Marvellous Hairy

By Mark A. Rayner

So hair is sprouting in unspeakable places and you can no longer carry a tune, but if you're a surrealistic artiste with an addiction to Freudian mythology and guilt-free sex, turning into a monkey has its upsides.

Nick Motbot may be evolving as a novelist, but his friends aren't too sure about his DNA. At least, not since Gargantuan Enterprises started experimenting with it. Once they figure out what's happening to him, they decide to set things right. Marvellous Hairy is a satirical novel about a group of friends sticking it to the man the only way they know how, with equal parts grain alcohol and applied Chaos Theory.

Part literary fun-ride and part slapstick comedy, Marvellous Hairy about the power of friendship and love, the evils of power, and the dangers of letting corrupt CEOs run our world. But most importantly, it's about how we have to get in touch with our fun-loving inner monkeys.

Release your inner monkey!

"Who needs humanity when you got everything else you could want? Marvellous Hairy tells the story of Nick Motbot, a novelist who finds his DNA being tampered with and has seemed to enjoy monkeying around more appealing than it once was. With much humor and an absurdist tint on many ideas, Mark Rayner presents a novel where humanity is optional, raging against the machine is a good idea, and the upsides of life as a lower primate. Marvellous Hairy is a top pick for any humorous fiction collection, highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review

"Marvellous Hairy is a funny, engaging novel about serious issues but it is never in danger of becoming didactic or angry – Rayner manages to walk this line with skill and with, I would imagine, a smile on his face." --Bookscout

"Marvellous Hairy has so many story lines that they almost appear stream-of-consciousness, but are actually well-thought out and cohesive. Rayner’s prose is succinct and exudes humor and wit that only comes with real talent and careful planning—he isn’t just throwing a bunch of one-liners on the page, each sentence has meaning and purpose; and the fact that he gets a laugh for it is just a bonus." --Book Fetish

"Marvellous Hairy is a weird little beast, a blending of the anything-for-a-laugh mentality of Douglas Adams with the experimental abandon of early Philip K. Dick. Is it satire? Science fiction? A piercing exploration into the nature of being? Good-natured sex romp? Mark's publisher has labeled Marvellous Hairy as being Fabulist Satire, which is as good a way as any to say that categorizing Mark is a near-hopeless task." --Corey Redekop, Author of Shelf Monkey

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mark A. Rayner
• Release date: Mar 29, 2011
• ISBN: 9780986662751

Mark A. Rayner

Human-shaped, monkey-loving, robot-fighting, pirate-hearted, storytelling junkie, Mark is actually Canadian. By day he is a university prof and by night, a writer of humorous, satirical and fabulist novels, squibs and other drivel. (Some pure, and some quite tainted with meaning.) The Fatness is his newest novel. The Fridgularity (2012) won an IndieReader Discovery Prize for best humor. Pirate Therapy and Other Cures is a collection of short fiction. Marvellous Hairy is his second novel. His first book, The Amadeus Net, is heavier on the robots.You can read more of his fiction (for free) at his website where you can also dig into his irregular and explosive blog, The Skwib (markarayner.com). Follow him at Twitter (@markarayner) or on Facebook (www.facebook.com/RaynerWriting).

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Reviews for Marvellous Hairy

[sdramsey-298717 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I knew I wanted to read this book when I heard the author read from it at last summer's WorldCon in Montreal. For one thing, the section he read from was set in a drugstore. Now, my husband is a pharmacist, and believe me, the vast comedic possibilities of drugstores are a gold mine most satire and humour writers seem to miss. The fact that Mark Rayner had recognized this made me respect him instantly. The reading only got better from there, by turns funny, absurd, and poignant, and I knew I wanted to know more.

I wasn't disppointed. This book is not going to be for everyone; you have to be open to the surreal, the absurd, and alarmingly incisive reflections of the corporate world, and be able to laugh at them all. Don't pick it up if you're opposed to some...er...ribaldry (let's just say I haven't lent this book to my mother or my 16-year-old daughter), or if you dislike reading about monkeys, lizards, cross-species genetic manuipulation, ghosts, corporate greed, or chaos theory.

However, if you do like the things listed above, as well as absurdist humour, fast-paced writing, clever wit, mockery of institutions, a bit of slap-and-tickle, loyalty, love, and a chronicling of the gradual descent from human to simian brain, then you should really enjoy Marvellous Hairy.

[laurahaggart · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Marvellous Hairy is a wonderfully written tale that engrosses you from beginning to end. Rayner throws a lot at you, packing the story with characters, subplots, and information, but does so tastefully. Instead of being overwhelmed, I was just captivated with Rayner’s writing.Rayner packs in the characters in this novel, but gives the reader a guide as to who everyone is at the beginning. Much like a Shakespearean play, which I reckon Rayner pulled a lot of inspiration from, a list of characters is provided to remind the reader who everyone is and their relation to each other. I was especially thankful for this, as I could follow the novel perfectly without getting confused.The novel is entertaining and witty, but with the additional themes of the strength of friendship and the dangers of corporate greed, among others. The comedy and serious parts balance each other out and contribute to an overall great piece.

[chayce_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Simply Fabulist!

I was somewhat hoping I wouldn’t enjoy this book so that I could entitle the review Marvellous? Hardly! but, alas, it turned out to be a very enjoyable romp through the madcappery of an all too familiar fictitious setting, so, much to my chagrin, I had to think up a whole new review title. Thank you, Mark A. Rayner, for robbing me of that pithy idea. It was going to be really funny.As most of us have, from time to time, you’ve likely asked yourself the question: What would happen if Carl Hiassen, Will Shakespeare, and Kurt Vonnegut got together for a little mead 'n snuff party, and a story idea emerged from their wondrous and thoroughly pickled collective mind? Well, I’m delighted to let you know that we can now move on to other such ponderables since Mr. Rayner has provided the answer to that age old question with his new novel Marvellous Hairy.Rayner opens his story with such an insane commotion that you immediately (and wisely) pause for a moment to fasten your seatbelt, steadfast in the knowledge that, for better or worse, you’ve just accepted a ride from a deranged driver and one who is likely under the influence of more than one illicit substance. I felt it was a quite considerate gesture to let us prepare ourselves up front in this manner, before we hit the freeway in high gear. Respect.Hairy is narrated in first person quasi-omniscient style (yes, you read that correctly) by the central character - a mostly normal sort of chap named Rob (that is, more normal than his eclectic group of friends and dubious associates). Rob’s ability to ubiquitously relate the story is explained within the pages and I found this approach to be not only clever and unique but completely reasonable in an unreasonable sort of way.The story involves, on one level, a bizarre allegorical battle between the separate reptilian, simian, and human parts of the Triune brain, and how we must somehow cope and flourish, not just within our own consciousness but within society as well, while all 3 types are in control at different times, at different levels, and in different circumstances. At least that was my interpretation. It’s also quite a traditional (I really didn’t expect to be using that word in this review) tale of megalomania, the dangers of rampant, unchecked science, the bonds of love and friendship, monkey sex and the nature of military cacti. I think being any more specific may do the reader a disservice so I’ll leave it there - suffice to say Rayner proves to be a masterful story weaver with a gifted imagination, and a remarkable wit. If that’s not enough, a deep social conscience lies beneath it all. Those qualities combined provide for an exciting, hilarious and ultimately fulfilling reading experience. Just don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt. You've been warned.