Review by aacodreanu -- Of Zots and Xoodles

[aacodreanu]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Of Zots and Xoodles" by Zarqnon the Embarrassed.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Zarqnon the Embarrassed signs the book under review, and Frank Louis Allen illustrates it. What is it about? Reading the title does not make it clear even if what it says is true: it is about Zots and Xoodles. But what are the Zots and what are the Xoodles? Upon reading and reading, one understands that the book is about how someone creates a universe. (Reading the introduction thoroughly also helps). Quantum physics, mathematics, logic, and a jocular way with the language, they all have a front place in what happens.

There is an audience, “the committee”, and there is the master, Theodil. The latter makes his creation in front of his unconvinced and protesting spectators. After every move or stage, the committee, like a chorus in a Greek tragedy, comment, ask questions and suggest simpler solutions. There is a child present, which is fortunate, as children are the first to understand new games. The child asks questions too. There is also Internuncio, the announcer. He announces every new item that Theodil has created e.g. Page 12: "Theodil has created Zots” (They call them Zots because Zots look like dots). And so it goes from Zots to Xoodles, which they call so because they look like noodles, to Light, to the “trimary" (!!!) Xoodle, to the Spungic ("for it has absorbed all our patience"), to matter, to gravity, to variable gravity, to time, to the beginning. Isn’t that fantastic?

How should one read Of Zots and Xoodles? In small doses: there is not an easy, one-go-way to do it. Read it least three times to make sure you understand. And to extend the enjoyment as much as you can.

The author, Zarqnon the Embarrassed (JW Mclaughlin), who describes himself as autistic, is familiar with and interested in a wide spectrum of sciences and subjects, the source of the richness and extravagance of the game he plays with his readers. He creates new language, just for the sake of rhyme and flamboyancy.

As regards imagination, I agree with Olivia P. and other reviewers, who associate Zarqnon the Embarrassed with Lewis Carol (I am not familiar with the other two she mentions, Douglas Adams and Dr. Seuss). Indeed, it is the same awe and anticipation that the reader experiences reading this book as they do in the case of Alice in Wonderland and, mostly, Through the Looking Glass.

Who is the target audience? I believe Zarqnon the Embarrassed wrote this one for himself; he surely had a blast, as they say, writing it. As to the target readers, the range is not very wide: they have to have an interest in mathematics, physics, debates and logic and, above all, to like to play, to be enthusiastic about how language can be used, and abused, and played with while dealing with dead-serious topics.

The illustration of the book plays an important part too. The drawings tell the story in the graphic representation of the illustrator. My favorite is a C shaped straight line(!). (A "C" shape that bears the indication "This is a straight line").

Is there anything to improve? I have looked for mistakes, they seem to be no more than two or three, the language is delightfully complicated and controlled. So no, there is nothing that I can think would make it better than it is now.
Given the above, I award Of Zots and Xoodles four out of four stars. I am sure there will be many eager enough to decide to read and fall in love with it.

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Of Zots and Xoodles
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