Tancredi: Book Review
In his first novel Tomas, author James Palumbo showed his ability to skirt the edges of surrealism and the darkness of the human condition with an edgy satire critiquing a hyperbolic vision of pop culture. Tancredi, Palumbo’s second venture into the world of fiction takes that edginess into another direction, shedding some of the darkness while maintaining the wit. Tancredi launches the reader into a more carnivalesque vision of the future replete with social critiques and odd characters. The trailer below is just a snippet of how dark the book can be.
The journey begins innocently enough… a quest to save the world. Humanity has become slovenly, disengaged, and utterly moronic… subservient to the guidance given by television and authority figures. The eponymous Tancredi has offers his own unique efforts to redirect the devolution of his fellow man engaging in a quest to the stars. Tancredi, disappointed but not yet jaded has already experienced the taste of failure in his efforts. Having previously introduced gadgetry aimed at highlighting and deterring the more deprecating behavior of humanity (i.e. the MoronOmeter), Tancredi found that he was overly idealist in his attempts to change the current trajectory of humanity. Tancredi sets foot on the spaceship Invincible and his journey spirals downward from there.
It’s difficult to describe Tancredi without unearthing too much of the plot (or engaging in a lengthy discussion regarding the merits of a pretty far out plot line that far exceeds the purview of this book review). Essentially Tancredi’s intentions quickly crumble once the Invincible embarks. Tancredi is quickly joined by a young boy Tamany and his dog Kasbek (who are complicit in the demise of the Invincible). The newly oriented quest begins and Tancredi and crew find themselves bouncing from planet to planet (each with a very unique purpose and sociopolitical outlook). At some point Tancredi finds himself embroiled in an ideological debate between two prostitutes which thrust him into a painful, derogatory, and repulsive “Divorce Ceremony” (which occurs irrespective of the fact that Tancredi has never been married). The world-saving crew expands to include the winner of the prostitute debate, Cocomo. Tancredi and his awkward band of friends continue bouncing from planet to planet.
The journey continues to grow stranger and stranger when Tancredi is forced into a high-stakes reality game show on a planet full of morbidly obese humanoids who live for nothing more than eating and game shows. Tancredi stumbles along in his quest to save the world faced with a popular conception that while the world is set to end as the result of an impending star explosion, all will be righted if everyone simultaneously engages in a can-can at the same time.
Trust me, Palumbo has outdone himself and Tancredi is worth the read. Palumbo pushes the limits of satire and produces a work of fiction that critiques without weighting the reader down with the burdens of reality. The storyline is intense, but at the same time it maintains an airy and consumable quality. I had trouble putting it down. Yes, the story is whacked out as it could possibly be (which I expected after reading Tomas), but Palumbo delivers a piece of fiction that is classy and fun while maintaining an almost childlike imaginary (think Alice in Wonderland or anything written by Roald Dahl with a more darkly tinted, adult-oriented setting). I might add that the Tancredi features a handful of wonderfully done illustrations that complement the storyline quite well.
I recommend Tancredi as an addition to your winter book list. It’s an engaging and quick read that will leave you startled and/or confused with looming questions about life in general. For mor einformation you can get an excerpt of the first two chapters of Tancredi, visit James Palumbo’s website, or checkout the Tancredi Facebook page.
Here is an interview of the master himself, James Palumbo, discussing Tancredi:
Josh O’Conner is a Planner/Zoning Administrator in Asheville, North Carolina. You can find him on the web at triggerhippie.com, localplan.org, or twitter.com/joshoconner. Contact Josh via e-mail (josh -at-localplan.org). He was provided a copy of the book by the publisher for review.
[...] Other reviews of Tancredi: Fantasy Book Review ; Sawdust ; Urban Times [...]
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