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I, Humpty

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I, Humpty is a collection of mock-tabloid satire marrying the reality of everyday life with popular elements from fairytales, folklore, and nursery rhymes. Rejoice with the Beast as Belle grants him permission to convert the den into a man-cave. Learn why the third little pig grows weary of his live-in brothers. Follow the courtroom drama of Rumpelstiltskin’s indictment in the Straw-To-Gold Scandal. I, Humpty covers all of these stories and more.

Praise for I, Humpty

“I, Humpty is a smart, laugh-out-loud spin on fairy tales in a modern setting. Not since 'Politically Correct Bedtime Stories’ have I enjoyed fairytale satire so much. Definitely a collection I'll be recommending and sharing with friends.”
-Jess E. Owen, author of the Summer King Chronicles

“The best collection of twisted fables around...”
-Ned Hickson, syndicated humor columnist at Siuslaw News

“Shocking, silly, and sometimes hitting closer to home than one would expect from stories begun in lands so far, far away, this is journalism that doesn’t flinch from the grimmer side of ‘once upon a time.’”
-Danielle E. Shipley, author of The Wilderhark Tales

“In I, Humpty, Wilder’s tenacious investigative reporting huffs, puffs, and blows the roof off the fairy tale world.”
-Jocelyn Koehler, author of The Nine Kingdoms Series

“Creative and quirky, Wilder presents an alternate universe that reminds us fairy tales never needed happy endings. His laugh-out-loud versions of the beloved stories we grew up on are irreverent in the best sense of the word and leave me pleading for a sequel.”
-Robin L. Flanigan, journalist

140 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2014

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About the author

Eric C. Wilder

2 books3 followers

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
Profile Image for Sarah LaFleur.
Author 6 books25 followers
October 8, 2014
I received I, HUMPTY by Eric C. Wilder in exchange for an honest review. This is less a book and more a collection of very short stories that parody Grimm’s fairytales. Wilder is known for this type of writing and you’ll need a firm grasp of the original stories as well as general knowledge of popular culture to catch all the puns. That said, I found myself stifling giggles throughout the manuscript.

The vignettes are written like tabloid blurbs with characters like Sleeping Beauty, Little Bunny Foo Foo, and of course, Humpty Dumpty. Most of this book is very clever, but there were two stand out pieces I’d like to mention. The first is Fountain of Hooch that reports on Leon Ponce’s disorderly conduct and resulting criminal charges. I particularly loved that he’s charged as a minor after drinking from his fabled fountain. The second is Zombie Crosses America’s Heartland for Hunger Awareness where the article chronicles a reanimated corpse attempting not to eat human brains. I re-read this one several times, dissolving in giggles with each pass.

Why four stars instead of five? While most of the pieces were funny, there were too many that left me groaning and rolling my eyes. It’s hard to be funny all the time, but humor is so personal, perhaps you will disagree with me. I’m hoping Wilder continues to add to his collection of satire so eventually we can read a ‘best of’ collection. In the meantime, pick up a copy of this book!

Oh one last thing… the most memorable line is said by Chicken Little. “This guy is falling, this guy is falling!” Naturally, no one believed him…
Profile Image for Elaine.
225 reviews23 followers
September 24, 2014
I, HUMPTY
By:Eric C. Wilder

As a huge fan of author Eric C. Wilder's blog THE GRIMM REPORT and also his hysterical and frequent tweets, I knew I could count on him to WOW me with his first publication, I,HUMPTY. I was not disappointed.

From HUMPTY Dumpty's literal fall from superstardom (bad management, lousy publicist?) to Mr. Leon of Florida's public urination(what's really in that famed Fountain of Youth)to Brother/Sister murder suspects Hansel and Gretel and their meth head logic, I was laughing out loud like a person on a medical hold.

The entire book is outstanding. Mr. Wilder's satire rivals history's best and his use if topical issues gives our old Fairy Tale characters a new tale to tell. I'm not giving I,HUMPTY 5 stars, I'm giving it 11 just because I feel like it and Mr. Grimm Report aka Eric Wilder had to write with a two year old hanging in his knees and he still pulled off a brilliantly funny book.

Profile Image for Angelica Dimeo.
161 reviews47 followers
December 24, 2014
I won this book from a contest.
This book is a satire on tales and is humorous
with a nice drawing on each new spin,
it was a light fairly quick read.
I had a fun time reading it.
Profile Image for Danielle Shipley.
Author 31 books53 followers
September 9, 2014
These aren’t your grandmother’s fairy tales! For that matter, they’re not your children’s, either. I, Humpty assembles the lurid scandals behind the curtain of fairy dust, from the courtroom dramas of Hansel and Gretel to the financial felonies of Robin Hood and Rumpelstiltskin – from the marital ups and downs between Beauty and The Beast to conspiracy theories of Wonderland and Oz – with gossip surrounding celebrities from Sleeping Beauty to Cinderella and, of course, the shell-breaking life story of the titular Humpty Dumpty. Shocking, silly, and sometimes hitting closer to home than one would expect from stories begun in lands so far, far away, this is journalism that doesn’t flinch from the grimmer side of “once upon a time”. Fans of the likes of TheOnion.com and James Finn Garner’s Politically Correct Bedtime Stories should find much to enjoy in I, Humpty.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews

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