Peril in the Old Country by Sam Hooker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


When Terry Pratchett died we didn't just lose an author, we lost the entire Discworld universe. It was a fantastically humorous universe peopled with warty witches, goblins, færies, evil despots and hapless heroes.

But rejoice! For Peril in the Old Country is a rollicking story peopled with warty witches, goblins, færies, evil despots and hapless heroes!

There is more than a little Pratchettiness about the prose, but more in the way of an homage than straight fan fiction and it's a very easy and entertaining read. I read it during and in between international flights and it's the sort of book that bears multiple interruptions (boarding, meal service, movies, deplaning, straining to hear announcements) because the plot moves forward nicely in small bite-sized pieces and isn't so tricksy that you need to go back and re-read to remember what had happened the last time you picked it up.

Check my highlights for examples of the prose, but there are many chuckle-worthy gems:

"Grans of the Old Country seemed certain that young people were in constant danger of freezing to death, and took up knitting so they could stare death in the face and say, “Not today. Not on my watch.”

***

"Sladia continued talking, but Sloot could hear nothing but a high-pitched whine. He’d expected the sound of his life as he knew it bursting into flames to be more dramatic, yet there it was. A sort of highly efficient eternity passed, during which he managed to have a mental break, lose the power of speech, and rehabilitate himself before Sladia finished speaking."

It can be a little chaotic at times (I never really did work out what the spy called Roman's 'grand plan' really was ... but maybe that was the point?) but a bit like a ride at a fairground, the fun is in being flung around and turned upside down, not in the destination itself!

The main protagonist 'Sloot' is very reminiscent of Rincewind from Discworld and I would definitely recommend this one to Pratchett fans who miss Sam Vimes, Lord Vetinari and Nanny Ogg!



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