Review of Of Zots and Xoodles

[The Holy Grail]

[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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Amidst an excited and rowdy audience, Theodil rolls out a dice on a small table and dots appear. He calls these dot-like structures "Zots". These Zots are neutral in every aspect — have no charge, no cardinal points, and they represent nothing strange or peculiar. They whirl, churn, and dance, and their collision and interaction create more structures, for example, "Super-Zots" and "Mega-Zots". As these interactions and crazy events continue, another noodle-like structure comes into existence — what Theodil calls "Xoodles". These phenomenal activities go on and on, and they are what brought about the Universe we have according to Zarqnon the Embarrassed in Of Zots and Xoodles.

I loved how the scenes in this short read rolled out. The events sounded strange right from the first page, something that prompted me to continue reading. Because of its bizarre unfolding of events, the book had my interest locked throughout. Zarqnon the Embarrassed has a different view of creation — or how existence began. It is quite a sharp deviation from both the scientific theories and creation stories, but it seemed to have aspects of both at the same time. This was really enjoyable to read, and it felt really nice venturing into the unknown. Also, all the theatrics Theodil was doing in the hall when giving his presentation were engaging.

I couldn't stop laughing while reading about the crazy audience Theodil had. They constantly and persistently criticized Theodil's work in a rather funny and sarcastic way. Sometimes, they asked questions that sounded outrightly stupid. These aspects spiced up the narration and made the book difficult to put down.

For example, on the eighteenth page, the crowd exclaims, "If Theodil has the power to poof all this shenanigan into existence, why through all this trial and error?" This excerpt shows how they criticized Theodil's every move. On the tenth page, again, they are heard complaining, "This is all wrong! It's taking too long! It's not anything like a song!" Their commotion and constant jeering aren't only evident in those two pages but throughout the book. However, Theodil remains calm all through — only grinning at times.

Even though I struggled to understand the story, I think it is a creative piece. Zarqnon the Embarrassed, being on the autism spectrum, has been very creative with this piece. Also, I didn't notice any errors, so the book was exceptionally well-edited. I rate the book 4 out of 4, and I don't think there is a worthy reason to give it a lower rating.

I recommend the book to readers who love bizarre stories and books that have a unique style of narration. The book has great illustrations that add life to the book as a bonus.

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Of Zots and Xoodles
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