Skip to content

Pirate Therapy: Reviews

Selected Reviews of Pirate Therapy and Other Cures

Here are a few reviews that haven’t turned up on the Amazon or Goodreads pages yet. Though if you’re still doubtful after reading these, you should check out those reviews too. They all have something to offer!

“The world could be a very much different place with a few alterations. The quality of the change is up to the reader to decide. “Pirate Therapy” is a collection of short stories from Mark A. Rayner as he presents many intriguing scenarios of the world gone awry. From problems of time travel, to the publicity problems of the Gods themselves and more, “Pirate Therapy” is a humorous and fun read that those seeking a good dose of comedy should love.”

~Midwest Book Review, June 2012

“Mark Rayner is a genius! No, wait. Maybe not genius. Mark Rayner is hilarious! Much better. Well, maybe more like mostly hilarious partial genius. Yeah, that works. Needless to say, I really enjoy his writing. And thanks to his generosity, he emailed me and asked me if I would like to receive a copy of his new book to read and review. Yeah, that’s like asking a Red Wings’ fan if he’s interested in a ticket to a playoff game. DUH!”

~Scott F, The Scooter Chronicles

“With his last offering, the primate-pungentMarvellous Hairy: A Novel in Five Fractals, Rayner established himself as a premium humourist, but perhaps it is his newest book that can be considered the official coronation of his satirical esprit. This collection of ”˜squibs’ (defined in a motley of ways, including a short satirical lampoon) are certainly nothing to ”˜squibble’ over: anyone who can use anthropophagy and coulrophobia in a sentence and make it funny deserves the literary equivalent of an Oscar.”

~Kane Faucher, Western News, Read All Over Reviews [bottom of page]

“Mr. Rayner brings us wit, sarcasm, and a slightly deranged view of the world, as he sees it, in Pirate Therapy and Other Cures. From “wrap rage” which is “the rising anger and dementia that you feel when you are unable to open the shiny new thing you have just purchased” (e.g., CD’s) to the “Thomas Kincaid Pop-up Christmas Tree and Santa Virus Dispenser” (which helps to increase holiday sales) there is no limit to Mr. Rayner’s comic genius. Most of the vignettes are 2-3 pages, so this is light reading at its best. Satirical and sharp, entertaining and whimsical, Pirate Therapy is a collection of gems that will cure what ails you, or at least keep you entertained while you recuperate.”

~Literary R&R

“In this collection of essays, fake e-mails, letters, advice column Q&As, and other snippets of life on the edge, we are given a look at what it must be like to be a skit comedy writer.  Answering questions that are never asked, and taking on topics that are never discussed, this is a collection that will have you laughing out loud and thinking of one word: irreverent.  If you never really knew what the word meant, this book provides a perfect definition.”

~Jaime Hypes, LL Book Review

“You should stop what you are doing and go and grab a copy of “Pirate Therapy and Other Cures” by Mark Rayner.  Like right now.”

~Zogworld

“In a collection of short stories, essays, and flash fiction, Rayner fits himself snugly into the eternally off-kilter worlds of Monty Python, The Goon Squad, and Douglas Adams. In Rayner’s warped imagination, Jesus contends with dinosaurs, Batman reveals a bout of insecurity, an alien overlord mans an advice column, and Anne of Green Gables eventually destroys the world. If one story doesn’t tickle your fancy, the next one will. As with Monty Python’s television series, I advise reading only a few stories at a time, as the non-stop punnery can be overwhelming, and taking pauses to savour Rayner’s sardonic wit is a pleasure.”

~Corey Redekop, author of Shelf Monkey and Husk, at Shelf Monkey

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.