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Expecting Someone Taller
Malcolm Fisher inherits a magic ring from a dying badger and becomes the much-disputed Ruler of the World. Everyone wants the ring--despite the fearsome curse upon it. And Malcolm is about to learn that some are born to greatness, and some are, well, badgered into it.
231 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
79 people are currently reading
4081 people want to read
About the author
Tom Holt
98 books1,170 followersTom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 167 reviews
March 12, 2022
I was a little put off at first, afraid that Malcolm would remain clueless throughout the plot like Arthur Dent in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. Fortunately, he didn't try my patience for long and was soon addressing the challenges of his new life.
The humor was not laugh-out-loud caliber (for me), but pretty consistently funny with a main character I found myself surprisingly attached to.
The humor was not laugh-out-loud caliber (for me), but pretty consistently funny with a main character I found myself surprisingly attached to.
October 20, 2014
Nostalgia rating. I think this was the book of 1988, for me.
April 2, 2016
Full disclosure: I know The Lord of the Rings better than the mythological stories behind the Ring Cycle. Holt provides a very short synopsis of the myths for folks like me and I was grateful for it. Otherwise, I would have not understood what on earth was going on.
Holt is an English fantasy-humorist and, like Pratchett's many offerings, I enjoy books like this but I never have laugh out loud moments. I don't know if the humor is lost-in-translation or what my deal is. I expect that those who are familiar with the Norse myths and who are British might really love this rather silly tale of Malcolm and the ring.
There were some memorable lines like: "Ingolf eased the plain gold ring off his finger and passed it to Malcolm, who accepted it rather as one might accept some delicacy made from the unspeakable parts of a rare amphibian at an embassy function." pg 7 Nice.
"The next morning, Malcolm thought long and hard before waking up, for he had come to recognise over the past quarter of a century that rather less can go wrong if you are asleep." pg 15 Absolutely true in my experience too.
Malcolm figuring out how the Tarnhelm (a hat that can change the wearer into anything) works: "Make me," he said aloud, "as handsome as it is possible to be."... He stood for awhile and stared... "We'll call that one Richard" (he had always wanted to be called Richard). He resumed his own shape (which came as a bitter disappointment) then said "Richard," firmly. At once, the Most Handsome Man reappeared in the mirror, which proved that the Tarnhelm had a memory, like a pocket calculator." pg 20-21 :) For my friend, Richard.
The difference between smiles: "The girl looked at him and smiled. Malcolm had come to believe that he was fairly well equipped to deal with smiles, but this was a new sort; not a happy, optimistic smile but a sad, wistful smile. It didn't say, "Wouldn't it be nice if..." like the stock delivery of a Rhinemaiden, but, "It would have been nice if..." which is quite different." pg 117
Why humans are the worst pick for ring bearing: "And so you give this irregularity in your minds a name of its own. You call it Love, which is meant to make everything all right. Rather than try to sort it out or find a vaccine, you go out of your way to glorify it. I mentioned your art and your poetry just now. What are your favourite themes? Love and War."..."Now be fair," he continued, "can you honestly say that a member of a species with this ancestral fallibility should be allowed to rule the universe?" pg 160 Fair question.
If you enjoyed Expecting Someone Taller, you may want to pick up The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar (a modern day fantasy with fairies) or Anansi Boys by Neal Gaiman.
Holt is an English fantasy-humorist and, like Pratchett's many offerings, I enjoy books like this but I never have laugh out loud moments. I don't know if the humor is lost-in-translation or what my deal is. I expect that those who are familiar with the Norse myths and who are British might really love this rather silly tale of Malcolm and the ring.
There were some memorable lines like: "Ingolf eased the plain gold ring off his finger and passed it to Malcolm, who accepted it rather as one might accept some delicacy made from the unspeakable parts of a rare amphibian at an embassy function." pg 7 Nice.
"The next morning, Malcolm thought long and hard before waking up, for he had come to recognise over the past quarter of a century that rather less can go wrong if you are asleep." pg 15 Absolutely true in my experience too.
Malcolm figuring out how the Tarnhelm (a hat that can change the wearer into anything) works: "Make me," he said aloud, "as handsome as it is possible to be."... He stood for awhile and stared... "We'll call that one Richard" (he had always wanted to be called Richard). He resumed his own shape (which came as a bitter disappointment) then said "Richard," firmly. At once, the Most Handsome Man reappeared in the mirror, which proved that the Tarnhelm had a memory, like a pocket calculator." pg 20-21 :) For my friend, Richard.
The difference between smiles: "The girl looked at him and smiled. Malcolm had come to believe that he was fairly well equipped to deal with smiles, but this was a new sort; not a happy, optimistic smile but a sad, wistful smile. It didn't say, "Wouldn't it be nice if..." like the stock delivery of a Rhinemaiden, but, "It would have been nice if..." which is quite different." pg 117
Why humans are the worst pick for ring bearing: "And so you give this irregularity in your minds a name of its own. You call it Love, which is meant to make everything all right. Rather than try to sort it out or find a vaccine, you go out of your way to glorify it. I mentioned your art and your poetry just now. What are your favourite themes? Love and War."..."Now be fair," he continued, "can you honestly say that a member of a species with this ancestral fallibility should be allowed to rule the universe?" pg 160 Fair question.
If you enjoyed Expecting Someone Taller, you may want to pick up The Good Fairies of New York by Martin Millar (a modern day fantasy with fairies) or Anansi Boys by Neal Gaiman.
October 19, 2011
My first exposure to the literary genius teetering on madness that is the mind of Tom Holt. I got this from the library way back around the late '80s, not knowing quite what to expect and was more than pleasantly surprised by it.
It tells of Malcolm Fisher; just an ordinary guy trying to get home one night when he drives over a badger. So far, so ordinary. But the badger turns out to be nothing more than a Norse giant in disguise and before he realises what is happening, Malcolm becomes embroiled in the ongoing struggles of the Norse pantheon. At least he'd managed to pick up some of the gods' powers, which must be helpful, right? Riiight....
If the story of Wagner's Ring Cycle interests you, but you don't want to sit through hours of big women wailing in a foreign language, then this could be the book for you. All the fun of the Niebelung without the 4-hour arias and unfortunate aryan undertones :)
It tells of Malcolm Fisher; just an ordinary guy trying to get home one night when he drives over a badger. So far, so ordinary. But the badger turns out to be nothing more than a Norse giant in disguise and before he realises what is happening, Malcolm becomes embroiled in the ongoing struggles of the Norse pantheon. At least he'd managed to pick up some of the gods' powers, which must be helpful, right? Riiight....
If the story of Wagner's Ring Cycle interests you, but you don't want to sit through hours of big women wailing in a foreign language, then this could be the book for you. All the fun of the Niebelung without the 4-hour arias and unfortunate aryan undertones :)
November 24, 2013
When the legendary Ring of the Niberlings becomes the possesion of a mild-mannered, rather forgetable, not very driven, almost middle-aged Englishman, the pantheon knows something must be done to stop the inevitable madness. When the world starts going through an unparalleled time of peace and prosperity, Woten and the rest know their worst fears are being realized and decide to stop at nothing to fix this horror.
Humorously sarcastic view of "If the meek did inherit the earth"; reminded me strongly of DWJ's "Eight Days of Luke", Connie Willis' "To Say Nothing of the Dog" and Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in style and content. A fairly funny read, I now know much more about Wagner's Ring and characters than I knew before. Not really laugh out loud funny (no swans), but I was chuckling a good bit.
Content notes: language is very british; Wodehouse style swearing, somewhat frequently. Sensuality is not present in deed, but the meaning of "Love" is explored by many different characters some wandering into the emotional and mental side, with others delving into the physical; however, it is kept pretty clean. Violence is almost no-exhistant, there is a car accident at the beginning which causes all the trouble, but everything else is nippedd in the bud before it can come to blows.
July 31, 2011
Expecting Someone Taller is based around Wagner’s Ring Cycle; the first thing to realise is that it is a story based upon real events and genuine characters. The hero - Malcolm Fisher - finds that he has inherited the mantel of Siegfried, that is the shape-shifting and teleporting Tarnhelm plus the riches-inducing (but ultimately cursed) Nibelung’s Ring after he runs over a badger. Can a man known affectionately by his family as ‘Only Malcolm’ come to terms with his new found position as the ruler of the world before Wotan and his cronies manage to dupe our hapless hero out of his mystical and mythical possessions?
As a mix of comedy and fantasy this book is just about as spot on as you can hope for; if you are a fan of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett then there is no reason why you should not really enjoy this and Tom Holt’s other additions to the genre.
As a mix of comedy and fantasy this book is just about as spot on as you can hope for; if you are a fan of Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett then there is no reason why you should not really enjoy this and Tom Holt’s other additions to the genre.
February 25, 2014
'Expecting Someone Taller' is a book with a great premise that it never really lives up to.
Malcolm Fisher, a pathetic young Englishman, accidentally kills the last holder of the Ring of the Nieblungs and finds himself unwillingly responsible for the well being of the entire world. A variety of supernatural beings then descend on him to try and claim the Ring for themselves.
Placing the ridiculous characters from Wagner's Ring Cycle in the sleepy English countryside should be a riotously surreal yomp akin to Monty Python at their best, but 'Expecting Someone Taller' never rises above gently amusing. The plot feels like it's meandering along, waiting for the real story to begin.
One might excuse Holt for failing to make the most of his initial premise, as this was his first published novel, but on its own merits it just isn't funny or inventive enough.
Malcolm Fisher, a pathetic young Englishman, accidentally kills the last holder of the Ring of the Nieblungs and finds himself unwillingly responsible for the well being of the entire world. A variety of supernatural beings then descend on him to try and claim the Ring for themselves.
Placing the ridiculous characters from Wagner's Ring Cycle in the sleepy English countryside should be a riotously surreal yomp akin to Monty Python at their best, but 'Expecting Someone Taller' never rises above gently amusing. The plot feels like it's meandering along, waiting for the real story to begin.
One might excuse Holt for failing to make the most of his initial premise, as this was his first published novel, but on its own merits it just isn't funny or inventive enough.
August 31, 2008
Badgers are not always what they appear to be. If you tried reading Lord of the Rings and felt guilty because you couldn't get through it, read this hilarious retelling of the real Ring Cycle , the one Wagner made so famous a long, long time before Tolkein ever picked up pen and paper.
September 20, 2013
This was a fun, light read that explored Wagner's Ring Cycle in "modern" (to when the book was written in the 1980s) times.
The author has a distinctive voice for parody that is similar to Terry Pratchett's, although slightly less absurdist.
The author has a distinctive voice for parody that is similar to Terry Pratchett's, although slightly less absurdist.
August 17, 2017
Maybe the funniest novel I've ever read.
August 11, 2020
Absolutely wonderful book. Comedic British fantasy at its finest. The best way to describe it is... imagine Terry Pratchett (Discworld) met Lord Of The Rings in a local pub and after a rather awkward romance they had a beautiful baby together. Three thumbs up!
June 7, 2024
It’s always a little daunting to reread a book you first read as a teenager. Now I have to admit, even back then, this wasn’t a particular favourite but I did find it a hoot to read. It does have those laugh out loud moments that I remember it having and it is a very quick read. Possibly not the hoot I found it years ago (tastes do change) but still an entertainingly funny read. The absence of the mod cons we see in his later books (frankly I stopped after Grailblazers) may date this book for some readers, for me it just added another opportunity to escape from reality into a world of comic fantasy.
September 5, 2025
My first Tom Holt. I shall be reading more.
March 3, 2025
Very much a product of the 1980's tradition of dry, absurdist British humour. I usually like this author's work very much, especially his dry wit and style of humour, but I'm guessing this is one of his early works, and it just wasn't for me. The story never felt to me as if it were really going somewhere, and the characters just didn't really appeal to me. I don't think this is a bad book by any means, it just really wasn't my cup of tea.
August 13, 2018
Why did the badger cross the road? Is perhaps the only question the story leaves unanswered.
In short, this book is witty, fast-paced, and a real page-turner. The concept of a world tied to the whims and moods of Malcolm Fischer of Somerset, England is enjoyable, palpable, and extremely hilarious. The story is driven by the 'alternative fact,' -wink- that Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelun) is a loosely written true story conveyed to Wagner by a bird. Yes, you read that right.
Even though Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books are often mentioned alongside Holt's, I'd like to point out a few key differences. Compared to the Percy Jackson stories, 'Expecting Someone Taller' features more conversation, deeper thoughts, and more confusion than a Horcrux hunt. It works on exposing the human mind and takes jabs at philosophical dilemmas. Despite the prevalent role of gods and mythical powers, I believe the evolution of Malcolm Fischer's mind to be the central plot.
The story does stall at times but it picks right back up and moves on to a more awesome sphere. Also, if you are a fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this book does bear some resemblance in the tone and humor it offers.
If you find out why the badger crossed the road, please do share!
In short, this book is witty, fast-paced, and a real page-turner. The concept of a world tied to the whims and moods of Malcolm Fischer of Somerset, England is enjoyable, palpable, and extremely hilarious. The story is driven by the 'alternative fact,' -wink- that Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelun) is a loosely written true story conveyed to Wagner by a bird. Yes, you read that right.
Even though Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books are often mentioned alongside Holt's, I'd like to point out a few key differences. Compared to the Percy Jackson stories, 'Expecting Someone Taller' features more conversation, deeper thoughts, and more confusion than a Horcrux hunt. It works on exposing the human mind and takes jabs at philosophical dilemmas. Despite the prevalent role of gods and mythical powers, I believe the evolution of Malcolm Fischer's mind to be the central plot.
The story does stall at times but it picks right back up and moves on to a more awesome sphere. Also, if you are a fan of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, this book does bear some resemblance in the tone and humor it offers.
If you find out why the badger crossed the road, please do share!
May 7, 2022
I first read this as a teenager. My brother picked it out to read aloud to our father when he was dying. He started it, I did a few more chapters, but Dad didn't make it to the end. I felt I had to finish reading it for both of us.
I remember enjoying it years ago, and I find it clever and funny still. It draws on the story of Wagner's Ring Cycle (don't worry, it's as fully explained in the text as you need it to be) and plays with the idea - what would all these gods and goddesses be like if they were around in the modern world? And what would happen if a really, really ordinary bloke (in this case, Malcolm) was given heroic magical powers quite by accident, and ended up in charge of the world? It's well executed, the development of the gods as ordinary, stressed, bad-tempered characters is very funny, and the three Rhinedaughters are a particular delight. The one letdown for me was Malcolm's ill-starred romance in the second half of the book, which for me doesn't really work, is boring and holds up the otherwise bouncy plot. While poor Tom Holt couldn't quite live up to the hype of being hailed as the next Terry Pratchett, this definitely has the same approach to treating fantastical characters as, well, just like you and me really, and they have to get on with the hoovering.
I remember enjoying it years ago, and I find it clever and funny still. It draws on the story of Wagner's Ring Cycle (don't worry, it's as fully explained in the text as you need it to be) and plays with the idea - what would all these gods and goddesses be like if they were around in the modern world? And what would happen if a really, really ordinary bloke (in this case, Malcolm) was given heroic magical powers quite by accident, and ended up in charge of the world? It's well executed, the development of the gods as ordinary, stressed, bad-tempered characters is very funny, and the three Rhinedaughters are a particular delight. The one letdown for me was Malcolm's ill-starred romance in the second half of the book, which for me doesn't really work, is boring and holds up the otherwise bouncy plot. While poor Tom Holt couldn't quite live up to the hype of being hailed as the next Terry Pratchett, this definitely has the same approach to treating fantastical characters as, well, just like you and me really, and they have to get on with the hoovering.
September 13, 2015
Our unlikely hero, Malcolm Fisher, runs over a badger, discovers he's inherited the Ring of the Tarnhelm, and the magical powers that come with being the rightful Ruler of the World, and suddenly has a whole lot of hitherto unnoticed Norse Gods and legends to contend with.
This book is written as "a comic variation of Wagner's Ring Cycle" (according to Kirkus Review) which is where I felt I let the book down, rather than the other way around as I only have a cursory knowledge of The Ring Cycle, and kept wondering if there were parts of the backstories and undertow that I was failing to grasp.
It was grin-worthy rather than laughing out loud, but a pleasant read. And the phrase "he took to it like a duck to petrol" is one I hope I never forget!
This book is written as "a comic variation of Wagner's Ring Cycle" (according to Kirkus Review) which is where I felt I let the book down, rather than the other way around as I only have a cursory knowledge of The Ring Cycle, and kept wondering if there were parts of the backstories and undertow that I was failing to grasp.
It was grin-worthy rather than laughing out loud, but a pleasant read. And the phrase "he took to it like a duck to petrol" is one I hope I never forget!
September 19, 2019
As ever, Tom Holt writes a funny, silly and wonderful novel, merging our world with the magical fantasy world where the opera Gotterdammerung is set. Having played in the orchestra for that opera a while ago, imagine my delight when I realised this novel continues where that opera left off, with a giant hidden in the form of a badger wielding the ring which rules the world.
This book is silly in all the right ways, is well written, and is exactly what we have come to expect from the fantastic author that is Tom Holt. I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants something relaxed and funny to fill their time.
This book is silly in all the right ways, is well written, and is exactly what we have come to expect from the fantastic author that is Tom Holt. I would recommend this book to anyone who just wants something relaxed and funny to fill their time.
November 27, 2017
Usually I review exciting new indies, not reprints of ancient texts that underpin Waterstones, but I have re-visited Expecting Someone Taller by Tom Holt because I remember it as an effortlessly entertaining and informative read, yet couldn’t quite recall what it was about the style and technicalities that left such an impression in my mind. Having done so now, re-read it with a brain that’s a few years more developed, I have noted:
The writing is conversational, with a sort of fifty-fifty split of description to quotation. It has an irreverence to it, chatty and self-depreciating. It’s also a parody, where the author has taken a classic international story, many generations old, which already has a set of deeply established characters and has continued that piece of world building in the style of an anecdote he might tell to a friend in a village pub. Holt has put his stamp on this, so it is no longer “heavy” and by doing that he’s slid it along from the dusty classics section to inhabit the fresh-faced young adult shelf, yet it still conveys tons of legendary information and entertains broader bands above and below that simplistic YA demographic.
The hero is a timid everyman in the shadow of his sister, who excels at nothing that we value in modern life and doesn’t even measure up as a self-assured male but, uniquely, would be exceptionally good at a specific role in a fantasy reality (i.e. ruling everything). He, Malcolm, fits the pattern that if you were that exceptionally rare kind of person that could hold absolute power without hurting anybody (ideally never using it at all), then you’d be a stunning success in comparison with just about everyone else, who would use it to apply all their petty prejudices and therefore submerge into the minus column. To be the best, you wouldn’t even need to improve anything – just play for a draw, neutralise the dangerously unlimited god/boss role and move small measures of necessary power down the ladder to those functionaries who need it, usually to fix things on a daily basis and keep them moving. Malcolm does try things out, in a minimum and apologetic kind of way, feels guilty and leaves compensation to balance his experimental actions. Meaning no harm to anyone, even subconsciously, he’s perfect in the sense of perfectly harmless.
The exceptional trick that this novel pulls is in its introductory nature; to continue the plot of Wagner’s Ring Cycle operas and get the reader accidentally educated in the Teutonic myths and legendary activities of Wotan, the Valkyries, Loge, Siegfried & Brunhilde, the frost giants and the Rhinemaidens etc. It’s the Bayreuth Festival in bite-size humorous form, without the Germanic language, nasty lager and two hundred quid tickets. As Stephen Fry observed: “You can tell the Germans are a cruel nation because their operas last for four days and they have no word for fluffy.”
I like opera. There, I’ve said it. Not musicals. Both forms are theatre with singing but opera has the gravitas to tremble the heart and rouse the soul. If you’ve gone a year without crying, go to an opera. Ok, so why do I like opera? That would be because of THIS BOOK. As an incidental note, I realise that I also like Icelandic poetic sagas and kennings, which were introduced to me by this same author in Who’s Afraid of Beowulf. The point I’m making is that Tom Holt has a way of insinuating great and otherwise unapproachable cultural monoliths into porous young minds in such a way that his readers spill out into the confusing blue yonder and become better and more rounded people, with a keen interest in developing their knowledge and widening their cultural ambitions – probably forgetting the original influence that set them onto their path. I read this, I wasn’t scared of awesome culture in another language and I tootled off to enjoy that confidence. Now, who says this is a silly story?
Another thing I got from re-reading this book is how much Tolkien copied from Wagner who copied from legend. Does any of this sound familiar? One ring is forged in a secret fire and the power to rule them all gets decanted into it. The ring is mute but has a treacherous personality that actively wants to cause harm. The ring is passed from one ring-bearer to another by the act of murder, e.g. drowning or a spear in the back. Dark forces are searching for the ring because they are hungry for that power to rule the world. If the ring-bearer is mentally strong enough, that person can bend the ring to their will, but… the ring eventually turns them into something they don’t like. They’re changed by the experience and can’t go back to how they were before they had the adventure. In this sense, Malcolm is a hobbit, the only race strong enough to offer to give up the ring, representing all power, and hand it away by an act of free will. It’s the ability to defeat an opponent and then stop, not become as bad as your opponent by using your advantage to oppress and thus become them, everything you detested in the first place. There’s a saying that if anyone wants to wield power, that should disqualify them from ever being allowed to have it. Malcolm, the anti-protagonist, doesn’t think he is at all suitable for the job, is terrified of taking any action that might upset anyone, even the ducks on a pond, so is therefore the ideal candidate. I’d trust him with my life. I’d also trust Tom Holt to run my cultural information desk. This book should be on the curriculum because, if you see what I mean, it’s bigger than it is.
The writing is conversational, with a sort of fifty-fifty split of description to quotation. It has an irreverence to it, chatty and self-depreciating. It’s also a parody, where the author has taken a classic international story, many generations old, which already has a set of deeply established characters and has continued that piece of world building in the style of an anecdote he might tell to a friend in a village pub. Holt has put his stamp on this, so it is no longer “heavy” and by doing that he’s slid it along from the dusty classics section to inhabit the fresh-faced young adult shelf, yet it still conveys tons of legendary information and entertains broader bands above and below that simplistic YA demographic.
The hero is a timid everyman in the shadow of his sister, who excels at nothing that we value in modern life and doesn’t even measure up as a self-assured male but, uniquely, would be exceptionally good at a specific role in a fantasy reality (i.e. ruling everything). He, Malcolm, fits the pattern that if you were that exceptionally rare kind of person that could hold absolute power without hurting anybody (ideally never using it at all), then you’d be a stunning success in comparison with just about everyone else, who would use it to apply all their petty prejudices and therefore submerge into the minus column. To be the best, you wouldn’t even need to improve anything – just play for a draw, neutralise the dangerously unlimited god/boss role and move small measures of necessary power down the ladder to those functionaries who need it, usually to fix things on a daily basis and keep them moving. Malcolm does try things out, in a minimum and apologetic kind of way, feels guilty and leaves compensation to balance his experimental actions. Meaning no harm to anyone, even subconsciously, he’s perfect in the sense of perfectly harmless.
The exceptional trick that this novel pulls is in its introductory nature; to continue the plot of Wagner’s Ring Cycle operas and get the reader accidentally educated in the Teutonic myths and legendary activities of Wotan, the Valkyries, Loge, Siegfried & Brunhilde, the frost giants and the Rhinemaidens etc. It’s the Bayreuth Festival in bite-size humorous form, without the Germanic language, nasty lager and two hundred quid tickets. As Stephen Fry observed: “You can tell the Germans are a cruel nation because their operas last for four days and they have no word for fluffy.”
I like opera. There, I’ve said it. Not musicals. Both forms are theatre with singing but opera has the gravitas to tremble the heart and rouse the soul. If you’ve gone a year without crying, go to an opera. Ok, so why do I like opera? That would be because of THIS BOOK. As an incidental note, I realise that I also like Icelandic poetic sagas and kennings, which were introduced to me by this same author in Who’s Afraid of Beowulf. The point I’m making is that Tom Holt has a way of insinuating great and otherwise unapproachable cultural monoliths into porous young minds in such a way that his readers spill out into the confusing blue yonder and become better and more rounded people, with a keen interest in developing their knowledge and widening their cultural ambitions – probably forgetting the original influence that set them onto their path. I read this, I wasn’t scared of awesome culture in another language and I tootled off to enjoy that confidence. Now, who says this is a silly story?
Another thing I got from re-reading this book is how much Tolkien copied from Wagner who copied from legend. Does any of this sound familiar? One ring is forged in a secret fire and the power to rule them all gets decanted into it. The ring is mute but has a treacherous personality that actively wants to cause harm. The ring is passed from one ring-bearer to another by the act of murder, e.g. drowning or a spear in the back. Dark forces are searching for the ring because they are hungry for that power to rule the world. If the ring-bearer is mentally strong enough, that person can bend the ring to their will, but… the ring eventually turns them into something they don’t like. They’re changed by the experience and can’t go back to how they were before they had the adventure. In this sense, Malcolm is a hobbit, the only race strong enough to offer to give up the ring, representing all power, and hand it away by an act of free will. It’s the ability to defeat an opponent and then stop, not become as bad as your opponent by using your advantage to oppress and thus become them, everything you detested in the first place. There’s a saying that if anyone wants to wield power, that should disqualify them from ever being allowed to have it. Malcolm, the anti-protagonist, doesn’t think he is at all suitable for the job, is terrified of taking any action that might upset anyone, even the ducks on a pond, so is therefore the ideal candidate. I’d trust him with my life. I’d also trust Tom Holt to run my cultural information desk. This book should be on the curriculum because, if you see what I mean, it’s bigger than it is.
September 21, 2021
Like all books, this starts off with a hapless man who runs over a badger with his car. problem is, this isn't a badger but a Norse God spirit, who then leaps into the hapless man and embroils him in all sorts of Nordic shenanigans. This is the Nibelung rewritten by a masterful humourist and delicately pokes some (very funny) fun at its Mythic subject matter. It is Wagner retold by Monty Python, and though no fat ladies sing, Holt does mostly look on the bright side of life. And death. And immortality.
November 27, 2022
A harsh 3
Let down by the ending in which things were resolved altogether too simply after some nice build up.
Still enjoyable.
Very dodgy cover though. Don't think the artist read the book.
Re-read 2022: stand by the above.
Let down by the ending in which things were resolved altogether too simply after some nice build up.
Still enjoyable.
Very dodgy cover though. Don't think the artist read the book.
Re-read 2022: stand by the above.
November 30, 2014
Funny book based on the Norse mythologies and Wagner Operas. Well worth a read!
June 3, 2019
Pratchetesque fantasy - although entertaining and amusing not quite in Pratchett's league. That said, I did buy another 5 Tom Holt books as I did enjoy it and am aware that this is his first.
April 29, 2020
Okay, so this was cute. I love dry humor.
June 12, 2024
The annoying thing about this book is that it could have set up a good plot, this could have been a great idea for a satirist to run with ... or with which a satirist could have run ... I'd have settled for a bit of a limp.
I'm an atheist so I've no time for gods and all that shite, but they can be used to great satirical effect. I love the option of killing a god in the most absurdly materialist and bourgeois fashion ... Holt even sets up options for a dig at elements of the farming lobby and country sports league ... I mean, slaughtering a badger (even without mole and toad) is a bit like lobbing Winnie the Pooh on a barbecue or burying Alice in a rabbit hole. I mean, you have to have a certain sense of humour ... .
There are glorious satirical options, he could have spit-roasted English middle class life for a couple of hundred pages, unpicked the trivia and pretensions and ridiculed their lifestyles and values ... and he throws it away, trivialises it, fails to pick up the challenge and run with it ... doesn't even manage a bit of a limp. It just becomes a silly little comedy bound up in some Wagnerian joke.
I stumbled and struggled through it waiting for the hilarity to begin - I think I managed a smile at a couple of pages, but I could be mistaken.
I'm an atheist so I've no time for gods and all that shite, but they can be used to great satirical effect. I love the option of killing a god in the most absurdly materialist and bourgeois fashion ... Holt even sets up options for a dig at elements of the farming lobby and country sports league ... I mean, slaughtering a badger (even without mole and toad) is a bit like lobbing Winnie the Pooh on a barbecue or burying Alice in a rabbit hole. I mean, you have to have a certain sense of humour ... .
There are glorious satirical options, he could have spit-roasted English middle class life for a couple of hundred pages, unpicked the trivia and pretensions and ridiculed their lifestyles and values ... and he throws it away, trivialises it, fails to pick up the challenge and run with it ... doesn't even manage a bit of a limp. It just becomes a silly little comedy bound up in some Wagnerian joke.
I stumbled and struggled through it waiting for the hilarity to begin - I think I managed a smile at a couple of pages, but I could be mistaken.
July 14, 2023
I have honestly have no idea what to think of this story. It was so bizarre, I couldn't really tell if it was only loosely based on real Norse mythology or very accurately; and I feel that's a failure of the author in not being more clear. The magical world felt so separate from the real world despite having real consequences. The main character just infuriated me with every decision. But I have to give it create for the uniqueness of the story and how unpredictable it was. It sort of flipped on its head the concept that power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Just such a bizarre read, that did succeed in keeping me reading more. I just don't know what to think, I know It wasn't bad enough to warrant 1-2 stars, nor good enough for 4-5; so it gets a respectable 3, but leaning more towards the worse side of the scale.
March 23, 2019
Om de Ring der Nibelungen te kunnen smeden, moest Alberich elke vorm van liefde afzweren, en nu draagt die ring de vloek van alle ellende in de wereld en heerst de drager van de Ring over de wereld. Hoe dan ook, liefde is niets anders dan de grootste oorzaak van alle idiotie in de wereld. Maar, hoe zit dat dan wanneer een sterfelijke de Ring in handen krijgt en zweert niets anders te doen dan goede en mooie dingen? En wat als de oude goden beslissen onder leiding van Wodan beslissen terug op te eisen wat hen volgens hen rechtens toekomt? En wat als een oude orde weggeveegd wordt en vervangen wordt door een nieuwe orde? Dat is wat Tom Holt wil uitvissen.
Een veelbelovend begin voor een veelbelovende auteur.
Een veelbelovend begin voor een veelbelovende auteur.
November 23, 2020
A humorous sequel to to Wagner's "Ring Cycle." I was never able to understand what happened in the Ring Cycle, and Holt did a great job of summarizing it. This is a relaxing, fun read with a strong sense of place. I now have a passing interest in passing through Taunton. Much of the action takes place in Combe Hall, outside of Coombe, outside of Taunton. There is a Sydenham Combe Hall to the west of Taunton, and a Coombe to the east of Taunton. I wonder if he had been thinking of those as inspiration, or if he amalgamated names that sounded like they should be in Somerset.
The last third lagged, but the first two were diverting. Even with the change in pace, it was a very fast read.
The last third lagged, but the first two were diverting. Even with the change in pace, it was a very fast read.
May 27, 2023
The book is called “Expecting Someone Taller” and I was definitely expecting more. It’s a book that’s a weird contemporary fantasy style, and it COULD have been really well done. I even got snippets of what I wanted it to be. The author has probably written books I would like more then this one, I saw the talent, this just didn’t do it. The plot was illogical because the characters were too dumb when they needed to be and inconsistent in general. I just kept being frustrated when the book didn’t make sense, not because it was a hard book to grasp but because the storyline just didn’t adhere to any rules. The characters just felt like they randomly would completely change there mindset about things, or focus on the dumbest little things. I wasn’t a fan.
July 28, 2024
This novel deals with delayed teenage angst, as the main character is a mid-20s male who is always dismissed as not very good, or bright, or good looking. What he does when he inherits a ring that the Old Gods (Wotan, Loge, and the Valkyrie) all want is comical but bittersweet as Malcolm deals with the personality damage and lack of personal growth that he now feels he has the means to change and improve.
We see the usual blundering as he finds not one, but 4 different beautiful women who indicate they want to be part of his life... but they all have their own missions, which coincidentally don't match his. They want the items he inherited, no matter the cost to him, them, or the world.
Very well done, although it felt a little soppy towards the end.
We see the usual blundering as he finds not one, but 4 different beautiful women who indicate they want to be part of his life... but they all have their own missions, which coincidentally don't match his. They want the items he inherited, no matter the cost to him, them, or the world.
Very well done, although it felt a little soppy towards the end.
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