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2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 Unadulterated fun with satirical science fiction shenanigans run amuck Oct 25, 2007
I would like the chance to hear author Michael Carson speak because I'm pretty sure his tongue is permanently planted in his cheek - and that has to make the act of speaking tough. I don't know a whole lot about this young author - only that he has a definite knack for comedy, is no stranger to science fiction, and that he has absorbed an extraordinary amount of pop culture knowledge in his twenty-odd years of human existence. He even knows a lot of the old school stuff that I wouldn't expect someone so young to be familiar with. I keep talking about Carson's age, and that is because this is a very youthful novel - Carson's never met a joke he rejected as too corny, and any old fogies out there probably won't understand or appreciate an author who has such unadulterated fun with his writing. Normally, I detest the least sign of authorial intrusion into a story, but it actually works well here (and the author's not the only external voice that turns up in these pages). Carson even goes so far as to insert himself as a character in the book - in a short and very funny episode.
Life on Earth in 9998 is pretty great, what with all of those "futuristic" gadgets everywhere. There's only one problem: all manner of aliens keep launching attacks on the Earth on a weekly basis. When I say Earth, I mean Earth 3, of course, as humans long ago had to abandon the polluted home world of their origin, then learned the hard way (on Earth 2) that intelligent, armed dinosaurs of their own genetic manufacture don't make for the most practical of planet protectors. Now, though, someone has come up with an idea that could end the alien menace forever. It's a perfect, wholly successful plan - which means, of course, that somebody screws up somewhere. Sure, the Independence Day race, the Mars Attacks creatures, the War of the Worlds Martians, and even Alf and E.T. have been defeated, but one race still remains out there (thanks to a postal error): man's most feared enemy, the Aliens aliens. Obviously, something must be done to take this last remaining threat out. Sure, the Aliens aliens can't get to Earth without finding themselves a human host, but the idea of simply leaving them be out there on their distant planet is shot down almost immediately. Instead, Earth 3 quickly constructs a huge space ship (the Spaceship Idaho), chooses a crew made up of representatives from all (and I do mean all) population groups, and launches a mission to travel to and blow up the Aliens' home planet. The group is led by old Oliver Naise - he's only thirty-four, but this is a world where no one over 30 is allowed to perform important jobs such as acting, playing sports, or saving the world, no matter how many times he's saved the world in the past.
Getting to the Aliens planet is easy; getting back home alive turns out to be the hard part. A spy in the crew's midst allows the Aliens to infiltrate the ship, which causes nothing but trouble, including a good many deaths - thank goodness they brought all those Extra crew members along with them. If that's not enough, the crew's cybernetic dog accidentally winds up in Kill the Crew mode, there's a small self-destruct issue that needs to be dealt with, a dark secret about Earth 3's government is revealed, and ... well, you don't expect me to tell you everything, do you?
Suffice it to say that anyone who enjoys science fiction and unadulterated satirical humor will get a big kick out of Extreme C-Sections. You will need a general awareness of prominent science fiction movies and related pop culture icons in order to fully "get" what Carson is doing here, but only the most fuddy of duddies won't know enough to recognize a fair share of the plot elements satirically skewered in this novel. Also, be prepared not to take anything too seriously because this young author will have none of that. I daresay that no one, not even Mr. Spock himself, could possibly read Extreme C-Sections without laughing.
2 of 3 found the following review helpful:
If the eggs are a-rockin', don't stay a-gawkin'! Oct 08, 2007
Imagine a future earth (or earths, if you will) that have been perpetually bombarded by all the alien nasties that have inhabited the wide screen for the past 100 years. Martians, predators, even purple people eaters have been irritating us earthlings for thousands of years when this book takes place. We have conceded on earth to the lizards and have blown up a second and now on the verge of fixing the whole problem and blowing up all our enemeies we discover that we left one enemy out of the finally. Somewhere in the depths of space Aliens are preparing to put egg in our face one more time.
Have no fear. The furture has solved the challenge of having challenged with and ingenious system designed to encourage innovative solutions. The many layers of I Cup winnow and wean ideas until, finally, the best is it hand. Yes, we are going to save Earth Three by going off to where the aliens are and politely ask them to stop eating people. Soon with a scientifically diverse crew commanded by Captain Oliver Naise, the most important diplomatic mission in the universe is off to a flying start.
If you think things went (or will go) smoothly then you have no idea what an extreme c-section is. Michael Carson weaves an inordinately complicated tale of treachery, outlandish in jokes, and bald faced lampoonery. A lighthearted romp through the travail of discovering what it means to be dinner in space. You are either going to believe that this book is a funny horror story or you are going to quietly beat yourself to death with a heavy irony. I found it enjoyable since, as an elderly science buff I recognized, most of the obscure references. This is a great book for snickering, and these days a good snicker is hard to find. There are a lot of interesting ideas in it and one has the suspicion that when Carson returns to sanity he will become a writer to watch for.
[Review copy provided by author]
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Humorously Entertaining Aug 28, 2007
Michael Carson's "Extreme C-Sections" is a delicious spoof of all things sci-fi. It is so densely packed with humor that the reader needs to take his/her time and peruse this book carefully to catch every funny nugget.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Too serious Jul 17, 2007
Have you ever noticed that, taken as a whole, science fiction tends toward serious stuff? There are a few that try at humor and humor through exageration, especially movies (Mars Attacks), but mostly we science fiction writers are too taken with the grandiose. C-Sections provides a welcome interlude where we can sit back and laugh at ourselves, and perhaps puncture the bubble of grandeur that we tend to surround ourselves with.
Thank you, Michael Carson!
John Cooley, author of "Dear Madman" (sadly ? a very serious novel)
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
In the Tradition of Adams, Pratchett, and Pollotta Jul 11, 2007
Extreme C-Sections is a very funny parody of all your favorite science fiction movies -- and a few classics from other genres you will be sure to recognize. Having managed to rid themselves of such alien invading races as the Independence Day aliens and the One-eyed, One-horned, Flying Purple People Eater, the people of Earth face one last menacing enemy: the most dreaded alien threat of all -- Aliens. An organization comprised of Earth's randomly chosen and extemely mediocre problem-solvers is called upon to brainstorm a solution. Merely avoiding planet LV-426 (because the stomach-bursting aliens have no ships of their own and can only stowaway on others' ships) is rejected, because Earth is not the kind of planet to sit around and do nothing, by gum! Instead, they decide to send an eclectic crew comprised of all races, genders, and sexual orientations (plus a couple hundred Extras as bait)and wipe out those Aliens once and for all. With the crew of the Spaceship Idaho led by over-the-hill Captain Oliver Naise (he's 34), Earth is sure to be victorious, unless a government conspiracy intereferes ... Readers will enjoy the satire and wit of this new author, IF the whole book doesn't get prematurely shut-down by Agent Smith for making fun of The Matrix.
Dianne K. Salerni
Author of High Spirits: A Tale of Ghostly Rapping and Romance
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