Mike Nelson's Death Rat!: A Review

Just finished re-reading an outstanding summer novel: Mike Nelson's Death Rat!, by Michael J. Nelson, the former head writer/host of the great comedy TV series, "Mystery Science Theater 3000."

This novel is centered around a sixtyish writer of obscure history books who has the highly improbable name Pontius Feeb. (Otherwise known as "Ponty.")

Circumstances having made him desperate for money, Ponty decides to write a trashy novel that features a six-foot long killer rat. Due to circumstances beyond his control that I will not get into here, his novel ends up being sold to a publisher and printed as a true story, and becomes a major bestseller. And that is where Nelson's wonderful sense of silliness really kicks in, as Ponty frantically attempts to create a cover story to explain why the tale of the death rat is a true story (so as to allow the money from sales to keep coming in.)

Nelson has many great touches in his writing, including wonderfully developed parodies of his fellow Minnesotans Garrison Keillor and Prince.

And it is simply flat out funny. So go forth and read it!