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Blending Dark Humor With High Stakes
33 Frivolous Pricks is a genre-bending satire that follows an adjunct professor in dystopian L.A. on a surreal journey involving time machines, social decay, and a cast of eccentric misfits. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I wanted to squeeze more juice out of the time machine story I did a few years back in “Hollyweird Needs” using the two locations I know and like to make trouble in the most—Los Angeles, CA., and Kyoto, Japan.
I connected the two cities this time by placing the unhappy daughter, half Japanese, of one of the time travelers into Kyoto and coming up with one powerful sub-plot that has the girl on a reckless mission to burn down the renowned temples of the city.
How did you balance the dark social commentary with the whimsical and surreal elements of the story?
Blending dark humor with high stakes is what I like to do, weaving together elements of horror, comedy, and philosophical inquiry to create a narrative that questions the nature of time itself and humanity’s place within its flow.
I did this by depicting many catastrophes of US twentieth century life and placing the distressed time travelers within them, hopefully giving these historical periods more emotional weight, making readers feel that they’re living everything alongside the cast.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
I think the exploration of human nature brings huge amounts of depth to the adventure as we follow characters grappling with consequences both personal and universal. The philosophical elements emerge naturally from the story, examining time, choice, and mortality in ways that linger in my mind.
Which character or subplot was the most enjoyable for you to write, and why?
New characters are always the most challenging and inevitably rewarding. Charlie, the girl with the power of pyrokenises, sets out to destroy what she sees as the beautiful things in her life and surroundings—which happen to be the magnificent structures of Kyoto.
And tracing Pinky Bell’s development is always fun, as she comes to terms with the inscrutable power that has been given to her by that little bird from the Sarawak jungle, the cuckoo shrike, that interconnects almost all of my stories.
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They are now unable to discern the frivolous, or harmless, pricks of time from the non-frivolous and are sent spinning through history amid a spontaneous parade of perilous events and dangerous locations. They come face-to-face with some of the goriest disasters and most odious crimes of the twentieth century, and the longer they stay trapped in the past the deadlier the pricks become.
How to get back home? It’s up to a girl with astonishing powers of the mind to help the survivors find a portal homeward—a girl currently lying comatose in a hospital bed.
33 Frivolous Pricks
Michael A. Greco’s 33 Frivolous Pricks takes readers on an unexpected journey, blending sardonic wit, bleak satire, and surreal scenarios in a story that defies convention. At its core, the book follows the misadventures of a motley group of characters across a dystopian Los Angeles and a quirky, time-warped Japan. The tale opens with Reggie Gallo, an adjunct economics professor navigating the chaos of a decaying city, and soon spirals into a story involving time machines, peculiar institutions, and an ensemble of oddball characters. The novel’s eccentricity is its hallmark, weaving tales of social decline and personal desperation with humor and moments of introspection.
Greco’s writing shines in its vivid descriptions of Los Angeles. Early in the book, Reggie’s nightly commute through the “Miracle Mile” becomes a grimly poetic portrait of urban decay. From the “stench of human excrement” to the “mountains of trash releasing sweet rottenness,” the city is depicted as a dystopian wasteland. The gritty atmosphere perfectly underscores Reggie’s existential malaise. The book’s tonal shifts are both its strength and its challenge.
Rocket’s brash commentary on the logistical perils of time travel showcases Greco’s talent for mixing the fantastical with the mundane. This whimsical subplot sometimes feels disconnected from the grimmer narrative threads, such as Reggie’s struggles or the social commentary on homelessness and inequality.
The book’s structure, while inventive, occasionally borders on chaotic. From Pinky Bell, a Japanese teenager grappling with self-discovery and cultural expectations, to the enigmatic “Needs,” a time machine imbued with cryptic messages, each character and element is steeped in individuality. These vignettes highlight the novel’s underlying themes of resilience and self-reinvention amidst chaos.
Greco’s novel is a daring experiment in storytelling, blending genres and tones with unapologetic boldness. It’s an ideal read for those who enjoy dark humor, speculative fiction, and character-driven narratives. Fans of Kurt Vonnegut or Douglas Adams will likely find its quirky, sardonic voice compelling. 33 Frivolous Pricks is an experience that invites readers to laugh, wince, and ponder the absurdities of modern existence.
Pages: 251 | ASIN: B0DR6KZRFB
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