Book Reviews - EARTHLINGS by Phil Growick

Posted by Steve Emecz on February 26, 2024

EARTHLINGS is best viewed in colour digital format on an iPad, Kindle Fire or Samsung Galaxy Tab or similar and is now available on Kindle USA, Kindle UK, Kindle Canada and all Amazon sites and soon in other digital formats.

The Audio version also includes the amazing visuals as an included PDF.

You can also read some of the EARTHLINGS on Phil's blog - Phil's Earthlings.

Brian Williams, TV Producer/Director, Brian Williams Television, Inc.

I’ve known the author of EARTHLINGS for more than 30 years. Always found him to be a good conversationalist with a slightly twisted sense of humor. Clearly, I never really got to know Phil Growick. After reading EARTHLINGS, I will tread lightly around the author when we next meet…

His bizarre, yet brilliant command of the English language is on display with every page. Well, not every page…some pages have just numbers, and not actually on display, that’s what the farcically imaginative AI pictures are for. But I digress…

EARTHLINGS is a collection of quick paced absurd short stories, describing even absurder imaginative characters and accompanied by even absurderer illustrations of each. Seriously, the artwork is outrageous and outstanding.

As I read on, I began to wonder where the author gained his inspiration for these tales. As Boss Nilch (page 34) offers “he’s got guts to put this stuff out”, or like Mangus Flobore experienced (page 76) “his mother must have dropped him on his head” (more than once!).

These are a few of my favorite EARTHLINGS characters, along with…

Trills Bowman (a carrot) and Joan Freen (a young tomato, of course) and the story of their love and cross-pollination in Farmer Grulls garden. Not your “garden variety” romantic story.

Zitchie Poo, “Bitchy Zitchie” to his enemies, who went from poor immigrant to bargain basement gigolo to opening the world’s largest beauty salon. Haven’t we all been there?

And, Marvin Shtup, whose life ambition was to name great motion pictures. I’ve seen everyone of his titles including Gone With the Breeze, Queen Kong, Some Like it Warm, and Fiddler on the Verandah. Haven’t you?

Read EARTHLINGS at your own risk. Like me, you might enjoy it…as long as you can’t relate to it.
And if you meet the author (at a book signing or gin mill), tread lightly…you might make EARTHLINGS 2!

Susan Dougherty, Retired Art Teacher, Realtor

"EARTHLINGS" is both a creative & hysterically funny story book. The AI characters are amazing. As an artist I have a special appreciation for the creative genius who developed them. Phil Growick! Laugh, read & figure out the pun-ish names & enjoy!

David Baldwin, Author The Belief Economy

Do you like Jazz? Phil Growick has pulled off the ultimate solo gig where he riffs language like Bird worked his horn. We know Growick from his excellent mantle carrying for Doyle by bringing Sherlock Holmes into a more modern context. But with Earthlings you get the sense Growick is just saying, “Watch what I can do with words.” Or maybe, “listen” is more appropriate because if you read some of these stories aloud they’re even funnier. Where else are you going to find sentences like: “Shvesteh Esther began her life in the tiny Polish shtetel of Oy Gevalt, a tad north of the tiny Polish shtetel of Shweig Shayne.” found in a chapter called “Shvesteh Esther” about a woman named Sister Esther living in a Jewish village placed there by a Pope (Loquacious XII, if you must know) to be part of a Sisterhood but she in reality turns out to be a Druid. Or Druish, as Growick points out. Earthlings is chock full of this fun with AI illustrations to boot that ratchet the absurdity up to at least Kafka. Highly recommended fun.

Steve Harsnett, President. Aesthetic Technologies of Florida

"Earthlings" by Phil Growick is a madcap journey through the absurdity of human existence, taking readers on a zany ride filled with a cast of eccentric characters and bizarre scenarios that never fail to entertain. Growick's writing is not only hysterical, but it also manages to be deeply insightful as it pokes fun at the quirks and idiosyncrasies of humanity. The AI generated images tickle the imagination and further enhance each storyline."

Steve Herczeg (Australian Sherlockian Author)

What an astounding and, to be perfectly honest, completely nutty collection of short biographies and stories of residents of the planet Earth.

The focus isn’t on well-known Earthlings but on the miasma of strange, offbeat and downright eccentric people that inhabit this world, or at least the author’s imagination.

Growick tells each tale with his tongue planted firmly in his cheek. His humour is wacky, sitting somewhere amongst the styles of Douglas Adams, Monty Python and the Young Ones. His wordplay is a must-read in itself, with each expression offering him a chance to deviate on a tangent with yet another chance to take the reader down a rabbit hole of puns and witticisms.

I read the updated A.I. version, which includes artwork created specifically for each story by an artificial intelligence art engine. Sadly, the name of the AI engine isn’t included (author's note, it was Midjourney). The pictures themselves are exquisite and add an extra level of mastery to each little tale.

Magnus Flobore - EARTHLINGS #28

Earthlings is an easy, and fast read. This reviewer downloaded the book on Friday night, and by Sunday had easily finished off all the little tales, leaving him with a wish for more of these ludicrous stories, and a strange aversion to a place called Mt. Blap, and to garbage trucks.

Eyephone Fran - EARTHLINGS #33

Rick MorrisAsst. Chief of Police, West Palm Beach

"Earthlings is a highly animated master piece. The author is genius in his projection of creativity which catches and stimulates the imagination. The story form keeps an addictive flow and compels the reader to move on to the next story line. Kudos to the author who has brought back the lost art of stimulating the imagination."

Maureen Taylor

"What intricate, complicated and completely off the wall imagination!!! Wholly bonkers ? brain, but very very clever. Who else other than Phil Growick could write such hilarious stories and dream up such totally weird characters!! Love the stories, laughed and laughed!!"

Dean Wilkinson (TV comedy writer who has worked with Stephen Fry, Hugh Laurie, Harry Hill)

"I'm looking at it, and it's very good, very Douglas Adams / Hitchhikers."

EARTHLINGS is also available in print (though the images aren't as impressive) available from this site right now for pre-publication copies and pre-order via Amazon USA, Barnes and Noble, Amazon UK and all good bookstores.

You can also read some of the EARTHLINGS on Phil's blog - Phil's Earthlings.

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