SHORT STORY REVIEW: MONKEY TALK
Hello bookworms! We were
approached to review a book by T. Lucas Earle so here is our first short-story
review.
Book blurb:
Monkey Talk is loosely based on the Chinese myth, the Monkey
King, a timeless story about who belongs, and who doesn’t. In a future in which
Chimps can give lectures on cybernetics, Mr. Towry is a Chimp with an attitude.
Unfortunately, the rules are still “No shirt, no shoes, no service.”
The
fact that the author could develop the characters in the story very well has
made me very partial to this book. Especially considering it is only 16 pages
long! In fact, while Mr Towry was quite a stubborn chimp, I find myself liking
this character. He voices his mind outrightly with no malice intention which
makes most of his conversations (internal and with other people) quite
hilarious. It's not a full-blown humour but you can find yourself smile when
Mr. Towry acts up and demand to be treated more equally by humans. His uses of
canes was ingenious- since Towry is an ape, he has a short stature so he has to
carry a cane everywhere to press the buttons on elevators and hits people that
mistreated him on occasions. Then, he has to make an argument with his new
assistant, Ms Liu, regarding the difference between beef and other animal meat
(refer to monkey meat). It's an exceptionally heavy notion as Mr. Towry
indicates that if all animals could voice their opinions, none of them wants to
be cooked and eaten as delicacies for anyone.
After
reading Monkey Talk, I can see exactly what the book blurb means. In the story,
even though chimps are evolved and as capable (maybe even more so) than humans,
they do not belong with the norms of the society. If you don't wear any shoes
to a banquet, you can't enter. Unfortunately, Mr. Towry is not human
therefore he has hands instead of feet. This actually makes a valid reason for
him to be shoeless (how could you wear shoes on hands?!). Nonetheless, this was
unacceptable by human standards. Ergo, the point of who belongs, and who
doesn't.
Thumbs
up to the author for such a brilliantly executed story
with enlightenment of some serious issues in the society. It's a very
well-laid storyline with clear thoughts of the characters and being a unique
story that does more than just a short story. I do wish that Earle would write
more about the adventures of Mr. Towry, as I would love to know more about this particular chimp!
Author's Profile:
T. Lucas Earle is a writer,
filmmaker, and amateur statistician He lives in LA, a comfortable 60
meters above sea level, where only three out of every 100,000 people are
murdered.
T. Lucas has a degree from Emerson
College, which makes for a terrific placemat. He spends his days reading
terrible scripts - a job for which he receives nominal remuneration. Like
many slightly brain-damaged children of hypoxic former left-wing political cult
members of the 1970s , he will review almost anything. I once caught him
writing a review for a Hamilton Beach toaster oven
instruction manual.
When T. Lucas is not reading and
groaning quietly to himself, he writes and groans much louder. He has
written several short stories, a screenplay or two, and is working up the
courage to write a note to the fetching young lady who works at the Starbucks
on Glendale Ave. He's been published in Electric Spec, The Colored Lens,
and on Amazon, where you can find his short stories. Find out more at his official website.
Reviewer Notes: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own and do not reflect those of the author, my clients or tour companies I work with. This is not a paid review. To form your own opinion please support the author and acquire your own legal copy of the book.
