05 Worldwide Laff: Germany

My impression A totally crazy story! Three Homers and two Reginas, not to mention the kids. Once again, the author takes aim at science, this time at the depth psychology of Carl Gustav Jung. The archetype theory, already exploited countless times in science fiction, is taken to absurd extremes here. The funniest part: the kids don't bat an eye when Homer, the monster, tries to devour their mother. This act, which Regina finds exceptionally enjoyable, is perhaps the author's euphemism for extramarital sex. Even back in 1970, he probably wasn't allowed to write about it explicitly. And a green-skinned monster with tentacles is, of course, much funnier to describe as a lover . . . — Michael Matzer, review of R. A. Lafferty’s So frustrieren wir Karl den Großen. Erzählungen, Buchwurm.org, December 26, 2025. Translated from the German. (Buchwurm)