The Roaches Have No King

by Daniel Evan Weiss

Book Overview

When Ira Fishblatt's girlfriend, Ruth Grubstein, moves into his apartment, he has his kitchen renovated to make her feel at home. She is tickled pink, but hundreds of other houseguests aren't - the cockroaches who'd been living well, before they were boarded in and starved out. Famine slowly drives them into a frenzy, until one of them comes up with a plan. With the unwitting help of the local cocaine dealer, they'll encourage a romance between Ira...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1852423269
• ISBN13: 9781852423261
• Release Date: May 2000
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Funny and Clever

While this novel may not be for everyone (be warned that there are some quite graphic descriptions of bodily functions, human sexual activity, and insect sexual activity), this is perhaps the cleverest book I've read in a very long time. It is funny, touching, and memorable.The protagonist, a cockroach named Numbers, has big plans. He wants to get Ira Fishblatt's very messy girlfriend to come back to the apartment ... so that the plentiful food will return with her. He has a problem, though, because the strength and longevity of his species derives from their inherent lack of cooperative effort. The title is their best attribute: their selfishness is their strength.Hilarity ensues as Numbers' plans hit a variety of snags, and I found myself rooting for this very unusual insect. It is a well-written novel, and the pages fly by. If you have the stomach for it, this makes for a different and interesting reading experience.

Simultaneously Disgusting and fascinating. Loved it!

This is one of the best books I've read in a long while. A phenomenal satire. Mr. Weiss was able to hold the proper character tone/perspective throughout the entire book, which is written, unbelievably, from a cockroach's point of view. Not for the squeemish, but for any one with an open mind, it is an EXCELLENT read!.

One of the few books Ive read over and over.

I bought this book years ago, and have ended up reading it year after year. In England it was published under a different title:- Unnatural Selection, I recommend it utterly if you want to smile throughout a book. Thank God we have few roaches in this country!

Satire with a sense of creativity and enlightenment

This book expands perspective, gives a smile, and creates dark humor at its best - without bording on the macabe. The best "blind" book choice I have done in over five years.