Mantids is an update of the world's oldest novel—Petronius's Satyricon—with a twist. In Satyricon, the hero can't get an erection; in Mantids, the narrator can't get rid of one. Combine his Viagra overdose with an invasion by mutant female praying mantids and a scuzzed-out, speed-tweaker Astoria, Oregon locale—add biting comedy, a warrior heroine and stir into a B-movie plot stew—and you have a classic Dakron novel, chock full of sardonic prose and more fun than a barrel of junkies.