The Road to Mars: A Post-Modem Novel
The Road to Mars: A Post-Modem Novel by Eric Idle is a first edition published by Pantheon on August 31, 1999. This science fiction narrative follows Carlton, an android designed with advanced artificial intelligence, as he navigates the complexities of comedy while assisting two comedians, Alex and Lewis, on their travels through the solar system’s vaudeville circuit. Carlton’s quest to understand the essence of humor leads him to explore the evolution of comedy and its significance, all while grappling with the challenges of his own limitations as a machine.
Readers will find a blend of humor and science fiction as Carlton attempts to write a thesis on comedy, delving into the works of late twentieth-century comedians, including references to Monty Python’s Flying Circus. The story unfolds with comedic misadventures, including a botched audition on a solar cruise ship and an unexpected involvement in a plot against Mars. The Road to Mars presents a unique exploration of the intersection between technology and humor, inviting readers to ponder the nature of comedy and its role in human experience. This edition spans 320 pages and is written in English.
Official synopsis Publisher
What makes humans bark?
Is the funny bone funny?
What is the algebra of comedy?
Did the sitcom originate with the ape?
Carlton is an android (a 4.5 Bowie Artificial Intelligence Robot) who works for Alex and Lewis, two comedians from the twenty-second century who travel the outer vaudeville circuit of the solar system known ironically as the Road to Mars. His problem is that although as a computer he cannot understand irony, he is attempting to write a thesis about comedy, its place in evolution, and whether it can ever be cured. And he is also studying the comedians of the late twentieth century (including obscure and esoteric comedy acts such as Monty Python’s Flying Circus) in his search for the comedy gene.
In the meantime, while auditioning for a gig on the Princess Di (a solar cruise ship), his two employers inadvertently offend the fabulous diva Brenda Woolley and become involved in a terrorist plot against Mars, the home of Showbiz.
Can Carlton prevent Alex and Lewis from losing their gigs, help them overcome the love thing, and finally understand the meaning of comedy in the universe? Will a robot ever really be able to do stand-up? As Einstein might have said, nothing in the universe can travel faster than the speed of laughter.
The Road to Mars was named one of the best books of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times.
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