Reviewed by Divine Zape for Readers' Favorite

Hilarious would be an understatement to describe this book and I found myself lost for words. Yes, there is a beauty, a cuteness about the writing, a poignancy in the descriptions, and a humor that is as grim as it can get, but there are also many other elements that make this book the best thing I have read in humor for a while. What would it take to reduce American society to one characterized by mediocrity (not that mediocrity isn’t staring at us menacingly everywhere we turn, even in the White House)?

Mike Dickenson’s IQ84 provides a humorous, satirical, and downright hilarious answer. An unidentified terrorist has released a virus onto the American people and the heads of people with an IQ above 84 are being blown off. It is a state of madness, but not everyone’s head is being blown off. The President of the US is spared, as well as Congress and millions of idiots who just can’t figure out what is going on. The story revolves around David Dingle, an unusually eccentric character with a compelling cast of other characters.

Mike Dickenson’s IQ84 was a huge surprise for me and it was the kind of book that offered a perfect analogy of today’s American society, a satire of idiocy. As I read this book, I couldn’t help but think about it, for even though the heads of people with good reasoning aren’t getting ripped off or blown up in today’s American society, it is an undeniable fact that American politics displays a lot of stupidity and the thought that millions of people are led by not-so-bright guys isn’t new. Mike Dickenson’s novel is a perfect antidote for stress, a story that is episodic, character-driven, and punctuated by intelligently crafted social commentaries. It is a fun read and the reader doesn’t get bored with the madness and the wide cast of characters. Great writing with a unique signature for phraseology.