Mellick III, Carlton. The Egg Man. Portland: Eraserhead Press, 2008. 184 pp. $10.95. ISBN 193392974X.

The latest endeavour of renowned Bizarro author Carlton Mellick III, The Egg Man, proves to be one of his most powerful and absurdly bleak pieces of work. In spite of the fantastic imagery (e.g. fetus flies and mega-brained egg men), Mellick sets many evocative themes in an eccentric Dickensian backdrop. However, unlike the works of Dickens, Mellick focuses more on the submissive nature of man towards the industrial machine, rather than an ambitious self-advancement through social class.

The Egg Man tells the story of Lincoln, a post-graduate seeking a successful career as an artist. As Lincoln’s story progresses, Mellick paints his dreary, desolate, post-industrial world around the central character’s story—edging closer to the ominous abyss of humanity’s future.

Life has become regulated through the power of our new leader—the corporate machine. Society has become business-owned and run, which is probably the least absurd notion in this story. Humans become cogs in the machine, whereas corporate death-squads are in constant battle for control.

While Mellick’s foreboding future sets some specific perimeters, I believe a worldwide corporate takeover would be more subtle, entrancing us, enchanting us, and enticing us. With the dawn of new technological gadgets and gizmos such as iPods, iPhones, and digital cameras, corporate companies keep us decadently satisfied. We are bought off, thus making us easier to control. As historian Howard Zinn writes in his “Declarations of Independence": “If those in charge of our society—politicians, corporate executives, and owners of press and television—can dominate our ideas, they will be secure in their power. They will not need soldiers patrolling the streets. We will control ourselves."

Ultimately, The Egg Man is a warning against reliance on (and adherence to) technology, which would slowly eradicate any form of intuitive or imaginative thought. The egg men represent that mechanization of the human being; we use our brains as information storage, but not information processing. The information we trust to our computers is used to keep us wired in, and part of the universal online network.

—Richard Nicol