Review of Of Zots and Xoodles

[sayjil gordhan]

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

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5 out of 5 stars

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The premise of the book is that Theodil stands before the committee and creates the universe. Theodil rolls the dice and creates “dot-like Zots”, which in turn creates “noodle-like Xoodles”. The noodle-like Xoodles consistently collide to create light. The collision is a catalyst. Concepts of matter, gravity, time and lastly, the beginning were created. Theodil uses mathematics and physics to explain his creation, which amazes and perplexes the committee. Whilst Theodil is creating and observing, the committee often impatiently chimes in with criticism. A precocious child often provides philosophical and intellectual insight.


There is no background to any of the characters, so this is not a usual fiction story. The plot only consists of Theodil creating a universe of nil parameters (as suggested in the author’s note at the beginning of the book), after which the mathematics and physics explanations, and the philosophical pondering ensues. As Theodil and others exist, it would be logical to assume that the universe being created is a parallel universe. This is by far the most intriguing and unique book I have ever read so far. I spent quite a while pondering, re-reading, and trying to remember and understand each page even though there weren’t many pages. Although it may seem that the book is short due to it being illustrative, contemplating and analyzing the text and art would take up quite a bit of time, depending on the reader. For example, text can be incredibly convoluted: “But the festering of their innate nature by the imbalance of their amalgamation and their capricious tomfoolery leads them to give way to their fate, their rite of passage, their inevitable progression.” However, there are instances where the text changes to playful, rhyming and almost nonsensical because it is so childlike. For example, "Matter, Antimatter, ain't matter, don't matter.”

I believe, and this is just a postulation, that the author, Zarqnon the Embarrassed, is trying to show how some people’s brains may comprehend something by creating a different explanation than the usual but come up with the same conclusion as you. For instance, if we both solve a mathematical equation but use different methods, one might be unique, but both will still be equally correct. In the essence of the book, a person may be able to assign any other name to atoms, forces, and polarities and still be able to fundamentally understand The Big Bang Theory. Although the main focus appears to be a metaphor – where The Big Bang Theory is explained through Zots and Xoodles, there is a subtext of philosophy throughout the book. For instance, Theodil rolling the dice seemed to signify that the universe was a gamble created on a random day. The illustrations (which were wonderfully done by Frank Louis Allen) resonated as caricatures – they reinforce the precocious child as a character and the childlike language. When Theodil created time, the committee voiced questions that seemed to mimic questions humans asked “since the beginning of time” (a popular phrase). This suggests that the author might believe there are specific answers to the design of the universe, as the creators themselves might not have fully planned but created the laws of the universe with purpose and balance.


I must caution readers: if, for religious reasons or personal beliefs, you do not like to contemplate the alternate creation of the universe (other than the one you believe in), then this book is not for you. Having some knowledge of physics was advantageous to me when reading this book because it would have been frustrating if Of Zots and Xoodles were my introduction to physics. For this reason, I do believe that this book will only be liked by readers who enjoy physics, abstract ideas, whimsical postulation, philosophy, and complexity. This is an amazing piece of work that is artistic, unique, and thought-provoking. This book appears to be professionally edited, as I have found no errors.
I rate this book five out of five stars.

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Of Zots and Xoodles
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[Gerry Steen]

I am glad that you read this book and enjoyed it. I also enjoyed it. The cadence of the rhymes in the story and the illustrations reminded me of Dr.Seuss stories. The author and the illustrator are both in the autism spectrum. This book is both fun and a challenge for the brain. Just go with the flow and laugh!