Reviews for Mr. Yowder and the lion roar capsules

The average rating for Mr. Yowder and the lion roar capsules based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2014-01-07 00:00:00 James Lawson 3 and 1/2 stars I don't generally get along with fables, so when I saw this work described as such on the inner flap that didn't bode well for me, though I also know inner flaps lie, so I hoped that would be true here. At first, it didn't seem like a fable at all (good) and then when it did, it was done in a humorous way as if it were mocking itself (very good!). From hearing this author speak several times, I also detected his writing philosophy within this novel, so then it read at times as meta-fiction (also very good). The concentration on words and their meanings (including chuckle-inducing uses by the spaceman of contemporary slogans), the importance of 'yearning' (the spaceman comes to believe this is the defining characteristic of humans and I know his creator also believes this), the mention of the place 'from where you dream' and the way the spaceman can become one with each of his 'visitors' (his characters) all point toward this. The one big issue I had was that the narration is a bit repetitive, even though I understand why it is. I wasn't sure how I felt about the book until the ending, which caused me to smile as I saw it coming. It 'made' the book for me, but to tell you why would be to spoil it. ROB is a brilliant, imaginative writer and the last couple of chapters confirm that.

Review # 2 was written on 2013-02-04 00:00:00 Andrew Runge A unique meditation on language, human connection & comunication, & yearning most of all, which Mr. Spaceman finds to be the defining characteristic of earthlings. It is a creative, witty, & wise book that increasingly draws you into biblical metaphors & cadences, but is really only setting you up for a different kind of ending: earthlings have both a tendency to reject the alien & a desire for a savior; the spaceman is neither--he just wants to participate in their yearning. This was the most FUN I've had with a book since the last Tom Robbins novel.