The Further Travels and Surprising Adventures of Baron Munchausen offers a gag-reel look at the ridiculous level of absurdity found in our American culture and even the world at large. The cleverness of the plot is difficult to match. I have read few comedic adventures that do so well at taking literally the “problems” addressed. I laughed uproariously numerous times. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously – a little fiction goes a long ways to lighten the mood a little.
While more of the content mocks the silly conclusions of left-wing politics in matters of state, justice, economics, and such, the right-wing theories of national morality are not spared a few chapters of mockingly simple logic lessons.
While I’m risking making this novel sound like a political spiel written by some middle ground political agnostic, the book is really a folkish romp filled with tall tales, not political commentary. The subtle (and not-so-subtle) hints at politics, spirituality, and economics are masterfully crafted in a way to cause the reader to stop and think, but also to laugh.
As fun as this novel is, the core point (as I interpreted it) is actually a serious one: we can all get along regardless of our political, social, or spiritual views. That being said, for as much as I enjoyed this book of tall tales and silly but thought-provoking anecdotes, I was disappointed in a few portions of the narrative.
First, a caution. Four uses of “h-ll”, the use of “b-tch” and “-ss” in the context of the animals they originally stood for, one or two blasphemous uses of God’s name, and some vulgar/crude words and comments highlighted during what sounded like a pro-choice march may be enough to suggest this as reading material suited more for older teens or adults.
Second, the main difficulty I had with this book was the inclusion of issues of sexuality, as well as the seeming lack of respect for God and the Christian religion. Travels in the womb of a pregnant mother and a visit to a children’s story hour with a drag queen guest both left me feeling uncomfortable and somewhat surprised. There were also two hints at the potentially sexual adventures of the illustrious Baron. A discussion with a preacher in the midst of a tornado also left me with a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth.
All in all, while this was a hilarious romp that I enjoyed, I recommend taking a minute to consider the less savory portions of this book. What felt like a mostly right-leaning comedy sketch about America, made me wonder how a lack of moral emphasis could shape current and future generations. It may or may not be your next favorite read.
**This review was first featured at Reedsy. You can see that review HERE. I was provided with a free copy of this book to write a review.
