Alright, so I’m going to take a stab at something that I’ve never really done before, a book review. I just recently finished a fantastic book, Santa vs. Satan: The Official Compendium of Imaginary Fights. Now, before you go judging on the content of my reading, let me start by telling you a little about it. This book, by Jake Kalish, is filled with some of the most important match ups in the world of guys. It is written from the standpoint of two different people or groups matching up. There are some important hypothetical match ups in the pages. If you don’t think that it matters, you have obviously never been sitting around with a group of guys. I don’t know how many random conversations have begun with “who would win in a fight…”
The book breaks each fight into several different sections. The first is the head-to-head match up. You get the low down each fighter’s important stats, both strengths and weakness. All of which are to be taken with tongue firmly planted in cheek. There are lots of great fights, with some fantastic breakdowns. Here are a couple:
- The One You Love vs. The One You’re With
- Indiana Jones vs. Han Solo
- Artist vs. Critic
- Drunk vs. Stoner
- Scientist vs. Scientologist
The next section of the book is the expert analysis. Don’t let the humor of the book fool you, these are actual experts from different areas. In some circumstances, the book even tells who some of the “experts” asked that did not respond. So for instance, in the marquee match up, there are folks from the church of satan that weigh in on the fight. It is humorous with both the levels of seriousness and humor that the analysis is taken.
The final part is the potentially the best part: the fight and outcome. That’s right, the book isn’t just a match up, but also an explanation of the fight and declaration of the winner. Love or hate the outcome, this book does not shy away from declaring a winner. There are times the decision is outlandish, but there are lots that I agreed. This is also the area that always for the most conversation/arguing. I’ve brought up several of the “fights” with friends, and spurred some “serious” academic arguments.
If you’re in the mood for a light read that you can just pick up and have a quick laugh, I highly recommend the book. Still, what can I say other than, I’m a sucker for the age-old question: Who would win in a fight?
RSS - Posts
