Wrath Of The Lemming Men

Wrath Of The Lemming Men: A Penny Dreadful Review

            Enormous, suicidal rodent aliens. An android that Jane Austen wrote. A deserted amusement park. It can only be Isambard Smith’s latest adventure: Wrath Of The Lemming Men, by Toby Frost.

            Captain Isambard Smith’s crew must go undercover to investigate a shady corporation. They track the information they need to a planet that in no way shape or form mocks Disneyworld by way of a bloody battle at the British Museum (not the one on Earth). Meanwhile, a large angry rodent creature vows vengeance on Suruk the Slayer, which is perfect because Suruk has also vowed vengeance upon the large angry rodent creature. It is silly, absurd, and quite British. I adore Wrath Of The Lemming Men and I adore the bizarre mind of Toby Frost.

            An utterly nonsensical addition to a really ridiculous series, I give Wrath Of The Lemming Men four gears out of five. I loved it, I laughed out loud, and I’m going to read the next book. What more could one ask of a series?

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Space Captain Smith

Space Captain Smith: A Penny Dreadful Review

            You know it is going to be a wonderful book when you start chuckling on the first page. I laughed all the way through Space Captain Smith by Toby Frost, and I bet you will, too.

            Isembard Smith is a desk-clerk from the British Empire, which spans several planets. He is given a run-down spaceship, a pilot who is a sexbot who faked her credentials, and a mission he was never supposed to complete. He must transport a magical hippie chick to a safe location, despite aliens and cultists who want to use her for their own nefarious purposes.

            Toby Frost is a comic genius. He has an excellent grasp of the absurd. Space Captain Smith is loaded with satirical jibes and pop culture references. There’s a cyberpunk planet, there’s a War of the Worlds Martian, and there’s a chapter entitled, “Ho-Down Of The Damned.” This is a silly, silly book. It reminds me a bit of Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy with a Steampunk twist.

            I give this silliness four and a half gears out of five. It is an excellent addition to any adult’s library. Space Captain Smith is the perfect book-shaped companion for when you need a good laugh and feel like reading something with aliens in.

Your Correspondent from the Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Captains Stupendous

Captains Stupendous: A Penny Dreadful Review

            This week, I encountered the most absurd work of literary brilliance I have ever read. It is a book from Telos Publishing (www.telos.co.uk) entitled Captains Stupendous and authored by Rhys Hughes.

            This exceedingly odd book chronicles the encounters of one Welsh journalist with a fungal infection with the larger-than-life Faraway brothers. Lloyd Griffiths, the journalist narrator, insists this collection of increasingly strange adventures is entirely truthful. This is, it is claimed, not a work of fiction at all, but a history. Truth is, after all, stranger than fiction.

            The narrative begins as a fairly standard novel in the Victorian style of first-person adventure interspersed with scenes of important information. The beginning reminds me rather of Moby Dick. It deals with fairly standard Steampunk adventures – airplanes and propulsion systems, bandits and inventions. Then, the narrative becomes muddled, the scenes and tenses blurring, time and place becoming unhooked and frenetic. The plot becomes steadily wilder, including dinosaurs, animated skeletons, locomotive men, and eventually time travel. The characters who aren’t narrating break the fourth wall and address the reader.

I feel that this tonal inconsistency works well and is masterfully executed. I feel that it suits the bizarre events it describes. This is a complicated and fascinating work that probably ought to be studied in universities. I am quite certain I’ve missed something. If books that make you think are not your cup of tea, I suggest that this flavor may not be to your liking. It is thought-provoking and very, very strange.

            I give this incredible adventure four gears out of five. I think I have to read it again to quite understand it. At any rate, I highly recommend it for the cultured Steampunk. It must be read to be believed.

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather

Zombies At Tiffany's

Zombies at Tiffany's: A Penny Dreadful Review

            I must admit to judging a book by its cover. I found myself browsing in a bookshop, and I came across a colorful depiction of the undead. In front of the lurching crowd stood a young woman in a red gown wearing a back-mounted machine gun. This young lady has a look on her face that says, “Here we go again.” I had to pick up this slim little novel and find out what this was all about.

            The volume I investigated was Zombies at Tiffany’s, by Sam Stone. I purchased it, and eight hours later, I’d finished reading it. I enjoyed it quite a bit. Set during the American Civil War, it follows an ordinary shop girl named Kat Lightfoot as a horrifying darkness from the front lines invades New York. She discovers a small cat named Holly, who is quite important. I would spoil the most wonderful part of the story if I explained why.

            Even if you have tired of the walking dead lurking on every shelf of the bookstore, this is worth a read. Sam Stone is a writer with a gift for the comedic and the horrific. Kat’s point of view is straightforward and usually funny, despite the zombies that invade her world. I confess that I had nightmares after reading this book. Sam Stone’s zombies are terrifying. They talk and they have a sick sort of hive mind. It’s quite disturbing.

            I give this excellent little adventure four gears out of five. The prose is entertaining and the characters vivid. Unfortunately, I was able to devour Zombies at Tiffany’s in the space of a night. Fortunately, it is the beginning of a series…

Your Correspondent From The Bookstore,

Penny J. Merriweather