kind of sense. I highly recommend this novel to readers who are looking for something smart and witty and just a little bit different from the norm. Give this one a read. I’m convinced that you won’t regret it or forget it any time soon.