Review by Tester013 -- Of Zots and Xoodles

[Tester013]

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

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2 out of 4 stars

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Controversial questions elicit controversial explanations. The origins of the universe thus elicit no shortage of theories and proposed explanations. Of Zots and Xoodles by Zarqnon the Embarrassed follows Theodil as he puts forth his version of how he believes the universe was created to a committee.

Initially, the book takes on a playful tone, as Theodil puts forth his arguments. The use of alliterations and playful names almost makes this book seem like an adult novel written to mimic a children’s book. As the book progresses, the scientific aspect of the book quickly escalates, including complex concepts such as dark matter, alternate timelines, and arguments about how gravity and light should be constants. This is a significant departure from Theodil’s initial decision to call his “spots”, “zots”. Perhaps feeling the reader’s confusion, the committee grows increasingly angry towards the end of the book as Theodil continues his presentation.

Having studied advanced physics in my own spare time, Theodil’s arguments are certainly fascinating and easily my most-loved aspect of this book. While I did not understand all of Theodil’s arguments right away, the illustrations provided and my book-prompted research lent much insight into what Theodil was talking about. It has certainly been some time since I was prompted to read deeper into theoretical physics just to understand the musings of a fictional character, and I thoroughly enjoyed brushing up my knowledge in this subject matter.

However, as with many books dealing with such complicated subject matters, the author seems to drop the proverbial ball when it comes to coherence throughout the book. Initially, we are met with a playful and whimsical tone, met with many literary devices that seem more intent on confusing the reader. An example of this would be the author’s decision to call these theoretical building blocks of the universe “Zots” and “Xoodles”, where the former combine to form the latter. Such naming gives the reader the impression that they are getting a confusing look at the author’s mind. Yet, as the book progresses, such playful elements seem to become increasingly scarce, as intimidating concepts are brought in, then swiftly brushed over. In the end, readers with a less extensive scientific background will likely find themselves re-reading the same lines over and over again in hopes of gleaning some meaning from the complex jargon, only to eventually be defeated by the author. Hence, I feel that the author could have better maintained the coherence of his tone throughout the book, be it either a playful take on a complicated subject matter or a full-on science-fiction novel.

Overall, I feel that despite my background, this book still felt like a rather confusing read. As such, I only feel comfortable awarding this book 2 out of 4 stars, as in my opinion, the subject matter doesn’t seem to be well-handled by the author. It is also for this reason, that I cannot recommend this book to younger children or audiences looking for a mentally relaxing read. In terms of adult content, this book contains no profane language or erotic scenes, unless you find theoretical physics a turn-on, in which case this book contains plenty of erotica for you.

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Of Zots and Xoodles
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[Erin Painter Baker]

I like the idea of trying to take such a complex subject as the beginnings of the universe and use literary devices from children's literature to make it more digestible to readers, but if the author isn't capable of carrying that tone throughout the book, then all it does is frustrate the people who thought they might have been getting it at the beginning.