Who needs humanity when you got everything else you could want? Marvellous Hairy tells the story of Nick Motbot, a novelist who finds his DNA being tampered with and has seemed to enjoy monkeying around more appealing than it once was. With much humor and an absurdist tint on many ideas, Mark Rayner presents a novel where humanity is optional, raging against the machine is a good idea, and the upsides of life as a lower primate. Marvellous Hairy is a top pick for any humorous fiction collection, highly recommended.

Midwest Book Review

Mark A. Rayner is an author with a fantastical sense of humor and a dangerous imagination. Part big corporation take-down, part scientific bizarro experimentation, this novel is perfect for fans of the strange and unlikely!

The Next Best Book Club

Marvellous Hairy is a weird little beast, a blending of the anything-for-a-laugh mentality of Douglas Adams with the experimental abandon of early Philip K. Dick. Is it satire? Science fiction? A piercing exploration into the nature of being? Good-natured sex romp? Mark's publisher has labeled Marvellous Hairy as being Fabulist Satire, which is as good a way as any to say that categorizing Mark is a near-hopeless task.

--Corey Redekop, Author of Shelf Monkey
Read the full review at his website.

Marvellous Hairy has so many story lines that they almost appear stream-of-consciousness, but are actually well-thought out and cohesive. Rayner’s prose is succinct and exudes humor and wit that only comes with real talent and careful planning—he isn’t just throwing a bunch of one-liners on the page, each sentence has meaning and purpose; and the fact that he gets a laugh for it is just a bonus.

Book Fetish

...it is such a bizarre barrel of works that you can't help but have fun reading it."

--Phronk.com

Marvellous Hairy is a satire of modern corporatism seen through the eyes of London writer, Mark A. Rayner. Between conversing with ghosts, exploring the subconscious and falling in love, Rayner’s unique tapestry of characters expose the hare-brained psyche of the modern man.

Lampooning what is otherwise the tragedy of present-day capitalism, the novel weaves a narrative around Gargantuan Enterprises, a wretched corporation run by CEO Ted Shute. When he isn’t busy philandering and belittling employees, Shute oversees the alteration of DNA and manipulation of weather for profitable ends. … While the deeper themes are apparent for those who care to find them, Marvellous Hairy is mainly a satire — a snap to read and enjoyable at that.

--Stuart A. Thompson, The Beat Magazine

...a thoroughly modern tale of genetics, marketing, sex and pheremones that still somehow feels as familiar as any classic fairy tale.

--F. W. Brewer
Read the full review on Amazon or Goodreads.

… Rayner proves to be a masterful story weaver with a gifted imagination, and a remarkable wit. If that’s not enough, a deep social conscience lies beneath it all. Those qualities combined provide for an exciting, hilarious and ultimately fulfilling reading experience. Just don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt.

--Calvin Chayce
Read the full review on Goodreads.

...filled with humor, albeit a little off the beaten path, but it will nevertheless hold your attention; if for no other reason than to satisfy your curiosity about where is this all heading. The only way to find out is to "Release the Monkey!

J. Guild, Top 500 Reviewer on Amazon.com

Marvellous Hairy is a funny, engaging novel about serious issues but it is never in danger of becoming didactic or angry – Rayner manages to walk this line with skill and with, I would imagine, a smile on his face.

--Bookscout
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This an exaggeratedly simple way to put it, but Marvellous Hairy made me smile and think--and there isn't really much that'll make you do that, anywhere.

--Kyle Muntz, Variations (On Phase) Read the full review: Quick Words on Digressive Genetics, Evil Capitalists and Mark A. Rayner

All in all, this is a hilarious romp that comes to a screeching halt with a satisfactory ending. Marvellous Hairy is a well-written book with an original plot and great bursts of humor and action.

--Betty L. Dravis, Amazon.com Top 1000 Reviewer
You can read the full review at Amazon.com.

If you're a fan of Canadian humor, monkeys, lizards, sex, monkey sex, lizard sex, Shakespeare, satire, crime fiction, eccentric characters, ensemble comedies, or all of the above (as I am) then "Marvellous Hairy" is a book for you-oo-oo-oo!

--Nicklaus Louis, on Amazon.com

The book has been labeled as part of the Fabulist Satire movement. I have not a clue what that really means, but I know satire. I have experienced it before. Three of the most entertaining books I have read were satire. I now have a fourth.

--Scott Fabirkiewicz, The Scooter Chronicles
Read the full review: "Marvellous Hairy"

Rayner accomplishes something that not enough writers do: Each character has his or her own distinct voice. Each person in the book could communicate the exact same piece of information, but each would do it with their own personal vocabulary of phrases. I love it. Why every writer doesn’t do this, I will never know. The characters, as a result, are all believable as people.

--Liz Cole, The Productive Cough
Read the full review: at The Productive Cough

Marvellous Hairy is an odd book. Starts out odd, moves to a little bit odder, retains some of that oddness throughout the middle and ends happily ever after, a little oddly. Wonderfully odd. Bizarre even. Think Christopher Moore, think Chuck Palahniuk- although not quite as disgusting as Palahniuk.

--Zoe Right,
Read the full review at: Zoe Reads

An enjoyable book, with a likable main character and several laugh-out-loud moments. The ensemble cast of eccentric characters reminded me a bit of some of Philip Dick's work, particularly Through a Scanner Darkly."'

--Rob Kroese, Author of Mercury Falls