Rating: 
Summary: Funny, interesting, flawed
Review: Funny because Roberts has a strong sense of the absurd.
Interesting because he makes up his own mind about the situation in Iraq.
Flawed because he insists on spelling out every accent he hears, a device that is both condescending and tiresome. (His editor seems to have told him this, as after a few pages he makes an unconvincing claim to the effect that he is not actually laughing at the fact that non-native speakers of English don't all speak flawless English).
Rating: 
Summary: Aftermath of the Acid Trip
Review: I cannot deny the talent Roberts has is creating a vivid image of Iraq in the readers mind. Reading The Demonic Comedy was entertaining and enjoyable, but once I had finished the book and recollected my thoughts on what I had absorbed, the aftermath of my "acid trip" began to take effect. As an Iraqi, I found myself to be brought back into the nostalgia of a country I used to enjoy visiting. However, seeing it through his eyes was like walking into your home that has just been vandalized. I came to realise that Robert's exagerated measures to keep his readers entertained were uncalled for at times, and as we all know, too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Roberts would bounce from comic to tragic too sparringly, which makes you wonder whether he does that in attempt to cover up his mockery of Iraq . There is no doubt that he has added fictious elements to his accounts to strengthen his story. Unfortunatley there is no semi-fiction section in bookstores, this one was misplaced on the non-fiction shelf it seems, or at least that's what I think happened! :)
Rating: 
Summary: Paul Roberts is a modern day bard...
Review: If you ever wanted to feel some of the absurdity and fear of Iraq without actually having to break a UN sanction and go there yourself, grab this book. Roberts travelled to Iraq three times, and it would seem that the place has only become more irrational since the Gulf War. In addition to actually interviewing Hussein (Roberts describes him as having a soul not unlike a black hole) and witnessing some of the Gulf War carnage firsthand, the author seems to have found an abundance of entertaining, good-hearted, and deranged Iraqis in the process. This is a book that might make you cry and laugh simultaneously; it will definitely make you understand what a wretched mess Iraq is, and why. His side journeys to Jordan and Israel are full of funny incidents as well. Buy this book for a surreal, comical, and dark journey through the realm of a monster.
Rating:
Summary: Pointless and void of history
Review: Mr. Roberts, for a man who supposedly spend time in Iraq, seems to be oblivious to historical facts all for the sake of being cynical and cute. I found his writing absolutely on a very low level. His writing ability reminds me of some of the pathetic attempts by some of our great authors of the 60's. They were so engrossed in smashing people in the mouth with their political beliefs and disgust with America that the rest of the sheep on our campuses would embrace such nonsense as being scholarly and thought provoking. Roberts wants to review this very serious situation in Iraq as sort of a "Catcher in the Rye" while discussing butchery.
Rating:
Summary: An engaging, though spotty, account of his Iraqi adventure
Review: Probably the only journalist ever to have interviewed Saddam Hussein while stoned on ecstasy--Roberts, that is, not Hussein!--Roberts paints a chilling portrait of an Iraq thirty or so years into the Hussein regime. The book is very funny in parts, but there's terror behind the canvas that Roberts covers with his amusing anecdotes. I found some of the treatment spotty and some jibes needlessly cruel, but on the whole, an entertaining account.
Rating: 
Summary: A masterstroke of gonzo-wartime journalism.
Review: Robert's gem is a rare look at a horrific world that most of us have only glimpsed behind the muted green lens of night vision camera work. Instead of the usual talking heads who have been regulated to a rooftop to photograph anti-aircraft fire, we are privy to some of the cruel and ridiculous inner workings of Iraq. Combining humor with raw fact, Roberts is also adept at giving names, and personalities to a people who usually end up as faceless statistics. Next time though, sombody better get this guy a flack vest.
Rating:
Summary: Cause for laughter; cause for tears. An excellent read.
Review: Roberts takes an approach to Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi political structure similar to the way Hunter S. Thompson went after Nixon. A definitive compliment. However, he wrongly treats Hussein, his secret police and military like a bunch of largely inept, malicious buffoons. This is a dangerous impression to leave the reader with. While undeniably funny and thereby enjoyable, Roberts appears to avoid taking into account Saddam's not inconsiderable intelligence. He may not have been a soldier but he is a crafty SOB, cold-hearted and utterly ruthless. The work gives a winning account of a general Arab mindset, while showing how distressingly uninformed the Iraqi people are about the world beyond their borders.
Rating: 
Summary: Cleverly written, gonzo-style journalism fraught with errors
Review: Roberts' book has written a clever, drug-soaked meandering on the subject of Saddam Hussein. Unfortunately, errors small and large detract from the reader's enjoyment. With no sense irony, Roberts actually makes the assertion that George Bush contrived to trick Saddam Hussein into invading Kuwait so the U.S. could punish the Kuwaitis for currency manipulations. He also states he was in Iraq and witnessed the U.S. bomb schools and kill school children, and claims that Baghdad airport is closed because it is in a "no fly zone" (Actually, it is not, but it is closed because of UN sanctions). I never was sure what Roberts' point was, but enjoyed some of his humor.
Rating:
Summary: Read this book! - A journey into the madness of modern Iraq.
Review: Roberts, a masterful travel writer, has brought to us once again another gem from his collection. In three successive journeys to Iraq - before, during and after the U.S. war, he compassionately brings to full force the tragedy of modern Iraq and it's crazed leader. Using a sprinkling of history and humor over sometimes dangerous travels, he reveals the plight of the common Iraqi since the inception of Saddam's self-described "reign" in 1979. Roberts takes on the west and it's policies as well, and as he describes what it is like living in a crumbling society under a demonic leader, the likes of which we have not seen since Hitler, he brings to the forefront the massive suffering of the Iraqi people under western sanctions designed to further insure their demise. This is a very readable book; you will not put it down until you're through. Although not his best work, Roberts comes through again, pulling the heartstrings as he does in his other travel adventures - "River in the Desert" and "Empire of the Soul". You may not agree with his politics, but you will come away with a new understanding of what war and megalomania are all about. Don't miss it.
Rating:
Summary: Humorous, eye-opening account of the Iraqi situation
Review: The best qualities of this book were it's humor, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and its open-minded account of the realities of life in Iraq. However, if you are offended by harsh language, by irreverence towards authority, or by cynicism, then you may not like what you read. Also, some of the funniest parts were the author's (supposedly) phonetically accurate accounts of conversations with various Arab people. While I found these very funny, I was a little concerned that they appealed to a certain stereotype. But since I don't mind when my foreign friends make fun of me, I comfort myself that I am entitled to laugh at this purported butchery of the English language (matched only by my last sentence!).I also enjoyed the book's exploration of the causes of the Iraqi situation. As an American, I found some of the author's conclusions offensive, but overall, I thought he did a good job of extrapolating some very plausible explanations out of what seemed like a limited amount of exposure (which is still infinite compared to mine). Profound and insightful conclusions were drawn out of what were often very ordinary situations, and the whole thing was woven together with an almost total lack of pretense. Overall, I think I came away with a better understanding of Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi situation, and the similarities of human nature around the world. The humor, the realism, the disregard for authority, propaganda, and easy answers -- all of these factors made the book a pleasure to read.
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