Mother Puncher

by Gina Ranalli

The world has become tragically over-populated and while the government hasn't completely outlawed procreation, it strongly opposes and discourages it in what it considers to be a perfectly humane... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1933929170
• ISBN13: 9781933929170
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Afterbirth Books
• Length: 120 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 8.5" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

A Book That Will Punch You In The Gut

Ed Means is just an average joe, trying to do his job. But when you live in a world where the government dicourages pro-creation, and your job is to do the dicouraging, well, life can be hard. You see, Ed is a Mother Puncher. It's his job to "punish" people who choose to have children in an overpopulated world. Ed isn't a vicious man, just a man doing his duty. With a bitter wife, protesters that think Ed is the one who should be punished, and "bounty punchers" out there punching for fun and profit, Ed's life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Mother Puncher by Gina Ranalli is the first bizarro book I read, and a wonderful introdution to a great genre. The writing is clean, and the ideas, though strange, make sense in context. The character of Ed is very sympathetic; an everyman who is easy to identify with. Ed is one of the most well-rounded people I have had the pleasure of meeting. Even the minor characters are fully-fleshed, making the world feel real. This is a quick read, but the depth of the story will stay with you. Funny and poignant, Mother Puncher is a wonderful book, by a wonderful author. You could do worse than reading this book, but you would be hard pressed to do much better.

Punch me Silly!

In a near-future that's slightly over-populated, having children isn't illegal, but is strongly discouraged by the government. Expecting mothers know that the birth of their child will only be the first step in the child-birthing pain; the second is a vist by a "Mother Puncher," a U.S. government employee who visits hospitals to punch new-mom's in the face as enticement to have no more children. Ed, a former heavyweight boxing champion, works at a local hospital as a Mother Puncher, and eventually begins to doubt the government's methods, especially as daily protests make it harder and harder to do his job MOTHER PUNCHER is another quick read from Gina Ranalli, and despite its bizarre concept, may be one of the more accessible bizarro titles I've read yet. By keeping the story as normal as can be, Ranalli creates a world that, despite its strangeness, could actually come to be. The ending brings to mind the seldom-seen 70's schlocker DON'T LOOK IN THE BASEMENT, and a few of the post-birth scenes are disturbingly funny.

It Will Smack You Right in the Eye and Touch Your Heart

I've been reading a lot of Gina Ranalli's books lately. This is the latest one I've read. Every single book of hers is excellent. I'm never good with picking favorites, anyway. It's a happy handicap when it comes to Ms. Ranalli's body of work. MOTHER PUNCHER is yet another excellent story from the genius mind of Gina Ranalli. The story is set in a dystopian alternate reality. Maybe just the future, but I like to think of our future as not turning out this way. In this world, Ed is a Mother Puncher. It is his job to punch women who've just given birth (and their spineless husbands if he can catch them) in the face to discourage new mothers from "doing something so stupid as getting pregnant again". Ed doesn't like his job, but it's what he's got. As always, though the world Ms. Ranalli creates is insane, she puts the reader into the story in an eloquent, easy way. You're immersed so completely in her world that you hardly realize how crazy it is. It's like a symphony. Ed's world is distasteful. It's sad. And it's falling apart. His security proves insecure. Love in Ed's world proves to be as fickle as his boxing career. And maybe, it turns out, punching women for getting pregnant isn't the answer to the "problems" of the System... There's good, there's evil, and there's the grayness that is reality. If you're looking for beautiful writing about real world problems, personal growth, understanding, and revelations, all mixed up in an interesting and strangely possible universe, read MOTHER PUNCHER (or anything by Gina Ranalli).

Mother Punching Good Time

You might not know who Gina Ranalli is but you will soon. She has written several novellas and numerous short stories but so far has only had a limited cult following. Closely associated with the bizarro community, her latest novella from Afterbirth books, "Mother Puncher", has gotten the wider horror scene buzzing and for good reason. She has written a dark and twisted social satire that stands high above the genre completion. The world is suffering a population problem; there are too many people and not enough resources. To discourage reproduction the government has resorted to creative problem solving. Which is where Ed Means comes in. He is a Mother Puncher. It is his job to give mothers (and fathers when they are around) a good punch right after their child's birth so they remember not to spawn again. To tell any more would spoil the story's many twists and turns. This is not your standard horror tale. The closest one gets to a monster is government policies. The darkness of the storyline, however, will make this slim volume feel right a home in any collection of weird fiction. Ranalli paints a world on the brink of collapse, where the most absurd solutions seem rational. The horror genre has always easily lent itself to social and political commentary. Through it, talented writers can play with and comment on the darker side of human nature. Following in the footsteps of H. G. Wells and Bentley Little, Ranalli has crafted a tale commenting on gender, the birth industry, and an individual's right to determine their own destiny. These are heavy topics to be dealing with and there is always the danger of a writer losing sense of their story for the sake of preaching to the audience. Fortunately, Ranalli avoids this and never loses sight of the story in the bigger issues with she is dealing. With the publication of "Mother Puncher" Ranalli has been receiving a lot of attention from the broader horror scene. She is currently working on several stories for a variety of publishers for the next year, so watch for her profile to continue to rise. Don't miss out on your chance to get in on this exciting talent while she is still relatively unknown.

Breeders beware...

(aka Ash Lomen) Gina Ranalli's work always has a distinctly sharp, extremely readable quality to it. She's funny and she doesn't waste words. Still I do wonder what exactly she's trying to say with her dystopian tale of a guy who's job is to discourage women from having babies by giving them a good punch in the mouth. The characters a clearly (almost brilliantly) defined... and I find myself really feeling for Ed (our "hero") as his world falls apart... but I feel I might also be missing something. What exactly is this book about? ...maybe it's about not dealing with women by hitting them in the face (sorry Grandpa, Dad, and Uncle Tommy) Maybe it's about the limits of government control? Maybe it's about ants and apples (still haven't figured that part out yet) Whatever it's ultimate meaning is... it sure was damn entertaining. And Johnny Cash rules!!!