DEUS TEX MACHINA:
The Second Calamity of QED Morningwood
by Rob Witherspoon
Science Fiction / Humor / Satire
Pages: 163
Publication Date: June 13, 2022
SYNOPSIS
QED “Kid” Morningwood is back with big plans to create a death tourism industry. Working with his old Metaphysics professor from Texas Alchemical and Metaphysical University, he delves the purgatorial realms gathering data for his venture. Standing in their way is university president T. Smedley Stalwart and his band of religious zealots – the Ancient and Loyal Order of the Holy Armadillo. FBI agents Flockham and Morales return to infiltrate and monitor ALOHA.
With the help of brilliant metaphysical engineer Yong Mi Hernandez, safety inspector Conrad Dopplebock, and guided by the wisdom of Cotton Widdershins, the Deus Tex Machina is a success. Sort of.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Rob Witherspoon was born and raised in rural Texas. He earned a BA in Physical Education, UT Arlington 1985 and a BS in Aerospace Engineering, UT Arlington 1990. He lives in north central Texas with his wife and youngest daughter and has spent much of his life in rural communities and on the ranch.
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REVIEW or SPECIAL FEATURE
QED “Kid” Morningwood is an enterprising fellow. For his latest enterprise, he’s gotten in on the idea of death tourism. Yep, he sees the potential for profit in helping folks temporarily shuffle off this mortal coil and visit the afterlife of their choosing. So Kid decides to fund and be the primary test subject for his old professor’s project designed to do just that.
Our hero has to deal with a great many things in the effort to make his scheme bear fruit. Actually, Kid pretty much just shows up, gets himself dead, and lets his compatriots gather information until they revive him. But the Ancient and Loyal Order of the Holy Armadillo (ALOHA for short – see, there’s one of those acronyms) led by university president Smedley Stalwart, is opposed to the experiments and will stop at nothing to keep them from proceeding. Thankfully Kid has his older and wiser friend Cotton Widdershins to keep him from getting himself into any unredeemable situations.
This book is hard to pigeonhole! Humor? Yes. Satire? Definitely. Romance? There’s a little of that in there. Intrigue? You bet. However you try to categorize it, it’s a whole lot of entertaining. Sometimes it’s a lot to navigate, with multiple plot lines and a whole host of acronyms, but it’s a lot of fun. There are plays on words, clever naming conventions, and even a few nods to Terry Pratchett’s Discworld universe that I thoroughly enjoyed. And it all comes with a Texas twang that is delightful.
Of note: There sure do seem to be a lot of lawyers in the afterlife. In just about every place Kid visits, legal counsel appears to help him navigate the process. Interesting. I expect a lot of folks might have thought all the lawyers went to hell!
If you’re looking for a book that’s just good, rip-snortin’ fun to read, pick up Deus Tex Machina. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You might even scratch your head. But I bet you’ll enjoy it.
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BAAAAhahahahahaha! “I expect a lot of folks might have thought all the lawyers went to hell!” (Says the lawyer.)
This book sounds like a hoot. Laughter is always a good thing in books and in my book! Thanks for a great review.