Zombie Spaceship Wasteland: A Book by Patton Oswalt

This book was interesting. What others say it true, it's disjointed and all over the place. Nothing really connects, the title really only amounts to a handful of pages, and it is really short overall. There's a crazy part I skipped having to do with greeting cards. However, I liked this book. The stories were interesting, contained a ton of pop culture references (even some I didn't get), and overall it was well written. I love Patton Oswalt, and this book was NOT what I expected. I was entertained though. His sense of humor is dark and brooding, like his comedy, and really the book is a fun read. It's also a quick read, and that is a concern due to the price.Anyone who is a fan of Patton's work should read this. Don't expect it to be the best book ever, but you should be entertained by it, which is all that matters to me in a book.

If you pick up Zombie Spaceship Wasteland in the hopes of getting Oswalt's standup routine in printed form (or some variation thereof), well, you'll be a little disappointed. That's not to say that there's not some laugh-out-loud material here; from the description of some odd wine varieties to the detailed punch-up notes for a lost film script to a grandmother's defense of some bad birthday presents, Oswalt's still absolutely hilarious and in good form for a nice chunk of this book. But a lot of Wasteland is more serious - a mix of essay writing and memoir - and the end result is surprisingly effective and makes for an enjoyable read. From a frank discussion of Oswalt's favorite Dungeons and Dragons creation to a lengthy recounting of a memorable early headlining stop, Wasteland is as much about the incidents and history that helped Oswalt become who he is, and the fact that they're written so well and are so entertaining shouldn't really be a surprise, given how voracious of a reader Oswalt is, but it's still a great pleasure to find that he's as capable of honesty as he is humor. As with any essay collection, it's uneven, with the first essay perhaps being the weakest (it's a little overlong and underfocused, even with some great parts scattered throughout), but that's okay. There's not a complete misfire in the batch, and there are enough fantastic pieces to more than make up for it. The biggest disappointment is how short the book is, and if that's your worst complaint, then you've got yourself a pretty good read. So, it may not be a laugh riot beginning to end, but as a portrait of Oswalt's life, an exploration of geek culture, and a sampling of his offbeat sense of humor, you could do a lot worse than Zombie Spaceship Wasteland. (A final note: the Kindle version of this is put together pretty terribly. Lots of odd line breaks, a chapter heading in the wrong spot at one point, some odd indenting...it's definitely not a flagship title for the e-reader.)

For anyone of similar age in the USA this is a fun nostalgoc stroll. It particularly hit notes of home for me, because I also worked in a movie theater in the early 90's.

The essays in the first half of this book are a snapshot of why Patton Oswalt is one of my favorite comedians. He tells anecdotes about his life and each one is funny but he also always manages to make the telling clever, moving and even profound.Had he kept that up through the entire book, this would have been a classic for all time. Unfortunately, the second half of the book stutters and falls, ending with ridiculous movie treatments that by his own admission were simply writing practice. It shows.Back to the first part. The individual essays are a long-form prose in the style of his comedy, where he acts as a sort of nerd-sage who sees and experiences much of his life through the lens of popular science fiction. The flagship essay Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is literally one way to view the world and personality types. In my day job, I once took a test where people were assigned working style types (driver, analytical, amiable, etc.) Then we were told how to interact with each type. It was one of the few courses I've taken that has stayed with me through life. In the same way, I could see Oswalt's take on categorizing people as a way to help proud nerds understand the world.In the second half of the book, Oswalt phones it in with absurd film summaries (treatments) that mock the poorly-written script ideas he has seen. The concept is interesting, as people who think their ideas are great when they actually stink is a field ripe for hilarity. Unfortunately, these get old quickly and each one becomes more Hollywood-insider-ish.The decline from the first part of the book to the second reminded me of how I feel about Will Ferrell. I feel like I'm witnessing an immensely talented guy who for whatever reason, is not told "no" by a well-meaning agent or editor and is instead allowed to careen about satisfying his manic energy, forgetting that he's supposed to be entertaining an audience.I have no end of love for Mr. Oswalt's comedy, but this book's second half soured me on the book. I would have thought a performer would have known to end with his best material, not his throwaways. All that said, I still enjoy the guy's writing enough that I'll be sure to take a chance on his next book.Larry NocellaAuthor of the novel, The Katrina Contract, available on Amazon

An episodic and non-linear autobiography, with other writings. Inevitably patchy (the non-autobiographical material is weaker, though it’s fun to re-read the Neill Cumpston movie reviews again) but nevertheless engaging stories from childhood, adolescence, and of various bad times on the comedy circuit. For fans only, maybe, but that’s a broad outsider church.

I loooove Patton Oswalt. I have yet to see, read, hear anything from him I did not liked, loved og laughed because of.As for the seller: I ordered a book, I recieved a book.... Good times!Photo is of a draw challenge I did with some kids at the school I work at... at at.Photo is unrelated.

It is funny, draws genuine romance and nostalgia from a frustrated adolescence using the languages and rituals of the time, and in turn mined for insight from across the years by a writer who makes it all look so easy. This needs to be in colleges and held up as an example of how to move from the sacred to the profane, often in the same story and delivered with joy and humour.

75% of this book was everything i imagined a patton oswalt book would be like. however there is some filler in this. and if its not filler then its parts i just thought were little dull. still going to buy his other books though as Oswalt is one of the most distinct minds in comedy

Oswalt is just a great voice in the literary world. He's one of my favorite authors and I love his stand up. The book itself is an interesting read and great casual reading material. 10/10.