Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates

It is impossible to relay the charms and style of Tom Robbins to those who haven't read him. Like Kurt Vonnegut before him, to merely explain a plot summation has no choice but to fall pitifully short. This is why we haven't seen Robbins' books made into movies, at least that I'm aware of, and why Vonnegut's movie versions of "Slaughterhouse Five" and "Breakfast of Champions" fell flat on their faces - it's prose that works here, and in today's junk entertainment society far too many are out for the simplest of simple for their inspiration and imitation, a point Robbins relays here most eloquently.
That said, "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" is one of Robbin's better latter books, with plenty of weird action and colorful characters and their faults, including pyramid shaped heads, a wart the size of Peoria on the end of a nun's nose and Switters, the main character who is cursed by the aforementioned pyramid (or is that conehead?) shaman he encounters in the rain forest of Peru to never allow his feet to touch the ground lest he die.
And, since theology/mythology is a Robbins mainstay, we get the mysterious content of the third vision of the Fatima, supposedly never revealed to the world and reportedly so dastardly one Pope who reads it goes into a week long crying jag.
The stage is thus set for another view into world society as a whole, and it's a dim view brought on by extreme complacency thanks to consumerism gone apes***, be it from a store, government or a religious organization. Yes, the term "extreme complacency" is an oxymoron, but only until you think about it. Wherein lies the Robbins rub. This is no slapdash thin plot narrative from yet another pulp writer. You have to have an intellectual base and curiosity to enjoy his books because he will not water them down for you. Tom Robbins makes you think, and that's a great thing.
For long time fans, how does "Fierce Invalids . . . " stack up? First, we're comparing it to "Another Roadside Attraction", "Jitterbug Perfume" and "Skinny Legs and All", the most genius and captivating books of his. It doesn't quite reach that level, but it does outdo everything else, including "Still Life With Woodpecker", and the one flop in my opinion, "Half Asleep in Frog's Pajamas", where it feels like Robbins is treading water, too impressed with his own prose to do much with a plot.
In "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates", he is more careful to move the story along, weaving a web of absurd coincidence only he can get away with, and limiting his pontificating to help the reader from getting too bogged down. It's a fine book, gives you lots to think about and mull over, and reminds us why Robbins is a genius in the first place. It's not his best, but still worth the ride.

I implore the individuals who only read part of _Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates_ then put this whimsical and imaginatively written book down, to go back and please finish it. Like those dissatisfied readers, after reading the book part of the way through, I said that I could not go on and complete what I thought was nonsensical and plotless. Then it hit me: Tom Robbins, as he was wont to do in his past works, has written an extremely entertaining farce. The lead character, Switters, is a member of the CIA, whose world travels lead him to meet up with a group of defrocked nuns (one of whom Switters falls in love), a shaman with his head the shape of a pyramid, who puts a curse on Switters, where if either of his feet touch the ground, Switters will die. Switters finds unusual methods of complying with the shaman's curse, becoming the so-called invalid of the novel's title.

Switters adventures begin with his promise to his grandmother to return her parrot, Sailor, to the Peruvian jungle. Little did he know that Sailor would be transformed into the main course of a dinner menu. The author cleverly utilizes the theme of Christianity as a plot device for several of the former nuns to meet with the Pope to inform him of the newly discovered Third Sacrament of the Virgin Mary. I learned not to take this farcical novel too seriously, to go along with its "plot", and just enjoy it for what it is.

[Note: as of this writing, I've read neither "Skinny Legs and All" nor "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas."]

Although first published in 2000, Robbins' "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" is just as relevant today, perhaps even moreso. In a sense we get the same Robbins of the first four novels, the creator of characters on a spiritual quest searching for both their true inner selves and their connections with the rest of creation. Robbins's writing style, his always being on the lookout for the outrageous and unexpected metaphor, reflects those quests in the sense that the creation of metaphor, the discovery of similarity or connection between two demonstrably different things or ideas, is illustrative of an unseen reality underlying the material world we see around us.

Yet "Fierce Invalids" offers something fresh in that it takes the values of those earlier spiritual quests and applies them to a world that has changed drastically since "Jitterbug Perfume" (1984) and its predecessors. The questers have changed as well. They've been through the initial discovery stage and have returned to the world with the intention of applying and communicating the spiritual lessons they've learned. Thus, even though it was published about half way between "Jitterbug" and the present, "Fierce Invalids" takes place in the world we inhabit in 2013 rather than the 60s-70s world of the first four novels.

Resolving the clash between the demands of today's technologized, hectic world, where information overload and hucksters of various stripes bellow at us from all directions demanding our attention, and where micromanaging the use of every second seems of the utmost necessity; and on the other hand attempting to remain cognizant of a spiritual, unseen, more important reality underlying all of the noise and distraction, is what I see as the unifying idea of "Fierce Invalids." A further difficulty posed by this clash between the mechanized and the human, the material and the spiritual, the immediate and the eternal, is how individuals may use this cognizance to affect, even to transform, the world at large.

A primary symptom of our world's dysfunction emerges from an examination of what I think is one of the novel's most interesting metaphors. The main character, Switters, has a tendency to range seemingly at random among ideas once he begins to expound upon anything. One idea brings to mind another, and that another, and those connect to others, and so on. The narrator jokingly refers to this tendency as "extrapolatory zigzag." I take the label as ironic, however, insofar as this ability to see connections - to create metaphor - is the very essence of creativity. Robbins, in this novel and others, consistently equates poetry, magic, and creativity, and hence all of those with the real object of spiritual quest. But in today's world, any tendency in the way of "extrapolatory zigzag" is diagnosed as a disorder, perhaps ADD or ADHD, and anyone so diagnosed is then prescribed medication to `relieve' his or her tendency. Thus does our world, to borrow Robbins' terms, drug people to eliminate poetry, magic, and creativity. What could be more indicative of dysfunction?

"Fierce Invalids" suggests a resolution to the clash noted above in a symbolic truce between Light and Darkness based upon an agreement to accept a demilitarized Gray. This compromise is illustrated in a wonderful passage in which Satan and God agree to divvy up territory for the sake of peaceful coexistence. For example, God takes Salt Lake City, Satan takes Las Vegas. The truce is also indicated by Switters' decision to view change as a gradual process. He will not turn the world upside down, but when he sees an opportunity to make a real difference on a smaller scale he will seize it. The thought behind the truce, of course, is expressed most clearly in the parrot's mantra: "Peeple of zee wurl, relax."

Reading "Fierce Invalids" left me feeling like I'd reconnected with a part of myself I'd almost lost over the past 30 years, and I think the world in general is in that same state. There is a wisdom here that the 21st century needs, and if some reviewers have found the execution rough in places (I don't) it's only because Robbins' main characters are engaged in a necessarily tentative exploration of how the lessons learned by the questers of the early novels can be applied in order to salvage something - our humanity, perhaps? - from the mess we have now. The light-dark resolution proposed in "Fierce Invalids" is perfectly reflective of those today seeking to find common ground between what's called Right and Left to form a more sane world. I'm thinking of people like Julian Assange, Ron Paul, Dennis Kucinich, Edward Snowden, maybe even Pope Francis.

Update 4-30-2014: I'd like to add Ralph Nader to the list of those above looking for that common ground between Left and Right. Check his new book on the store:
Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State

Once upon a time, I regarded the publication of a Tom Robbins novel as cause for joyous celebration. Then, the temptation is to say that I "grew up" and Tom's books lost their picaresque charm for me. I continued to read them, but the thrill was gone - just so many words on a page, seemingly not going anywhere. Then, my son David's friend Robert (19 years old) started showing up at the house with Tom Robbins books, gushing with praise for this author he had just "discovered". Discussions with Robert rekindled the fires for me, and when I picked up "Fierce Invalids" after a five-year hiatus from Tom Robbins, lo and behold, the time was right and the magic was back! I'm not even going to try to determine if Mr. Robbins grew up or if I regressed. It just doesn't matter.
What does matter is that "Fierce Invalids" is the quintessential Tom Robbins. There are those skeptics that say the plot doesn't go anywhere. In a manner of speaking, they could be right. The conclusion could be perceived as indecisive, but, if the reader paid any attention at all to the clues about the character of Switters, the protagonist, it couldn't have ended any other way. After all, that's Switters.
In this book, as in any other Tom Robbins story, the joy is in the journey, not the destination. To attempt to describe the plot would be a disservice. There is the usual cast of misfits with character flaws getting into and out of zany situations. In this case, it's CIA cowboys and angels, South American shamans, excommunicated nuns, underage step-sisters, long lost relics and works of art (in this case, the third prophecy of Fatima and an original Matisse with a story), and Islamic terrorist wanna-bes. We spend time in Peru, Syria, Seattle, Sacramento, and the Vatican. We are teased with philosophical ramblings. All in all, it's the usual Tom Robbins romp.
So what's the attraction?? (Another roadside attraction?) As I said earlier, the joy is in the journey. And, it is a linguistic journey. Reading a Tom Robbins book is like taking a shower in a sound studio. You just let stand and let the rhythm of the words cascade over you. Mr. Robbins uses words as though they were blunt instruments and wields metaphors as if they were violins. (By the way, I have no idea what that means, either. .) It's like eating popcorn. It tastes great while you're doing it, you can't get enough of it, and when it's gone, you're pleasantly sated but not bloated. It's not literature for the ages, but it's a good read for right now. Sailor Boy, one of the pivotal characters in the story said it best, "Peeple of the wurl, relax."

Angelic CIA cowboy Switters is a conceptual pastiche caught up in the gauziest filigree of a plot, but that's okay because just hangin' out with him is riot enough. That this book seems more like an anecdotal dossier, a character study told in Robbins' always entertaining figurative fireworks, doesn't take it off my "must read" list. "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" is a hoot -- w/ a sinister Vatican, a metaphysical Invacare hovercraft, several naughty nuns, a pair of stinkin' jackals, and a subatomic particle point. And that says nothing about shaman "Today is Tomorrow" and his mentoring Switters on the trip of trips in the "too goddam vivid" the storeian rain forests. Vintage Robbins? Well, yes and no (much like the vibrating sub-quark polarities residing at the base of everything. See p. 404.)
Unfortunately, as sometimes happens with the trinkets and shiny junk that Robbins' "magpie plots" have commandeered, the smooth circularity of elements feels frantically stapled together toward the end. Other Robbins' titles are more satisfying as seamless and sensuously fun narratives; for me, Jitterbug Perfume comes immediately to mind. But don't misunderstand; Switters is definitely NOT victimized the way Wolfe's "A Man In Full" is: by brutal abandonment of the creator's sense and sensibility. Robbins' tale is even protean enough to survive the collision of fact and fiction regarding the "Third Secret of Fatima," which Pope John Paul inconveniently chose to reveal as part of the Millennium wahoo early in 2000. His and Robbins' versions are different; so who to believe?
Regardless, get this entertaining, quotable nugget for yourself, and pick up any of three or four earlier titles for your innocent, inexperienced buds. Guaranteed: If you still annotate your books at all, "Yep" and "Ha!" will be filling the margins (along with the typical Robbins' "Oh-la-la!'s")

Having gotten the book as an audio cassette it is only proper to critique Keith Szarabajka, the reader. He did a truly excellent job of narrating the story and providing the voices for all the characters.
The story in the book is a bit contrived even though Robbins fits all the pieces together. By the time I reached the fourth part I was no longer particularly interested in Switters' taboo. I was also annoyed that a South American tribe is depicted as being devoid of a sense of humor, not knowing what laughter is. No such tribes exist. Laughter is universal. This is not just nitpicking because this matter of laughter is a major element in the book. Still the writing is first rate and I found Switters an interesting character even if he does come across at times as an overgrown adolescent.
Since Switters is supposedly modeled after a friend of Robbins, several weeks after finishing the book what I find msyelf wondering about is how accurately Robbins depicts the CIA. Are there really "angels" like Switters and Bobby Cox, people driven more by idealism than by national intetests? At one time I would have considered such a possibilty to be preposeterous. Yet the current news is full of an apparent conflict between the White House and CIA. CIA agent Joe Wilson was sent to Niger to uncover information about uranium being sent to Iraq. When Wilson publicly announced that he did not find any evidence of such a connection someone in the White House retaliated by blowing the cover of Wilson's wife, also a CIA agent. Kind of makes you wonder.

Some of my favourite books are by Tom Robbins: Another Roadside Attraction, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Skinny Legs & All. I was ecstatic to receive his new book. But I was not enraptured of the slow start. Slogging through the literal jungle, I found myself thinking of other, more interesting things I could be doing: root canal, ingrown toenail surgery - but pressing onward had its rewards. The information and plodding plot lines in the first half are, I suppose, necessary to set up the thoroughly entertaining noncoincidences in the second.
Robbins still has his "festive manner of speaking" but Fierce Invalids lacks the punchy panache of the previous publications. [Sigh] I guess we're all getting older ...
The novel exudes the anti-consumerism of Jean Kilbourne's *Deadly Pursuasion* with the CIA-as-monster subtext of Grisham's *The Brethren.*
I found the whole Lolita complex preoccupation to be unnecessary.
As always, Robbins gives us points to ponder. For instance, on the clarity of speech:
"Could you pull off there? " she immediately asked, pointing ... to a gas station. "I really have to use the bathroom."
"Say toilet, would you darling. I don't believe bathing is one of the services Texaco provides."
"Whatever."
"No, it's not unimportant. Intelligent speech is under pressure in our fair land and needs all the support it can get."
Of intelligent speech, Tom Robbins remains a master.

Tom Robbins shouldn't be writing best-selling novels. It's not right somehow.
Tom Robbins should be working some bazaar somewhere. There would be open sacks full of saffron and turmeric, vermin scurrying by your feet, crowds and smells and bizarre animals you've never heard of. Tom will be cooking something up. Or rather, there'll be somebody - some shady figure - behind the scenes cooking something up. Tom'll be out front with a cauldron and a spoon inviting you to taste something. The cauldron will be filled with a murky bubbling liquid, halfway between soup and stew.
Don't ask what's in there. Guaranteed you won't like the sound of it. The recipe would be half gumbo and half - whatever the stuff Burroughs poached from South America was (was it called yaga? hallucinogenic bark, at any rate), with maybe a hint of sandarac thrown in for good measure.
Novels written by Tom Robbins are always a heady brew. You know they are not good for you, but you can't help yourself. Once you've tasted that stew once, you'll never turn it down. Wherever you are, whatever is happening, all you need to do is see that name (Tom Robbins? Ah yes, that's our special today, sir!) and that's what you're ordering.
Switters is your guide. He's one of the angels. On a whatever-the-opposite-of-routine-is mission to South America, he is cursed by a pyramidal witch doctor such that his feet can't touch the ground. Now, the last thing a cuckoo needs is to be told that he can't put his feet on the ground. What follows is the product of a man with his head firmly in the clouds (cloud 9 to be precise). There are underage maneaters, renegade nuns, mad aunts, uptight English explorers and the model for Matisse's blue nude. If you know Tom and you've read anything else ("Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas"! "Jitterbug Perfume"! "Still Life with Woodpecker"!), you don't need me to tell you that this book is fun! You don't need me to tell you that here (in this distant land with open sacks of saffron and turmeric, with vermin . . . etc etc) you will find the silliness of Brautigan mixed with the erudition of Vonnegut. It's another filibuster.
Business as usual.

Perhaps it is the variety of all the unique places that you will travel. Perhaps it is the characters that will develop from vivid descriptions before your very eyes. Whatever the case, this book was quite pleasing.
While not reading this tome, but rather listening to the unabridged version, I was absorbed with the anticipation of the imagery and dialogue. The vivid descriptions and interplay of Smitters with the rest of his world will keep you captivated to the very end.
The philosophical questions and observations that Smitters raises in his dialog will give you plenty of questions with which to stimulate or intimidate your friends. Assuming they do not think you are nuts. Then again, who really cares?
From the CIA, teenage lust, to the Roman Catholic Church, nothing is off limits from being questioned or discussed. If nothing else, you will look at the world a little differently as you get to tomorrow. Or is that today?
It is likely this 10 cassette version was the longest I have listened to. I am almost sad to see it over. I will look forward to listening to it again.
EJ

After reading his last novel, "Half Asleep in Frogs Pajamas," I thought Robbins really lost it. It was one of the worse books I've ever actually finished. I have read all books by him as a lover of humor, and find him witty, bizzare, and truly funny. This is not as good as "Cowgirls", which is his tour de force, or "Still Life with Woodpecker," or even "Skinny Legs and All," but it is fun and amusing, and even philosophical. Reading it shortly after 9/11 gave it more intrigue, as half of the book takes place in the Middle East, and deals with some of today's controversial issues.
Switters, a soon to be defunked CIA agent, finds himself in the the store, setting his gradmother's beloved parrot free, so the bird can spend it's remaining days uncaged, in natural surroundings. But when Switters is lead to a shaman with a head the shape of a pyramid, who puts a curse on him, denying him the privilege of using his legs, his life turns upside down. He's fired from his CIA job, gets rejected by his adolescent step sister, whom he is lusting after, and takes a job as a private agent, with an assignment to take gas masks to Kurdish soldiers in Iraq. How does he end up having an affair with a Catholic nun in an excommunicated convent in the middle of nowhere? And who is the blue nude in his grandmother's Matisse? Only Robbins could have thought up such craziness. It is more predictable and less surprising than some of his other books, but still I enjoyed reading it, as it was fun and provided a good escape for such a terrible time.

Being a fan of Christopher Moore, Kurt Vonnegut and the like, a friend told me to give Robbins a try. I couldn't have been more pleased. If you like your stories "a little out there" and your writing a bit, if not a tad, on the philosophical side, then Robbins' storytelling will certainly captivate you.
The story of the witty, partying, pedophilic CIA agent, Switters, and the missions that he embarks on seem to just be a catalyst for Robbins to inject his philosophy and abstract views. And inject he does. From religion to government to sex, Robbins' tale puts an interesting twist on the way things are perceived.
I usually get bored when an author verbosely describes things in his/her work, but Robbins' skill of the language and writing makes for a very descriptive and thought-provoking read. Although a thesaurus might be handy to interpret some of his words, it's not needed to enjoy this book. Just start reading and get absorbed in the uniqueness of the journey.
To describe this book in a word... VIVID!

I read the other reviews with some interest, as I was also dissatisfied with the ending. There was a perfect spot to end the book about 50 pages short of where it ended, and it would have been more impactful, and lend itself to a sequel (which is still possible.) However, I thought this was his best novel to date. The theme was repeated through both the plot and the narrative. It's a philisophical treatise that's both well crafted and entertaining. People who are slaves to plot lines might get frustrated, but the point of the book is made over and over again, with humor and panache. I'm reminded of Zorba the Greek: "To die is no trouble, but to live is to unbuckle your belt and look for trouble." In this case Robbins isn't looking for trouble, he's just not taking everything so seriously, and he's trying to tell us all to lighten up.

Understand something before you read this: Giving Tom Robbins anything less than 5 stars feels to me like stabbing myself in the soul with a rusty spork. I love Tom Robbins. Tom Robbins is an amazing and fantastic writer who I can't praise enough. Tom Robbins: I love you.

This book, though... Well. It's tried my love a little bit. Part of the genius of Jitterbug Perfume was how mind-numbingly clever he was. His characters were honest in the way that vaudeville performers are honest--there was just enough caricature to maintain the reader's sanity and to keep the book from plummeting into some kind of bizarre social reflection. The genius of that book is the way Tom Robbins takes something completely inane and turns into poetry. It's a Dali painting in literary form.

Fierce Invalids is proof that you can't recreate genius. Throughout the book, I get the feeling that Tom Robbins (his name must always be written in full. Anything less and it's blasphemy) sought to create a one-line zinger with every single sentence. Zingers don't work that way, Tom Robbins. Zingers are spontaneous and make you go, "huh! That was pretty darn clever!" You can't just write a million of them and hope that a thousand of them take.

The characters, too, elicit very little sympathy. There's no real soul there to identify with. They're entertaining, but only in the sense that the guy at the party who is so drunk he's shoving chips down his pants is entertaining. You like looking at him making a total jerk of himself, but you'd really rather avoid being seen with him, since he's kind of embarassing and not too interesting in the long run. Quite frankly, the best character in this book is the parrot and he, sadly, gets eaten.

It's a farce of itself which would normally be rather ironically clever, much like Tom Robbins' other books, but it just tends to fall flat. It's 415 pages long, but it's 415 pages of so much nothing.

I'm sorry, Tom Robbins. You're still my hero. Even the gods make mistakes--I mean, look at that Zeus fellow. And he didn't even construct an interesting work around beet pollen.

I eagerly awaited the publication of this book, and while it is not my favorite Robbins writing, I was delighted by reading the adventures of errand-boy extraordinaire Switters. From the the store to a convent in a Syrian oasis, Robbins once again creates some amazing characters and circumstances, while throwing in a dollop or two of wisdom, and, as always, presenting it all with a lot of humor. Robbins always speaks truth and his words are a pleasure to not only read, but savor. It took me longer to read this book than any other I've picked up recently, but this was intentional. I enjoyed the pace, the mysteries, the surprises...but most of all I enjoyed the words. Robbins has fun with language, and hence, so do we. Put me in the Switters fan club, for I too love those fierce invalids home from hot climates.

This is a heavy handed attempt at being funny, and like most enterprises of such type, it fails. The author surely has an extraordinary talent, but it shows only occasionally (and fleetingly) in this book. What hits the reader--listener in this case--is the huge lack of discipline that underlies this novel. Without discipline there can be no art, no creativity, no music or architecture or painting or sculpture; and this is a monument to the lack of discipline.
The book is populated by a variety of characters, most of whom seem plucked from a warehouse for discarded cliches: the lusting nun, the magical primitive, the pompous Britisher in a jungle setting, the slimmy lawyer, the spunky grandma, the titillating teenager, the drunk-talented-charming protagonist, the Pope. It is replete with half-baked philosophical pirouetting, with Marx Brothers and Three Stooges slapstick, and more insufferable ploys.
The book is twice as long as it should be. Its attempts at cleverness, like its attempts at humor, fail more often than not. Shock for the sake of shock has no shock value. Are the major publishing houses bereft of editors? Is there no one left with the authority to sit Mr. Robbins down and force him to re-write until he gets his story straight and drops all the nonsense? Mawkishness is never funny, slapstick is puerile, pseudo philosophy is tedious. A potentially great writing talent is being wasted for lack of discipline and direction. Such a shame.

The "Humbert Humbert" side of Switters made me frown.I cannot begin to understand why Ol'Tom gave such a questionable trait to this novel's central persona.But,leaving that aside,the style of the book is superb,the zany (and sometimes cruel) turns of events recall Douglas Adams ("People of Ze Wurl Relax! is very near to Hitch-Hiker's "Don't Panic!"),and the eerie humour of Tom Robbins is always pleasant (except when Switters goes on and on and on whit its tirades...a sin almost par whit midteens proclivity).Anyway,Tom Robbins new novel is "something completely different" than his previous novels.In fact,Tom is the most eclectic novelist I've ever read,any novel of his is a different point of view of the world,expressing the same sex-liberationist,libertarian wisdom.

Considering the fact that this book is about conflict in the sides of the main character Switters, it takes you to an impressive amount of locales. This was my first Tom Robbins book (I'm attempting Skinny Legs and All) after a lifetime of hearing friends and family go on and on about him. Well, after the years of nagging it was well worth the wait. Robbins has a unique way of making this character interesting. Switters hates his job as a CIA operative, yet lets it define his work. His is very idealistic, yet is ruled by stereotypical vices. I spent 75% of this book feverishly trying to figure out if I even liked this character. His personality spins enough 180's, though, that you soon realize that it's just who Switters is. He spins around... sometimes in a wheelchair. The opening hints at where several of his journeys will take him, and the end hints at many more to come. This is all layered under loads of puns, wordplay, gags, coincidences, and well-written visuals. Give this book enough attention and it will surely take you somewhere interesting.

It's a risky thing, reading Tom Robbins in public - on the bus, for instance. I grin a lot, occasionally snickering, sometimes fighting off snorts and laughter. That's not to say that a Robbins story is simply humorous; some of my pleasure is from sharing in the absolute joy that Robbins takes in putting his phrases on paper.
Fierce Invalids isn't his best - read Skinny Legs and All - but it's still a great read. It seemed to ramble at times, leaving our hero for many pages in places seemingly far, far away from where he ought to be. But it all comes around in the end, with (as expected in a Robbins story) events in opposite ends of the earth having tremendous influence on each other. Also, as expected, we're presented with some universal truths, not the least of which is the secret to true happiness, delivered from the beak of a parrot.
And finally, it's an intimidating thing to review a Robbins book. I find myself inspired to fill my review with Robbinsesque metaphors. I try, but I'm not nearly as enlightened as Mr. R. Maybe after reading his next book.

robbins is a rorscharch test [spelling?]. what you see says a lot about who you are. many people will read 5 pages of this robbins book -- or any -- and throw it to the ground saying "just plain wierd!"

for the rest of us -- admittedly we are an odd bunch -- we can bathe in every dang word, every page, every metaphor that is like rubbing ben gay on your brain. we can laugh out loud at robbin's endless humor, and ponder the many mystical-philosophical curve balls he throws throughout.

who cares if all the loose ends tie together, it doesn't matter. few can entertain, dazzle and make you think with the same abandon as robbins.

One reads Tom Robbins for fun, philosophy and images and metaphor that continually push the envelope. The trouble with some of his earlier novels was that he lacked the control as a writer to rein-in on occasion, making some of his wilder flights of fancy almost too absurd, and his metaphors crossing over the border into sheer indulgence, corniness or both. With "Fierce Invalids," a more-mature Robbins (now in his 60s) seems to have better control, and his characters - although still wacked by any standard - are more readily discernible and, well, human. Switters may be annoying and inscrutable, but, like so many real people, he's consistently hard to pin down, and the reader emerges feeling, finally, as if he's got his arms around a Robbins character. Knowing Robbins' books are few and far between, I read "Fierce Invalids" slowly and enjoyed every word. It's fun, smart and entertaining as hell. The fact that it would offend at least half the U.S. population is just icing on the cake.

I spent most of highschool bowing down to Robbins. As a wannabe writer, I truly believed that he was the best. I gobbled up each book I could get my hands on and cried myself to sleep when I had completed the collection. But I clearly remember the day that Skinny Legs and All was released and I ran to the bookstore with anticipation, only to find myself three weeks later saying to Robbins newbees, "don't start with Skinny Legs, it will turn you off." What had happened? A mysterious shift in the world of the bizzare. And I am sad to say that it never got much better. Now I'm not saying that Frog and Invalid are bad novels, but they just don't match the brilliance of the early books. Maybe I am just exausted from the avalanche of simile and metaphor...take a break man, sometimes it's just better to be straight forward...So if you are a fan by all means read, there are some great moments...But if you are new, go back in time and pick up Jitterbug, Woodpecker or Cowgirls...you won't be sorry.

With two exceptions, I can never decide which Tom Robbins book I love more. This is definately up there with the best!
Tom Robbins takes serious subjects (like religion and politics) and makes you laugh. Even more amazingly, his work makes you rethink your beliefs in a critical way. Not even slightly preachy or overbearing, His charaters' observations are educational as well as entertaining.
Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates is yet another example of his brilliance.
I can't really say more without giving away plot. This is a book best read cold. With no preconceived notions about it's plot lines or characters.

A poet, a philosopher, a polygon, there are many sides to author Tom Robbins. We see this in his earlier novels: In Another Roadside Attraction, he replaces paranoia and cynicism of Catholism, secret societies and conspiracy theories with humor and fun; in Skinny Legs and All, he spins a prosaic punchline around politics, religion, art and sex; in Jitterbug Perfume, we get a colorful allegory that travels over a period of a thousand years and traces the life of Pan, the god of nature, and a bottle of perfume that's the essence of the universe.

In Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, Robbins again does a remarkable job of pulling in the secrets of history, religion, and anthropology, adding myth, magic and metaphor to present-day events, without being a heavy-handed preacher. The characters aren't as colorfully absurd and outrageously zany as they were in his previous works, but you won't forget them nevertheless. And his zest for language and life is sure poetry; his message is as sinuous and sly as the line in the yin-yang symbol.

Fierce Invalids lays it out for you clearly, faithfully.

Merely attempting to review a tome by Tom Robbins denotes hubris and a foolish vanity. Mr Robbin's writing is disrespectful, dirty, and droolingly delicious.
In his other books brief moments of genius and salsa importuned and opportuned in spotty brilliance.
In this book depth theme structure even suspense are held throughout. This is his most consistent offering. It is consistently excellent.
Just the sentences, regardless of context, are worth the price. Pick almost any paragraph, read it and savor it. The best thing about this book is that unlike a good meal "Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates" can be enjoyed again.
Plotting is much more steady than in other efforts, including Another Roadside Attraction which this book resembles slightly with its anti establishment, anti authoritarian schemes and themes.
A shaman in a cave in "Cowgirls" is called to memory as the hero/anti-hero Switters investigates the psycho psupernatural.
We follow the lead here and he doesn't disappoint, though he scares a bit with his tastes. While not a perfect book, we're happy to ride along with Switters in his four wheeled hand powered starship because not only is he pure, but whenever the impetus of the book dwindles just a tad, the music, olfactory delights and savory flavors of the language itself compel us on paddling downstream seeking out the delicate sweet,salt,bitter,and sour sensations.
Don't read this book if you are easily offended. There's a joy in offending here.
There is joy here.
Wahoo!

. . .maybe believe your suspenders, I'm not sure which.

It seems to me that to enjoy this book,

you have to suspend your suspicion of

bombast and improbability. You also have

to give up any qualms you might have

about a protagonist who's pretty much

a pedophile and whose connection to planet

earth seems pretty improbable.

What you get in return are some amazing

language, some great observations and

a character whose zenny zest is intense

but not cartoonish. Much too cerebral to

ever be made into a movie by any director

alive now, this is a book to be enjoyed

as a pure artifact of whacked-out, but

craftsman-like writing.

This was my first Tom Robbins novel. I borrowed it from my 24-year old daughter who reads all of his books (she especially loves "Jitterbug Perfume").

I have to say I was bothered by the pedophilia, but not nearly as much as I was bothered by the main character trying to convince the reader why it's okay. And trying to convince again, and again, and...

But it was a fast moving story, fun insight on Catholicism, and just plain wacky situations, though it got a little wordy. Sometimes, I just wanted to shout, "Shut up!" Still, I would recommend this book, but not to the prude...

Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates is a very bizarre and odd story about a weird CIA agent, and Robbins said that he was inspired by a page in a CIA member's journal entry. Switters, the main character, is very interesting, since he must never set foot on the ground or it will lead it his death, and he goeson interesting missions, including finding out the secrets of the Fantima prophecy in Asia, and sexual experiences. This was my 1st Tom Robbins novel, and Fierece Invalids is a good place to start if you want to read his work.

And this one is the best yet. Philosophical, lyrical, wacky, mystical, musical... Honestly I can understand why some people (maybe a lot of people) don't like Tom's books. I have never recommended Tom to a friend, because I don't have any friends I think would "get it." Maybe he and I are together on some cosmic plane. But I relish every word, every sentence. So many ideas. How many times I stop reading just to think about something he has said. You could rush through, but better to savor. I am sure I will read this book a dozen times or more.

Anything that Tom Robbins writes is better than almost anything that any one else writes. However... What is up with this Switters? I really didn't find him interesting or enlightening, just verbose, pompous and self absorbed. He didn't develope as a character through the course of the book. I'm not sure that I ever got to know any of the characters very well. Maestra? Should have been more about her. Suzy? Two-dimensional. Domino? We only see these women from Switters perspective, which is, to say the least, not very flattering.
And where does Switters end up, back in the Bangkok bargirl scene, having learned nothing from any of his three gals.
I guess my biggest complaint is that this book just wasn't much fun! Too many hard to follow monologues from Switters. He may be interesting in real life, but he does not deserve to be one of Tom Robbins main dudes.

I have heard many say that "Invalids" is Robbins' worst book. For a while, I agreed. Then I sat down and re-read it, paying closer attention to the philosophical tangents, and I emerged on the other side with a newfound respect for language, culture and the need for personal freedom. The underlying "Lolita" theme (Switters is quite obviously a very Humbert character), the Maestra matriarch who, despite the protagonist's attempts otherwise, rules his conscience, and the idea that life just might be too precious to waste on a gamble, no matter how silly, make "Invalids" an invaluable addition to Robbins' collection. It will take some time, however, as the book is quite dense and frustrating at moments; keep a dictionary close at hand and the pot of coffee warm - this one is worth it.

Saw it. Bought it. Read it. Read it again.
Despite that fact that Tom Robbins (probably) doesn't work for the CIA, this novel is clearly his most autobiographical. But who cares. What Tom's audience wants, Tom's audience gets. The master of the metaphor returns with another twisted tail of twisted people written in Tom's own brand(tm) of bruised, battered, manipulated, twisted, and thoroughly enjoyable english.
We read because of how he writes, not because of what he writes about. What a ride.

I was waiting anxiously for this book to come out and when it did, I snatched it up. I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of Switters, and was delighted with the pyramids, the nuns and the boat races. I was intrigued by Robbins'/Switters' take on the miracles at Fatima and enjoyed contrasting his views with those of my upbringing. All in all, a great book!
One complaint I have about this novel is the "Finnegan's Wake" references. I can see the relevance of introducing this topic, but it is completely overused. It is almost as if one of Robbins' buddies bet him that he could not mention "Finnegan's Wake" 74 times in one novel (no, I didn't actually count!).

Walking into this story is like walking into a carnival. The characters are bright and interesting. The scenery grabs your attention. And there are lots of bells and whistles to amuse you as you make your way from page to page. In this story, the carnival is the characters and Mr. Robbins' fantastic use of language and dialogue. But when I finished the book, I wondered where the payoff was. Although the book was a pleasant diversion, I could never make any real connection with the story.

Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates works its literary magic quite literally all over the world and all over the worlds of human significance, refusing to leave anything out of this particular helping of the Robbins mojo. There's not a hemisphere of the globe or the brain not shuffled into this surging meditation on male and female sexuality, on disenfranchisement and freedom, on brotherhood and (S)sisterhood, on love and friendship, on belief and doubt, and on the paradoxes out of which life emerges. In this world, the heroic dimension of Pee Wee Herman breaks on through the absurd cant of political demagogues, and pyramidically-headed the storeian shamans grasp the truths of the human sould much better than do Presidents or Popes. The defrocked, whether nuns or CIA operatives, realize the value of their beliefs in the very moments that cut them loose from the more stultifying tedium of their official chores.
As in other Robbins novels, it is when we are in the presence of those who believe they know what's right or best for others that we are in the presence of evil, here represented by the more orthodox members of "Organizations" like the Roman Catholic Church, the CIA, and the IRS. Robbins's protagonist, one recently defrocked company operative named Switters, plays the point man in this fast-break of a novel that weaves its way through the Pacific Northwest, the the store River basin, and the Syrian desert, with a toilet stop in Vatican City. Like Bernard Wrangle and Larry Diamond before him, Switters provides the guts, brains, vision, raunch, and dedication to this friends and his philosophy that drives this novel. That Switters drives a wheelchair and stalks the desert sands on stilts for much of Fierce Invalids renders him only slightly less agile than Isaiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, or Michael Jordan at their high-flying, twisting and turning best. Best yet, the conditions that prevent Switters from making full contact with the earth give him a perspective from at least three inches above terra firma, a silly three inches, perhaps, but a silliness that grants him the perspective of the Bodhisattva, whose enlightened state enables him to act in but not of this world. Robbins doesn't settle for that dichotomy, however, and Switters wants it all, his glory is being in and of the world, and deep in the pudding of life, intrigue, mystery, and those Walt Whitmanian "procreative urges" that glorify this tour of duty. Switters revels in his missions, whether they place him in harms way freeing an aging parrot into something resembling his native habitat, delivering arms to Kurdish freedom fighters, or struggling to satisfy the yearnings of the purest forms of innocence.
Fierce Invalids teems with brilliant creations, its metaphors and boldly imagined scenarios no less than its characters like "Don't Call Me Grandma" Maestra, Today is Tomorrow, Bobby Case, Sisters Domino Thiry, Mustang Sally, Zu Zu, and Bopb. Robbins's finely reslized dialogue writing couples with some of his most brilliantly realized locales and situations to make this novel something like the ultimate Tom Robbins novel, at least to date.
Some might still regard Robbins as a "philosopher clown," but we have to remember that phillsopher clowns are philosophers, after all, but ones who believe that languages other than the jargon ridden argots of drily acaemic philosophy ferret out the intricacies of the human condition better than do the often pointlessly abstruse musings of the ivory tower. In Fierce Invalids, Robbins wrestles with all the demons, all the complexity of modern existence and luxuriates in a joyful embrace with the absolute and to mingle with the mud, the blood, and the beer of daily urges and ideas. This is one spectacular read!

"...no matter how valid, how vital, one's belief system might be, one undermines that system and ultimately negates it when one gets rigid and dogmatic in one's adherence to it... joy itself is a form of wisdom. Beyond that is the suggestion that if people are nimble enough to move freely between different perceptions of reality and if they maintain a relaxed, playful attitude well-seasoned with laughter, then they would live in harmony with the universe; they would connect with all matter, organic and inorganic, at its purest, most basic level." p.389
Robbins was not at his best in this work. The research was shoddy and slapped together. The message, if there really was one, was likewise woefully underdeveloped. It's hard to criticize the only author whose every published word I've read and enjoyed... but unfortunately, Robbins let this one get away from him. On the upside, I commend Robbins for his enthusiasm to Red Eye gravy and Finnegan's Wake. Two forms of diversion that I've reacquainted myself with on his account.
My takeaway from this work is the notion of purity. The novel desperately tried to be about purity but never managed to do so. The main character Switters is the ultimate pursuer of purity, he chases 16-year old Suzy, he plays rugby for the sport of it (though his position was never revealed), and he lives life as an operative's operative, a CIA angel. Robbins dumps truckloads of purity on the reader. He pipes wisdom from the aging mouth of a grandmother, prophesizes warnings from the Virgin Mary, visualizes the world through the eyes of a remote South American tribe of natives, and encounters adventure amongst an especially pure sect of Catholic nuns. How much purity do you want? And still, the message isn't clear, the point doesn't slam home.
Fierce Invalids is creative and entertaining, but lacks a message... Tom Robbins is capable of quite a bit more.

Tom Robbins paints so vivid a picture that all other books feel like stick-figures in comparison. It's like every word has been painstakingly chosen, buffed and waxed, and then put in a new pair of velvet slippers.

Another way to look at it: whilst reading this book you can't help but see the world a little differently. Even if all your seeing are wicked curve-balls, you are convinced that the next pitch could very well be a watermelon. Possibly rum-soaked.

If the journey is more important than the destination and you feel a wander coming on, this book is for you.

Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates is a wonderful, big fierce book which need not be judged only in comparison to the author's earlier and extremely formidable accomplishments. Because it is on the money in terms of current content, such as cyberspace, yet rooted in antiquities, such as shamanic travel, it is truly both timely and timeless. Of course, that is not to say that a fluency in both American culture and the Queen's English will not prove enormously helpful to the reader in staying tuned to the author's playful and erudite cadence, but there is something here to set up and upset almost anyone. For this Mr. Robbins deserves to be roundly congratulated. Elements which might seem far fetched, like the sage with a pyramid-shaped head engendered through a DDT-induced mutation and amplified by mahogany boards intentionally placed to accentuate the pointed, call to mind the entirely plausible and historical, such as the deliberate bandaging of pretty little Chinese feet to make them even smaller. However, the criminality of such practices is certainly not lost on Mr. Robbins, who, like the shaman, attempts to incorporate their magic through the serving up of this very rich literary pudding as a just dessert for those who would can the uncanny, corner the infinite or repress the irrepressible. And when the venerable Mr. Switters does find himself caught between the feminine antipodes of his soul's yearning, he most sensibly does what any self-respecting Zen master would, that is, get onto a table and squawk, with joy and abandon, in the avian spirit which he, though unwittingly, most surely has incorporated into his own luminous substance. This book, in short, is an extremely serious joke with enormous transformative power with no ulterior redeeming motive whatsoever. I recommend it highly as an entertaining and compelling literate jest / fest for all those individuals interested in improving their vocabularies while simultaneously loosening the fetters of their convictions. As for rating it, "the million star hotel" model of sleeping out in the open desert far better describes this voluptous and voracious foray into the holy physicality of being than does the restrictive penta-sidereal system favored by petro-business travel guides or on-line booksellers. In the tradition of Aldous Huxley's Island, Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates is a powerful exhortation to humankind rise, shine and (mustang)sally onward.

So, when I was in high school my brother introduced me to Tom Robbins via "Still Live with Woodpecker". Loved it, and read every TR book I could get my hands on. "Jitterbug Perfume" is my favorite book to date, and I re-read it every year!
I wasn't too thrilled with "Half Asleep in Frog's Pajamas", and I figured he was on the decline, trying too hard. But then I happened upon FIHFHC at the library, and promptly picked it up. I was entranced. I loved it! It had all the hilarity and characters I'd grown to love from his other books. I'm surprised he got the poor reviews here that he has.
I love Tom Robbins writing, and I was so glad to have read this book. This is the first book of his I've read since having 2 kids and a mortgage, so it was nice to leave reality and submerse myself in this book.

In May of 2000, while running through LAX to catch my flight, I saw, out the corner of my eye, "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates" displayed at the aiport bookstore. Though I nearly risked being late for my flight, I dashed into the bookstore, bought it, and read happily, nonstop, abandoning everything I was SUPPOSED to be reading. I hadn't even known a new title was being released, so I couldn't believe my good fortune. A Tom Robbins novel for a four hour flight! Ever since "Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas," I had been eagerly awaiting, praying almost, for a new novel. During those six long years, I reread all his other books. "Jitterbug Perfume" is my favorite, followed by a tie between "Skinny Legs and All" and "Still Life with Woodpecker." So I am a big fan, which is important to contextualize my disappointment in this book! Yes, I was delighted by much of it: the synchronistic plot twists and character connections, the bizarre situations and exotic locales, his signature brillance with word play, his inevitable references to mythology, politics, and philosophy, and his ever engaging characters, that is, except for Switters. Switters is the quintessence of the eternal boy imbued with narcissism and an unnecessary dose of misogynisism. Don't begin your foray into Tom Robbins with this book. I am undaunted. Although I had not reread this book, I still plan to pre-order "Villa Incognito," due out in April, which I hope deliveres what Robbins is capapable of providing.

Tom Robbins proves that joy and laughter, and the interconnectedness of all things, are the essential forces that move the world.
To fully appreciate everything about this delicious read, I recommend you review the movie "American Beauty" while you await the arrival of the brown corrugated cardboard bundle of joy.
Then...
Read this book, and experience the luscious, dripping pleasure of words brought together for the first time, to their own surprise and delight, in sequences that stimulate every synapse you have. Read it with a friend, and amplify your excitement and love of the scrumptious C.R.A.F.T(h)ing of this expedition.

Tom's books represent, literally and figuratively, everything unique and fun about this country. Tom has the uncanny knack of not just pouring you the juice by which to quench your soul's thirst, but also inserting a life line I.V. to ensure it hits its' target. No effort asides from sitting still and allowing the juice to run its' course is required. Needless to say Tom's juice is full of paradox, adventure, laughter, and philosophical meanderings. Simultaneously acting as a stimulant, an aphrodisiac, an hallucinogen, and a guided meditation, this book, like all of Tom's work, is, more than a great story, it's Finnegan's Wake-up call to the cultural malaise of the one true enemy: a mundane existence; a life without curiosity. [...].

I love Tom Robbins novels - and this was no exception! I find his use of language to be so visually compelling that I find myself ravenous while reading. I do not read the Bestseller list, and I find the mainstream boring, boring, boring! Tom Robbins allows me to go to some other world, exotic location and while I am there the suggestions and ideas cause me to look into myself and evaluate my feelings about Catholicism, CIA, Drugs and meditation in the case of "Fierce...". I can relate and yet I am scandalized, demoralized, titallated and all. I think that Jitterbug is still my favorite, but I can't wait to see more of Switters - and judging from the end of this novel we will!
So, those of you who wish to laugh and look at the world from a Robbinslike perspective ".....relax", pick your feet up and read "Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates".
Dig

No popular author, living or dead, goes places -- in the mind, in the imagination, with words and ideas -- like Tom Robbins does. That alone makes each and every Robbins book a treat unlike any other. Invalids is better than the last two (Pajamas, Legs), a fun read through and through. There's so much to chew over. But I agree with those who say his diatribes have gotten increasingly out of control and are often tiresome. Everything's a little over the top, even his linguistic indulgences. Will we ever again see the measured whimsy of Jitterbug Perfume or Still Life with Woodpecker (my faves)? Nonetheless, thank you Tom, again, for being you!

I am a Genesis Freak (been to concerts from every tour since the Tower Theater), a fan of Frank Herbert (I've been reading them all right up to House Atreides) and I am David James Duncan's most avid reader (I have not read that "sisterhood" book). Needless to say, I do indeed like Tom Robbins...
My favorite book (I remember reading the whole thing out loud on shrooms one night in San Diego...) is Jitterbug Perfume. Ever since the disertation on Catholisism in ARA, I have made a genuine effort to follow this man's perspective. And now, we come to Fierce...
I am currently 1/3rd the way through and I am reading this one like I read The Brothers K. Especially so after I read (in Tom's own words) that he wrote the damn thing in longhand on pads of legal paper AND at times spending days on just one sentence!
It is easy to be critical and easier yet to be complimentary. Seven books after the fact, Robbins has gone beyond peaking, beyond "hitting the wall" and in fact is now on to a whole new level of writing which I hope I live long enough to experience.
Read this book if you remain ignorant to the reality that lies beyond the veil. Ignore this book if you are comfortable with that illusion and like being ignorant.

Throw into Tom Robbins' blender characters and settings drawn from Even Cowgirls Get the Blues and motifs from Still Life with Woodpecker, and Another Roadside Attraction. Season with his trademark fulminations on birth control, organized religion, cheerfulness and other assorted politically provocative buzz items that Robbins keeps in plentiful supply in his scribe's spice rack. Punch the button marked "chopped" and fire away. Once a cole slaw consistency has been achieved, pour into a warm, velvety, tomato-y broth of thesaurus-enriched vocabulary and you have the makings for his latest novel Fierce Invalids Home from Warm Climates. If one is recuperating from a heart cathaterization process that gave death the slip anew this cornucopia of philosophy, rant, spell-binding musical verse will refresh the body, renew the mind and replenish the spirit. There is no doubt that Robbins is a well-read, erudite middle-aged rebel; and a man of manners as is befitting his Southern heritage. He charms one's soul in his way with words, myths and story. However there is a tendency to pour it on a bit much in the middle section of the book. There were passages wherein the author's own prideful narcissism pestered the reader like a persistent mosquito. For the reader, the trip through the Peruvian the store was as tedious as Switters himself found it to be. Still, I was wonderfully entertained, provoked and transported to the wonderful worlds of Robbins. I commend his craftsmanship in composition and depth. I recommend this book to all who wish to stand on the edge of the world and to see a universe in "whose light we see light."

When the Art Girls spirited boat competition reaches full throttle and the two most ambitious combatents create a Christ that walks on water followed by one that additionally pulled skis, the end was indeed near for me, I nearly choked to death on my own laughter.
Robbins has the genius to tickle the delightful parts of our brain just enough to open us to the realization that ANYTHING is possible and then he justs pours in the slippery suggestions and what a wonderful ride it is. Much more than just reading a story I actually feel as if my senses are more keen and aware and the comedy of daily life more apparent as I trundle thru my work day with bits and flashes of last night and this mornings quick reads spinning thru my memory.
I am now just 3/4 of the way thru it and the truth is I am writing this review as a way to keep myself occupied so I don't go getting all greedy and finish it tonight. So actually I don't know about the "outcome" of this romanti-tragi-comedy but I am absolutely certain I don't want it to end. If anyone has an idea for how to morph a book with an everlasting gobstopper? ......PLEASE COME FORTH

Over the years, starting as a college student in the 60s, and later, I eagerly awaited Tom Robbins' books as a kind of anthem for rebellion against the establishment. We discussed them for endless hours, fueled by all that was back then.
So when I saw Fierce Invalids in a bookstore a few weeks ago-I decided to reconnect. Yes, the ability with the language is there, in fact his talent is brilliantly polished. What left me feeling flat was his use of the same tired old themes -casual sex as a gateway to spirituality, the notion that somehow some superior force would change the innate characteristics of human behavior, if we would just listen (which we don't), the presumption that any sort of organization is wrong (especially religion), and drinking and drugging as the glue, or perhaps the social imperative, that holds it together, that justifies whatever behavior is necessary.
Robbins has polished these themes to a high gloss-but I felt that his Switters was perhaps really trying to conquer the virginity of his own inability to feel alive. He kept bouncing off this surface, back up into his own justification, and I wound up feeling sick of his diatribes.

Tom Robbins' books fall into three categories for me:
I. Pure genius (incl. Roadside, Cowgirls, and Jitterbug)
II. Respectable flights of fancy (Skinny Legs)
III. Lukewarm efforts (Still Life, Frog Pajamas)
That's not to say that all in (I) are five-star champions and all in (III) are horrible one-star waste of times. I've never come across a viable reason to give anything Tom's written less than four-stars (on the the store.com scale). Fierce Invalids is no exception. It is a third-tier Robbins book, but that makes it better than 99% of the drek out there.
It's unique (not "most unique") in the Robbins' oeuvre for one simple reason: a male protagonist. Switters is the literary equivalent of a bipolar disorder: he hates organizations, yet is a member of both the CIA and a convent; he believes in laughter as the road to Nirvana, yet he carries a Beretta with him wherever he goes; he's world-wise and pragmatic, yet spends the last two third of the story confined to a wheelchair due to a shaman's curse. This theme of binary opposition runs rampant through the book, and it gives the reader something tangible to hang on to, something Robbins usually is hesitant to do.
Midway through the narrative, I realized that all that I enjoyed about the first half of the book has been destroyed, and I was wondering how Tom would pull it all together in the end (he always does). He does -- although slightly more melodramatic than usual, I was satisfied with the knots he made to tie up the loose ends.
As for his most unique (couldn't help myself here, Tom) ability to wield the swords of simile and metaphor, it has never been sharper. My favourite: "Looking at it from another angle, their kiss was like a paper airplane landing on the moon." It's like haiku, that line.
For the Tom-completist (of which I am a recent member), pick it up and bask in its glory, cause you may not hear a peep from the old man for another five years. For the Tom-newbie, go back to Roadside, and save this one for another day.

Tom Robbins has this amazing ability to draw you into
a world in which he defines the parameters and casually
draws the reader into an internal debate over basic life
assumptions. I always appreciate a writer who can tell
a story, but when you find a writer who can do this on
a couple of different levels, that is rare indeed. I would
highly recommend you book a ticket for this one.

This is my first Tom Robbins book. Perhaps that is why I liked it so much better than the seasoned Tom Robbins readers who's views can be found around mine. I found the author's writing style a pleasure to hear. (I actually listened to the audio version.) While his writing style was not riveting, his prose were increadible. I don't think I have ever read an author who is more gifted at analogies. Frequently I found myself losing my place in the story because I was too caught up in thinking about an analogy that was just made.
Perhaps this isn't Mr. Robbin's best book, I am testing this by listening to the much ballyhood Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, but it is temendously fun.

Robbins, soul spawn of the '60s, is without doubt, the most "outside the box" descriptor writing today. His first, <Roadside>, introduced his eternal themes, from which he has never strayed, and Pray !, he never will. After <Cowgirls>, the Book (I shall not treat of that cinema sensationale), I felt him to be "off his feed," e.g., <Woodpecker>; but <Fierce Invalids>
has it ALL, says it ALL, and will both knock your socks off AND make them go up and down ! And he gifts us with a "new Amanda !"
If you can read <Fierce Invalids>, and not put it down during
cleansing belly laughs, or to contemplate Robbins' framing of
"The Eternal Issues," mayhaps you might schedule another MRI... soon. Keep the pretending DeLillos and whomever: Robbins is ours: he writes to be read, savoured, and to provoke... again !!!
And he L-O-V-E-S authentic women... without apology. Viva Tom !

Robbins most recent offering is deceptive and ultimately disappointing. It's like the hardwood floor in my living room. It looks solid, level, polished. But as soon as I start across it, I notice the scratches and dips; I hear the squeaky creaks and ominous groans. Metaphors aside: 1) The book's plot wanders and stalls in a thoroughly nondelightful manner. The journey itself seems aimless and pointless, and no sub-plots provide relief. 2) The male characters are selfish and short-sighted and not very interesting really. Some protagonists you love to hate. Switters just bores me. And Robbins can't seem to deny him anything. 3) The female characters are bland and restricted. A babe buffet for middle-aged men. Result: Robbins' use of language (as fresh and agile as usual) is not enough to make me overlook the basically disappointing content of this book. (P.S. What is with the annoying repetition of the title phrase?)

Some talk about Robbins dexterity with words; some about his seemingly off-beat themes; some about his, well...sex, but reading his books, I find, is more like a game of connecting the dots than anything thing else. It's not possible to review Fierce Invalids From Hot Climates so here are some of the dots: G Guys, a parodying parrot, a shaming shaman (isn't there always?), a less than luminescent Lolita, a wake for Finnegan, a nun at first sight, carnal knowledge (the 'c' is silent), forgetting feet, Vaseline (my personal favorite) and a Pope whose boys might say nope. If you can connect them then don't bother reading the book; if you can't give it a try.

Robbins is a MASTER of language. Every page of Fierce crackles, every paragraph sizzles, and every sentence strikes out. If you're never read Robbins, be prepared for original characters, an unusal gift for language and metaphor, and plot that...doesn't begin to describe the STORY. If you have read Robbins before, the same wit and storytelling ability shines through like a flashlight in our midnight. He points a finger at our culture's hypocritical taboos and beliefs but with a soft touch shows our best sides. Switters, the main character, is unparalled in depth and contradiction, the man who holds innocence aloft while wanting to take his young step-sister's virginity, who hates violence but carries a Berretta, and who believes in justice yet works for the CIA. Gel your hair down and be prepared to be carried around the world in Robbins latest novel.

The cute writing style the author chooses to employ finally exceeded my tolerance, at about page 130, and I had to put the book aside. No doubt Mr. Robbins has all the tools to be a successful writer. His characters and plot were certainly adequate. But his infatuation with what he apparently perceives as his command of the language simply gets in the way after awhile. And by the way, "flaunt" is not a synonym for "flout" (p. 132).

Tom Robbins' propensity to focus on oversized appendanges, obscure cults, and gratuitous sexual innuendo have finally done him in. Better to sit down with Carlos Castenada - better yet, Francois de La Rochefoucauld - than waste time with Robbins' version of reality.
How many times does one have to be reminded that Switters knows the word for "vagina" in seventy-one different languages? If that's what his editor(s) feel is needed to sell his books, then the book publishing industry is in trouble. Whereas most of the characters in his earlier work - Another Roadside Attraction - were full of quirkiness, the cast of Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates are not drawn from the same inkwell.
The author's description of the convent in Syria ring true but the manner of Switter's arrival there and his "rescue" of the nuns from papal disgrace is stiltingly hard to accept. Perhaps one must suspend belief while reading this book. I'm sure that surfing the web pages of the OED would provide more entertainment.

How do you describe the indescribable? I don't know. But when you sit down with this book you better fix yourself a snack and a nice cup of some hot beverage, take the phone off the hook, lock the door, and kiss your loved ones goodnight because you will find it nearly impossible to put this book down. I'm seriouse don't laugh, it's that good. Be forewarned though this book is not for the faint of heart or those of fraile disposition. Switters, the main character, will make you laugh, make you cring and possibly make you gag, but he will not bore you. One last warning this book is highly recommended only to those with an open mind and a true sense of humor (you've been warned religious right). And Tom if you read this which i'm sure you won't I WANT MORE SWITTERS!!!!

He hit it again. After stagerring with Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, Tom is back on track. His attention to detail of each sentence is abundant throughout the book and you can see why it takes him so long between books. Fierce Invalids is defintely worth the wait. Also, Robbins has a superb ending to this book, something he has struggled with in previous novels.
The main character, Switters, delves below the normal 21 year old love interest that is standard in Robbins books and this time finds a love interest that is 16...and his step sister. He then falls for a 46 year old nun that is the world's only born again virgin with the skin to prove it. enough said. read the book

I, too, have read every book Tom has ever written and anxiously awaited the release of each and every one of them. My feeling regarding Fierce Invalids is that Tom needs to talk to his agent about re-negotiating this book every 2 years deal -- it isn't working. This is the first Robbins novel I have read in which I didn't want to remember this quote or that. However, I must admit for all my dismay, I missed the bus a couple of times deeply engrossed in this novel, and have completely left the planet on more than one occasion. So, as always, this Tom Robbins novel much like all the rest became my address. Switters' secret passion as a linguist was a flimsy excuse for the meandering diatribes. Tom you need more time to flesh things out -- rethink the contract pal; you're too good at what you do to get lost in the mire of the plain and ordinary.

Tom Robbins is wonderful. There is no one, in my opinion, that can take me to places I would only want to dream of. Usually I will read a book in two days; Fierce Invalids was savoured. I didn't want to miss one word! If it takes Robbins this long to write his next book "it" will be worth the wait. His characters stay with you forever, and I love that about him.

Imagine my sense of unreality when I turned on the morning news just in time to hear the anchorman say that the Vatican had released the long held secret of the Third Prophecy of Fatima. I thought Tom had made it up! Is it too much to say that this book has influenced the course of history? Well maybe... but the story of Switters has caused outbeaks of giggles, guffaws and smiles for me while reading it. Thank you Tom! I get such a buzz from you.

This story was my first experience with Robbins and I truly liked it a great deal. The wild plot involves many great characters: a computer savvy Grandma who knows just about everyting about human nature, a defrocked group of nuns living in Syria, a South American Shaman with a head shaped like a pyramid and Switters, the philosophizing CIA adventurer who gets caught up in crossfire of almost all of the action.
For Audiobook, Keith Szarabajka's reading incorporates a wide variety of accents (of both genders) in a most entertaining fashion.