{"title":"Shaun Micallef","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eShaun Micallef\u003c\/strong\u003e offers a diverse range of works that blend wit and imagination across genres. From cleverly crafted general fiction and sharp humour to engaging children’s stories, his writing captivates readers with its originality and charm. Whether exploring quirky narratives or playful tales, Micallef’s books invite a clever twist on everyday life and unexpected adventures.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBeyond fiction, his work includes memoir and biographical elements imbued with a distinctive voice that entertains while providing thoughtful insights. Fans of humour and creative storytelling will find much to enjoy in his varied and unpredictable collection, where sharp observations meet playful creativity.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"death-takes-a-holiday-by-shaun-micallef-9781761154812","title":"DeAth Takes a Holiday","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘If I wasn’t dead, I would sue.’—Bram Stoker\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is the origin story of the first real vampyre (not Dracula).\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe trouble with immortality is that eventually you get sick to death of it, and so to soothe his sickened soul, the Comte De’Ath decides to take a trip. From psychoanalysis in Vienna to blood transfusions in London, the Comte learns that a holiday is as good as a change. On the way, he meets the Queen, brings her husband back to life, helps win the Second Matabele War, matches wits with the Elephant Man, inspires Henry Ford to pursue the American Dream, almost solves the crisis in the Middle East and even falls in love. Will he become mortal again in time for his funeral in Carfax Abbey? Ah – but what a fine book this would be if we gave away the end of the story in the blurb.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom the man Ben Elton once described as ‘perhaps Australia’s finest satirist’ comes a Victorian novel for modern times. A tale of Gothic horror so bloodcurdling that it makes Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson and Oscar Wilde look like they could barely write the word ‘cat’.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR DE'ATH TAKES A HOLIDAY:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘Shaun Micallef is having a great deal of fun with \u003ci\u003eDe’Ath Takes a Holiday\u003c\/i\u003e, a book that sounds like Forrest Gump has been bitten by Dracula – or perhaps the other way around’ \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e, Australian books to look forward to in 2026\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘He's aiming here to use satire to tell important philosophical stories, meditating on mortality and myths. And he probably, in the process, reminds us that we really don't want to live forever (although 100 years would be nice.).’ \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Australian\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘a very silly, very funny page turner that doesn’t outstay its welcome’ \u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eBooks + Publishing\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Distribution and Logistics Company (TDLC)","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47073298907372,"sku":"9781761154812","price":30.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/8a7256315c8b914ddacf62658fc16c25.jpg?v=1765178587"},{"product_id":"the-ocelot-and-the-crab-by-shaun-micallef-9781761641961","title":"The Ocelot and the Crab","description":"An ocelot can run like the dickens,\nand this is the tale I must tell,\nof a race to the face of Mount Olaf\nagainst something with pincers and shell . . Ocelot may be fast, but he has a lousy sense of direction—he’s Ocelost! Can slow-and-steady Crab map out a better way to win the race?","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47074451783916,"sku":"9781761641961","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/873aaede23737bada948ae29b760ef2c_d5133b81-0f67-4ac8-910b-03857a9e930b.jpg?v=1765176898"},{"product_id":"slivers-shards-and-skerricks-by-shaun-micallef-9781923022300","title":"Slivers, Shards and Skerricks","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis indefinitive collection brings together under one cover the very best comic writing - parody, poetry, prose, plays, philosophy and political treatise - by Australia's greatest living television host.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom 'I Was Scott Morrison's Schnoodle' and 'Around the World in One Pair of Underpants' to the deliciously decadent recipe for 'Satyricon Su'rprise', \u003cem\u003eSlivers, Shards and Skerricks\u003c\/em\u003e by Shaun Micallef has it all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThrill to the meta-ironic existential crisis in the Rocky universe; gasp as you learn what happened to Scrooge in the days following \u003cem\u003eA Christmas Carol\u003c\/em\u003e; discover what it takes to pass for human in an increasingly convoluted post-Robodebt world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePlus, there are limericks like this:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere once was a poet who thought\u003cbr\u003e\nUsing words like fought, ought and wrought\u003cbr\u003e\nBrought a purity sought\u003cbr\u003e\nBut it all came to nought\u003cbr\u003e\nWhen he ended his last line with drought.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47082551935212,"sku":"9781923022300","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/18634123482872.jpg?v=1765275515"},{"product_id":"the-impatient-glacier-by-shaun-micallef-9781760268589","title":"The Impatient Glacier","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA glacier up on a mountain grew tired of the same boring view. He wanted excitement; he wanted some fun, he wanted to see something new.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the incomparable Shaun Micallef comes this warming new picture-book adventure about enjoying life’s moments... before they’re gone.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDiscover the delightful story in \u003cem\u003eThe Impatient Glacier\u003c\/em\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47371527291116,"sku":"9781760268589","price":24.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/20072833482814.jpg?v=1773227911"},{"product_id":"the-uncollected-plays-of-shaun-micallef-by-shaun-micallef-9781925712025","title":"The Uncollected Plays of Shaun Micallef","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShaun Micallef is without doubt Australia's premier comedian, writer, producer, presenter, actor, author, broadcaster, bon vivant, gadfly, troubadour, dancer, impresario, acrobat, lion tamer, poet and elite sportsman. But did you know that he is also an internationally renowned playwright? No? Typical.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt really is a stain on our national character that this doyen of theatre doesn't get the credit he deserves or the attention he craves in this country—mute testimony to Australia's cultural cringe and inveterate idiocy. From Broadway to the West End, his name is mentioned in the same breath as Mamet and Ray Cooney; and in the salons of Paris, Micallef is worshipped as a god.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHis plays, uncollected until now, are irrefutable proof that when it comes to listing the world's greatest dramatists, the name Micallef should be inserted in there somewhere. Even if you have never been to the theatre before, just holding \u003cem\u003eThe Uncollected Plays of Shaun Micallef\u003c\/em\u003e in your hands as you are now will change your life forever. You'll laugh, you'll cry, your body will spasm convulsively—you may even be so moved that you will open the book and read it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47428336517356,"sku":"9781925712025","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781925712025.jpg?v=1774497030"},{"product_id":"matthew-flinders-by-shaun-micallef-9781761638336","title":"Matthew Flinders","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA wildly funny and meticulously researched reexamination of the life of explorer Matthew Flinders, as Shaun Micallef charts the chaos, comedy, and contradictions behind the founding of Australia.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWho was Matthew Flinders? A pioneer who gave Australia its name but chose to name nothing after himself. A dreamer obsessed with Robinson Crusoe who wound up imprisoned on an island for six years. A leader who captained a stout and loyal crew but preferred spending time with his cat. An explorer who charted a continent but had a side-hustle collecting human skulls. A hero who wasn’t all that heroic.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe story of Matthew Flinders, like the story of Colonial Australia, is one of tragic lows and high comedy, of embarrassment, shame, and humiliation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEnter Shaun Micallef to tell this tale as it has never been told (but probably should have): with both meticulous research and an overweening sense of the ridiculous. As he charts Flinders’ chaotic route around Australia and beyond, Micallef asks bigger questions about who we are as a country and what it means to hold onto a legacy in an ever-changing-its-mind world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHistorically accurate and surprisingly enlightening, \u003cem\u003eMatthew Flinders\u003c\/em\u003e is a fresh and funny exploration of a foundational Australian story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47894128984300,"sku":"9781761638336","price":59.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/bd96398645a0ba378a854b3bce6b02d8.jpg?v=1783396782"},{"product_id":"too-scared-to-sleep-a-tale-of-two-snails-by-shaun-micallef-9781761213090","title":"Too Scared to Sleep! 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But is it just the wind spooking them … or is there something lurking outside?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith gorgeous, silly-spooky illustrations from award-winning illustrator Jonathan Bentley, this Halloween picture book will surprise and delight the whole family.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003ePerfect for pre-school-aged children aged 3+, their sleepless parents, and anyone who's ever had a pet snail.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48244792393964,"sku":"9781761213090","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781761213090-too-scared-to-sleep-a-tale-of-two-snails-1.jpg?v=1788014440"},{"product_id":"tripping-over-myself-by-shaun-micallef-9781743797983","title":"Tripping Over Myself","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Shaun Micallef, beloved host of ABC TV’s news satire \u003ci\u003eMad as Hell\u003c\/i\u003e, comes \u003ci\u003eTripping Over Myself\u003c\/i\u003e – an insightful and funny memoir about comedy and life that takes us through uncharted waters to unexpected places. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eComedy has been Shaun’s escape, his guiding light, his refuge, his passport, his lifebuoy, his drug, his mask, his means, his end, his lingua franca, his Self. But it’s not everything. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom his early years as a gangly, bespectacled nerd in suburban Adelaide to the giddy heights of national TV stardom, Shaun regales us with his experiences and his continuous reinvention through humour with… well, humour. He writes with candour about his successes and failures, loves and losses, along with tales of wine, women, song, and eccentric dancing. Behind the persona of one of Australia’s best-loved comedians lurks, as you will discover, an idiot. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDespite Shaun’s best efforts, \u003ci\u003eTripping Over Myself\u003c\/i\u003e is sprinkled with thoughtful insights and observations and shows us how to persist in the face of adversity or even good fortune. You will laugh, you will dog-ear pages, you will wonder, you will Google ‘Jerry Lewis’, you may book a trip to India, and you will come away from this book reflecting on your own life in new and remarkable ways.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Arotahi Agency","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48244795080940,"sku":"9781743797983","price":41.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781743797983-tripping-over-myself-1.jpg?v=1788014840"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/shaun-micallef.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}