The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe

If you’re a fan of RiffTrax or the orig. MST3K (I cant qualify the new MST as I haven’t seen it), you’ll eat up the humor woven throughout this book! I have the attention span of a flea on a squirrel and yet I listened to it all in one fell swoop. I laughed out loud (alone in public- ie. trying to stifle my laughter) at points, specifically at a “monologue” delivered by Mike Nelson as the co-main character. The writing is witty and irreverently funny. Funny is good and all, but if the story isn’t there, a decent ‘dad jokes’ book might suffice. Well, the storyline was...WONDERFUL! (sorry, I’M not a good writer, but I really want to emphasize that Conor Lastowka definitely is!) The audible version was more of a full-on, acted out, dramatic play rather than a typical audible book that is simply read. The parts that were not dialogue were read/dramatized perfectly. And that is coming from someone who is so picky that I quit listening to an audible book because the narrator kept dropping T’s in words, like saying “Day’n” for “Dayton.”In my mind, I attached a little bit of the personalities of Tom Servo and Crow T. to Kevin’s and Bill’s characters, and it fit and was fun- their immense talent really shone through. The voice actors did the best job of any audible book I’ve ever heard, which says a lot because I paint murals all day and am listening to something at all times. This will also be one of the few books that I will listen to again, as I’m sure I missed some fun nuances. And since the story is engaging, interesting, and quirky, it will be entertaining all over again. After enjoying this book so much, I then bought one of his “Wikipedia” books. I just received it, but I am already thoroughly enjoying the humor in it!The story came to a tidy conclusion, but I’m hoping for many sequels to come!

Conor Lastowka's love of the absurd in prose shines in The Pole Vault Championship of the Entire Universe. The title itself informs you of what you're in for, and yet you keep getting surprised at how high he sets the bar (hey, look what I did there, total accident!) for the LOLs and clears it with every single attempt. From the first line of his second novel, Conor Lastowka has already established himself as being more clever, witty and charming than Douglas Adams and Kurt Vonnegut combined. Every single joke in this book is a winner, which is so rare in comedic prose these days. While shorter than his first (and fantastic) effort, Gone Whalin', Lastowka shows that he has learned lessons and improved dramatically with this one. It's funnier, snappier, and even more absurd, and yet you don't question any of it. This completely absurd world is also totally believable, you get sucked into it from the first page and you won't put it down until you're done and have to start counting the days until his next book that will blow your mind!

Conor Lastowka has written a truly great, masterful comedic tale. This book is highly entertaining, from both a comedic and literary stand point. It can be easy to write something 'funny' (I mean, plenty of people will laugh at a mediocre fart joke), but fail to make it 'good'. And, by 'good' I mean at least partially aesthetically pleasing, avoiding those pitfalls of poor prose, repetitive phrasing and vocabulary, and tired pacing. This book goes beyond just 'good', and instead vaults into greatness!But, seriously, this is a great book of a wonderful, hilarious adventure, complete with aliens, crazy grandpas, and pole vaultin'.Check it out, you won't be disappointed!PS. If you are a fan of MST3K, Rifftrax, Cinematic Titanic, ICWXP and you pass this up, than a pox on your house!

You will laugh. Maybe not out loud, the true lol of the internet, but you will find yourself amused, entertained, and pondering a pile of bird carcasses. But I digress, just read it already.

Having read Conor Lastowka's previous book "Gone Whalin'," I was looking forward to reading this one. It didn't disappoint. The author has a clear knack for creating truly absurd worlds, populating them with wildly oversize characters, and sending the reader careening through them in truly fantastic (and often quite silly) adventures. There's more than a little Douglas Adams in his writing, and I often found myself blurting laughter out loud in public as I came across an unexpected incident or turn of phrase. A really fun read, start to finish!

A very funny story about formerly dead grandfathers, Nazi-curious aliens, mascots imparting important life lessons, pirate radio shows with catchy titles, The King of Maui’s succulent pigs (extra crispy), runner’s diarrhea and so much more. As with his first novel, “Gone Whalin’,” Conor Lostowka made me laugh every few pages, and I had a great time reading this book. Check out his (and Mike Nelson’s) podcast, 372 Pages We’ll Never Get Back, and, of course, RiffTrax.

After having read and re-read Conor Lastowka's first novel, Gone Whalin', I understandably was eager to see if his newest novel would reach the same lofty heights of comedy. I'm happy to say it does-it pole vaults over the bar, in fact! Enh? Nothing? Tough crowd. At any rate, if you're a fan of zany misunderstandings, obscure cultural phenomenons, and possibly-cursed mascot costumes, this novel is definitely for you. Hilarious from beginning to end! Highly recommended!

I bought the book an got too lazy to read it, so I bought the audio book. The audio book is top notch entertainment. Highly recommended