Thursday 2 June 2011

URBAN FANTASY REVIEW: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Sausages - Tom Holt

Release Date: 02/06/11

SYNOPSIS:

Polly, an average, completely ordinary property lawyer, is convinced she's losing her mind. Someone keeps drinking her coffee. And talking to her clients. And doing her job. And when she goes to the dry cleaner's to pick up her dress for the party, it's not there. Not the dress - the dry cleaner's. And then there are the chickens who think they are people. Something strange is definitely going on - and it's going to take more than a magical ring to sort it out.


REVIEW:

For me Tom Holt is one of those authors who can, like Robert Rankin, take the bizarre and unusual, add a good dollop of the weird, a dash of decent prose and then add a huge spoonful of humour and create a wonderful mayonnaise title that works well for everyone. Unfortunately, like any mayonnaise, it doesn’t matter how much time or love you put into it if the damn thing splits you’ve got to start from scratch.

For me this title was one that had huge potential, it blended realities, broke its way through the walls holding it back and literally blew the whole thing apart and that’s where it lost me. I had up until that point been really enjoying this book, the characters were vivid, the tone light and above all else I love the author’s humour, but as things ended up more complex, the less I started to follow everything to the full and as such began to care less and less about the characters. It’s a great shame when that happens as finishing a book or absorbing what’s happening can become more than a chore and can leave you thinking why the hell do I bother.

That said it does have some saving moments but my favourite series is going to remain the JWW series featuring Paul Carpenter. Although I still want a book with Dennis’ Mum and the lead character.

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