Rating: 
Summary: Original use for familiar Lovecraftian concepts.
Review: Anyone who has read much of Lovecraft and his "family" of writers (August Derleth, Lin CArter, Henry Kuttner, Robert Bloch, etc.) is very familiar with the formulaic plot of "inherit/discover something, cross-reference with Abbie Hazred's 'Who's Who of Bad-Moods-With-Tentacles', and end by going mad and die gibbering in an asylum or becoming 'liquiescent horror,'" to the point that it becomes very difficult to surprise the reader any more with the denoument. Mr Spencer, though, has taken the familiar concepts and beasties of the vaunted Cthulhu mythos and woven them into an engaging, truly enjoyable tale. And he does an excellant job of utilizing the old mainstays, such as Yog-Sothoth and ghouls among others, in a way that re-introduces them, rather than re-hashes them. He also does quite well in showing interaction between society at large and one who has come to accept the "truth" of the Old Ones. And while the reading is light, even campy at times (especially the epilogue), it is one of the most intriguing mythos tales I have read. It is this type of writing that is going to keep the mythos fresh and alive.
Rating:
Summary: More like Philip K. Dick than Howard P. Lovecraft
Review: Darrell Schweitzer's blurb for this book reads, "If Woody Allen had ever written a Cthulhu Mythos novel, it might have come out like this." Pithy, short, moderately funny, interesting, and entirely wrong. Yes, there are Cthulhu references here, and yes, Spencer can write with humor, but this is not "Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Necrinomicon (But Were Afraid to Ask)." If we must resort to comparing Spencer to other writers, Resume with Monsters owes the most to Philip K. Dick rather than H.P. Lovecraft.The main character is Philip (what a giveaway, eh?) who works at Ralph's One-Day Resumes in Austin, Texas. He moved there to find his girlfriend Amelia, who ran away from the high-tech company Micromeg that they had both worked at previously because of an accident which Philip crazily attributes to the workings of the Great Old Ones. Amelia attributes insanity to Philip, likely brought on by his obsession with the characters of H.P. Lovecraft, and manifested in the magnum opus of a novel that Philip is constantly revising entitled The Despicable Quest. Philip claims that the novel is the only thing keeping Yog-Sothoth at bay. Is Resume with Monsters funny? Yes, but it is in its incongruities, the warped reality of what Philip sees and how others react. The strength of the novel is wrapped up in the ambiguity of Philip--we recognize him as an unreliable narrator, but, as in Philip K. Dick's novel, the question is not whether to trust the narrator, but how much one can trust the world. Spencer handles this well, and there are quite a few plot twists to make things interesting, including having Philip's consciousness flung back in time to relive the Micromeg incident, the zombie co-workers, and a management recruitment program straight out of Dilbert (well, if Scott Adams worked for Nyarlathotep, Inc.). Resume with Monsters is not as well done as Spencer's latest, Zod Wallop, but is well worth checking out, especially for fans of both Dick and Lovecraft.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant Adaptation of Lovecraft
Review: H.P. Lovecraft always intended his Cthulu mythos to live through other authors' pens. If Lovecraft were alive today he would certainly find William Spencer Browning's treatment most entertaining. In "Resume with Monsters," Browning artfully welds together the infinite horrors of Lovecraft's Old Ones with the modern banalities of life in the corporate world. The result is a book loaded with hilarious dialogue, humorous scenes, and a good deal of light horror. Philip has a big problem. He sees monsters at work, behind every filing cabinet, around every corner, in the eyes of his fellow co-workers, and in motivational pamphlets handed out in his paycheck envelope. In order to maintain his slipping sanity, Philip spends his free time constantly rewriting his sprawling 2000 page book called "The Despicable Quest," a Lovecraftian tome full of references to Azathoth, Yog-Sathoth, and other unpleasant beings from beyond space and time. Philip is aware that spouting off about monsters from dimensions beyond our own tends to alarm people, which brings in Lily, an aging psychologist who promises Philip she can help him through his troubles. Philip probably would not have many problems with his demons if he gave up trying to save his ex-girlfriend Amelia. Philip's relentless quest to expose the monsters coupled with the undying devotion to his book infuriated Amelia, spurring a rancorous split. When she moves to Texas Philip follows her, desperate to convince Amelia that he once saved her from eternal doom when the two worked at MicroMeg, a giant international corporation (the details of which can be found in the section of the book hilariously entitled, "The Doom that Came to MicroMeg). Philip drifts from one low paying job to another, always on the lookout for the reemergence of the evil ones. Not only does Philip see potential evil at his own jobs, there seems to be something seriously astray at Pelidyne, a big company where Amelia just started a new job. It looks like Philip will have to return once again into the belly of the beast. Spencer really has a grasp of Lovecraft's horrific intentions. His style does not reflect Lovecraft's ornate use of the English language, but many of the adventures Philip embarks on mirror a trip through a Lovecraft novel: the weird bending of time and space, the strange rituals of the Old Ones, and the feeling of helplessness one gets when confronting an evil beyond the comprehension of the human mind. I suspect there is a lot of the author in this story. My copy has a painting on the front cover of a man who looks suspiciously like the picture of Browning on the back cover. The detailed descriptions of corporate stupidity and the shrieking mindlessness of working a low paying job tell me that the author spent many years working in the same type of jobs as Philip does in the novel. Anyone who has ever worked in a boring job with high pressure jerks as bosses will recognize and sympathize with Philip's plight. Ultimately, that is the greatest horror in "Resume with Monsters": the pressures of a job in today's world are worse than seeing monsters with dripping scales falling out of a time rip in the ceiling. The comical aspects of the book abound throughout the story. Everything from Philip's confessions about the evil ones to the motivational pamphlets is gut bustingly funny. Be sure and pay attention to the group sessions during Philip's stay in the mental hospital. These scenes are some of the funniest in the book. "Resume with Monsters" is essential reading for Lovecraft fans. Those who are unfamiliar with Lovecraft may want to read at least one collection of his stories before settling into this book because the references to particular entities are meaningless unless you understand the mythos. I am placing Spencer's book in my top five list of books read this year, and I hope you will too.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book, but far from a horror
Review: I am confused that some people seem to think this a book that was supposed to be a horror novel. If it was, it failed miserably. What it is instead is a real find, a book that soars seemingly across two dimensions whilst keeping the plot tight inside Austin, Texas. It is only after you finish it that you realize how small the scope of the book it, and how much genius the author must possess to stretch it out into the fantastic yarn it is. Not wishing to spoil anything for you, the book is about one Philip Kenan, a middle aged man who cannot hold down a job because the Old Ones (of HP Lovecraft fame) are everywhere he goes, and he is the only one who seems aware of it. Where does the fun enter? Basically, up until the very end, you are never sure whether or not Philip is stark raving insane or completely correct. And, let me tell you folks, Spencer makes Kenan really stark raving insane in a real fine manner. Apart from the fact that cone-shaped monsters from 600 million years ago are trying to enter this world telepathically through each and every one of his many workplaces, he could be your best friend. It's not a horror book, folks, unless you really stretch your imagination and suspend disbelief to the point where you can watch Dawson's Creek for 24 hours straight, but it is humorous, it is beautiful, it is a damn fine piece of literature, and it would make a blockbuster film, in my humble opinion. I am very glad I picked this one up, a whim though it was at the time.
Rating:
Summary: A fantastic book, but far from a horror
Review: I am confused that some people seem to think this a book that was supposed to be a horror novel. If it was, it failed miserably. What it is instead is a real find, a book that soars seemingly across two dimensions whilst keeping the plot tight inside Austin, Texas. It is only after you finish it that you realize how small the scope of the book it, and how much genius the author must possess to stretch it out into the fantastic yarn it is. Not wishing to spoil anything for you, the book is about one Philip Kenan, a middle aged man who cannot hold down a job because the Old Ones (of HP Lovecraft fame) are everywhere he goes, and he is the only one who seems aware of it. Where does the fun enter? Basically, up until the very end, you are never sure whether or not Philip is stark raving insane or completely correct. And, let me tell you folks, Spencer makes Kenan really stark raving insane in a real fine manner. Apart from the fact that cone-shaped monsters from 600 million years ago are trying to enter this world telepathically through each and every one of his many workplaces, he could be your best friend. It's not a horror book, folks, unless you really stretch your imagination and suspend disbelief to the point where you can watch Dawson's Creek for 24 hours straight, but it is humorous, it is beautiful, it is a damn fine piece of literature, and it would make a blockbuster film, in my humble opinion. I am very glad I picked this one up, a whim though it was at the time.
Rating:
Summary: a true buried treasure...
Review: I appreciate the Lovecraft references, being a fan, but "Resume with Monsters" transcends the usual Ia! Ia! pastiche...Spencer's use of the Lovecraft mythology, and the humor is fine (if occasionally forced). But what drew me in was the sadness, the poignance, the sense of yearning and loss. The writing veers from silly to suspenseful to flat-out lovely; Philip's recollection of his wedding and married life is especially heartbreaking, for reasons wholly unrelated to Cthulhu or Azathoth. (You could, in fact, argue that all of the monsters are in the narrator's mind, which is a common thread through Spencer's fiction.) I have recommended it to several non-Lovecraft fans, and their uniform response has been, Wow, what else has he written?
Rating: 
Summary: Not as dark as I wanted it to be but really funny
Review: I did like it better than _Zod Wallop_ but not as much as his collection _The Return of Count Electric_. It's really funny and his prose just seems to flow. It's not beautiful writing or profound but just reads easily. I thought he should have used more Lovecraftian (overblown for some people) prose in normal situations just to be funny.
Rating:
Summary: loved it
Review: I'm not a particularly big fan of Lovecraft, but I found this an enormously entertaining and well-written homage to/parody of the Lovecraft genre, in a modern setting. I found myself grinning on almost every page - a great read.
Rating:
Summary: his best book
Review: If ZOD WALLOP is his worst book, establishing lower bounds of literary incompetence rarely seen even today, Spencer redeems himself with a wild plot that mixes corporate Austin, Texas with Lovecraftian monsters and their semihuman minions. Interesting characters, acceptable writing, genuine humor and satire. I loved the telephone call from the Great Old One that ends the novel.
Rating:
Summary: quite outstanding
Review: s book is quite out-standing. I have 2 reasons to be biased. Numbre uno I live in Austin and love the city so anything in this city is good to me and well the book is set in Austin and numbre dos I like little eccentric characters. (by the way the author himself is also from Austin as far as I know.
I have never read Lovecraft or much science fiction (other than few Aurther C Clarke and Orson Scott Card). But this is very different. The plot travels in time and space between reality and fantasy and the author is able to create a tie between the two. At some point the fantasy seems to be true and we are just lost in the world of Love craft. I wish I had read Love craft then I would have enjoyed it more.
The book is about a struggling author who tries to survive the hostile corporate world (the money making machine which I hate) and moves to and fro between reality and dream. His characters in everyday life like his girl friend (Amelia), cohort Monica, employer Ralph all travel with him. Time frames are not of importance but the space frame encompass all the characters in an imaginary world of Lovecraft's characters. Spencer's depiction of the corporate hi-tech world is brilliant and satirical and some of the similes he uses is hilarious as for example "you have to crack some eggs to make an omelets". This may be a little auto-biographical which makes it more realistic. As a whole i enjoyed reading it and so will you.
I have given it 4 stars because I reserve 5 stars for the best of the best like "100 years of solitude" so please do not worry about that.
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