Shambling Towards Hiroshima - Morrow's latest!

As I've mentioned previously, I harbour great admiration for the satirical works of James Morrow. A self-titled 'scientific humanist', his novels and short stories are astoundingly clever, intensely thought-provoking, and frequently hilarious. I dare you to read Towing Jehovah and not laugh at the sheer absurdity of finding the two-mile long body of God floating in the Atlantic Ocean. What, you're not laughing?

His newest novel, Shambling Towards Hiroshima, promises to be a political satire of the highest order. 

From the bumpf:

It is the early summer of 1945, and war reigns in the Pacific Rim with no end in sight. Back in the States, Hollywood B-movie star Syms Thorley lives in a very different world, starring as the Frankenstein-like Corpuscula and Kha-Ton-Ra, the living mummy. But the U.S. Navy has a new role waiting for Thorley, the role of a lifetime that he could never have imagined.

The top secret Knickerbocker Project is putting the finishing touches on the ultimate biological weapon: a breed of gigantic, fire-breathing, mutant iguanas engineered to stomp and burn cities on the Japanese mainland. The Navy calls upon Thorley to don a rubber suit and become the merciless Gorgantis, and to star in a film that simulates the destruction of a miniature Japanese metropolis. If the demonstration succeeds, the Japanese will surrender and many thousands of lives will be spared; if it fails, the horrible mutant lizards will be unleashed. One thing is certain: Syms Thorley must now give the most terrifyingly convincing performance of his life. Godzilla devotees and history buffs alike will be fascinated by this conspiratorial secret history of a war, a weapon, and a highly unlikely hero.

In the dual traditions of Godzilla as a playful monster and a symbol of the dawn of the nuclear era, Shambling Towards Hiroshima blends the destruction of World War II with the halcyon pleasure of monster movies. You’ve never read anything quite like it.

Friend of the blog Matt Staggs has been doing promotions for various authors (including the late, lamented Thomas Disch, whose last release The Wall of America I will review in these virtual pages sometime soon), but he's lucked into a terrific gig with this one. He's created a sterling advance trailer for Shambling, which I present below in all its tempting glory.

Shambling Towards Hiroshima is due to take over stores in early February 2009.