Falling Sideways

Rating:
Summary: A Frenetic Comedic Science Fiction Masterpiece
Review: I was originally drawn to this book because of the rather odd frog on the cover, which is good, because there are a lot of amphibious life forms within, hehe. I was really not expecting the fast-paced, frantic, free-wheeling and fun read that this book turned out to be! From the first page, to the last, you are never sure what is going to happen next, who is who for sure, or what the eventual outcome of all this madness is going to be. It's an absolute joy. I haven't been this entertained by a humourous science fiction or fantasy novel since the works of Douglas Adams, or the b-movie cycle by Craig Shaw Gardner. Now I have to get the rest of Tom Holt's books!

Rating:
Summary: A Frenetic Comedic Science Fiction Masterpiece
Review: I was originally drawn to this book because of the rather odd frog on the cover, which is good, because there are a lot of amphibious life forms within, hehe. I was really not expecting the fast-paced, frantic, free-wheeling and fun read that this book turned out to be! From the first page, to the last, you are never sure what is going to happen next, who is who for sure, or what the eventual outcome of all this madness is going to be. It's an absolute joy. I haven't been this entertained by a humourous science fiction or fantasy novel since the works of Douglas Adams, or the b-movie cycle by Craig Shaw Gardner. Now I have to get the rest of Tom Holt's books!

Rating:
Summary: Back to Storytelling
Review: In Falling Sideways, Tom Holt has returned to storytelling. He is good at random quipping, but I felt that some of the books he cranked out in recent years- Overtime, Faust Among Equals, and Grailblazers- were long on random quips and short on plot. Falling Sideways is a good yarn- it almost develops like a creepy mystery at the beginning. The funny bits are in service of the plot,and not as fast and furious as in some of the earlier books, which might disappoint some, but I found a relief. The book is perhaps not quite as satisfying as Expecting Someone Taller or Who's Afraid of Beowolf? but does suggest that Holt is past his lazy phase or whatever that was, and bodes well for the future.

Rating:
Summary: Back to Storytelling
Review: In Falling Sideways, Tom Holt has returned to storytelling. He is good at random quipping, but I felt that some of the books he cranked out in recent years- Overtime, Faust Among Equals, and Grailblazers- were long on random quips and short on plot. Falling Sideways is a good yarn- it almost develops like a creepy mystery at the beginning. The funny bits are in service of the plot,and not as fast and furious as in some of the earlier books, which might disappoint some, but I found a relief. The book is perhaps not quite as satisfying as Expecting Someone Taller or Who's Afraid of Beowolf? but does suggest that Holt is past his lazy phase or whatever that was, and bodes well for the future.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious History of the World
Review: Tom Holt is a master of the humorous novel (especially science fiction or fantasy). This book is no exception.

The book follows the a young man who fell in love with a witch depicted in a painting at a local art museum when he was a young boy. Having a decent job in computers and no romantic interests to spend his money on, he frivolously buys a lock of hair reported to be from the witch in the painting. Then the strangeness begins.

First he is approached by another art collector in a local pub. Then, in need of a bathroom, he exits his train at an unfamiliar stop and sees Honest John's House of Clones. But surely cloning isn't possible, or even legal.

Well, armed with his genetic sample, the young man sets in motion events of cosmic proportions. Lies and coverups follow fast and furiously. He, and the reader, are stuck trying to figure out just what the real story is. Was he genetically designed just to clone the witch? Is he the son of God? Who are all of these people who look alike? What is with the bags of sugar? And are the frogs really in charge? These and many more questions are eventually answered amidst a fast-paced story liberally seasoned with intelligent witticisms.

If you are a Tom Holt fan, you will want to read this one. If you are new to Tom Holt, this is an excellent book.

Rating:
Summary: Hilarious History of the World
Review: Tom Holt is a master of the humorous novel (especially science fiction or fantasy). This book is no exception.

The book follows the a young man who fell in love with a witch depicted in a painting at a local art museum when he was a young boy. Having a decent job in computers and no romantic interests to spend his money on, he frivolously buys a lock of hair reported to be from the witch in the painting. Then the strangeness begins.

First he is approached by another art collector in a local pub. Then, in need of a bathroom, he exits his train at an unfamiliar stop and sees Honest John's House of Clones. But surely cloning isn't possible, or even legal.

Well, armed with his genetic sample, the young man sets in motion events of cosmic proportions. Lies and coverups follow fast and furiously. He, and the reader, are stuck trying to figure out just what the real story is. Was he genetically designed just to clone the witch? Is he the son of God? Who are all of these people who look alike? What is with the bags of sugar? And are the frogs really in charge? These and many more questions are eventually answered amidst a fast-paced story liberally seasoned with intelligent witticisms.

If you are a Tom Holt fan, you will want to read this one. If you are new to Tom Holt, this is an excellent book.