The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window & Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

I of course downloaded this story because the title was a story in and of itself. I hoped against hope that the title wasn't a Gimmick and that the story would live up to it otherwise I would feel cheated. The story exceeded my wildest expectations. It was a master class in storytelling but more than that it had a huge heart.  First off the humour was deadpan and relied on absurd situations and it worked wonderfully.

The tale of Allan wandering and getting into adventures was told in such a humane and yet dry way it was an absolute delight. Inspired with the story of the present the author tells the tale of Allan's life from childhood until the present and what a life! We discover Allan's blunderings and chance encounters have affected the entire course of the twentieth century.

It was told in such a wise way.  Through Allan the author teaches us several lessons about simple humanity and that it is sometimes more important than politics or organised religion. This point is reinforced throughout the book. Prejudice, ignorance and bigotry are all tackled in a unique way. Allan is simply nice and calm but that is enough. Despite the many injustices done against him Allan only gets angry once and that is against a fox! This book offers so much to the reader it's difficult to do it justice without writing an essay. A great read worth every penny.

Genre:  Literary / Humour

Publisher:  Hesperus Press

Format:  Paperback & E-book

Rating:  5/5

Dating In The Dark by Pete Sortwell

Just lately I’ve been reading a variety of deep weighty, multi-layered novels that take a lot of concentration.  To go alongside these and take the pressure off my aching cerebellum I needed something a little lighter. Dating In The Dark provided that light relief.

Pete Sortwell’s humour often made me laugh out loud. I’d perhaps qualify that by saying that humour is a deeply personal thing and the author’s sense of humour won’t necessarily be to everybody’s taste. However, the description of Jason’s hapless attempts to find love had me chuckling over my cornflakes on many a morning.  I also enjoyed the interaction between Jason and his friend Barry who seemed intent on being a git to his buddy!  Oh, and wait till you meet Boris later on. Just whatever you do don’t get a ride in his cab!

Underneath the humour was quite a sad tale of a guy trying just a little too hard to find love. It was a well rounded story overall and it had enough sweet and sad moments to balance out the humour. If you need a laugh and to be uplifted then take the plunge into Pete Sortwell’s madcap world. You won’t want to leave!

Genre:  Humour
Publisher: Indie
Format: E-book & Paperback
Rating: 5/5

The Kelly Affair by Paul D. Brazill

We see the return of Paul's journo-cum-chancer-cum-biog writer Luke Case. Paul has excelled himself with this one. The tastes and textures of the story really came out at me like the literary equivalent of 3D glasses. As well as cunningly crafted metaphors, sharp wit and wry humour we have Paul's usual cynical observations on life that make his fiction so entertaining to a forty something child of the seventies like me.

When Luke is employed to write a biography for a rather shady character things, of course, go spectacularly wrong for Luke who, as we've come to find out is his own worst enemy. Brazill’s stories featuring Luke are ongoing and this story follows loosely on from prior tales. I’ve enjoyed them all so far and would urge the reader to seek out Red Esperanto and Death on A Hot Afternoon for more of Luke Case.

Genre: Crime/Noir
Publisher: Atlantis (Lite Editions)
Format: E-Book Novelette
Rating: 5/5

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell

This is quite a difficult review to write.  The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet is a long book and it could be argued that not a great deal happens within its pages. However, sometimes entertainment is a long road and not a short sprint.  Some of the descriptive writing is so breathtakingly, heart achingly adept it cuts like a scalpel through to your heart.

Jacob De Zoet is a naïve man trying to do the right thing. He wears his principles like a jacket and of course the low cunning of the scoundrels around him exploit this weakness.  The story is set on a trading post on a man made atoll called Dejima on the shores of Japan in the late 1700’s.
It was this unique setting with Japan trying to reach out from the stagnation of centuries of closed borders that held my attention. There was unrequited love, beauty, heroics and layers upon layers. Not one for those that like a quick and easy read but if you enjoy depth and detail this will leave you enchanted.

Genre:  Literary
Publisher: Sceptre
Format:  Paperback & E-book
Rating: 4/5

More Burglar Diaries by Danny King

More Burglar Diaries won't have you pondering the infinite. It won't bring you any answers to the deep philosophical question of life such as: Why is there never a complete pair of socks in my sock drawer? Why does the wife keep moving everything around? Where the feck is the TV remote? And finally it won't tell you why Jeremy Clarkson and Piers Morgan are such a pair of annoying t*ats. What it will do, if you're not careful, is have you spraying the tuna sandwich you were eating across the nearest wall or hapless old lady who just happens to be in front of you on the bus (sorry Ethel).

Bex and his hapless sidekick Ollie blunder from one botched burglary to another creating mayhem as they go. The dialogue is smart and hilarious. In particular Bex's wisecracks guarantee more than a chortle a chapter. The running gags are excellent. On the face of it a lighthearted comical read but King effortlessly weaves in little twists to the various jobs the boys find themselves on. A great mix of recurring characters, witty banter and slapstick humour.

Genre:  Humour

Publisher:  Byker Books

Format:  E-Book & Paperback

Rating:  4/5

Critical Failures by Robert Bevan

Critical Failures is an interesting blend of a novel. The story starts with a group of lads Tim, Cooper, Julian and Dave awaiting the arrival of a new Games Master for their weekly game of Caverns and Creatures, a Dungeons and Dragons style role playing game. As you might expect the author takes every opportunity to poke fun at the stereotype gamer, nerds with absolutely no prospect of ever finding a girlfriend. When the Games Master finally arrives, wearing a cape, they all take the opportunity to have some fun at his expense. Matters go from bad to worse and our "heroes" find themselves magically transported to the Games World with the GM having full control over this environment.

Bevan neatly combines the fantasy and comedy genres with quite a lot of action for the characters but with them of course fully aware of their game characters strengths and weaknesses. The strength of this novel lies in the humour. I found myself laughing out loud a lot but also rooting for our hapless heroes. Fantasy and RPG fans will get the jokes and find this funny. Anyone who is partial to slapstick humour will enjoy this also I'd imagine. It's not a high brow book and the humour isn't subtle but we all need a laugh sometimes and Critical Failures does this effortlessly.

Genre: Fantasy / Humour
Format: Paperback & E-Book
Rating: 5/5