The Stainless Steel Rat for President (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 5) - Harry Harrison

Title: The Stainless Steel Rat for President (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 5)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1982
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

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Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat for President” is the fifth instalment in Harry Harrison’s amusing and at times quite ridiculous science-fiction series entitled “The Stainless Steel Rat”. This entertaining series has gotten more and more ridiculous and I can't think of anything more ridiculous that Slippery Jim DiGriz fighting for democracy! The plot follows Jim as he undertakes a mission to liberate a backward planet from the clutches of a dictator. Of course, Jim is willing to lie, cheat and steal in order to bring democracy and freedom to the world.

Harrison's writing is as sharp and witty as always and I found the satirical take on Democracy and Dictatorship to be rather amusing. This is probably because I am a bit of a political animal myself but I think this should also appeal to those of you out there who really do think politics is corrupt! Unfortunately, I still found myself becoming a little bit bored as Harrison utilised the same predictable plot-lines we have already seen many times before. I suppose as this is the fifth book in the series I shouldn't be surprised but it would be nice to see Harrison try and mix things up a bit.

The novel is of course still enjoyable and anyone who has read the previous novels in the series will be entertained but I find myself feeling like I should take more of a gap between each book now rather than wanting to jump straight into the next. This isn't really an issue as I have so many books to read but it does show that there is a little bit of series fatigue creeping in.

The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 4) - Harry Harrison

Title: The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You! (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 4)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1978
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
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Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat Wants You!” is the fourth instalment in Harry Harrison’s amusing and at times quite ridiculous science-fiction series entitled “The Stainless Steel Rat”. If you have read any of the other novels in the series, then you will know the drill by now. Slippery Jim DiGriz is a con artist who’s been forced to work undercover for the Special Corps, an intergalactic investigating agency. When his wife is kidnapped by the revenue service, Slippery Jim picks up his two teenage sons from their military boarding school (and penitentiary) to free their mother and wreak havoc on the tax bureau. As is often the case with his adventures, this escapade leads to Jim finding himself commandeered to save humanity from galaxy-wide destruction.

Up until this point, Harrison’s series has been devoid of aliens which is remedied in this novel. And by remedied, I mean he overwhelms the Universe with an invasion of countless different slimy, tentacled creatures, all improbably banded together against us, united in their hatred and disgust for just how ugly we look. Honestly, I think he tried to cover every B-movie alien he could; he really did make up for his previously human centric Universe!

In regards to the writing itself, well it is fast paced and full of many witty and humourous moments, just like the other novels in the series. At times it did feel a little bit like Harrison was running out of new ideas however as the basic frame work of the plot is very similar to the other novels. And don’t get me started on the use of time travel again; I seriously think this gimmick is getting overused. The resolution’s also a little convenient, but it is in keeping with the tone of the novel so it didn’t bother me that much.

Don’t get me wrong, it is still an enjoyable romp and I probably liked this one more than the previous novel “The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World”. However, it is just more of the same and there is probably only so many times you can enjoy following these parodies of golden age sci-fi novels before beginning to get a little bored.

Overall, this is another entertaining novel in “The Stainless Steel Rat” series that should appeal to those of you have who have already read the previous novels. Yes, the books are beginning to feel a bit samey but Slippery Jim DiGriz continues to be an enjoyable and engaging character who keeps drawing me back into his world, even if the originality is now slightly lacking.

The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 3) - Harry Harrison

Title: The Stainless Steel Rat Saves the World (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 3)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1971
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

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Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat Saves The World” is the third instalment in Harry Harrison’s light hearted science-fiction series, “The Stainless Steel Rat”. In this novel, Slippery Jim diGriz finds his fellow members of the Special Corps suddenly disappearing around him. It soon becomes clear that somebody is changing the past to affect the future which is resulting in the disappearances. Luckily, there just happens to be a time machine available which Jim uses to travel into the past so that he can undo the damage done to the time line.

Without doubt this is the most ridiculous book to date in this series, with paradoxes all over the place and a convoluted story with multiple jumps in time. In a way this wackiness distracts a bit from the witty banter and humour that have been the real selling point to me of this series. At least this is the only reason I can think of as to why this book just didn’t grab me in the same manner as the previous two. Don’t get me wrong, it was still enjoyable with some quick pacing and plenty of humour evident throughout the novel but it just felt a little bit weaker. I suppose, another reason could be that this type of amusing time travel adventure has since been done better on the movie screen, with Back to The Future and Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure being the first two films that come to mind.

One thing I did enjoy seeing in the book, was Jim’s attempt to adjust to life in 1975 on the strange planet of Dirt (aka Earth). Harrison has done a reasonable job of trying to show us the funny side of things as a time traveller attempts to cope with and understand contemporary life or at least contemporary life as it was when the book was written. Unfortunately this section of the novel is over far too quickly before we can really get into it, Harrison has whisked Jim and the reader away to another period in time.

Overall, whilst this is the weakest novel so far in “The Stainless Steel Rat” series it is still an enjoyable and funny adventure that should appeal to those of you have who have already read the previous novels. Yes, this type of time travel adventure has been done better, but Slippery Jim diGriz is still probably the main selling point of the novel.

The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 2) - Harry Harrison

Title: The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 2)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1970
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
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Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge” is the second instalment in Harry Harrison’s light hearted science-fiction series, “The Stainless Steel Rat”. It follows on a few months after the end of the first book and continues the story of Slippery Jim diGriz. Jim is now married to Angelina, his nemesis from the first book now that the homicidal parts of her personality have been programmed out. Unfortunately, their holiday together is cut short when the Special Corps hunt them down and “offer” Jim the opportunity to investigate a secretive planet that has been invading other worlds even though interplanetary invasion was believed to be impossible due to the huge level of effort involved.

Once again Harrison gives us an enjoyable and humorous novel full of witty banter that kept me smiling from start to finish. Considering the pulpy feel of the novel it was also good to see that the writing is competent tight and the pace is quick without being too over the top. The only slight niggle is that overall the plot feels very similar to the previous novel and there isn’t really anything original added to the formula readers will be familiar with.

In regards to the characters, well the loveable rogue diGriz shines through again here and I couldn’t help but enjoy following his escapades. The other characters do tend to be skimmed over and most of the enjoyment there is in regards to seeing the various cameos and actions of people we were introduced to in the previous novel. This book is quite simply all about diGriz.

Overall, this was another humorous entry in “The Stainless Steel Rat” series. It follows the same mould as the previous novel so if you enjoy it then you should also enjoy this one as well. I do worry that in the long run the series could get a little bit too samey as the series progress but at this stage it is still entertaining enough.

The Stainless Steel Rat (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 1) - Harry Harrison

Title: The Stainless Steel Rat (The Stainless Steel Rat Book 1)
Author: Harry Harrison
Genre: Science-Fiction
Published: 1961
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

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Review:
“The Stainless Steel Rat” by Harry Harrison is a pulpy sci-fi adventure which was first published in 1961. The story follows James Bolivar diGriz, a.k.a. "Slippery Jim", a rogue who moves between worlds committing various crimes that he believes are victimless. However, his antics have attracted the attention of the mysterious Special Corps who want to recruit him as an agent to catch other criminal. His first assignment for the Special Corps soon pits him against a criminal for whom human life has no value and perhaps someone who could even outsmart Jim diGriz.

The first thing I noted is that book probably hasn’t aged that well. It really does feel like a product of the sixties with a slight misogynistic feel being quite obvious in the society that Harrison has created. In addition some of the technology we see is rather dated by today’s standards, although I do suspect that some of this such as a coal powered robot was there to add some humour rather than being a real imagination of what the future could entail.

Despite the aging of the novel, it is still a very fun and entertaining story to read. It is packed full of humour and action with a quick pacing that ensured I kept on reading. The writing itself isn’t anything special but it is competent enough and much better than the standard in seen in various other pulpy science-fiction.

The characters themselves were enjoyable enough, they are probably rather stereotypical but they are fun enough to follow. DiGriz in particular actually being a likeable character despite his criminal tendencies. This is probably because of two elements, the first being that his morality is actually a complex and interesting thing to see. He only commits crimes that he feels are victimless and he goes out of his way to ensure that no one is killed or injured as part of his activities. Then there is the humour and wit that diGriz brings to the novel, his sarcasm and one liners left me smiling throughout the story which just enhanced my appreciation for him.

Overall, this was an entertaining first novel in Harrison’s “Stainless Steel Rat” series. It isn’t a complex or high-brow story but if you are just looking for some light-hearted, fun science-fiction then this book will easily fulfil that requirement. It does have quite a pulpy style which may not appeal to some fans of contemporary science fiction but personally I still enjoyed it and I will probably read more books in the series.

The Boy Next Door - Meg Cabot

Title: The Boy Next Door
Author: Meg Cabot
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Published: 2002
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

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Review:
“The Boy Next Door” by Mel Fuller is a book I picked up to meet the Romantic Comedy requirements of the 2014 Eclectic Reader Challenge. Romantic Comedy is not something that I would normally read but I have read some such as the Bridget Jones novels so I wasn’t worried about reading this genre for the challenge. I actually ended up picking this novel as it was told completely via emails between the characters which sounded rather interesting.

The story follows Melissa Fuller, a gossip columnist for the New York Journal whose elderly neighbour has an “accident” which results in Mel having to take care of her pets whilst she lies in a coma. The neighbour’s only living relative is a self-centred photographer called Max who is too busy vacationing with a supermodel to bother coming back to New York for his Aunt. So he calls in a favour from his old friend, John. John is coerced into impersonating Max until the Aunt recovers, thus securing Max's inheritance. However when John moves in next door to Mel, they quickly fall for each other and soon John is left trying to work out how to tell Mel the truth.

This book isn’t complex, deep or heavy but it is a fun and easy read that had me smiling in several places. It is without doubt the quintessential beach read, something you can lie back in the sun and read without having to strain the synapses. I also laughed multiple times throughout the book as the interactions between the characters are at times quite hilarious. I especially loved the interactions between John and his sister-in-law Stacy.

The fact that story is told via emails was actually quite intriguing and amusing to see although I suspect that if I read another book in the same style it wouldn’t interest me as much as the novelty would be gone. The only real issue I had with the format is that at times it felt a little bit silly to me in that they said so much via email rather than talking face to face but if they did this we would of course have lost half the story. A final interesting point I noted in regards to using technology like this to tell the story is that it highlights the age of the novel. As it was written in 2002 the characters are using dial-up and can’t talk at the same time as emailing each other which did make me smile as I remembered the “good old days”.

The only real issue I had with the story is that the characters on the whole seemed to act in a rather silly and childish manner. They are meant to be young professionals with jobs, experience and intellect yet most of the time they come across as either immature or just plain stupid. I have since discovered that Meg Cabot has written a lot of YA novels so maybe this use of childish characters stems from this although I think even teenagers would behave in a more grown up manner that what we see with these characters.

Overall, this was an amusing story which I found incredibly easy to read. Some people may find the email format of the narrative rather annoying but I enjoyed the novelty of it. The real weakness of the story is the characters who were all rather immature but their at times quite hilarious interactions did ensure that I still enjoyed the novel. So if you are looking for a light, fun romantic comedy in the same vein as Bridget Jones then I think you might quite enjoy this novel.

Dodger - Terry Pratchett

Title: Dodger
Author: Terry Pratchett
Genre: Historic Fiction
Published: 2012
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

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Review:
“Dodger” is a novel by Terry Pratchett which explores Dickensian London rather than his usual haunt of Ankh-Morpork within the fantasy world of Discworld. As a big fan of Pratchett I was looking forward to reading this novel although I have to be honest and say that I do tend to prefer his Discworld novels as they allow him a bit more freedom.

Anyway, the plot follows Dodger, a loveable rogue who earns a living as a Tosher, a scavenger who prowls the sewers of London hunting out coins and other lost items amongst the sewage. When he rescues a young woman in distress one night he has no idea that it will lead to a series of events which results in his exposure to the public and various important people such as Benjamin Disraeli, Sir Robert Peel and Charles Dickens.

I will start by saying that the humour and wit I have come to expect from Pratchett are there in abundance. At its heart this is a light hearted journey into old London but yet there are some interesting dark undertones as well. Pratchett isn’t scared to touch on the poverty, class issues and rather bleak existence that existed then. Then there is a really clever and sensitive treatment of the Sweeny Todd story which really is one of the big plus points in the novels. However, despite these interesting elements I found the plot to be rather weak and uninspiring. Quite simply there was no spark, it was lacking any real surprises and I could see what was coming a mile away.

Then there are the characters that were probably my least favourite aspect of the story which is hard for me to say as normally the characters really shine in Pratchett novels. For example, Dodger himself is just too much of a super hero that seems to survive and prosper at everything. He manages to go through an odd makeover or two and become accepted by high society, fights off trained assassins at will, wins the heart of a princess he hardly says more than a few words to and becomes accepted as a national hero who is showered with coins by a thankful public. I just found it all a bit too much; he seemed unable to lose at anything which meant he felt too unreal and I was unable to connect with him. In the end I could probably have accepted this if the supporting characters had varied and well developed personalities. However, I found most of them to be wooden and rather lifeless. I don’t know if this is because Pratchett used a lot of historical people in the novel and didn’t want to paint any of them in a bad light but they all just felt like cardboard cut-outs.

Overall, I did smile and grin at parts of the novel and it there was some interesting elements but the weak overall plot and characters meant the whole thing just felt average. This is probably the most disappointed I have been in Pratchett for quite a while but in the end it was still an enjoyable enough diversion even if it wasn’t his best.

Redshirts - John Scalzi

Title: Redshirts
Author: John Scalzi
Genre: Humour/Sci-Fi
Published: 2012
Formats: Hardback/Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
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Review:
"Redshirts" by John Scalzi is an amusing novel which should appeal to anyone who has watched Star Trek and felt sorry for the way in which it is always an extra, or redshirt, that dies when the crew visits a planet. The book has actually been sitting on my shelf for quite a while now but I decided to finally read it as part of the 2013 Eclectic Reader Challenge which required me to read a humorous novel and this book really fit the bill.

The story itself follows the starship Intrepid and its voyage to explore new worlds and new civilizations. However, rather than focusing on the captain and his senior staff, it focuses on Ensign Andrew Dahl and his fellow low-ranked crew members who slowly begin to realise that their fellow Ensigns are dying at an alarming rate. As they dig deeper into this mystery, they uncover an uncomfortable truth that leads them on an unexpected journey through time and space.

At its core this novel could simply be taken as an entertaining spoof of Star Trek in the same vein as Galaxy Quest. However, I think there is more to it than that as it gets quite metaphysical with a link between the voyages of the Intrepid and people in the 21st century writing a Science Fiction TV show. This is further enhanced by the fact that around half the novel is actually made up of some additional codas. These codas further explore the 21st Century world after the crew of the Intrepid have visited and influenced several people.

To be honest, I think it was the Codas that appealed to me the most in this novel. The main story was funny and enjoyable but these Codas added a little bit more variety and depth to the story and I found myself forming much more of a connection with the characters.

The writing itself was probably the weakest element in the novel as it felt very lazy. There was basically little to no descriptive exposition meaning I had no idea how anything looked etc. It was mainly just dialogue which actually began to get on my nerves as I progressed through the story as it was very choppy and got bogged down by the constant use of “X said” and “Y Said” as shown below:

“Blah, Blah, Blah.” Dahl said.
“Blah, Blah, Blah.” Hanson said.
“Blah, Blah, Blah.” Dahl said.
“Blah, Blah, Blah.” Hanson said.

And so on! All I can say is that I am glad I read the book and didn’t pick up the audiobook as this would probably have driven me mad if I was listening to it. I just wish he had tried other ways to bring across conversations instead of always reverting to this format.

Overall, this was an entertaining and enjoyable lampoon of Star Trek with some deeper meaning held within the various Codas. The writing does let the book down in my opinion and this helped to ensure that I never really engaged with the main characters. However, if you are a fan of Star Trek then I am sure there will be something you find in this book that can make you smile.

Tastes Like Human: The Shark Guys' Book of Bitingly Funny Lists - Noel Boivin & Christopher Lombardo

Title: Tastes Like Human - The Shark Guys' Book of Bitingly Funny Lists
Author: Noel Boivin & Christopher Lombardo
Genre: Humour
Published: 2012
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
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Review:
“Tastes Like Human: The Shark Guys’ Book of Bitingly Funny Lists” by Noel Boivin and Chris Lombardo is as the title implies a book that contains several amusing lists. The lists cover various things such as ATM Etiquette Guidelines, Jesus Spottings, People Who Should Not Win the Lottery, People who Married Animals & Karaoke-Inspired Acts of Violence. As you may be able to tell this is quite a random collection of topics that are based on things that the authors find interesting are range from the interesting to the downright crazy.

Reading list books like this can be an easy way to pass the time but to be really entertaining I have always felt that they need to be more than a list of things. This is why I was happy to see that with this book the authors tried to discuss each item in their lists. This commentary really added to the book and at times I found it more interesting and enjoyable to follow than the lists themselves.

In regards to the lists themselves, as you would expect with a book like this, people will prefer some lists more than others and I am no different. Whilst many lists had me grinning throughout such as “Top 15 Reasons Why Sharks Are Better Than Cats” there were others like “Top 5 Out of Control College Parties“ that just didn’t capture my interest. However, personally I felt that there was more positive than negative which ensured that overall I did enjoy the book.

A specific element of the listings that I did appreciate was the fact the various sources had been cited. Some of the stories are so unbelievable that without these sources I may have begun to believe that the entire book was plain fiction. It also helped when I decided to look up various things that had captured my interest.

One issue I did have with the book is that at times it felt like the authors were trying a little bit too hard with their commentary. They tried to cram so much into a sentence or paragraph that it began to unravel and the humour was lost. It actually reminded me of the way that people can ruin a joke by trying to give you too much information when they tell it. Personally, I think that some more editing may have helped clean this up a bit more and helped to enhance the overall humour of the book.

Overall, I did enjoy this book and found sections of it to be quite funny and entertaining but I came away from reading it with a feeling of it basically just being Okay and that’s about it. I am sure some people will love it more than me whilst others may hate it entirely depending on their sense of humour. I will therefore recommend it for people looking for a bit of amusing diversion but be warned that the level of amusement will vary depending on your own personal preferences. flag

Flidderbugs - Jonathan Gould

Title: Flidderbugs

Author: Jonathan Gould
Genre: Humour
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
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Review:
“Flidderbugs” by Jonathan Gould is an enjoyable novella that on the surface appears to be a fun little children’s story. However, underneath this there is a satirical element that should appeal to most adults as it pokes holes in both the democratic process and the rather arrogant ivory tower of academia. Without doubt, this really is a book that can be read to your children and enjoyed by them and yourself.

The story itself follows Kriffle, an insect who is heir to his father as potential leader of the Triplifer tribe. As leader of his tribe, his main job would be to debate with the leader of the Quadrigon tribe about if the leaves on the tree they inhabit have either three or four points. This is the fundamental question that governs their lives and decides who is in power via elections. Kriffle finds it hard to understand how the Quadrigons could disbelieve the evidence that is before their very eyes and therefore undertakes an adventure to investigate and prove that there really are only three points on a leaf.

The plot itself is simple, but the way in which Gould uses it to explore and satirise various elements of our society was highly entertaining and at times quite clever. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing the political process in the novel at work as it really highlighted some of the rather “sad” aspects of our own democratic party based systems. In addition, here were various university professors that Kriffle meets on his journey who have spent years debating the philosophy of leaves etc. during their academic lives but couldn’t actually tell him any real facts.

The writing itself is concise, entertaining and incredibly well paced which was needed due to the story being contained within a novella rather than a full length novel. I was impressed to see that Gould managed to include a fair number of encounters and adventures as Kriffle explores his society without having to cut out any of the required detail. Don’t get me wrong, there are some elements of the society the reader learns very little amount but there is enough there to ensure it all makes sense and is believable on some level.

In regards to the characters, it was nice to see that the Flidderbugs all had such distinct and fleshed out personalities. I could understand very quickly what the various individuals were all about which was vitally important when the story is being told in the form of a novella.

Overall, I found this to a quick and fun political satire that provided me with a hopeful ending rather than the usual depressing finales seen in many other novels that touch on the same satirical subject matter. If you enjoy satire then I suspect you will like this novella, I know that I was happy to find myself laughing at myself when I realised that I had fallen into some of the same traps as the Flidderbugs.

The Great Yellow Doom Bird - Jon A. Hunt

Title: The Great Yellow Doom Bird
Author: Jon A. Hunt
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

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“The Great Yellow Doom Bird” by Jon A. Hunt is a rather manic novel that blends science fiction, surreal fantasy, humour into an enjoyable and entertaining story. The story itself is set during the later years of World War II and follows the escapades of Patrick Digby, a young boy who lives in sleepy Florida retirement town with his great uncle. His rather subdued life is thrown upside down when a 7-foot tall, orange haired character called Stultus arrived on a flying sailboat. Stultus takes Patrick on an adventure where he encounters friendly sea monsters, terrible pirates, Eskimos, floating islands and many other strange and wonderful things, including the fabled Great Yellow Doom Bird.

The story is superbly imaginative with Hunt’s rather quirky writing style really adding to surreal and amusing elements. There is no doubt that this rather madcap adventure will appeal to children but I do think some of the finer detail of the plot could be lost on them. In addition its length may be off putting for some but I could still imagine reading it slowly over several weeks with both myself and children enjoying its entertaining charms.

I found the characters to be wonderful, Patrick in particular was charming, polite and I loved seeing his subtle confusion at times as he tried to make sense of what he was seeing. Stultus however does steal the show as his eccentric look is matched by an even more eccentric personality that just jumps off the page; he quite simply had my smiling throughout the novel. The minor characters are also diverse, interesting and detailed to ensure that I was happy no matter who the story was following at the time, be it Patrick’s slightly eccentric elderly neighbours or the cruel and vicious pirates.

Overall, this was a fantastic novel that should appeal to people of all ages with its surreal adventures and colourful characters. The book really did remind of some other eccentric children’s stories such as Charlie & The Chocolate Factory, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Lemony Snicket so if those types of books amused you then I think you will love this one. Personally, I can only hope that Hunt is planning to create a sequel as there are some open ended elements to this novel that I would love to see resolved in addition to just following the Stultus’ future adventures.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)
Free Reads Challenge

Doodling - Jonathan Gould

Title: Doodling
Author: Jonathan Gould
Genre: Humour
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

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"Doodling" is a fun little novella by Jonathan Gould that has been influenced by the works of Douglas Adams and Lewis Carroll. It is a madcap, surreal adventure full of nonsense and rather insane characters that had me smiling multiple times. However, Gould also manages to make some deep reflections on our society in amongst this comedy which helped give the novella a sense of purpose.

The story itself follows Neville Lansdowne who one day discovers that he can’t keep up with the fast pace of the world and is flung into space. Luckily he lands in an asteroid belt where he begins to create his own world completely designed based on his ideas and dreams. Of course, he soon discovers that a life alone like this just wasn't for him and journeys to other asteroids where he meets many other travellers, with many of them being completely and utterly barking mad.

As mentioned earlier, there are a fair few wacky moments that should provide giggles and smiles aplenty alongside a sense of purpose that helps to drive the narrative along. Gould does a good job in making sure the story doesn't get lost in surreal mayhem and balances the need for contemplation and humour well.

An issue I did have with the novella though was the characters as whilst they were initially quite amusing and varied they could be a little bit cartoon like. Within two of three pages of a character being introduced I found that they got a little bit boring as there was no real depth to their strange behaviours and choices. As for Neville himself, whilst he does have a little bit of development as the story progresses I found that I didn't really know much about him so found it hard to empathise or relate to him fully.

Overall, this is an amusing novella full of imagination and fun that should keep most people entertained on some level. I actually think that it is the type of story that could be read to children who may really enjoy the short length, basic silly characters and the downright crazy almost illogical adventure.

Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Ebook Reading Challenge (Workaday Reads)

The Princess Bride - William Goldman

Title: The Princess Bride
Author: William Goldman
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 1973
Formats: Hardback/Paperback

Like many people my first introduction to "The Princess Bride" was via the movie of the same name. In fact until I decided to take part in a classic fantasy novel challenge I didn't even know it was actually based on a book. However, I am glad I have now read it as I think the framing story created by Goldman actually enhanced the story a little by giving a slightly deeper meaning.

The novel starts with an introduction relating a fictional account of William Goldman's childhood when his dad used to read "The Princess Bride" to him. As an adult he had decided that he wanted to find a copy for his own son, however when he read it he discovers that his dad had only been reading him the "good bits" as the rest of the novel was incredibly long winded and dull. He therefore decides to write an abridged version of the novel which is the story that he is supposedly presenting in this novel. As mentioned this is a fictional account and there never was an original novel nor an author named S. Morgenstern but it is a rather interesting plot device and he uses it to insert amusing, yet at times quite poignant side comments throughout the novel.

The plot line of the story that Goldman is supposedly abridging is about two young people called Buttercup and Westley and their attempt at finding love together. However, this is a cruel world and when Westley is lost at sea; Buttercup is left with no choice but to marry the rather unlikeable heir to the throne of Florin, Prince Humperdinck. Things go from bad to worse though when Buttercup is kidnapped in an attempt to start a war between Florin and its neighbour, Guilder. The various politics and espionage involved in this however all begins to unravel when a mysterious man in black shows up.

I found the entire novel to be very quirky and entertaining with lots of humour spread throughout both the side comments and the core plot. I found that this humour and Goldman's concentration on fun and adventure actually gave the book a little bit of fantasy parody feeling. However, it is definitely more than this and the story around Buttercup and Westley is fun, exciting and full of enjoyable adventures in its own right. In addition some of the locations created by Goldman such as the "Zoo of Death" and "Cliffs of Insanity". were very colourful and rather memorable.

The characters themselves were a little bit of a conundrum to me to be honest. Basically, the supposedly main characters, Buttercup and Westley just didn't really fill me with any empathy. I just found them to be a little bit dull and unoriginal; Buttercup especially just came across to me as being a rather vapid character. However, the supporting characters were the complete opposite; they were colourful, solidly developed and interesting in so many ways. Two of the kidnappers, Fezzik and Inigo are really fleshed out as the novel progresses and it was these two characters that I found myself supporting by the end of the novel.

Overall, this is a very quirky story that had me smiling from start to finish with both the core plot and the framing story being interesting and amusing in their own right. At times the framing story actually made it feel like the author was reading the story to me as a parent would a child in bed and I found this to be a rather enjoyable and quite novel experience. I think this story really is for everyone, although ironically I think a parent reading to a child may just skip the framing story and side comments as I don't think young children would really find them that interesting, in other words they would probably just enjoy the "good bits" version of this book.

Available at:
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Challenges Book Counts Towards:
Speculative Fiction Challenge
Year of the Fantasy Classic Challenge

Paradise: A Divine Comedy - Glenn Myers

Title: Paradise - A Divine Comedy
Author: Glenn Myers
Genre: Comedy Fantasy
Published: 2010
Formats: Paperback/Ebook

Available at:
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Paradise - A Divine Comedy by Glenn Myers is a comic fantasy novel, written in a manner that is reminiscent of many British comic authors such as Robert Rankin, Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams.

The story itself is set a round web designer Jamie and criminal lawyer Keziah who, after being involved in a car crash, end up heading to the afterlife together. Once there, they get captured by some spirits who seem intent on forcing them to live in an artificial paradise in an attempt to trial a new form of spiritual worship. The story follows Jamie and Keziah's experiences in this artificial paradise as they face off against each other and the spirits who are holding them captive.

The humour and wit that the author has used in the book is there to try and enhance and complement the serious themes being discussed and it does work to an extent. For example, the wit and banter that is present throughout the novel did make me smile and laugh, especially the discussions between Jamie and Caroline who was basically a self imagined version of his ex girlfriend. However, as the story progressed I have to admit that I began to find it harder to pick up the novel and finish it as the theological elements of the novel became more important to the plot which required me to really try and grasp the points being made. Then again this was probably my own fault as I read the final parts of the book after taking part in a 24 hour read-a-thon!

In regards to the characters, I found it quite hard to dislike Jamie even though he was self-absorbed, a coward and selfish. I think these traits actually increased the level at which the reader could be amused as they were utilised cleverly by the author to create entertaining scenes between him and the other characters. I actually don't think any of the other characters are really developed in as good a detail as him, even Keziah who is one of the other main characters. They all mainly seem to be there as different foils for Jamie to bounce his wits against.

Overall, this was a funny and amusing story and I did enjoy the humorous elements, however I struggled a little bit to keep going through the theological elements. Basically, I believe that this book will probably appeal to people that like the humour of Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett but also want to read something with a deeper underlying meaning.

The Book of Awful - Romi Moondi

Title: The Book of Awful
Author: Romi Moondi
Genre: Humour
Published: 2011
Formats: Ebook

Available at:
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I was looking forward to reading this when the author contacted me about it, it sounded amusing and I do quite like humourous essay collections similar to this. Happily, I did enjoy it and as I read through it, I couldn't help but laugh out loud and quote vast sections to my wife with a grin on my face. I enjoyed this book so much that I have now decided to be a devoted follower of the author's blog in the hope that it will be full of similar wit, sarcasm and humour.

This book is supposedly a parody of “The Book of Awesome” which I had never heard about before so can't actually confirm how well it actually parodies the book. Either way though, what this book does do is outline one possible awful scenario after the next in rather comic fashion to demonstrate how much worse life could be if any of these scenarios actually occured. My favourite scenario in the book is in regards to what would happen in Unicorns really existed. I am not sure if anyone else has ever truly understood the possible pitfalls of Unicorns but Romi Moondi has done and her descriptions made me realise that we are much better off without these majestic creatures in our lives.

As I said at the beginning of this review I laughed out loud many times whilst reading this book. The superb wit and sarcasm used by the author really tickled my funny bone, but I have always loved sarcasm and biting humour such as this so it isn't really a surprise. In addition to the style of comedy being employed however, it was also written very well, with good descriptive writing on show throughout to really give you a rich and vivid picture of the scenario being presented.

In conclusion, if you enjoy sarcasm and wit and are fed up of some of those motivational books out there that try and tell you why everything around you is fun and wonderful then go and pick this up. It is honest, funny and explains that the reason you should be happy in life is actually because things could always be a lot worse and not because something like flicking snot across the room or rubbing a freshly laundered pair of undies in your face is actually good which seems to be what some books and blogs tell us. Or to be precise, "The Book of Awful" would probably have been telling us that these things are good because in another world snot could actually be acidic and burn through your nose or laundered undies could be a cause of sterility and therefore end humanity.

Motorworld - Jeremy Clarkson

Title: Motorworld
Author: Jeremy Clarkson
Genre: Humour
Published: 1996
Formats: Ebook/Hardback/Paperback

Available at:
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For anyone who doesn't know, Jeremy Clarkson is a presenter on the popular BBC programme "Top Gear". He is opinionated, arrogant and doesn't hold back; indeed there are many people out there who can't stand him at all. However I have always found him to also be rather funny and I like the fact that he doesn't pretend to be something different, you always get what you see.

In regards to the book itself, from what I can ascertain, Motorworld was his first published book and is based upon the 1995 BBC television series of the same name. It is basically a collection of his opinions on the driving habits and car cultures of a few different places around the world. As always, he doesn't pull any punches and is sometimes so politically incorrect that it is unbelievable he actually got it published when you consider the PC times we now live in.

I will admit that at times it seemed a little bit too exaggerated and some of the comments did come across as being rather misinformed. The chapter about Australia is the section I think about the most in regards to this, it just seemed so outlandish and ridiculous. This type of thing is why I never class anything by Jeremy Clarkson as strictly Non-Fiction, some aspects are factual but there is so much that it basically just embelishment. However, this is the way that Clarkson always seems to write and it is probably part of the reason why so many people find him amusing.

I want to add here that I think the book will be a good read if you are someone who has little time to read and just wants something to pick up and read in short bursts when you can. This is because each chapter is independent of each other and you therefore won't feel like you are interupting the flow of the novel when you put it down. This seems to be common for Jeremy Clarkson books and it is probably why they always seem to be on sale in UK airports.

Overall, I found this collection to be funny and laughed out loud several times, although I do think that it is probably my least favourite of his books that I have read. To be honest, I am not sure why exactly, but I think it may be due to the age of the collection as some of the comments he makes about various places no longer match what I think the places are actually like now. Either way though, if you like Jeremy Clarkson then you will find this collection funny and if you don't like him then you will hate it.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman

Published: 1990
UK Price: Paperback Version £4.92 Here
US Price: Paperback Version $10.19 Here

I have always been a great fan of Terry Pratchett, especially his Discworld series, but I will admit that this novel actually passed me by when it was first released. Recently, however I read and enjoyed "American Gods" which was written by Neil Gaiman who co-wrote this novel and I therefore decided to make sure that I finally put the effort in to read it.

The full name of the novel is actually "Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch" but I think this is a bit of a mouthful and thefore just tend to call it "Good Omens". The novel is at it's basic core, a comedic take on Armageddon. It is very colourful and has a superb and memorable cast of characters which includes an 11 year old Antichrist who isn't actually a bad kid, a Demon and Angel who team up together in an attempt to stop the end of the world and the last couple of Witchfinders in existence.

The story itself did sometimes ramble on due to the large cast of characters and their various sideplots that the reader has to follow. However, the overarching storyline kept me hooked so I was easily able to read through the sections that didn't really add much to the story beyond some easy laughs. I especially felt that the story did come together neatly at the end.

I mentioned earlier in this review about the superb cast of characters present throughout the book and I think I appreciated and enjoyed every one of them. However, one thing I will note is that I think the large numbers of characters present did mean that some of them were never developed fully. It wasn't a huge issue to me though as they were all valid characters, they just lacked depth.

My favourite characters, had to be the Angel named Aziraphale & the Demon named Crowley who had spent so long with humanity that they really didn't want it all to end. and therefore worked together to try and thwart Armageddon. Their rather humerous interaction with each other and the fact that neither of them is truely evil or good is one of the biggest draws of the book to me. The character of Crowley actually reminded me in parts of the character with the same name who stars in the TV Series "Supernatural". I can't find any real proof that the creaters of "Supernatural" based their Crowley on the one in "Good Omens" but it wouldn't suprise me if he was.

Overall, I found the book hilarious and I can safely say that if you like any other novels written by Terry Pratchett then you will enjoy this. It is full of his usual dry humour, satire and madcap antics that give the book a great feeling of fun. I found myself smiling for large portions of the book as the story unfolded and struggled to put it down at the end of each day.

Even if you have never read Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman before, I recommend you give this book a try. Because, if you enjoy it then it will open up a huge collection of witty and humorous books for you to explore. I will add one caveat however, if you have read any other books that feature British dry & zany humour and you disliked them then "Good Omens" is probably not going to be your cup of tea.