Hilarious. Playful. Zany. Absurd. Offbeat. Bizarre. Irreverent. All these words have been used to describe Dr. Michael Wayne’s new book, “The Knuckleball From Hell,” which he refers to as a story of life, love, the New York Mets and everything in between.

A respected acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, Wayne resides in Latham and has an office in Saratoga Springs. His interest in acupuncture began during his undergraduate study at SUNY New Paltz with a class in Asian Philosophy, and developed further when he experienced the benefits of the treatment firsthand following a car accident. The experience greatly impressed Wayne; he went on to earn an advanced degree in acupuncture at Pacific College of Oriental Medicine in San Diego.

“Knuckleball,” released Friday, June 15, isn’t Wayne's first literary endeavor. In 2005, he penned “Quantum-Integral Medicine: Towards a New Science of Healing and Human Potential,” a scholarly work discussing innate healing and examining the problems of modern medicine. A follow-up to the scientific book was greatly anticipated, but Wayne decided to go in a totally different direction instead.

Full of outlandish scenarios and colorful characters including a morally pious yet ambitious baseball commissioner, a Rastafarian quantum physicist, a high school phenom who blows out his arm, incompetent government agents, surfers, Hare Krishnas, the superhero Donutman and a mysterious stranger from Transylvania, “Knuckleball” is a book meant to appeal primarily to sports fans and humor lovers. Wayne called the satirical novel “slyly subversive,” but said his quips are all good natured.

“With so many problems in the world sometimes we need a break. We need something to make us laugh,” he said.

The 288-page paperback published by iThink Books took approximately two months to write and three more to edit. The center of the story is the New York Mets, though the team depicted in the book is a far cry from the dominating organization baseball lovers have watched the past few years.

The author chose the Mets because they’ve been his favorite team since he was a child, but also because he didn’t need to engage in tons of research. He estimated his previous effort, “Quantum-Integral Medicine,” required three years of fact-finding.

“There are a lot of Mets fans out there. They might be interested in this,” Wayne said.

From 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, June 23, Wayne signed books for roughly 40 people at the Borders on 395 Broadway in Saratoga Springs. The following day he greeted fans at Shea Stadium. Wayne has been pleased with the book’s reception, but said launching a novel can be difficult.

“People seem to like the book, but it’s been a challenge getting the word out there. I’m not Stephen King,” he said.

For more information on the novel, visit www.knuckleballfromhell.com. Aside from providing interesting tidbits about the author, the Web site offers people the chance to check out book-related merchandise and apparel, partake in a weekly Mets/baseball trivia contest and purchase the novel. “The Knuckleball From Hell” is also available at local bookstores and Amazon.com for $14.95.

Here’s what a few reviewers from Amazon.com had to say about “The Knuckleball From Hell” –

“Imagine if Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (with some help from maybe Robert Ludlum) got together and wrote a baseball novel. This is it.”

“Whether you are a fan of the New York Mets, of baseball in general, or simply a fan of life, you will embrace this extraordinary novel by author Michael Wayne. I flat-out loved this book.”