Go, Mutants!

Humor writer Doyle (I Love You, Beth Cooper) walks a razor’s edge between dumb and clever and falls onto both sides repeatedly in this parody that imagines a world in which the aliens from 1950s sci-fi movies have actually arrived on earth and integrated into human society. J!m Anderson is the son of a leader of an alien invasion who was presumed impaled on the Washington monument and an alluring cat woman currently working as a cocktail waitress. As a teen alien, J!m is mercilessly teased at school and tormented by his cross-species love for Marie Rand, the daughter of mad scientist Dr. Howard Rand, who keeps his wife’s severed head alive in a pan of fluid. You get the idea. Throughout the novel, an encyclopedic knowledge of monster movies is on display, and most of the greats, including a King Kong–like giant ape (whose half-human son, Johnny, is J!m’s best friend) are referenced. Doyle’s style is to throw jokes and hope something sticks, and while there’s much cleverness, the overall effect can be manic. This will be best appreciated by a select and nostalgic readership, preferably those who can catalogue Godzilla’s many opponents. (June)