Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain

By: A. Lee Martinez

Narrated by: Scott Aiello

Length: 7 hrs and 21 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

Loved it, fun like cheesy sci-fi movie

What did you love best about Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain?

Cheesy like classic Dr Who episodes. A brain in an exosuit, pet giant centipede, bird body guard.

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

No, I don't believe I have.

A blander Rick & Morty adventure feel.

This totally reminded me of some of the Rick and Morty adventures. It follows a sorta familiar path of a crazy genius and his simpleton sidekick getting into some zany shenanigans and casually avoiding world ending events or death with subdued reaction from dealing with it all the time.

It was fine though. I felt like it was fun but not funny. Like it was trying really hard to get funny but it didn't pull off jokes as well. The zanyness was definitely there but maybe could have taken it farther for some comedic relief at some point.

It tonely didn't change at all throughout the entire book which kinda made it feel flat and overly consistently straight. It would have been nice to have some variety with changes in tone or even moments of actual risk. Risk all felt sorta nonexistent the same way Rick makes dangerous situations nonexistent because he will always smart his way out of it.

The story was incredibly simple and the focus was definitely more on action packed moments and the attempts at humor. The plot got numbingly stale after a while when it felt like it was at a snails crawl from not enough plot points moving it forward. I was getting so bored constantly with the same tone in the plot just not going anywhere. When it did go somewhere it always found a way to still not feel like progress.

I really wish I DNF'd this book. I just wasn't satisfied with much of it. It's definitely closer to a 3 star book then a 2. It's not a 2 star book because it did read easily and felt alive and well written to describe action scene to action scene but the characters felt too dead and the plot was not fun enough to be a 4 star. It was remarkably average.

An average unfunny Rick & Morty style adventure.

Enjoyed the journey more than the destination

I enjoyed listening to this story. This was a good sci-fi spoof from the super villains point of view. The narrator was outstanding. The ending was a bit of a let down. I'm going to listen to some other books by this author and see what else this narrator has read that I would enjoy listening to.

Zapohod Beeblebrox meets Spaceman Spiff

If the author didn't get his inspiration from Douglas Adams and Calvin and Hobbes, at least it was a happy accident that led him down many of the same paths. The author jettisons all pretext of following hard science and just makes a fun story with the crazy things we wanted science to be in our 5 year old minds.

the Narrator is perfect, and left me wondering if I would have liked the story nearly as much had he not been along for the ride.

Constant Smart Fun

Would you consider the audio edition of Emperor Mollusk Versus the Sinister Brain to be better than the print version?

Although I have not read the print edition, I think this is a book that lends itself well to the audiobok format, and specifically to the talents of this narrator. The story is a travelogue of sorts, and as such there is a constant array of new characters to keep up with. The narrator's distinct voices were a charming surprise as we met each new race and being.

What did you like best about this story?

The wide variety of locales and individual faith systems which allowed the main characters to examine and discuss different ways of viewing the world. They were also funny, both in the unique ways in which they were brought to life, and the delightful B-movie shlock that clearly served as their inspiration.

A three-eyed psychic T-Rex! The overly litigious lost city of Atlantis! Giant ants invade the heartland!

Which scene was your favorite?

About 3/4 of the way through the story, the main characters visit an underground city of evolved worms who have no concept of life outside their cave. Their gleeful ignorance is hilarious, and I found myself doubled over at most of their answers to the visitor's questions.

It managed to be both a cool way of describing conversation between faith and evidence, and miscommunication comedy in the best tradition of Faulty Towers.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It definitely made me laugh out loud at a number of points, and the entire time I was listening to it I was enjoying myself immensely.

Any additional comments?

The narrator is great. I'm not sure this is a book I would have read, or even have listened to if it had been read differently. He made the wit sparkle, the action snap, and the few poignant moments hang. A great summer read, and one that I will recommend to my friends. Almost a must-listen for fans of old sci-fi and MST3K.

My Fave Audio book so far

I have listened to this book 5-6 times now and it never gets old. For the majority, I would prefer to read a book vs listen to one. I prefer that my imagination give the characters a voice and a bad narrator can ruin a fantastic story. Emperor Mollusk is the exception rather than the rule.

Scott Aielo does a fantastic job voicing all the characters in this book and his range is impressive. Apart from the main character and main character's body guard, there is a large cast of varied characters in this book and his interpretations of what a venutian or saturnian rock man or immortal queen are spot on.

Because of the excellent voice work combined with an entertaining story which is pretty great by the way, action, sci Fi, space, mad scientist, etc..., this is the first book I've listened to that I am certain in preferable as an audio book vs a paper one.

Silly Big Fun

Any additional comments?

Way over the top, but if you can let go and get into it, you will have a fun ride. Imagine a really campy sci-fi movie, or several of them stuck together back to back. I found it got a little repetitive, and the ending was guessed well ahead of time, but the entertaining imagination of the author drew me through those faults.

Funny and brilliant story I want more

Bought this on a whim on a sale, so glad I did. Scott Aiello did a really god job bringing the story to life, with great timing and voice job. The story is well rounded, plays fast and is really funny. I hope this is the first in a series.

Scott Aiello and A Lee Martinez - Killer Combo

I absolutely adore this book - may have listened to it over 50 times already

Fun adventure in great, pulp scifi world

Which character – as performed by Scott Aiello – was your favorite?

Emperor Mollusk. Mr Aiello's voice suited him very well.

Any additional comments?

The story was an enjoyable adventure mystery. The characters were interesting, odd, and fun. The world (our solar system) was a wonderfully retro pulp scifi with races for every planet (and some moons). And the narrator was one of the best I've heard and fit the book very well. I really want more adventures in this universe!