That Darn Squid God

Rating:
Summary: The year is 1881...
Review: "...and moon is slowly revolving to reveal it's darkly hidden face. Soon Prof. Einstein and Lord Carstairs find themselves pursued by disciples of the Squid God. They fight a desperate battle to save the world before the time of the demon god's return. However, while the adventurers are away, who will save London from the rampaging "squiddies"?

At first this story reads like a classic Victorian melodrama, rather reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes tale. But within a page or so, it develops into a unique fantasy/comedy with a style of it's very own. The main characters are larger than life and brighter than technicolour. Professor Felix Einstein reads like an ageing Indiana Jones with less philanthropic tendencies. Einstein thinks nothing of breaking into the Vatican to steal an artifact or acquiring other priceless relics via less than reputable sources. Lord Carstairs is a boys-own hero. You can see his square jaw and stiff upper lip clearly between the lines of the story. The story is truly fantastic (in both senses). It is necessary to take a step out of reality and accept certain things as fact, especially when learning of the artifacts held in Professor Einstein's museum.

I found the whole novel utterly compelling. It was nigh on impossible to put the book down despite being in desperate need of sleep. In fact Steve (my husband) must have grown totally sick of me digging him in the ribs just to read another section from the story.

As an English woman I especially enjoyed the over-the-top characterizations of the Victorian gentry, in particular the Explorers Club's Ladies Auxiliary. This group of ladies show what makes an English gentlewoman - the ability to provide cups of tea, buttered crumpets and muffins whilst taking pot-shots at the enemy with an elephant gun and debating the various uses of barbed wire (don't ask me for more details - just read the book and you will understand).

All in all, this is a hell of a story."

Rating:
Summary: "Squid God" is a Rollicking Romp
Review: "That Darn Squid God" is a delightful book that pokes good-natured fun at all those British action-adventure classics that we read as kids; from Sherlock Holmes to Jules Verne.

It's a period piece that takes place during the era when the Sun Never Set on the British Empire; and Nick Pollotta and James Clay have done their homework. It all works, and works beautifully. (Although I'll admit I was mystified by the frequent references to "the Recent Troubles" until the very end.) I'm not going to say a word about the plot; I wouldn't want to spoil it for you.

But if you are fond of the old classics, if you like a humorous tale, well woven by competent hands, if you enjoy plot twists and unexpected turns, or if you just want to spend some hours immersed in a good romp through the British Empire, get this book. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: A "must" read!!!!!
Review: A hilarious spoof of pulp adventure fiction. This book has it all -- plucky Victorian explorers, dark magic, mondo fight scenes, swash, buckle, and silliness galore. Sax Rohmer, Talbot Mundy, and all their ilk must be hitting up about 10,000 RPM in their graves...

Rating:
Summary: Caveat Lector!
Review: I bought this book based on the enthusiastic reviews here. It's well-written but nowhere near as hilarious as what I was led to believe.

In going through these reviews I note the following:

1. Many of them were written around the same time in March, 2004.

2. The writing style is far superior to that which one usually sees in Amazon reviews.

3. Most suspicious of all, the reviews were written a month before the book even came out.

Draw your own conclusions.

Rating:
Summary: It was a dark and misty (and very surreal) night in London
Review: It is a dark and misty night in London and Professor Felix Einstein has just arrived at the London Explorers Club. A few minutes later Lord Benjamin Carstairs arrives carrying a small wooden ship. Following a small mishap involving an indoor fountain and a lot of broken wood the two explorers leave the club, secretly watched by a group of mysterious cloaked men.

Soon the two adventurers begin to discuss a strange phenomenon that is taking place. The moon is slowly revolving to reveal its hidden face. As a result the world is being plagued by unseasonable weather. Professor Einstein wonders if the movement of the moon could be related to the mythology of an ancient race, the Duterian Empire as an ancient Duterian artefact indicates that the turning of the moon ushers in the returning Squid God.

Soon Einstein and Carstairs find themselves in the middle of a fantastic adventure. Pursued by disciples of the Squid God they fight a desperate battle to save the world before the time of the god's return. However, while the adventurers are away, who will save London from the rampaging "squiddies"?

At first this story reads like a classic Victorian melodrama, rather reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes tale. However within a page or so it develops into a unique fantasy/comedy with a style of it's very own.

The main characters are larger than life and brighter than technicolour. Professor Felix Einstein reads like an ageing Indiana Jones with less philanthropic tendencies. Einstein thinks nothing of breaking into the Vatican to steal an artefact or acquiring other priceless relics via less than reputable sources. Lord Carstairs is a boys-own hero. You can see his square jaw aneetred stiff upper lip clearly between the lines of the story.
The story is truly fantastic (in both senses). It is necessary to take a step out of reality and accept certain things as fact, especially when learning of the artefacts held in Professor Einstein's museum.

I found the whole novel utterly compelling. It was nigh on impossible to put the book down despite being in desperate need of sleep. In fact Steve (husband) must have grown totally sick of me digging him in the ribs just to read another section from the story.
As an English woman I especially enjoyed the over-the-top characterisations of the Victorian gentry, in particular the Explorers Club's Ladies Auxiliary. This group of ladies show what makes an English gentlewoman - the ability to provide cups of tea, buttered crumpets and muffins whilst taking pot-shots at the enemy with an elephant gun and debating the various uses of barbed wire (don't ask me for more details - just read the book and you will understand).

All in all this is a hell of a story. Funny, compelling and an absolute pleasure to read. The finest comedy/fantasy I have read this year.


Rating:
Summary: Tongue-and-cheek humor and a fresh and fast-paced narrative
Review: Set in Victorian England in the year 1881, That Darn Squid God is an hilarious parody of the otherworldly mythos of H. P. Lovecraft, strewn with delightful trappings of mystery and magic. Two British explorers must race against time before a prehistoric squid god rises again to destroy the world, which would after all be a ghastly inconvenience. Tongue-and-cheek humor and a fresh and fast-paced narrative style set apart That Darn Squid God as a fantastically funny end-of-the-world ride.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but needs proofreading
Review: The premise is hilarious, and generally carries the execution, which could be better. I have finished reading this book since I first left the review, and I would give it four stars if the system let me, even though I was hesitant to do that, as there is a lot to overcome in terms of polish. The connections and little jokes are so many that I could overlook the sloppiness -- but it took getting halfway through the book to do that. The publisher would do well to invest in a proofreader (the "lentil" for "lintel" errors especially vexed me) and a little editing, although the extraneous adjectives did contribute to the over-the-top Victorian swashbuckler atmosphere. Still, it made me wonder whether the publisher was a "real" one or a "vanity press." This book is bit of light reading that's enjoyable enough in its own regard -- just be sure you've read the prereqs: Chthulhu and Holmes and the other silly Victorian era tales.

Rating:
Summary: How to kill a God - the hard way
Review: This book sends up every Victorian story of derring-do you've read and makes Indianna Jones and his search for treasures look like the job of a beginner.

Its the end of the world - but not the world as we know it -as Professor Einstein and his trusty sidekick decide to stop the moon turning and save the world from the Squid God.

As long as you don't attempt to take this seriously you'll have a fun time with this book. Its a light hearted romp through an alternate Victorian England full of unbelievable larger-than-life characters. I enjoyed this novel as the send unabashed up that it is.


Rating:
Summary: If I could rate this book 10 stars, I would!
Review: Wonderful humor/fantasy story!