ISBN: 0970497105
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Avg Cusomer Rating: 4
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Summary: Good if you're into that sort of thing.
As far as I know, Supervert was totally original in the way he put this book together, and the whole thing was interesting enough to keep me reading.
I figure this is what American Psycho could have been had it not been so annoying. if you're sick of trendy consumerland fiction but still looking for something new and experimental, read ETSF.
Summary: ET Outcall
Mercury de Sade is the shaved-head protagonist of Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish, and he's got a "thing" for ETs. In ETSF, Supervert ingeniously takes the UFO abduction myth and turns it upside-down. In the usual UFO abduction, UFO occupants kidnap an unsuspecting Earthling and take her to their flying saucer, where they perform unspeakable "experiments" involving sexual violation. Mercury de Sade, in contrast, is an Earth human who violates extraterrestrials.
The book is written in a non-linear "collage" form, comprised of short essays and vignettes. These short essays are grouped into four categories: 1. Alien Sex Scenes (ASS): These are fantasies where Mercury de Sade makes it with various extraterrestrials. The aliens are inventive parodies of human women, and give Mercury de Sade the opportunity for insights into earthling sexuality. Alien planets are named after letters from the Greek alphabet- "aliens from Epsilon are unusually sensitive to telekinetic transmission". (p. 39) Usually, Mercury de Sade's "exophilia" involves violence or rape. 2. Methods of Deterrestrialization (MOD): These are scenes from planet earth, where Mercury de Sade is a computer programmer in New York City. They involve other human characters- Charlotte Goddard (AKA Ninfa XIX), Charlotte's father, and a couple of detectives hired by Charlotte's father. Apparently, Mercury de Sade and Charlotte's father vie for control of her. Charlotte is trying to get something from her father, but I'm not sure what. It's hard to tell what's going on exactly, as the book is written in a non-traditional collection of interleaved ASSes, MODs, LIEs, and DATs. However, this has the advantage of allowing the reader to browse the pieces, like a magazine. These scenes suggest the possibility that they're the result of an attempt to write a traditional novel, with the usual continuity of scenes and plot, before it was cut up into essays. 3. Lessons in Exophilosophy (LIE): These are essays concerning what great Western philosophers thought about extraterrestrial life. They're arranged chronologically, from ancient up to modern philosophers. These essays exhibit an impressive understanding of Western philosophy- many major Western philosophers are considered, including (but not limited to) Plato, Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Husserl, Wittgenstein, and the Frankfurt School. It's fascinating that so many great philosophers speculated about the existence of extraterrestrial life. These are written in a straightforward, serious style, and depart in tone from the other essays. These essays afford Supervert the chance to not only summarize much of Western philosophy, but also the discussions one finds in UFO literature. Some of these, for example, include, "If extraterrestrials exist, why haven't they contacted us?" and "Are extraterrestrials good or evil?" and "Are extraterrestrials more (spiritually, socially, or technologically) advanced than us"? Although these essays have philosophical heft, their serious tone parodies Western philosophy, insofar as they're in a book entitled Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish. 4. Digressions and Tangents (DAT): These are the pieces that don't fit into any of the other categories. They contain diary excerpts of Mercury de Sade, observations about New York City, and even a description of Mercury de Sade's appearance: "However, it was not hygiene that inspired Mercury de Sade to shave his head. Really he had been deeply affected by popular depictions of extraterrestrial beings, in which they were never shown with such amenities as hair and fingernails". That's the parts that make up the whole of Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish. Does the whole work? It does. This book is entertaining for science-fiction aficionados, armchair philosophers, and UFO buffs. As a comic parody of UFO literature, ETSF is a welcome counterbalance to the strident seriousness of much UFO lit. When I first encountered Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish I was put off by the untraditional composition, but entered into the spirit of the book by random browsing. I was soon hooked by hilarious descriptions of alien sex. However, I've yet to unravel what's going on with Charlotte, Mercury de Sade, and Charlotte's father. The documentary style of the "Lessons in Exophilosophy" work well, and give the reader an overview of extraterrestrial issues. One thing that might've been included is a bibliography of good UFO books, for those wanting to delve deeper. Also, with all the references to mathematical set theory and computer programming, I was disappointed not to find any mention of the famous Drake Equation, which predicts the number (N) of detectable, intelligent extraterrestrial species: N= (R*)(Fp)(Ne)(Fl)(Fi)(Fc) x L R* is the rate of star formation
Fp is the fraction of stars with planets
Ne is the fraction of planets with an environment suitable for life
Fl is the fraction of suitable planets where life actually appears Fi is the fraction of life-bearing planets on which intelligence emerges
Fc is the fraction of intelligent societies with a desire and ability to communicate with other worlds
L is the length of time an intelligent ET society remains communicative. Scientific work has been done on each of these factors. Notably, when the Drake equation was first invented, no planets outside of our solar system (Fp) had been discovered, and there was even some question as to whether planets orbiting distant stars existed at all. Just in the last few years, however, evidence of planets orbiting other stars besides our sun has been detected. Supervert reveals his hand in Appendix Two of ETSF, where he states: "I believe that there is no conscious intelligence (other than man) anywhere in the universe." This reviewer believes that the jury is still out. However, given the number of stars visible in an unpolluted sky (perhaps Supervert has spent too much time in Manhattan), I don't see why there shouldn't be extraterrestrials out there somewhere. Whether anyone wants to (ahem) have sex with them is the question posed by Extraterrestrial Sex Fetish.
Summary: Thats the way to do it
I wont write a review which lasts a mile, cuz u wont read it anywayz. All I want to say is this: Supervert is one of the most interesting reading-experiences I�ve had in years. Its a feast of philosophy, UFO-debunking, space-age-mythology, funny and horrible kinks and perversions, and a great ...-take on the pretentious, pseudo-scientific UFO-community. If you usually stays clear of avantgarde or experimental litterature, and only read one book like this in your lifetime, let it be this. Beam me up Supervert!
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