That Is All

De: John Hodgman

Narrado por: John Hodgman

Duración: 16 h y 37 m

Resumen del Editor

Audie Award Nominee, Multi-Voiced Performance, 2013

John Hodgman - best-selling author, The Daily Show's "Resident Expert", minor television celebrity, and deranged millionaire - brings us the third and final installment in his trilogy of Complete World Knowledge.

In 2005, Dutton published The Areas of My Expertise, a handy little book of Complete World Knowledge, marked by the distinction that all of the fascinating trivia and amazing true facts were completely made up by its author, John Hodgman. At the time, Hodgman was merely a former literary agent and occasional scribbler of fake trivia. In short: a nobody.

But during an interview on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, an incredible transformation occurred. He became a famous minor television personality. You may ask: During his whirlwind tornado ride through the high ether of minor fame and outrageous fortune, did John Hodgman forget how to write books of fake trivia? The answer is: Yes. Briefly. But soon, he remembered!

And so he returned, crashing his Kansas farmhouse down upon the wicked witch of ignorance with More Information than You Require, a New York Times best seller containing even more mesmerizing and essential fake trivia, including seven hundred mole-man names (and their occupations).

And now, John Hodgman completes his vision with That Is All, the last book in a trilogy of Complete World Knowledge. Like its predecessors, That Is All compiles incredibly handy made-up facts into brief articles, overlong lists, and beguiling narratives on new and familiar themes. It picks up exactly where More Information left off - specifically, at page 596 - and finally completes Complete World Knowledge, just in time for the return of Quetzalcoatl and the end of human history in 2012.

16 Hours. Read by Dick Cavett, Patton Oswalt, Jon Hamm, Paul Rudd, Sarah Vowell, Brooke Shields, Scott Adsit, Robin Goldwasser, Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, Rachel Maddow, Wyatt Cenac, Stephen Fry, Paul F. Tompkins, and Prominent Ragnarok Denier Dr. Elliott Kalan.

Music by Jonathan Coulton, John Roderick, John Flansburgh, John Darnielle, and Cynthia Hopkins.

©2012 John Hodgman (P)2012 Penguin Audio

That Is All

That is all I needed because that is all it needed to be. thank you

The joke is on you: this book is a dare...

Do you accept the challenge? Keep in mind that this is nearly 17 hours of your life you will never get back!

As a fan of John Hodgman's first book, "The Areas of My Expertise" (which is, after all, my favourite audiobook -- period), I felt compelled to both begin and complete this book, even after the disappointment that his second book, "More Information Than You Require", proved to be. Nobody warned me!

Don't get me wrong. There are some bright spots in both the second book and in this third as well, but they are increasingly marginalized amid hours of remarkably unfunny material which fills the rest. I have to give it 3 stars overall because there are some gems in here and some fantastic performances, but I feel somewhat guilty doing so.

Alas, Hodgman is a comedic genius and wordsmith. But what happened here? Like Lucas and the Wachowskis before him, maybe he set the bar too high with "Expertise" and just ran out of good ideas. I know all the jokes and punchlines already, but I still find myself laughing out loud every time -- sometimes in anticipation of a joke I know is coming! Read, listen, or otherwise consume the first book, but steer clear of the rest of the series. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

AMAZING

Where does That Is All rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the best. Certainly some of the best comedy.

What other book might you compare That Is All to and why?

The audiobook for More Information Than You Require is of the same amazing style as this. The original Areas of My Expertise is read in more of a straight style, but still is great.

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

See above.

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

Laughter. Out loud. Multiple times.

Hodgman Never Disappoints

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. It's hilarious, bizarre...and, at times, even poignant.

What was one of the most memorable moments of That Is All?

Just one? Try "Today in Ragnarok."

What about John Hodgman’s performance did you like?

The entire cast was amazing. Hodgman almost requires a partner whom he can "educate" on all things falsely historical.

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

Laugh. Do not listen to this in public. You will randomly burst into giggles and people will think you are insane.

Worth every minute

What did you love best about That Is All?

Having read all three books of world knowledge, I wasn't certain if I would be immune to a rereading, but the presentation was more than I could have dreamed for. Full of celebrity cameos and random happenstance, even the tables in the book (something I couldn't imagine being read aloud to me in an interesting manner) were hilarious and captivating. More than a reading, its an interpretation, and a well performed piece of art.

What was one of the most memorable moments of That Is All?

My favorite moment came during the second part (of three) while speaking with Jonathon Coulton. Following the discussion of geists that are not "polter", and preceding the decoding of Coulton's dreams, John tells us about EVP (electronic voice phenomenon) and we get to listen to an EVP of Marlon Brando discussing muffins. I started laughing hysterically in the middle of office. Outstanding.

Which character – as performed by John Hodgman – was your favorite?

Well, he plays the deranged millionaire throughout, but I'd have to say his one upping with John Rodderick about Americana culture and tourist traps was the height of the elitist character.

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

All of it.

Any additional comments?

Even if you've read the book, or all the books, this is many many hours of enjoyable listening, and not just a straight reading of the insanity of John's mind.

Great start, slow middle, bloody long finish...

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The first part of this story was brilliant. The references were funny but.... towards the middle where it jumps into a short story not associated with the actual story, the enjoyment factor started to plummet...

I would certainly listen to the first half but maybe skip the second.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

Made the second half more like the first...

Wonderfully comic rantings of a sick mind

Mr. Hodgeman has a knack for making up silliness and sharing it with us, his minions.

Great Highs, Weird Lows

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend at least two thirds of this book to a friend, which by itself is easily worth one credit.

If you’ve listened to books by John Hodgman before, how does this one compare?

Not as strong overall as the first two books in the series.

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

The performances by Hodgman, and a cast of others is great as always.

Any additional comments?

This book has some hilarious parts, but suffers in a few areas. First Jonathan Coulton is only in it a short while, which is a bummer, but his part of the book is at least one of the high points. Second the book delves into an oddly depressing, short, autobiographical section that felt kinda out of place, and sort of killed the mood for a while. Third, the 700 X section of this book (700 hobos, and 700 molemen in the previous book) is about one and a half hours of John Hodgman speaking backwards over a music track. Even when I found a youtube video of someone who had kindly reversed the audio to make it understandable, the music kinda drowns out his voice. It's a real bummer that I can't bring myself to listen to it, because I bet it was pretty funny. I'm sure some might appreciate the humor of reversing the names of these 700 dark gods, but I can't imagine even they would sit through that entire section of the book. I have to imagine the book doesn't suffer from this problem, but I could be wrong.

The best one out of the 3

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is by far the best entertainment i have in audio format. It is the best out of the 3, it's like he perfected his performance throughout the books. Must listen!

What was one of the most memorable moments of That Is All?

The jock story involving snowballs! True nerdom

What about John Hodgman’s performance did you like?

his comedic style is very much in tune with my own.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way! Way too long and i wanted to last as long as possible! i listened to it while i drove. It was great!

Any additional comments?

I hope you do more Judge John Hodgman! Maybe a JJHO audiobook!

Doesn't Translate From Text To Audio

Is there anything you would change about this book?

I'd like to first state that John Hodgman is my all-time favorite author. Unfortunately the text from this book just doesn't translate well into an audio format. The content is still all there but there is something that is somehow lost while listening to to book. I HIGHLY reccomend READING this book but I'd pass on checking out the audiobook.