Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Scott Aiello

Emperor Mollusk. Intergalactic Menace. Destroyer of Worlds. Conqueror of Other Worlds. Mad Genius. Ex-Warlord of Earth. Not bad for a guy without a spine. But what's a villain to do after he's done... everything.

With no new ambitions, he's happy to pitch in and solve the energy crisis or repel aliens invaders should the need arise, but if he had his way, he'd prefer to be left alone to explore the boundaries of dangerous science. Just as a hobby, of course. Retirement isn't easy though. If the boredom doesn't get him, there's always the Venusians. Or the Saturnites. Or the Mercurials. Or... well, you get the idea. If that wasn't bad enough, there's also the assassins of a legendary death cult and an up-and-coming megalomaniac (as brilliant as he is bodiless) who have marked Emperor for their own nefarious purposes.

But Mollusk isn't about to let the Earth slip out of his own tentacles and into the less capable clutches of another. So it's time to dust off the old death ray and come out of retirement. Except this time, he's not out to rule the world. He's out to save it from the peril of the Sinister Brain!

©2012 A. Lee Martinez (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Absolute Fun!

This book was so much fun to listen to. The narration is top-notch and really brings the story to life. One of A. Lee Martinez's best so far, second only to Divine Misfortune. I highly recommend, absolutely worth the credit.

Really like his stuff - want sequels

If you could sum up Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain in three words, what would they be?

Alot of fun

What did you like best about this story?

Honestly, the narrator.

Have you listened to any of Scott Aiello’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Haven't heard him before, but is very good.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really. I love the way the narrator expresses Emperor Mollusks disregard for others, to a point. I love it when his "guardian" says he should feel remorse for feeding the ruler to animals, and he says "Whoops. Sorry about that" and figures, it's done, why worry about it now. The lack of empathy is expressed, but with a lot of humor. You find yourself asking, yeah, what is the big deal.

Toying with the Tropes

This author has toyed with all the tropes of SciFi and come up with something somewhere between 1950's alien conquest literature and the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It makes for a fun romp that all can enjoy.

Wonderfully, delightfully absurd! All hail Emperor

This book was fun from start to finish! Martinez took our little solar system and jazzed it up, adding life to our neighboring planets/moons. The title character Lord Emperor Mollusk is a bit of an egotistical megalomaniac, but he’s got the brains to back it up. The world and characters are great fun. Scott Aiello did a perfect job with the narration of this tale. Aiello really brought Emperor Mollusk to life, overall his performance is brilliant!

fun and zanny

An amusing jaunt. very light with lots of wit. doesn't take itself to seriously. fun

Meh.

No fault on the author's part I guess. Some of the stories I have listened to were really funny and great to listen to. Others I have to admit left me scratching my head and wondering why I picked it in the first place. This one was one of those that left me scratching my head. Thought the description sounded pretty good, but I kept wandering off as I listened to the story. Not my sort of stuff anymore I guess.

Worth a listen

Great narrator.

Light hearted scifi adventure that will get you laughing.

Not mind blowing of course but an enjoyable ride.

A little disjointed

I have read or listened to all of A Lee Martinez's book up to this one and am a fan of his humor and use of cultural references.

I generally enjoyed the story, but the details fell a little flat and it was difficult to follow at times.

The overall plot was good though and if you're a fan well worth a listen.

Clever

This is something different. The performance is awesome and way to listen to. The story is a smart romp through sci-fi with a touch of satire to boot. I loved it.

Fun stuff!

When the opening scene had the protagonist battling his own clone, I knew I was going to like this one!