This is a book about the English language. A small part of it, actually: superlatives. Like many writes, I enjoy playing with the language and I found delight in reading this book. Well, not reading exactly but skimming through its “wallopingly fresh” lists of superlatives. As any dictionary, it serves as a reference, to consult when needed.
Who is this book for? The author answers this question in his charming and funny introduction:

In addressing “you,” I am picturing someone who takes language seriously, even when using it to evoke giggles and gasps. You’re a novelist or a reporter reaching for an emphatic way of saying beautiful or big. You are a critic enchanted by a new work, but last week you used enchanting, haunting, and mesmerizing for the hundredth time. … You are everyperson, wishing to excite others about the things exciting you, or looking to energize such everyday civilities as “Have a ___ trip.”

Plotnik offers his readers a thesaurus of “great” and “fabulous” in a book comprised of over 200 pages. It’s not surprising that a book on such a topic should sing dithyrambs to an adverb, a part of speech most writing teaches condemn as harmful for fiction. The prevalent dictum on the subject is that fiction narrative should be spare, consisting mostly of nouns and verbs. Otherwise it’s called ‘flowery,’ with definite derision in the tone. I think it took gumption for a writing professional to present an opinion contrary to so many MFAs in Creative Writing.

I use tons of adverbs, and to those who still believe the old saw that all adverbs are bad, I say, heed the enlightened language experts: Adverbs are bad when they serve no purpose, when they add nothing but excess baggage to what they would modify. Otherwise, they serve to specify the degree or manner of the named quality, yielding information that is interesting, intensifying, and sometimes fun.
I have tried to use adverbs that energize and sharpen…

I love adverbs and adjectives too; I think of them as little words that add color and taste to a story. So Plotnik is definitely my kind of guy. He not only makes up his own superlatives but also quotes other writers, as well as critics and bloggers, who first came up with a whimsical expression or a funky word. He gives tribute where it’s due:

“If that advice makes your insides do the happy dance, may I suggest a writing book that will really get your belly in a polka.”
-- Bonnie Grove, fictionmatters.blogspot.com Oct 14, 2009

Plontik also quotes one of the most beloved American writers, Mark Twain: “Grief can take care of itself; but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.” I’m in full agreement with the sentiment, and I want to share my joy in this book with my friends on GR.
If I had to use one word to describe this little volume, I’d employ one of the author’s superior superlatives: droolworthy!
Recommended to every writer and every language buff.
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Any words I might use to describe just how brilliantly adroit this book is will pale in comparison to the sheer amount of options this book has made available to me. The book is arranged into several different categories for easy use and gives histories on some of the most popular superlatives. I think I would have to study Better Than Great for a few weeks before I can truly use all these words in place of my too overused go-to's like amazing and excellent. A definite must have for anyone in any kind of literary field or anyone who loves words of all kinds.

I received this book as part of the GoodReads Giveaway. ( )

Over a career, author and editor Plotnik has urged writers to be more exciting and engaging with words. Now regarding superlatives, he writes, “We find ourselves defaulting to such habitual choices as good, great, and terrific, or substituting the weary synonyms that tumble out of a thesaurus...” And then we have to plump them up by underlining, italicizing, CAPITALIZing and punc.tu.ating!

So here he compiles 6000 “wallopingly fresh” adjectives, adverbs and multi-word expressions. They’re lively and imaginative, with a palpable pop-culture influence and mostly suited to writing that’s energetic not formal. Their organization is not typical-thesaurus alphabetical but rather in chapters by evocative intent, for example:
• degree of acclaim, e.g. great (“seize-the-day special”) vs sublime (“nirvanic”) vs exceptional (“certified rare”);
• physical/ mental/ emotional/ spiritual effect (“blistering,” “emotional eggbeater,” “aneurism-inducingly funny”);
• beauty or gastronomy (“Halle Berry 2.0,” “noshalicious”);
• size/ intensity (“hangar-sized,” “Wagnerian”); and
• degrees of cool and wicked cool (“cool in high-def,” “cold”).

All lists include a range from vintage terms to contemporary to ultra-trendy. Appendices include txt-ready abbreviations and a bibliography lists additional online and print sources.

As a reference work, it’s difficult to use; it was only in digging deeply for this review that I began to meaningfully differentiate among the chapter categories. And there are hundreds of expressions in each, not something to browse in a moment of need. Still, I agree that language needs freshness, and precision, so I'm following the approach Plotnik suggests in an appendix -- to compile a starter set of fresh words I'd actually use (he supplies one) and begin to get comfortable using them.

(Review based on an advance reading copy provided by the publisher.) ( )