Any Megg, Mogg, & Owl fans?
Simon Hanselmann published a new book this month, Werewolf Jones and Sons Deluxe Summer Fun Annual. I'm curious if anyone has read it or is planning to.
I'm a huge fan of the main entries in the MM&O series, but have been a bit disappointed with the recent spinoffs. Crisis Zone was a lot of fun and captured the mood of the pandemic really well in the first half, but felt like it jumped the shark a bit too much towards the end. Below Ambition is the only book by Hanselmann that I thought was downright not good. There are no interesting stories or redeeming humorous moments, just characters repetitively acting obnoxious. I had to force myself through it.
I've seen a few mixed reviews of Werewolf Jones and Sons on Amazon and Goodreads that raise similar complaints- that it relies too much on shock value without any underlying substance. I like Werewolf Jones, but it seems like he is becoming more and more of a caricature relying on cheap gross-outs (one reviewer called out Flanderization which I thought was apt). I think I might skip this one unless I hear otherwise.
I'm still all in for the next mainline entry in the series. I definitely want to see the resolution to the more dramatic elements that were left hanging (ex. Megg's relationship with her mom, Mogg's insecurities, the return of Owl). I definitely need some plot progression and character development to balance out all of the hedonistic debauchery.
Would love to hear what anyone else thinks about the series.
Yes! I'm a huge fan!
But I have largely the same feelings as you. I liked the beginning of crisis zone, especially following it live on Instagram and having all the timely jokes (Animal Crossing, BLM protests, etc) but the whole Netflix show thing just got increasingly more stupid. I was actually really surprised in the positivie reception it got.
I was also really disappointed in Below Ambition, especially since I really enjoyed all the previous stories about Megg and WWJ playing in their band. It just was neither funny not insightful.
Bad Gateway was amazing though, so I'm holding out hope that the next serious story will be a return form.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one! Especially with Crisis Zone, I was very surprised recently to see that it's the highest rated book in the series on a few sites and was being recommended as an entry point for new readers. Even Below Ambition has generally respectable reviews. Welp, here's to hoping that there's a contiuation of Bad Gateway's story soon.