Book Review: Come Take Me
Come Take Me: A Celestial Satire by E. M. Skyler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Marshall M. Shmishkiss isn’t enjoying his life, but he’s taking steps to change it. He’s eating healthier, and taking classes in everything from self-defense to advanced emergency first aid. And he’s looking to move out of his dingy basement digs—not just across town, or to another city. Marshall’s set his sights much higher.
In the increasingly urgent videos he regularly sends to ComeTakeMe.com, Shmishkiss earnestly explains why he’s the perfect candidate for alien abduction. But are aliens actually reviewing his video applications? Maybe so, maybe not, but the easily-amused employees of CorpInc, the company that owns and oversees the website sure are.
While the book is quite silly and pokes fun at everything, it’s also surprisingly insightful, especially when examining the human condition from an outsiders point of view. A caution: I wouldn’t recommend it for young readers, as some of the topics up for lampooning are adult in nature.
What kept me reading well past my bedtime was the ‘what happens next?’ factor. This adventure is so original that I just couldn’t second-guess it. I loved the feeling of knowing that something new was waiting around every corner. Surprise-junkie that I am, I got hooked on this grand, weird adventure, right up to the last page.
Fans of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy will be amused by the author’s energetic, wide-eyed view of the universe. And if you like Doctor Who or The IT Crowd, odds are you’ll also find Come Take Me a welcome treat.
Lori Alden Holuta
Lori Alden Holuta lives between the cornfields of Mid-Michigan, where she grows vegetables and herbs when she’s not writing, editing, or playing games with a cat named Chives.
