Astrological Diary

Giving in to obsession is one surefire way to go insane, and British author Fowler (Skepticism, Inc.) allows his protagonist to do just that, in this wackily original but ultimately frustrating novel. WWII veteran Zizo Yasuzawa is an 85-year-old, five-foot, 600-pound astrological egotist, held prisoner by the United Nations Cosmology Commission in a mobile home inside a gold vault in Fort Knox, Ky., for the alleged killing of Time. Decades ago, after a series of failed kamikaze missions, Zizo came to believe that he was being saved for a higher purpose, and with the help of astrology books, ardent followers and not a little self-delusion, he decided he was a divine being. In that capacity, and in keeping with ancient Egyptian legend, he also came to believe he created new galaxies every time he masturbated. It's more than a little confusing that Zizo refers to himself in the third person as ""God"" yet continues to use first person pronouns (""God waved, or rather God wriggled my podgy fingers""). His perverse autobiography is punctuated by astrology charts and brief catalogues of historical and trivial dates (for example, ""Japanese annihilate Russian fleet in the Tsushima straits"" and ""Man balancing on tightrope falls off after 205 days""). Unfortunately, neither his companions in captivity jailer Colonel Fleming and nurse Julie Hughes nor his arch nemesis, U.N. Commissioner for the Prevention of Natural Disasters Pedro Pizarro, are allowed to speak for themselves. A perspective other than that of the star- and navel-gazing Zizo would have greatly aided his and the book's philosophically convoluted cause. (Mar.) Forecast: Amusing graphics and campy, comic-book cover art will catch the eye of alterna-kid readers, but the novel lacks the contagious charm of the cult classics it emulates.