The Madonna and the Starship
Jonathan Swift meets Buck Rogers in this hilarious send-up of the golden ages of television and pulp sci-fi.  In mid-20th-century New York City, Kurt Jastrow, de facto head writer for NBC'sBrock Barton and His Rocket Rangers, receives a transmission from the planet Qualimosa informing him that he has won the Zorningorg Prize for championing "reason in its eternal war with revelation."  Then the lobster-like extraterrestrials get wind of "Sitting Shiva for Jesus," an upcoming episode of a Sunday-morning religious program written by Kurt's love interest Connie Osborne.  The crustacean "logical positivists" propose to use their death ray to annihilate the show's two million devout, "irrational" viewers.  Can Kurt and Connie refashion her script into a satirical, sacrilegious screed, forestalling mass slaughter?  This delightful romp from Morrow (Shambling Towards Hiroshima) provides the breathless answer in short order; no need to wait for next week to tune in and find out.-Publishers WeeklyPicked as anio9.comJune Must-Read Science Fiction and Fantasy Book"The story has the tone of a manic tall tale, and is often just as hilarious...."-Locus"The Madonna and the Starshipwill have you laughing out loud while you think about what it means to be human.-Looking For A Good Book"Galaxy Quest, eat your heart out."-Bookish"...reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut and the filmGalaxy Quest.... this latest book by the inimitable James Morrow is rife with gonzo charm and buried barbs and offbeat parables galore."-Locus"James Morrow is a master of couching heavy topics in irreverent, ridiculous scenarios, andThe Madonna and the Starshipdeftly tackles atheism, science worship, and the '50s rationale of the benevolent alien visitor. . . . Transcendently weird and aggressively smart, this book is Morrow at his most barbed and satiric."-Another Universe"This is a perfect summer read, light-hearted, but intelligent."-Geeky LibraryPraise for James Morrow"The most provocative satiric voice in science fiction."-Washington Post"...widely regarded as the foremost satirist associated with the SF and Fantasy field."-SF Site"Morrow understands theology like a theologian and psychology like a psychologist, but he writes like an angel."-Richard Elliott Friedman, author ofThe Hidden Book in the Bible"America's best satirist."-James Gunn, editor ofThe New Encyclopedia of Science FictionOnThe Philosopher's Apprentice"A tumultuous take on humanity, philosophy and ethics that is as hilarious as it is outlandish."-KirkusOnThe Cat's Pajamas"All the stories manifest Morrow's penchant for exploring the dark underbelly of technological promise and extracting quirky moral conundrums. Morrow's fans will revel, and first-time readers may find his grim humor making fans of them, too."-Booklist"Amply displays [Morrow's] ability to juggle absurdity, tragedy, irony and outrage ..."-Locus