Heart of Swine – Book Review

Thank you to author Freddy F Fornseca for providing me with a lovely hardcover copy of Heart of Swine in exchange for this honest review.

Heart of Swine is a wacky post capitalist apocalypse satire novel that takes a stab at what our future could be after we all have to learn to breathe carbon dioxide. Humans have evolved to live in this environmental wasteland but that have yet to evolve their emotional intelligence to the point of giving a damn about anyone other than themselves. The book opens with a brief history lesson of how the human race got to this unfortunate point.

First there was the dramatic climate change that spiraled out of control. Of course, we’re seeing evidence of this actively destroying us even as I write this book review. Climate change led to the avocado wars. The avocado wars brought us to the bacon wave. The bacon wave made room for the chickenocide. Finally. we’re here, with one pig left alive and little hope for the Earth.

The pig’s name is Captain Grunter and he is, at this point, a mythical hero with superpowers that people worship from afar. Some not far enough though, one of the female characters at the core group of this novel really wants to get porked.

The book mostly consists of short quippy dialogue that is at times witty and at times obnoxious and crass. Characters with not so subtle names like Marxim and Checkhov pontificate about the state of worldly affairs with little action that can actually be taken. The book and dialogue veers into some gross territory so be prepared for some borderline offensive content. It depends on your tolerance for low-brow humor and unusual sexual appetites.

The humor of Heart of Swine did not fully resonate with me. I know there is an audience for it but it’s just not my personal style. If you are that audience this book may have you rolling with laughter.

To be completely honest I found the book a bit confusing. I vaguely know what it was about but the style had me a bit jumbled on the finer points. I like the idea of the book more than the experience of reading it.

I’m always in favor of anything anti-capitalist. There are no complaints from me there. I would love for everyone to wake up and no longer tolerate capitalism, tyranny, the destruction of our precious environment, and the other causes of our not to distant future demise. Those who are already on board with these talking points will likely enjoy Heart of Swine better than those who need the lesson most. As with so much political satire, it’s just preaching to the choir.

3/5 pigs 🐷🐷🐷

Please consider using the following amazon affiliate link to purchase this book, it’s at no extra cost to you and would really help me out, thanks!

For more absurdist satire check out The Surreal Adventures of Anthony Zen