Product Details
Scribner, January 2011
Hardcover, 208 pages
ISBN-10: 1439149089
ISBN-13: 9781439149089
Description
Prepare yourself for a journey through the world of Patton Oswalt, one of the most creative, insightful, and hysterical voices on the entertainment scene today. Widely known for his roles in the films Big Fan and Ratatouille, as well as the television hit The King of Queens, Patton Oswalt—a staple of Comedy Central—has been amusing audiences for decades. Now, with Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, he offers a fascinating look into his most unusual, and lovable, mindscape. Oswalt combines memoir with uproarious humor, from snow forts to Dungeons & Dragons to gifts from Grandma that had to be explained. He remembers his teen summers spent working in a movie Cineplex and his early years doing stand-up. Readers are also treated to several graphic elements, including a vampire tale for the rest of us and some greeting cards with a special touch. Then there’s the book’s centerpiece, which posits that before all young creative minds have anything to write about, they will home in on one of three story lines: zombies, spaceships, or wastelands. Oswalt chose wastelands, and ever since he has been mining our society’s wasteland for perversion and excess, pop culture and fatty foods, indie rock and single-malt scotch. Zombie Spaceship Wasteland is an inventive account of the evolution of Patton Oswalt’s wildly insightful worldview, sure to indulge his legion of fans and lure many new admirers to his very entertaining “wasteland.”
Read more:
Browse Inside Zombie Spaceship WastelandHear an Excerpt from the Audiobook
"Patton Oswalt...is one of those rare performers whose material translates into any medium without losing its sharpness--including, for the first time, print. . . . It is well worth it to join him on his odyssey."
-- Washington Post
“Sharp storytelling and sardonic wit.... Oswalt populates these stories with expertly drawn characters, and infuses them with a limitless supply of cultural references and deft turns of phrase.”
-- Boston Globe
“A thoughtful, hilarious, quasi-memoir that puts the standard-issue comedy-routine-in-book-form to shame.”
-- SPIN
“A thoughtful, hilarious, quasi-memoir that puts the standard-issue comedy-routine-in-book-form to shame.”
-- SPIN
“Patton Oswalt is one of those rare performers whose material translates into any medium without losing its sharpness--including, for the first time, print.... It is well worth it to join him on his odyssey.”
-- Washington Post
"A very funny book by the Funniest Man Alive."
-- GQ
"Perfect--I can describe Patton's book the same way I describe his stand up--brilliant and prolific, I am slackjawed, amazed, and left feeling both inspired and fraudulent."
-- Sarah Silverman
"Patton Oswalt is among the funniest on-stage talking humans I am aware of, so it annoys me deeply that he is also an incredibly talented writer. It annoys me, but it does not surprise me. Every sentence in this book is funny (except for the sad ones), but it also brims with Oswalt-ian smarts and surprising poignancy."
-- John Hodgman
"[A] very funny book."
-- GQ
"Funny and occasionally heartbreaking . . . a cerebral and somewhat surreal tour through the thought processes of Patton Oswalt. It is an inspired and unique work, operating well outside the realm of the disposable comedy memoir."
-- AintItCoolNews.com
"A believable portrait of a witty, vulnerable funnyman. The autobiographical passages ... have the detail and emotional nuance of fine short stories."
-- Entertainment Weekly
"[Oswalt] proves he can pen a compellingly entertaining fast read."
-- Fort Worth Star-Telegram
"To delve into this book is to take a tour of Oswalt's delightfully offbeat mind. . . . Oswalt is a wonderfully descriptive writer."
-- Booklist
"[Oswalt] brings insight and passion to his subjects that lift the book above hipster snark to the level of something you'll want to reread and savor. . . . A hilarious, incisive read."
-- Penthouse
"Hilarious."
-- Lincoln Journal-Star
Phoenix New Times, October 23, 2011
...transcend their dorky existence and become larger than life since its conception in 1974. According to geeky comedian Patton Oswalt, however, Gary Gygax’s legendary role-playing game also accomplished something a bit more progressive. “I ...
MTV, January 10, 2011
...of leaps around, but it tells a portion of my life,' comedian tells MTV News. By Rick Marshall Patton Oswalt Photo: MTV News In "Zombie Spaceship Wasteland," Patton Oswalt's new essay-driven memoir, the actor/comedian ...
Huffington Post, January 9, 2011
...It's hard to categorize Patton Oswalt's actual profession these days. For over two decades, Oswalt has earned his place as one of the funniest and most respected stand-up comics in America. After raising his ...
Huffington Post, January 8, 2011
...Friday night on "Late Night," Jimmy Fallon welcomed comedian and author Patton Oswalt to talk about his new book "Zombie Spaceship Wasteland." Not unlike Wednesday night's eccentric interview with Jim Carrey, Oswalt put a twist on things and ...
Huffington Post, January 8, 2011
...Friday night on "Late Night," Jimmy Fallon welcomed comedian and author Patton Oswalt to talk about his new book "Zombie Spaceship Wasteland." Not unlike Wednesday night's eccentric interview with Jim Carrey, Oswalt put a twist on things and ...
Onion AV Club, January 5, 2011
...Patton Oswalt is a familiar presence here at The A.V. Club, both as an interview subject and an occasional contributor. In addition to his work as an actor and one ...
Onion AV Club, January 5, 2011
...Patton Oswalt is a familiar presence here at The A.V. Club, both as an interview subject and an occasional contributor. In addition to his work as an actor and one ...
Brooklyn Papers, December 29, 2010
...Patton Oswalt may be the least likely Renaissance man. The celebrated comedian, TV writer, voice actor and TV and film actor can now add memoirist to his cache. In ?Zombie Spaceship ...
New York Post, December 25, 2010
...Patton Oswalt may be the least likely Renaissance man. The celebrated comedian, TV writer, voice actor and TV and film actor can now add memoirist to his cache. In Zombie Spaceship ...
Aint It Cool News, December 16, 2010
...posts THOR: GOD OF THUNDER trailer makes me dork out... -- 84 total posts 132 posts Massawyrm devours Patton Oswalt's new book ZOMBIE SPACESHIP WASTELAND -- 55 total posts 100 posts The Haligonian, a BNAT virgin, loses his mind at ...
Aint It Cool News, December 16, 2010
...posts THOR: GOD OF THUNDER trailer makes me dork out... -- 84 total posts 132 posts Massawyrm devours Patton Oswalt's new book ZOMBIE SPACESHIP WASTELAND -- 55 total posts 100 posts The Haligonian, a BNAT virgin, loses his mind at ...
Aint It Cool News, December 16, 2010
...posts THOR: GOD OF THUNDER trailer makes me dork out... -- 84 total posts 132 posts Massawyrm devours Patton Oswalt's new book ZOMBIE SPACESHIP WASTELAND -- 55 total posts 100 posts The Haligonian, a BNAT virgin, loses his mind at ...
Aint It Cool News, December 16, 2010
...posts THOR: GOD OF THUNDER trailer makes me dork out... -- 84 total posts 132 posts Massawyrm devours Patton Oswalt's new book ZOMBIE SPACESHIP WASTELAND -- 55 total posts 100 posts The Haligonian, a BNAT virgin, loses his mind at ...
Aint It Cool News, December 16, 2010
...posts THOR: GOD OF THUNDER trailer makes me dork out... -- 84 total posts 132 posts Massawyrm devours Patton Oswalt's new book ZOMBIE SPACESHIP WASTELAND -- 55 total posts 100 posts The Haligonian, a BNAT virgin, loses his mind at ...
Aint It Cool News, December 15, 2010
...posts THOR: GOD OF THUNDER trailer makes me dork out... -- 84 total posts 132 posts Massawyrm devours Patton Oswalt's new book ZOMBIE SPACESHIP WASTELAND -- 55 total posts 100 posts The Haligonian, a BNAT virgin, loses his mind at ...
Aint It Cool News, December 15, 2010
...If you’ve never had the chance to see Patton Oswalt live, you’ve not only missed out on one of the best things going on in standup comedy today, but one of the truly geeky live experiences out there ...
