Enormity by W. G. Marshall

Enormity

by W. G. Marshall

Enormity is the strange tale of an American working in Korea, a lonely young man named Manny Lopes, who is not only physically small (in his own words, he's a "Creole shrimp"), but his work, his failed marriage, his race, all conspire to make him feel puny and insignificant-the proverbial ninety-eight-pound weakling. Then one day an accident happens, a quantum explosion, and suddenly Manny awakens to discover that he is big-really big. In fact, Manny is enormous, a mile-high colossus! Now there's no stopping him: he's a one-man weapon of mass destruction. Yet he means well. Enormity takes some odd turns, featuring characters like surfing gangbangers, elderly terrorists, and a North Korean assassin who thinks she's Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. There's also sex, violence, and action galore, with the army throwing everything it has against the rampaging colossus that is Manny Lopes. But there's only one weapon that has any chance at all of stopping him: his wife.

Reviewed by celinenyx on

4 of 5 stars

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An interesting addition to the science-fiction genre, Enormity tells us of something made of nightmares. What would happen to our world when through some kind of quantum disaster, a completely normal person would blow up to the size of a mountain?

The answer to that is quite simple. Massive destruction of apocalyptic proportions. Every footstep will cause a tsunami. A sigh turns into a whirlwind. And not to mention satisfying a giant's hunger...

What I liked about Enormity are the epic proportions of the story. Every single detail is considered, and consequently clarified. By this I mean that ever aspect of the giants life is explored. From his dander to his sweat, his bacteria, to the effects of his movements and voice.

What I didn't like that much was that at times there was an information overload. Especially when talking about political situations or the different divisions in the army, it just went past me. More often than not I had no idea what they were on about, so I just started skipping these parts. Luckily it doesn't matter that much for the story, but I would like to have a little more explanation at times.

At times the story was pretty gross (especially when it involved giant bodily fluids) but it was an interesting and engaging read. The characters all had their distinct personalities. They might not all be that likeable, but they are understandable. If the premise interests you, be sure to check Enormity out!

ARC received through Netgalley, will be published February 2nd.

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  • Started reading
  • 13 December, 2011: Finished reading
  • 13 December, 2011: Reviewed