Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by TheMole

Brutha is working in the monastery gardens when a turtle lands nearby - as they do. This turtle was supposed to be a mighty eagle but you can't have everything.

Brutha is a novice in the monastery, dedicated to the god Om, and is not likely to progress because while he seems to lack many skills he also has unrecognised skills. One such skill is to hear the voice of this particular turtle who claims to be the god Om. Brutha is a gentle soul and would not hurt a harmless creature and so he becomes guardian of the turtle god.

Brutha is chosen to go with a delegation to try to persuade them to worship Om but he suspects treachery, murder and war may ensue. And harmless Brutha with his pet turtle are trapped in the middle.

The 13th book in the series this felt like a deviation from the "normal" Discworld books but still delights in the same humorous vein. None of the regular characters appear although you very quickly don't miss them.

Once again you can see parallels to real life and views on those events expressed - but not at the expense of humour and a most enjoyable story.

Highly recommended but if you're new to the Discworld and want to know what it's all about then consider not starting with this one.

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Guards Guards by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

Sam Vimes, the head of the nightwatch and sometimes drunk, is not taken seriously by the people of Ankh-Morpork. With guilds legalising most crimes how can you take the guards seriously?

In an aspiration to depose the Lord Vetinari a would be usurper introduces a hero who shall become king. Unfortunately they unleash forces beyond their understanding and get on the wrong side of Vimes as well as Lady Sybil.

It's going to be tough and messy but will the good guys win?

Vimes is another of the enduring and ever popular characters in the series so don't count him out yet.

Oh, and here there do be dragons.

Another fabulous trip to the discworld that puts an explanation to things that occur later in the series. No, you don't have to read them in order but it's perhaps more fun if you can.

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

The kingdom is in a state of flux following the death of the king. Having been accidentally stabbed to death and died falling down stairs, his baby son is smuggled out of the castle and ends up in the worst possible place - with Granny Weatherwax. Granny is a good person but with all the parenting skills of a wardrobe. Between the three members of the "coven" they find a home for the child until it's time to restore the throne to the true line. Or something like that.

Here we meet Nanny Ogg, the second of the much loved witches but one who goes through life with a lower moral standard than Granny. Nanny loves her bawdy songs and has an extended family of which she is head.

Then there's Magrat Garlick, the youngster who's read too many books and believes that the rituals and potions are all necessary. Granny can't be doing with all that.

Getting into scrapes then out again, getting others into scrapes and leaving them there, getting it wrong more than they get it right - the three set about bring their order to chaos. Or is it the other way around?

Of course Granny and crew will save the day - Pratchett wouldn't be Pratchett if they didn't. And it's not about the how either - it's all about enjoying the confusion of the journey. 

Another fabulous Discworld story that has been enjoyed for years and will continue to be enjoyed for many years more

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Mort by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

My first book in the Discworld series was, unsurprisingly, The Colour of Magic - the first in the series. What is more surprising is how it came about. My wife was getting birthday presents and asked our youngest (about 4 at the time) which she should buy and she chose it because it had the nicest cover! Since then I became a fan. In The Colour of Magic apart from Rincewind we also meet Death. Death is obviously a busy man as he shepherds the dying into their next... well we never really know what's next. 

Death is also one of the most recurring characters in the series even if only in cameo roles. And such a busy individual needs help from time to time so he decides to visit a job fair and take on an apprentice - enter Mortimer, Boy or Mort in book 4 of the series.

Do complications arise when Mort meets Death's "daughter"? Or is it part of a greater plan? Is Mort ready to deputise when Death decides to take a break or is that a complication?

This is a story that can either mess with your head or you can sit back and just enjoy the ride. Enjoying the ride is what Pratchett would have wanted from you.

Another fabulously comical story and another great cover!

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

 

Review by The Mole

In Ankh Morpork is the Unseen University and therein exists the library. And the library has power because of that concentration of spell books.

When I had the opportunity to get 8 books in the Discworld for review, they sat on my phone exuding the power of the Unseen University's library. Having read them all I think I shall review them in the order of the series although, as the author says, all the books can be read stand-alone.

Esk is about to be born the eighth son of an eighth son, and a wizard visits the household and bequeaths his staff to the child before dying just minutes later. But Esk is a girl and girls cannot be wizards - it's a rule apparently.

When Esk starts to display powers beyond her family's understanding she is sent to... Yes, Granny Weatherwax!, for education and training as a witch. But this proves too little - Esk is too uncontrolled - so she must break the glass ceiling and go to the Unseen University for training. But Archchancellor Ridcully believes the ceiling is unbreakable glass. But it's also the first time he meets Granny Weatherwax.

I still have 17 to read in the series but one thing that surprises me is that over the writing of 41 books you feel that the characters remain unchanged throughout the series. The first time we meet Granny she's the same grouchy, crotchety old witch who doesn't abuse the immense power with which she is given by Pratchett, as she is in the last. (The books I haven't read are dotted throughout the series)

A really great read once again and created in ebook format with all the accuracy in presentation you would get from a hard copy. Light hearted, laugh out loud at times but also often examining social issues in a fantasy setting.

Publisher: Transworld

Genre: Fantasy, comedy

Fifty Shades of Roxie Brown by Lynda Renham

 review by Maryom

 Roxie Brown is fed up with her life - working all hours as a chambermaid to help support her lazy boyfriend Darren. Her only escape is through her daydreams - Fifty Shades fantasies starring her millionaire boss Ark Morgan. But life is about to change .... peering through the telescope that Darren allegedly uses to watch the night sky, she's in for a shock - the telescope is trained on something nearer to home, a scantily-clad red-haired neighbour, and in her haste to look at something, anything, else, Roxie believes she sees a murder being committed!
Now anyone else would go to the police, but Roxie calls in her friend, crime-addict Sylvie, for advice and,with the help of Sylvie's flat-mate Felix, they set out to solve the case themselves.

Fifty Shades of Roxie Brown is a hilarious rom-com meets crime-caper novel. Lynda Renham may not be as well known as some of the big names in Chick-lit but she delivers a story that hits all the right spots. The characters are plausible if slightly larger than life; a scatter-brained, well-intentioned heroine, a best friend scarily clued up in crime procedure, two handsome men at loggerheads with each other, vying for Roxie's affections. The plot is light but engaging, with echoes of everything from Maid in Manhattan to Rear Window, and the addition of a murder-mystery twist certainly makes this a little different to the 'norm'.
If you're looking for something light, and a little different, give it a go. For now it's only out as an e-book but a paperback is to follow soon.

Publisher - Raucous Publishing
Genre - Adult, Chicklit/RomCom, Crime
 

Spies in Disguise: Boy in a Tutu by Kate Scott

Review by The Mole

We first met Jo(si)e and Sam in Boy in Tights when, due to his parents having been rumbled as government spies they needed to relocate and change identities. Now Josie and Sam are given a real mission to protect some valuable World Cup memorabilia as the local leisure centre - the only thing is they must join ballet classes as part of their cover. And it becomes obvious that someone is taking too much interest in Josie.

The best thing about "Spies in Disguise" is that they are not meant as  serious spy novels - even for it's target readership. they are meant as funny escapism - even 6+ readers want that - and Kate Scott achieves it in spades! Without resorting to belches and farts she brings laughs with wit that entertains adults as well as children, which would make these excellent bed time stories. And they are stories - ones where the plot hangs together properly no matter how ridiculous the plot or action may seem to an adult. And it's not all light and roses for our duo either - there are spats and fallings out along the way, but teamwork is needed to succeed.

And there's no preaching to the reader either. Another great book for the very early reader - but why stop with just them?

Publisher - Piccadilly Press
Genre - Children's (6+) Spy Story, humour

Love Insurance by Earl Derr Biggers

review by Maryom
British aristocrat Lord Harrowby is set to marry American heiress Cynthia Meyrick - he may be deeply in love but it's also a financially convenient match so, just in case, he decides to approach the new York branch of Lloyds and take out insurance against the possibilty of his fiancée calling it all off.  Although they're used to odd insurance requests, this seems the strangest of all but they agree to take it on with the proviso that one of their staff, Dick Minot, joins the happy couple in Florida for the final week of wedding preparations to ensure nothing comes between them. Unfortunately, on the train journey south Dick meets a fascinating young woman and promptly falls in love - then discovers she's the bride-to-be! Torn between his job and his feelings, what IS Dick to do?

Love Insurance is a delightful romcom-style novel that it's hard to believe was first published in 1914.
Although it's the last thing he wants to happen, poor Dick finds himself having to fend off all sorts of last-minute obstacles in the way of the wedding and help the couple on their way to living happily ever after  - and there are all manner of things trying to get in the way of the wedding - someone claiming to be Harrowby's long lost elder brother, therefore the real Lord Harrowby; the mysterious disappearance of a famous diamond necklace; an actress with incriminating letters.....   It's no wonder Cynthia's father's demands to call off the wedding are growing more heated!
It does have a few things that date it - primarily the fact that Florida is seen as a quaint winter holiday destination for the rich seeking to escape the northern cold, rather than a tourist hot-spot flooded with visitors from all over the world - but it's a light, enjoyable read with lots to appeal to today's reader.

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars

Publisher - Hesperus Press

Genre -  adult fiction, humour, romcom  

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel by Deborah Moggach

review by Maryom

 Norman is becoming too much of a problem for retirement homes to cope with. Not because of any health issues, but because of his improper behaviour towards the nursing staff! When ALL the local homes refuse to take him, he's forced to move in with family; his daughter Pauline guiltily feels she should look after him but son-in-law Ravi just wants him out of the house! Along with a cousin from India he comes up with a plan - to open a retirement home in a former hotel in Bangalore; the cost would be lower than in Britain, the weather better and surely Norman's reputation couldn't have reached that far! Filled with enthusiasm they produce brochures and soon elderly British residents are filling the rooms and discovering a new way, and lease, of life.

This is one of a big stack of Deborah Moggach novels I won in a Hay Festival competition last year and the first I've got round to reading as part of my New Year reading plans  It was previously published as These Foolish Things, and re-named as a film tie-in, though I suspect the plot of the film and the book differ.

It's a delightful, wry comedy about a group of 70-somethings, growing old, not quite disgracefully but certainly not in the sedate style their children expect of them. All the 'old folks' are still full of life and not at all ready to be written off just yet! In India they feel like they can shake of their 'oldies' image and just be themselves - maybe a little slower moving around but that gives all the more chance to soak up new experiences. For some there's even the possibility of a new romance ...

While light-hearted, it did make me wonder about the way we think about 'old people', particularly the assumption that having reached a certain age they're too old to care about anything, that sitting in a retirement home, maybe glued to daytime TV, is enough for them - I can't imagine it would be for me!

Maryom's review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Vintage
Genre - Adult Fiction,  comedy

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Mock The Week - Next Year's Book

Review by The Mole

This was a Christmas present. A much appreciated Christmas present. Yes, I am a fan of the show - even the old Dave reruns - and I wonder sometimes how those actually appear to a studio audience. But I think I would rather believe in the televised spontaneity of it all. I was a little surprised to find that this was a 2010 version - although not in any way disappointed. Apart from the news aspects (not a particular feature of the book) then the rest of the comedy doesn't really age.

This is my second MTW book and once again it is hugely funny allowing you to dip in and out while running the risk of never seeing some pages!

Very funny, very entertaining and "motorway signs" will be laughed at over many car journeys in the future.

Watch out for these books if you know a fan of the program - they will be much appreciated.

Bad Things To Hear On A Hospital Ward - "See? I told you it was the left one."

Publisher - Boxtree
Genre - TV, humour

Buy Mock the Week: Next Year's Book: All-New Scenes We'd Like to See from Amazon

The Little Old Lady Who Broke All The Rules by Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg

Pensioners Behaving Badly

review by Maryom

Life at Diamond House Retirement Home in Stockholm isn't turning out to be as much fun as Martha and her friends expected. The meals are awful, they're never allowed out and bedtime is 8 o'clock. In fact if TV documentaries are to be believed, they'd be better off in prison! When the management introduce even more cut-backs, Martha and her friends decide it's time to take action. Fuelled by Martha's secret stash of cloudberry liquor, they hatch a plan to break out of the care home and live life to the full, even if it does mean taking to crime....

If you thought all Swedish crime novels were grim and gritty, think again. For fans of Last Tango in Halifax or Waiting for God, this is a delightful, fun tale of pensioners fighting back and refusing to accept that old age brings a life of monotonous passivity, sipping weak coffee glued to daytime TV. Sipping champagne and living in luxury is more their style than the penny-pinching cost-cutting style of Diamond House and its management. They're not going down without a fight - and even when things don't quite go the way they'd expected, Martha always comes up with another, better plan.Their escapades bring lots of laughs and excitement, and even a little romance, into their lives, proving you're never too old for fun.
I know a few elderly ladies who lunch and attend water aerobics classes at the local gym for whom this would be ideal but it will appeal to a far wider readership. You just might never see your old granny in the same way again.

Martha is just the sort of little old lady I want to be. Off to stock up on the cloudberry liquor!

Maryom's Review - 4.5 stars
Publisher - Pan Books
Genre - Humour, Crime

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Armageddon: The Musical by Robert Rankin

Review by The Mole

The Earth is a live TV program on the planet Phnaarg but Earth is post apocalyptic and is, itself, focussed just on TV programs. But the problem is that the ratings on Phnaarg are dropping and while there is a 'non intervention' policy it appears there has been intervention in the past and and the station directors are persuaded to do it again. Enter Rex Mundi, Elvis Presley and the Time Sprout! The outcome might have been very different if Christeen hadn't invited herself along to the party - but of course her brother had to come along too!

This is not a new book - sorry but sometimes you have to take the opportunity when it arises. I became a Rankin fan in 2005 after Waterstones said 'if you like Tom Holt then you will like Robert Rankin' and I did and do. This book was originally published in 1991 so I have come to the stories late and there is a lot of catching up to do.

The story dashes from time zone to time zone, planet to planet and character to character with a dizzying speed that seems to never pause. The whole story is one big humorous event so if you want a serious Sci-Fi that has true integrity then look away now.

Brilliant and well worth taking time out for a change of style.

Publisher - Corgi Books
Genre - Adult, Sci-Fi, Comedy

 Buy Armageddon: The Musical from Amazon

Roodica The Rude - Party Pooper by Margaret Ryan

Review by The Mole

Roodica, a Celtic princess, is planning a party when her plans are cancelled because her family must attend another party, at the same time, being given by the Romans. But Roodica is a girl of spirit and is not going to take this lying down. In fact if she can take advantage of it, then she will!

This is a story without a hidden meaning - it's one that is purely for fun and fun it certainly is. Yes, there are things in there to be learned but it can also just be enjoyed and perhaps that's the best kind of book - one that motivates its young reader on the promise of laughter. Although they may learn a bit about Roman life - but is that important?

Aimed at the 7+ audience and with lots of simple but amusing black and white drawings this is bound to delight at Christmas and there are three others stories in the series already to keep them laughing and reading.

Publisher - Catnip Publishing
Genre - Children's 7+ fiction,Comedy, Historical

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The Comic Cafe by Roger Stevens

A Work of Art
Review by The Mole

By a strange and plausible turn of fate, Wilf and his 4 sisters are accidentally abandoned in the seaside cafe that their parents have bought. Sounds like a recipe for parties and fun but instead they decide to do the cafe up and open it up again. Sounds like an adventure but becomes much more when things don't go quite to plan.

Written with bags of humour and with all the characters having a their own contribution to the plot, this book must appeal equally to both boys and girls. Laughs come thick and fast from Wilf who is the only one that doesn't take life too seriously but is also the most focussed of them all. Sounds like a contradiction? Yes, I suppose it does but it works and gives a really entertaining, light hearted read for children of about 9+.

One comment that was made as I was reading it was that it would make a children's television series. Well it would but let's not overlook that it's a really good children's book first though.

Publisher - Frances Lincoln
Genre - Children's 9+, Comedy

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Kill Fish Jones by Caro King

Let Sleeping Magicians Lie
review by Maryom

Grimshaw is a demon brought into existence by his master's death bed curse. His sole purpose is to seek revenge against anyone who disturbs the remains of his master. Before dealing the final blow and killing his victims Grimshaw makes their lives a complete misery by destroying everything they hold dear - but when he is called back to his task after decades of boredom he finds things are no longer so easy. Trying to track down the people responsible for moving his master's coffin, Grimshaw finds himself up against Fish Jones, a boy who can see demons and who is prepared to risk everything to save his mother, the last person on Grimshaw's list.
A brilliantly unusual comedy/horror, with an original, inventive story line and tightpacked action. Fish himself is full of courage and determination; his loyal friend, Alice, more resourceful at a practical level. There are lots of laugh out loud moments, particularly as Grimshaw seeks revenge in increasingly bizarre ways - death by falling sheep for example and a fully realised half-world inhabited by the demons and their dead masters, lying just out of sight but parallel to our own.

You might quake with fear, you might burst out laughing - whichever, it's an excellent read.


Maryom's review - 5 stars
Publisher - Quercus
Genre - Supernatural, Comedy, Horror, 10-14
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Lee On The Dark Side Of The Moon by Keith Charters

Moon Here We Come
Review By TheMole

Lee has entered a competition on the back of a cereal packet and has the opportunity to become the first boy to land on the moon. After under going a weeks extensive training he finds himself not as prepared as he would like and wishes he had listened more. Things don't go as planned and Lee has to make decisions which could leave him a hero but in the meantime he causes worldwide panic with gurus predicting the end of the world.

I have to admit to not having read any 'Lee' books before but then I am not the target readership group. My first impression was I found it difficult to read without laughing out loud all the time! The story is fast moving and humorous and written and printed in form that would make it very appealing to it's target audience, which I would anticipate as being the 6-8 year old early readers, although I don't see why older pre-teens wouldn't enjoy it. The humour, while sometimes lavatorial, is spot on for the age group and such that adults, if reading to children, don't feel embarrassed about either.

My only regret with this book is that I don't have a little one to read it to. This book is brilliant and pretty accurate as it also contains a lot of accurate facts about the moon missions. The one point it doesn't make is about sound not travelling in a vacuum. I have always wondered then why vacuum cleaners make so much noise? Perhaps Lee could tell me?

Publisher - Strident Publishing
Genre - Children's Adventure/Comedy

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