Customer Reviews

Karlology

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the 3rd Book from the mind of Karl Pilkington and in my opinion the best yet.

For those who aren't familiar with the antics Mr Pilkington, he is one of Ricky Gervais friends who he likes to describe as a village idiot of sorts. The fame started on the radio station XFM when Ricky had his own time slot , in which he featured among other things the ramblings, theories and insights of Karl who was the producer of the show at the time.
More recent mainstream fame was continued on Ricky Gervais Podcast Show , which the insanity continued.

Now Mr Pilkington writes books and I must say there's nothing better to do at the end of the day , than to read his random musings before drifting off at bedtime.

This book focuses on Karl expanding his knowledge of the world.
Laugh and be amused as the bald little Manc continues in broadening his mind and enriching his soul.
Infact I find this book somewhat inspiring since I stopped education long ago and he's writing about his latest endeavors in picking it back up and learning new stuff where he can. Maybe Mr Pilkington has inspired me to take up writing too.

You will enjoy the simple , but thought provoking view points he expresses.
A lot of what his says make sense and a lot of he says will make you smile, because it's all written in good, honest,humble, simple straight forward humanity. ( I like his writing style, as he just writes how he speak it in real life, which makes the books that much more fun to read )
Also he goes off on many funny and random tangents as his mind wanders and many of them will provoke the biggest laughs from you.

chapters include visits to the Natural History Museum, London Aquarium, a day at the Library and many more !
As with Karl's previous written works, there are many sprinkles of visual treats throughout. Including his charming illustrations ( Which I still must say , I think he should go into creating children's books at some point) and collages of photos from his various visits.

My eyes have been greatly opened to see the world in a much more pure , simpler honest light.
A viewpoint like this refreshes the mind and soul.

But the bottom line this is funny and charming reading, you probably won't find anywhere else.
Give it a try and you might be surprised , by adding a bit of Karl Pilkington into your life ,will really make it much more sense.

This is my most enjoyed book of his works so far. I can't wait for the next title, which I hope to be more comedy gold.

I'm new to the world of Karl Pilkington. I was flicking TV channels one night and noticed 'An Idiot Abroad' was on. I watched it and ever since then I've been watching, reading and listening to him. He's one of the funniest thinkers I've ever seen and his humor style is a welcome change.

Karlology is an hilarious read, recommended to all.

I've only just started this book and already it promises to be the best book so far. Just a little excerpt I think should be known:

"I have a theory that the brain might have come from another planet where brains ruled. A planet where there was no atmosphere and the brains just floated around thinking about stuff all day. They quickly became advanced because of the amount of thinking being done. Then, somehow, they came to planet Earth but found they were useless because they couldn't move about by floating any more. So one of the brainier ones got into a monkey's head ... and the rest is history. Like I say, it's just a theory."

I dare anyone to attempt to understand the psychology behind that!

I obtained the Ricky Gervais Show podcasts recently - which is basically a forum where Karl Pilkington talks nonsense and is bullied by Ricky Gervais and Steve Merchant. I don't think I've ever laughed so much. Some editions of "Monkey News" (one of the regular features) were the most surreal, original and brilliant comedy I've ever heard. You can get the first series from iTunes for a few quid - best money you'll ever spend. That podcast was a spinoff from the trio's XFM radio show - which was equally good.

So I was intrigued to read the 'book of the series'. The book is presented as a diary, with Karl doing several trips to learn about the world. He goes to the Science Museum, London Zoo, the Tower of London, and a few other places. He presents his observations on these experiences.

However I didn't find it that entertaining, actually I found it quite tedious towards the end. There are a few problems:
- Without Ricky and Steve to goad and drive Karl and to pick him up on his lunacy, it just sounds waffly. Without the dynamic from the podcast, it just sounds like listening to a pointless monologue.
- The book feels too 'researched'. The rubbish from Karl is much better when improvised.
- A lot of the comedy in the podcasts came from Karl's delivery; the way he said the most absurd things in such a dry, earnest manner. This doesn't come across in the book.
- The book relies too much on witty one-liners. They're okay - but Karl's genius really comes from his imagination. For instance, a highlight of the book was his theory of how brains came from space.

In conclusion, instead of buying this book get the podcasts. If you already have the podcasts, this book will probably disappoint. It makes me sad to say that, since I really do believe Karl Pilkington is Britain's (if not the world's) funniest man.

Very funny book, I bought it for my boyfriend for Christmas, but when it arrived I had a little flick through and it had me laughing out loud, I just HAD to give him it!
He loves the book, he barely puts it down, and often reads out quotes that put me in fits of giggles.

Karl Pilkington is a genius!

Karl's voice echoes from the pages - you can imagine the trademark, simian half-grimace as the words trip slowly from his lips. There are some genuine guffaws as he rambles across a wide variety of subjects in the wonderful parallel universe of Karl-world. Well worth a try.

I purchased this book after watching the Ricky Gervais show. Although the book is entertaining, it lacks something and is not as good as I expected. I think it lacks the input from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, and in my opinion falls short of the mark as, they are not there to criticize and poke fun at his comments. There are a few interesting and funny parts but nothing spectacular. Karl's way of thinking is more entertaining when he is part of a team.

Really really funny book. Includes great illustrations and amusing facts throughout. If you like 'Karl's Diary' readings from the Ricky Gervais Show - You will love this book. Karl mentions everyday things but turns them into a whole new perspective, probably without even meaning to. Great buy.

This is Karl's third book! He's written as many books as he's read! Well, he's done it again. Another corking book filled with the drivel we've all come to love to read on the can.

Some of the genius is missing as Ricky and Steves' voices are absent and when the three are together the drivel reaches bold new heights of idiocy. But Karl's lone voice speaking his theories uninterrupted without Ricky's voice saying "Karl, Karl, Karl - where did you get this from? What do you mean the monkey drove to Spain?!" make for a much stranger but still brilliant read.

In this book Karl goes for a MENSA test, goes to an exhibition of the human body featuring real life (dead) human bodies, and we get the confrontation we've all been waiting for - Karl meets his brain! And of course, there's also some monkey news thrown in.

If you've been following Karl through all the media over the years (XFM, podcasts, audiobooks, the occasional documentary) some of the stuff in here are things he's already mentioned however here he's allowed to elaborate on his thoughts and also poses some new ones too. His drawings are always charming and the design of this book is really top notch. Suzanne even throws in a touching afterword. "He makes me laugh every day" she says. Long live Karl!

One of the funniest books I have read in a long time.
Simple humor... You can sometines see whats coming but still make you laugh.
Karls outlook on life and views are so simple, it makes you wonder if he is actually correct in what he says... scary!