The Reluctant Cannibals

by Ian Flitcroft

When a group of food-obsessed academics at Oxford University form a secret dining society, they happily devote themselves to investigating exotic and forgotten culinary treasures. Until a dish is suggested that takes them all by surprise. Professor Arthur Plantagenet has been told he has a serious heart problem and decides that his death should not be in vain. He sets out his bizarre plan in a will, that on his death, tests the loyalty of his closest friends, the remaining members of this exclusive dining society. A dead Japanese diplomat, police arrests and charges of grave robbing. These are just some of the challenges these culinary explorers must overcome in tackling gastronomy's ultimate taboo: cannibalism.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Humor, Food, Adult, Contemporary

381 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2013

About the author

I’m an eye surgeon at a children’s hospital in Ireland by day and for 15 years I’ve also been writing by night. I’m extensively published in the academic world with more than 30 scientific peer-reviewed papers and contributions to four multi-author books. I have been an intermittent contributor to ‘The Last Word’ column of the New Scientist magazine and included in “Do Polar Bears Get Lonely” (New Scientist and Profile Books publication 2008).
I’ve written an award winning popular science blog (www.journeybystarlight.com) which has gathered in excess of 600,000 views over the last few years. This blog has been developed into a cartoon-style science book for young adults. ‘Journey by Starlight – A time traveller’s guide to life, the universe and everything’ has been published in the USA by One Peace Books in March 2013.
My first novel, The Reluctant Cannibals, reached the last 5 in the general fiction category of 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. It is now being published by Legend Press on 1st October 2013.
I am also working on a revision of my second novel and have a growing collection of growing collection of food related short stories covering a range of topics from a lobster in love with a young girl, an oyster’s perspective on being eaten, to the girl who died because she didn’t eat enough cup-cakes.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was a hoot!

it is about a fictional "shadow faculty of gastronomic science" at oxford in 1969, comprised of a bunch of older scholars/food-connoisseurs with a strict, drunkenly-composed constitution for the conducting of their gastronomical business.

Rule One

All members must be fellows of St. Jerome's College, Oxford.

Rule Two

All members must ascribe to the gastronomic principles pronounced by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

Rule Three

The Faculty must hold a dinner of gastronomic significance in the eighth week of each term.

Rule Four

Each member must invite one guest per dinner and ensure that their guest presents a new dish to the Faculty.

Rule Five

The Faculty must ensure that no dish is served more than once with the exception of a truffled turkey, which is to be served each year at the Michaelmas dinner.

Rule Six

A member of the Faculty is elected for life unless they breach rules one, two, or four.

Rule Seven

The Shadow Faculty will remain in existence until the University of Oxford inaugurates an official Faculty of Gastronomic Science.

having neglected to create a rule about the addition of new members, they have also become "the declining dining society," as founding members have either died or broken one of the above rules over the years.

and now they are six.

they still have their amazing dinner parties, each trying to push the boundaries of gastronomy with infusions, unusual ingredients, clever combinations of tastes and textures, or other highly sophisticated preparations. and wine. so much wine.

and it all sounds wonderfully delicious. this is a love letter of a food-novel, and there is so much here to please a reader who appreciates the possibilities of food, even if it is not quite on the same scale as these characters.

but then!

their secret brotherhood gets uncomfortably spotlit after a guest one evening prepares fugu, that adorable and deadly japanese puffer fish, misses a bit of fish-ovary in its preparation, and dies right there at the table.





oh no! sorry!



"What a bloody marvelous way to die," opines a member, still seated at the table with the corpse cooling nearby.

but not everyone can be so sangfroid about the death, and the society winds up under the scrutiny of dr. ridgeway, the vice-chancellor, whose idea of fine cuisine is nursery-pudding, and cannot understand why grown men would spend so much of their free time on glorified home economics.

so their reputation is already a bit tarnished when one of their founding members, arthur plantagenet, he of the "bloody marvelous" comment, learns that he does not have long to live, and decides that he wants to make a lasting contribution to gastronomy in his own humble way by making it a stipulation of his will that after he has passed, his left leg is to be delivered to the shadow society, with instructions for its preparation, so that they can answer that age-old question, "what do we taste like?," throwing them into a kerfuffle of confusion over their legal obligations as the executors of arthur's will vs. the possible illegalities of consuming human flesh, and - of course - the moral difficulties of doing so.

it is a really funny book, combining the humor of a traditional british campus novel with mouth-watering descriptions of well-prepared food, plus a ghost or two. and an appearance by a beloved and real-life food-writer. and you will learn a lot about what is and is not legal, when it comes to anthropophagy.

and even though i am a recent convert to the joy of oysters, this paragraph made me want to revert to my "oysters are from the devil" stance:

In the molluscan version of roulette played by every lover of oysters, there are inevitable losers. The oyster's dietary habit of scooping up detritus from the ocean floor is decidedly less selective than the humans that are fond of eating them. On this turn of the wheel it was Augustus who lost. He was pulled awake in the small hours of that April night by the unavoidable visceral sense of impending gastric emptying. He staggered to the sink in his room with beads of sweat emerging on the back of his neck and waited for the inevitable. It would be a while before Augustus would willingly tuck into an oyster again.

it is a super-fun book by a true food-enthusiast with a wicked sense of humor, and for a first novel, it is a fantastic achievement. bon appétit!!

come to my blog!

[Shelby *trains flying monkeys* · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think I'm in the minority here with my starring on this book. I liked the book..it just was so danged draggy. Is draggy a word? It is now.

Arthur is a member of a snooty super secret club that cooks and tries the food that no one has heard of. In search of the most unusual and wonderful tastes.


One guy dies from eating a puffer fish. That doesn't slow this group up. They must taste everything. With lots of wine. Not that I hated any of that. It made me want to try several of the dishes.
Until old Arthur finds out he is dying. He decides to donate his body in the ultimate way. He wants the rest of his club to eat him.

This book is dark humor and I didn't hate the thing. I was just bored in the mid time...and I love foodie books.




I received an arc copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel is darkly and deliciously disturbing. Set in Oxford University during 1969 and 1970, it features the Shadow Faculty of Gastronomic Science; the members of which are all Fellows of St Jerome’s College. Devoted to their dinners, to which they expand enormous effort, the Society suffer a setback when Takeshi Tokoro, guest of one of the founding members, Dr Augustus Bloom, dies while eating a dish he helped prepare himself. Enter Dr Ridgeway, the modern Vice-Chancellor, who is determined to have the ‘ridiculous boys’ club’ disbanded. However, the accidental death of the cultural attaché of Japan is nothing compared to the havoc which is about to be wreaked by one of its own members.

Arthur Plantagenet, who has devoted his life to gastronomy, discovers that his love of good food is going to shorten his life. However, far from deciding to cut back on his eating to extend his life, Arthur determines that the group should eat him after his death.... It is fair to say that the other members of the Society are less than thrilled with this suggestion, but events soon get quite out of hand. Pursued by both Dr Ridgeway, the police, ethical worries and a deeply unpleasant and snobbish student who resents not being invited to join, Arthur’s last wish descends into farce. This book is full of wonderfully eccentric characters, a delightful academic setting, ghosts who play Bach and some serious perusals of recipes which will either make your mouth water or make you feel slightly squeamish. This is an original and deeply humorous novel. I was saddened, by the end, to say goodbye to the characters who peopled these pages and I know it will be a book I will come back to and revisit. Highly recommended.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

A jolly group of Oxford dons sets up a taboo-shattering secret dining society in this surprisingly delightful debut. Cannibalism (or "anthropophagy," as one character prefers to call it) might seem a morbid subject, but in Flitcroft's light-hearted treatment, the absurdity of the situation will have the reader celebrating English eccentricity at its finest. There is no Hannibal Lecter gruesomeness here, only good-humored collegiate fun. (See my full review at The Bookbag.)

“The Reluctant Cannibal” is a witty song by Flanders & Swann that also inspired Malcolm Bradbury's Eating People is Wrong.

I will seek out more from Legend Press (an independent UK publisher), and eagerly await Flitcroft's next novel. He also promises a short story collection with topics ranging from "a lobster in love with a young girl [and] an oyster's perspective on being eaten, to the girl who died because she didn’t eat enough cup-cakes." Sounds delicious.

[Maya Panika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored every second I spent reading this dark comedy about a secret Oxford dining club, known more for losing its members and guests to extreme pushing of gastronomic boundaries, than for the excellence of its unusual menus ("What a bloody marvellous way to die" opines a member, still seated at the table with the corpse cooling nearby). The tale is very Tom Sharpe but the comedy is less obvious, the style crisper, sharper, the writing (and I say this as a huge fan of TS) better, with foody description more lushly lavish than a truffled turkey. The characterisation is a particular delight; the comedy has a light touch; the plot is deliciously detailed, delightfully strange. I read it in 3 days, never wanted to put it down and was incredibly sorry when it ended.

[Stuti Rai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ommm nomm-nomm! GoodReads, because this book was fantastic and so few have read it, this round of review comes to you as well, your buggery be damned(for now)! Also FYI, I prefer making lists, unless I plan to bullshit you.

I am a picky, spoiled eater. I bet there are more food items in the culinary world that I'd rather not eat as opposed to the one I deign to smell. Methinks my relationship with chow-support is like the consternating one with pretty clothes or men(you pick). Everything's so effing appealing on the big screen or in books, but there are a special (emphasized in every way possible)(to my knowledge) few that retain their charm when I have to wear or engage with them.

(But then I'm a bitch and ignore strangers to very rude degrees, so I have few clues on the rules of engagement that could perhaps make it more fun.)(But then I guess that is a desirable quality that parents drum into their young creepsters.)(But I can really be a bitch too. A very quiet one.)

Digressions and tangents aside, there are precisely three reasons...(fill in the rest 'cause it's boring typing that out)

a. Anthropophagyy, which will be the politically correct term for cannibalism soon as there are, you know, cannibal rights groups gain the recognition they truly deserve. Amen.

b. Shadow with long, uninteresting words like Gastronomic and Faculty(and Declining, added belatedly), yet we know it's the shadow that really matters. It's a traditional secret society in the way that it has an assortment of some harsh, other eccentric rules.

c. Cultural Diversity ftw! Idiot as well as wicked Englishmen(my favorite), indignant French and patriotic Irishmen, with a sassy sauce of true Americana who eat and play all day long. And..unhh...dead Japanese, too. Rather indelicate business.

d. The following portion is going to be in paragraph because I'm bored of lists. It's also going to contain Sherlock gif's because I can't find my gun.



I liked the polite but cutting humor of the narrative in general. It was reminiscent of my history teacher except his contains polite but cutting insults. I swear that man can just raise his eyebrows and make you feel like scum of the earth.(That's called being superhuman.) Sometimes, it's funny in the conventional way, plus witty and dark in the right places(not too close to the foods lest the attention be diverted). However, the writing gets a tad formal here and there, which almost breaks the flow the of the story. But overall, it's a remarkable piece of writing.



The book starts with the aforementioned death of a Japanese businessman at a dinner of the the shadow faculty, which raises international concerns about the taste of fugu, brings in an Honorable gentleman, and goes on to tell a tale of reluctant cannibals with other assortments of wackiness, and some seriosity in the ways of grave-robbing, and some intellectual conversations as to our Lord Cheeses's cents on cannibalism.



It's a damn fun book overall with pesky footnotes that didn't quite appeal to me, as they contributed little to the story. The characters were charming and the luscious descriptions of food, oh-ma! Even I, being as untrained and fastidious as I am, had my taste buds trying to jump, Jump, JUMP out of my mouth.



So yep, I pretty much thought the book was brilliant and would love for others to try it.

Psst...bored with Sherlock(travesty)? Yawning at the review(understandable)?



Review copy provided by publishers.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reluctant Cannibals is a delicious tale dripping with gallows humor and British wit. It’s the zany story of Oxford intelligentsia who devote themselves to the gastronomical pursuit of sampling exotic and exquisite cuisine. While academics consuming new foods may seem like a dry topic for a novel, as the name suggest, the plot quickly takes a macabre twist.

After Professor Plantagenet is diagnosed with a heart condition due to his years of decadence, he submits a bizarre request to the shadow faculty of gastronomic science–one that teaches them just how far they’re willing to go in the name of the perfect bite. Nothing goes smoothly as they have to deal with curing techniques, student rivalries and arrests for grave robbing. And since every boy’s club needs a Vernon Wormer, they must also contend with Vice-Chancellor Ridgeway whose greatest desire is to see them disbanded.

From walls lined with leather bound volumes, to the ghost who haunts the stone cellar, The Reluctant Cannibals has tons of atmosphere and style. There’s more than enough quirk and black humor on each page to insure no part was a drag. The footnotes peppered throughout were an amusing touch, and the history of cannibalism was more interesting than it should have been.

The Reluctant Cannibals is for anyone who enjoys their humor dark, and for the gourmands who will appreciate the references. Oh, and of course, for all those determined cannibals out there.

What I learned from reading The Reluctant Cannibals

- The Shingnon monks of Yamagata practiced self-mummification while still alive. The practice was called Sokushinbutsu--which was austerity to the point of their death and mummification. Their founder, Kuukai, believed enlightenment could be reached physical pain. It took 10 years for them to mummify themselves, and though many tried, only around 2 dozen successful mummies have been found.
To begin they consumed only nuts and seeds for 1,000 days while engaging in strenuous physical activity meant to strip them of all body fat.

For the next 1,000 days they ate only roots and tree bark and drank a poisonous tea made from the sap of the Urushi tree which caused vomiting, severe dehydration and made their tissues poisonous to insects such as maggots.

The monk would then lock himself in a stone tomb sitting in the lotus position. Everyday he would ring a bell tied to string through a small opening to let those outside know he was still alive. When the bell stopped ringing, the opening would be sealed.

After another 1,000 days the monks would open the tomb to see if the mummification had been successful. Japan has outlawed the practice and it is no longer practiced by any Buddhist sect.

- Johnathan Swift, of Gulliver's Travels fame, penned a satirical pamphlet in 1729 which encouraged cannibalism. Commonly referred to as A Modest Proposal, he suggests that the impoverished Irish might ease their economic troubles by selling their children as food to the rich. Meant to mock the heartlessness of people's attitudes toward the poor, he lists several ways a child could be cooked and makes detailed calculations of the economic benefits of such a practice.

-Kuru is an incurable degenerative neurological disease (similar to mad cow) which was endemic in the Fore tribe of Papua New Guinea and spread through their ritual funeral practice of cannibalism. The Fore believed by eating the deceased they kept the persons life force within the community. Researchers in the 1960's were able to trace the outbreak of kuru to a single infected individual who lived on the outskirts of the village in 1900.

[Ian Flitcroft · Rating 5 out of 5]

A message from beyond the grave...

As those who have read this book will know, this book is really about me. Its publication has also finally freed me from my ghostly attachment to the wine cellar of St Jerome's College. I could have "moved over" straight away but thought I'd hang around a bit to see what people thought of my story. I'm certainly glad I did! I must thank all you fine people for your kind words and reviews. I agree that Flitcroft chap did a half decent job of writing it all down.

Adieu (for now),

Professor Arthur Plantagenet

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was chosen as the September read by my book discussion group and I'm looking forward to hearing what the others thought about it when we pull it apart next week.

I was very impressed with it and enjoyed it enormously. Great characters (Oxford dons and lecturers), great setting (Oxford University), great subject matter (food) all shot through with a death and a very, very strange will. Great fun.

[-Bookish Gal- · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some way or another we all find in our lives at least once that one friend who positively spells trouble for us, with a capital 'T' involved in it. Sometimes just being friends with him/her is reason enough to be considered as an accomplice to so distinguished a person. And heaven forbid, you are spotted in close vicinity to one of those little tricks your friend is fond of playing then there is no way you can escape the aftermath, should the situation arise.

What can you do in a situation as dire as this to prove your innocence? Rat out on your friend or hope to all that is holy, the truth be out or else you are done for. Especially if the said friend is not around when the alarm bells ring and you are caught.

It's somewhat a similar situation here, in Ian Flitcroft' The Reluctant Cannibals, that Mr. Augustus Bloom & Co. find themselves in. They are dealing with the aftermath of a situation that has arisen courtesy of their friend Arthur Plantagenet. The catch is they can't rely on him to bail them out, you see he is dead and that is in itself the problem.

Founders of the shadow faculty of gastronomic science, Augustus Bloom & Co. are friends and colleagues at St. Jerome' college in Oxford in 1969. As was the late Prof. Arthur Plantagenet. These gentlemen who all happened to be teachers of different fields ranging from medicine to law to history in the institution, one of them is a chaplain - happen to have one thing in common with each other. They are all connoisseurs of good food in other words they are gastronomes. To put it plainly in layman' term they are foodies, but that would be a vulgar term in their mind, considering they happen to be present in Oxford during the late 1960's. Also they all swear by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin' The Physiology of Taste, that gastronomy should be declared a science, which can allow people as themselves to dedicate their lives to the art of cooking & dining.

These gentlemen in their love of food and with the intent of fine dining and wining form a society within the college called the shadow faculty of gastronomic science. There are rules which are followed stringently by which the membership of this society is upheld. You can be included or excluded depending on how you abide by these rules.

Their love of food naturally has them ever in pursuit of the finest meal possible, by extension of which they hold dinners at the end of each college term. Now the wish to have the best possible meals at all times of your life is a natural one, but not always prudent. As is discovered by Prof. Arthur Plantagenet; his appetite or perhaps his habits to have the most scrumptious meal possible always, takes a toll on his health with his ever-increasing weight. Against the advice of his doctor, Arthur doesn't give up his love of food and thereby decides to dedicate not only the rest of his days to his love of gastronomy but also afterwards.

You see, in his final days decided on trying as much variety in food as possible, Arthur is relentless; however the one question that bothers him the most is that the greatest taboo in the civilized human society - the act of cannibalism or anthropophagy as Arthur likes to put it. Hence in the final act of eccentricity Arthur in his will decides to leave a part of himself to be consumed, naming his friends and colleagues as the executors of his will. So that the forbidden can be explored and the greatest question answered - How does human flesh taste?

Naturally, Dr.Bloom & Co. are in a pickle (pun intended).

How the remaining members of this secret dining society tackle the implications of their late friend's actions and the hurdles they face along the way forms the crux of the story; as in answering this one question they face many others ranging from the moral to the ethical to the spiritual to the legal.

As a reader, the things that make me pick up a book are perhaps ordinary, the gorgeous cover, the word of mouth recommendations or the popularity of the book from the best-selling charts or the news of an award (if any) won by the book lately. Next of course I read the synopsis, take a quick peek into goodreads and see the reviews, what is being thought about the book, if I find myself excited, I am sold and the book ends up in my TBR pile for sure.

It's at rare times that the title makes me take notice of the book than the other things, as is the case here. Browsing Netgalley as I came across the page with this one, I paused and for a moment asked myself did I read that right? The Reluctant Cannibals - really?! And I don't mean this negatively but that is such an unusual title. It's a paradox in itself. How can someone be a cannibal and yet be reluctant at the same time or be reluctant and yet be a cannibal? Let alone a group of people as the title implies plural and which was confirmed on my reading the synopsis.

So yes, out of curiosity and may be because of my fascination with the morbid, wicked and perhaps bizarre along with gory made me request the book and what do you know I get an approval ! And I am so happy to say my hunch was right! This book is amazing, really it deserves the awards it has either won or be shortlisted for. Believe me I don't make comments like these lightly.

What did surprise me was reading Mr. Flitcroft' author profile on goodreads - I never would have taken this for the work of a début author it's so brilliantly written. I never could have guessed it either, but nonetheless I am incredibly happy to be one of the first few people who got a chance to read the brilliant work of a new author who I believe is here to stay. Cause a man who can write about such a bizarre and lets admit it to a degree such a revolting idea the way Mr. Flitcroft has managed, there is no doubt in my mind I came across another author extraordinaire.

Not only is the writing so refined but funny too, which I was so pleased by, as I did not expect it to be so owing to the subject but boy was I wrong. And at times like these I find it a pleasure.

The characters right from the eccentric Prof. Plantagenet to the practical Dr. Bloom to the morally shaken poor reverend Charles Pinker are written in a well-rounded way. Even the character of the honorable Matthew Kingsley-Hampton, whose only honorable attribute is the title bestowed upon him because otherwise to put it mildly he is a jerk or a complete asshole.

The only character that I did not like much was of Patrick Eccles, one of Augustus' students and the dorm mate of honorable Matthew Kingsley-Hampton, to me he was a bit of doormat. Granted the chap is poor and all but really you gotta have some guts man, and not be strong only in numbers.

All in all a splendid read.

Not for the faint of heart and certainly those of stomach of course!

I was provided an advance readers copy for the purpose of reviewing courtesy of Legend Press and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review of the book. This review is in no way influenced and is solely based on my own opinion.

This review can also be found at One reader A thousand lives

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An ARC was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review


Rules of the Gastronomic Society :


Rule One
All members must be fellows of St. Jerome's College, Oxford.


Rule Two

All members must ascribe to the gastronomic principles pronounced by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin.

Rule Three

The Faculty must hold a dinner of gastronomic significance in the eighth week of each term.

Rule Four

Each member must invite one guest per dinner and ensure that their guest presents a new dish to the Faculty.

Rule Five

The Faculty must ensure that no dish is served more than once with the exception of a truffled turkey, which is to be served each year at the Michaelmas dinner.

Rule Six

A member of the Faculty is elected for life unless they breach rules one, two, or four.

Rule Seven
The Shadow Faculty will remain in existence until the University of Oxford inaugurates an official Faculty of Gastronomic Science.


Arthur Plantagenet is dying. Dilated caridiomyopathy and there isn't much the doctor can do. Rather than wallow in self pity Arthur see's this as an opportunity and decides to take his doctors advice quite literally:

"My only advice is that if there is anything you haven't yet tasted I'd suggest you try it soon. I don't know how much longer this heart of yours will keep ticking"

Some of the dishes include Fugu (Also known as the blowfish), Beaver tails, Witchety grubs and horse meat Wellington. The feedback is mixed. Arthur decides that the gastronomic society needs to tackle the ultimate taboo, cannibalism. Or Anthroprophagy, as Arthur prefers to call it. This experiment will not just be for mere taste. It will be for society.

"The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star"

Seeing as Arthur wont be around for much longer he decides to offer himself after death in the name of gastronomy and spends his remaining time pickling himself with various foods and alcohols. To improve the flavour of course.

The climax is surprising, shocking and funny all at the same time. A very important lesson is learned:

"For all our superiority, humans cannot compare for flavour with a mere pig or humble crustacean. So moral's apart, one shouldn't eat people on the grounds of sheer good taste"

This book was bloody brilliant. One of the best I've read so far this year. I loved the gallows humour and the eccentricity of the characters. If your looking for a humorous quirky read then take a bite out of the reluctant cannibals!

Sláinte! (an Irish toast)

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hated this book. It's the worst thing to read when you're hungry. Because not only is it a book all about food; it's a book all about food I will most likely never get to try. And that's just not fair. I want to try human leg! And beaver tail! And Fugu!

Actually scratch that, this book makes you hungry even if you're not.

It really is a book for foodies. Much of the emphasis is on the food the shadow faculty of gastronomic science dare to eat. Normally I find lists of things kind of boring in books and I tend to skim over them without reading. But in The Reluctant Cannibals I read each menu very carefully. How could you not?

Plus the book is just plain funny. I was surprised by the humor; it's not outright. It sneaks up on you. The writing style doesn't make you think you'll be reading a dark comedy about cannibalism. Well, okay, aside from the title. But it still sneaks up on you. It's just so classy and yet so silly and entertaining. Plus, ghosts. You can't go wrong with that in a book about scholarly men eating people.

It's also a novel about friendship. Because it takes a special kind of companionship to follow through with eating a close friend of yours on request. The men enjoy their unusual hobby and share a love of something most will never indulge in, and they do it together. It must be nice to have a little band of merrymen to participate in these dinners.

There were two parts in particular that I just loved:

- "That just leaves the international and diplomatic issues for me to address. Let's not forget that a foreign diplomat died on college grounds. I have had to use a lot of favours at the foreign office to keep relations with Japan on even footing. Everything on that score seems to be back on track, but the Japanese ambassador does have one last request of you all which he has asked me to convey....It is a simple if rather bizarre request. He is eager for your impressions of the experience of eating Fugu."

- This last detail was too much for Hamish McIntyre who literally exploded in laughter. Augustus tried to hold back the mental image of Dr. Ridgeway being offered all that money and a plate of Arthur's left leg, before it became too much for him. George Le Strang was quick to follow. It took longer for Theodore who was curiously lost in thought about why Arthur had chosen to leave his left rather than his right leg. By the time he resurfaced from his introspective conjecture, the room was so filled with laughter that he too joined in.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coming 1st October

Shortlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Irish Writers' Centre Novel Fair Award Winner

Thank you to Legend, the author and Netgalley.



So here is a book I would not have looked at twice if it wasnt coming from the amazing Legend Press who have yet to bring me a book I have not liked. And yes, they have indeed done it again....

In the academic world of Oxford University several likeminded individuals have formed a secret dining society - finding forgotton and exotic recipes they enjoy some culinary treats. When one of their number, Professor Arthur Plantagenet, discovers he has a serious heart condition he comes up with a bizarre plan that will test the boundaries of the society to its limits....

I loved this one. It was a complete joy to read and unique in its concept and its execution. When a guest dies due to a mishap in the creation of one of the culinary treats - ""What a bloody marvelous way to die" says one character while the corpse is still fresh at the table - the group is put under the spotlight...and consequences ensue not least due to Professor Plantagenet's weird and wonderful plan. The whole story is gloriously accomplished - the equivalent of the best meal you will ever eat in book form. A culinary masterpiece indeed...

Dark humour abounds - and somewhat of an education. Little titbits about the history of certain food related topics can be found dotted about and it was fascinating stuff. Want to know what the practice of Sokushinbutsu entails? I know you do...and you will!

Atmospheric and intriguing you will be swept along with all the marvellous and nutty characters, and this is elegantly written in a way thats easy to love. Oh I could tell you about so much more but I'm not going to, why oh why would I spoil in any way such a treat of a reading experience - you see this is a story the likes of which you are probably not going to find again, or have read before. So savour it. Pun intended.



Happy Reading Folks!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Now, Gentlemen. What's the only problem with crustaceans?"
"Too bloody hard to open. If God was kind he'd have designed lobsters with zippers down their backs."

I can't say enough good things about this book, the most important being that it's hilarious. A lot of the topics of the book are serious: the death of a dear friend, his strange request that goes against your moral principles, dealing with stupid people that just don't understand that what you are trying to do is awesome... etc. But still, this book is laugh-out-loud funny. Kind of like the way Death at a Funeral is funny. Where you think to yourself, this is so wrong but it's so fucking hilarious...

On a side-note I'm thinking that I want my ashes to be placed inside a stuffed turkey and thrown over the side of a boat. I believe it was referred to as a "meat sarcophagus"? Ya know, it's too bad so many eco-friendly folks are also vegan/vegetarian. Doesn't get much more "green" than that... As the Good Book says: ashes to ashes, dust to dust, man to turkey.

Seriously though, I'll so disappointed if this book ends up flying under the radar. It really was fantastic! Read this book! I'm especially talking to those who are fans of Top Chef, Jane Austen/English writing, and Cannibals. And I suspect that is not as small a group of readers as it might seem upon first glance...

[Nicki Markus · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was first drawn to The Reluctant Cannibals by the title as I am a big Hannibal Lecter fan. Intrigued, I read the blurb and thought it sounded like a fun read, so I requested it on NetGalley.

I was not in the least disappointed with my decision as Flitcroft has created a tale full of wonderful black humour that delights at every turn. The action moved along at a lively pace while still offering fun facts on various aspects of gastronomy. The characters were endearing, and the prose was a joy to read and often put a smile on my face.

This book is engaging, original and, all in all, excellent fun. I can highly recommend it.

I received this book as a free e-book ARC via NetGalley.

[Ea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am incredibly late to the party, but fear not - pour me a class of 1896 Dow port and hand me a plate of fugu, 'cause the party don't start 'til I walk in.

Except in this case, it did. And what a party. So wonderfully weird, laced with dark humour and some ever so slightly batshit crazy characters, The Reluctant Cannibals gives you what the title says it will: reluctant cannibals. Admittedly, I'd be a little bit reluctant if I were to embark on their late 1960's Oxford adventure, too. But they handle it well. Mostly.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I liked the eccentric Oxford dons in this story, it was a very looooooooong story. With sometimes boring secondary and tertiary stories.
About halfway into the book I would have bailed, but I wanted to know whether the gastronomic society would eat human flesh or not.

Shorter story and better editing would have made this a 5 star novel.

[Clare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant read, could have been written by Dickens as it has a feel of the pickwick papers and all the humour. Splendid characters and a feast of a plot. Looking forward to the next book from this author.

[Fayette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book would make a very good movie. Cast with Hugh Grant and a bunch of other guys with British accents. Amusing, but not laugh out loud funny. Best part of the book was the description of the food and drink which leaves one wanting to go out and try EVERYTHING.

[Richard Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

See https://www.rich-reviews.co.uk/the-re...

Anthropophagy is rather a mouthful but mention cannibals to your average reader and they will more than likely conjure up images of missionaries stumbling into tribal cooking pots. This unlikely title will certainly get you sitting at the table ready for the literary starter but the fleshy main course is comprised of an unlikely fusion of a group of male Oxford dons, an underground gastronomic society and the last will and testament of one of their number to have his body sampled as the ultimate test of the culinary palate.

Arthur Plantagenet is the prize dish in this epicurean fantasy, but it is Augustus Bloom who is the moral compass as he treads a delicate path between loyalty to his friend’s dying wishes and what is acceptable in the changing social and legal landscape of the 1960s.

The Oxford educated author is a medical graduate who manages to give this edgy theme a humorous underbelly which is perfectly captured by the seeming inability of the academic and closeted male mind to deal with the wider implications of what they have been asked to do.

Plantagenet is superficially a crusty old don whose love of food and drink is reflected by his ample girth and a real world detachment desire but his joie de vivre shines through and is mirrored by the affection in which he is held by students and dons alike.

However his ultimate demise though not unexpected is just the precursor to a moral dilemma that becomes impossible to avoid once the strict conditions of the will are revealed to the colourful group of gastronomic executors.

The build up to the final meal is both humorous and macabre pushing the boundaries of good taste but because of its cultural context and the relative innocence of the key participants humour and empathy prevent the reader from becoming too judgemental.

Ultimately if Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers were still alive they would be falling over themselves for the roles of Arthur Plantagenet and Augustus Bloom as this plot is tailor made for an Ealing comedy.

[Thom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reluctant Cannibals is set at the fictional St Jerome’s College, Oxford, in 1969. The year is significant; while the rest of the world was watching Neil Armstrong exploring new frontiers on the Apollo mission, the Oxford scientist Nicholas Kurti was expanding the frontiers of gastronomy with his Royal Society lecture The Physicist in the Kitchen. The experiments he demonstrated, including the creation of a ‘reverse Baked Alaska’, formed the basis of molecular cooking and paved the way for the likes of Heston Blumenthal. Ian Flitcroft’s debut novel is concerned with St Jermone’s Shadow Faculty of Gastronomic Science, a group of professors with a similar dedication to culinary experimentation; dedicated followers of the nineteenth century French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, they meet each term to try exotic new dishes from around the world.

The rules of the faculty, drawn up on the back of a napkin during a night of heavy indulgence, require each member of the dining club to bring a guest to each feast, chosen for their expertise in a specific field of culinary knowledge. The guest must bring with them a dish which the club has never tried before. There are risks, however; the quest for novelty, combined with the professors’ access to a lavishly-stocked wine cellar, proves disastrous when a Japanese diplomat attempts to prepare fugu for his hosts. Fugu is reputed to be a relatively bland dish, except in one respect: the fish contains a deadly neuro-toxin, which can cause paralysis and death. The low-level presence of poison in the flesh merely causes a tingling sensation in the lips, but if an unskilled cook accidentally cuts into the liver or ovaries, then a fatal dose can be released into the dish. His judgement clouded by the faculty’s excellent aperitifs, the guest makes just this mistake, and the new Master of the college is faced with a potentially serious diplomatic incident on his hands. The shadow faculty takes the matter slightly less seriously, declaring it a ‘bloody magnificent way to die’.

This incident in the beginning of a cat-and-mouse chase between the shadow faculty and the Vice-Chancellor, who is determined to root out such dangerous frivolity from his university, complicated by the investigations of an aristocratic undergraduate, furious at the existence of a club to which he isn’t invited, and the dying wishes of eccentric Faculty member Arthur Plantagenet, who dedicates his body to gastronomic science – on the condition that it is served at their next meeting.

The Reluctant Cannibals is a slightly whimsical, very English comedy, in which the expected idyllic scenes of Oxford student life (bicycles, cobbled streets, seminars conducted whilst walking by the river) are undercut by Flitcroft’s sense of gothic humour (for example, the presence of a dissolute ghost haunting the College’s wine cellar) and his occasionally Wodehousian turn of phrase. A particular highlight is the college chaplain’s struggle to come to terms with the aesthetic sensibility of the shadow faculty, and their willingness to prioritise matters above taste above concerns about their eternal souls. At Arthur Plantagenet’s unofficial wake, one professor (a keen fan of the music hall double act Flanders and Allen) takes to the piano. Arriving late, the chaplain stands 'in stunned silence looking in on a room full of Oxford dons all singing about cannibalism'.

The mischief-making Plantagenet is a memorable character, who I could easily imagine being portrayed by Richard Griffiths. Having been informed of his terminal illness, he dedicates himself to dying ‘a fragrantly flavoured death suffused with the best ingredients that nature and human ingenuity have gathered over the last two millennia', oblivious to the discomfort this causes his colleagues. After a near-fatal collapse, he is revived by his close friend Augustus Bloom, who later recounts 'Arthur's remarkable recovery and tried to do credit to his description of dying, though he couldn't come close to matching Arthur's extraordinary enthusiasm for this usually unpopular activity'.

In recent years, cookery has taken on a rather macho air, driven by the likes of Gordon Ramsey. Recent literary novels concerned with food have emphasised this, from the squalor and dissolution of Irvine Welsh’s disappointing Bedroom Secrets of the Master-Chefs to DBC Pierre’s Lights Out In Wonderland, in which a disaffected anarchist throws himself into self-conscious culinary excess in a bid to lose himself completely. The Reluctant Cannibals ultimately has a warmer tone. One incident in particular highlights this. Noticing that the chaplain has been cast into spiritual doubt by Plantagenet’s odd bequest, the Faculty decide to play a harmless prank on him whilst he is alone in the Chapel, hiding behind the organ and dispensing benevolent advice: 'That god had taken to replying to his prayers was a great solace to the chaplain, though it would lead most men to doubt their grip on reality.'

The Reluctant Cannibals is filled with trivia and anecdotes about the history of gastronomy, and there are plenty of passages which will raise a smile. Flitcroft goes to some trouble to create a sense of realism, incorporating the history and constitution of the faculty into his novel, and also discussing his own motivations for writing it. Maybe the tone of the novel is best summed up by his meditation on the pleasures of quail eggs: 'No reasonable and otherwise caring person should spend too long thinking about the common human practice of eating the unborn eggs of birds. It is not after all a practice that will bear up to deep moral inquiry when compared to the protection we offer our own children, but anyone with an aesthetic soul can only marvel at the glorious colours on the outside and especially the inside of a quail egg'.

[Teresa Bassett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first came across this book when my own novel (The Time Crystals) reached the same stage (final five in category) in the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. The excerpt was brilliant, and I always intended to buy the full version when it came out. After a delay of a few years, I finally got around to it.

I'm so glad I did. It's a marvellous, vivid story, brimming over with memorable characters, and with a fascinating premise. I even enjoyed the foodie details - which might seem surprising given that I'm a vegetarian!

In short, I loved it, and will look out for more novels from Ian Flitcroft.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, via netgalley.

This book was interesting, unlike anything I have ever read. I did find it a little slow though. But that is probably personal preference, I like faster paced books with more action and more drama. I did enjoy this though. I found it a very interesting concept. It was suitably dark and disturbing for the subject matter, it suited the setting very well.

The characters were all very different and easy to differeniate between them. I liked the eccentric characters, it’s hard to write them yet make them believable but the author dis amazingly well.

Overall a very enjoyable read.

3 out of 5 stars

[Yee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review for ISBN: 9781909593602

It's rich with gastronomy history and culture but sometimes can be overwhelmed and push the main plot aside. The side stories have too many irrelevant descriptions, and the main plot has been dragged to the end. The pace is too slow, which is why I'm struggling to finish the book despite it being an unusual story.

[Deb Staley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolute delight of a read. I hope Ian Flitcroft keeps writing because I will surely keep reading his work. Wonderfully fun, funny and thoroughly enjoyable. You’ll want to take a big bite out of this read. Cheers!

[MerryMeerkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Reluctant Cannibals 4 Stars Netgalley review.Heres the thing. I'm not a food person. Never liked eating much and most of the time it bores me. I also couldn't care less about wine. I'm the child of an alcoholic and therefore have no interest in drinking wine. That being said, this book is crazy good, even if you aren't into wine and foodShort Summery: (Some minor Spoilers) ;This takes place in Oxford in the U.K. in the 1960's. A group of professors form a dinning club and they meet regularly and have these big fancy dinners along with wine. Each Professor brings a guest who also suggest dishes for these meals. At one dinner party, Fugu is served (I had to ask my husband and it is indeed true). Fugu you can eat only certain parts of. Well in this book the fish is not cut right and someone dies at the dinner party.Then one of the main characters is diagnosed with a heart condition and is told he would die soon. So of course he eats and drinks and takes up pipe smoking. ;He then decides he wants his body to be eaten by the club when he dies, so he goes and has a will drawn up.I don';t think I want to describe more as I don't want to ruin anything. But this book is a lot of fun.Love how the club is nicknamed the declining dinning society. The characters are a complete hoot and are very believable. My only complaint is that the ending is a bit anticlimatic. CoverI love, love, love the cover. Black and red, great combination of colors.Spoilers: OMG. The asparagus race (toward the end of the book) almost made me spew what I was drinking. SO funny: The Nature of the victory? To be the first to pass water laced with the rich aroma of asparagus.Quotes: So many, but the book is so good.
"Indeed. Eat, Drink and be merry, for tomorrow we may die.&rdquo"
"We're all dying, so we might as well enjoy ourselves during the process"
"I think the Bible is strickter on shellfish and pork than eating people"
"He was pulled awake in the small hours of that April night by the unavoidable visceral sense of impending gastric emptying"
"In his mind, the images of ramming Arthur's ashes up the rear end of a turkey were proving deeply unsettling."

[Halfeared · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Could have perhaps been edited down a little bit, but still an enjoyable novel about gastronomy and those who love it, as well as a fairly classic Oxford uni caper.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

netgalley



Constitution of the Shadow Faculty of Gastronomic Science

Herein lie the immutable rules of the Shadow Faculty of Gastronomic Science:

Rule One

All members must be fellows of St Jerome’s College, Oxford.
Rule Two


All members must ascribe to the gastronomic principles pronounced by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin1.

Rule Three

The Faculty must hold a dinner of gastronomic significance in the eighth week of each term.

Rule Four

Each member must invite one guest per dinner and ensure that their guest presents a new dish to the Faculty.

Rule Five

The Faculty must ensure that no dish is served more than once with the exception of a truffled turkey, which is to be served each year at the Michaelmas dinner.

Rule Six

A member of the Faculty is elected for life unless they breach rules one, two or four.

Rule Seven

The Shadow Faculty will remain in existence until the University of Oxford inaugurates an official Faculty of Gastronomic Science.



And so begins our short, but unique novel. Think Flight Club without the blood, thrashings, and forced metaphors. There is a certain degree of the macabre, which is very much front and center to this novel, but is more of a landscape, compared to a figure situated towards the foreground. This is equally a character driven and plot driven novel.

The story revolves around the death of one of the group’s members, and weaves a tale of the ethical, moral, and personal reflections of entertaining the idea of cannibalism. The idea of consuming the flesh of ones’ own species is a profound issue, and it is clear from the beginning that each member of the Shadow Society is consumed by regret—of agreeing to the Will of one of its members—as well as the inner turmoil of considering this task, and perhaps their individual curiosity. They seem utterly vexed by the idea of the culinary contributions of human flesh. In the end themes of morality, ethics, as well as human curiosity neatly coalesces into a nice, if not also a forced ending.

Characters are developed well, however, secondary character specifically those of students of Oxford are rendered with a swift brush that at times leaves the reader craving for more. These under developed characters do get there time in the spotlight, as the various storylines seem to cross paths, however, this too seemed rushed; however one must also realize that this part of the story is so insignificant that it could be edited out without notice. However, on the flip side those smaller characters assist in the reader’s understanding of the context and setting of the Reluctant Cannibals. They also shine in adding to the complexities of class systems. To a certain extend they also dispel the notion that those in a lower class are less important; relegation to a lower class or professional position does not strip one of his/her ability to exercise intelligence nor does it eliminate the basic human attributes shared among everyone.


In the end the book shines with originality, as I have trouble reflecting on books that center around the tasting of human flesh SPECIFICALLY for culinary experimentation. I did feel that it could have either been straightened up with a clearer, less intellectualized style, and a few trimmings here and there, however, I highly recommend this book for its novel themes and subject matter.

[Ingmar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Filled with quaint British humour and insights on Oxford college life, this novel is an exercise in food porn more than a dark tale about a gastronomic taboo. It's not until the closing pages (of a 370 page book) that anyone actually tries the.........cuisine, but for me the characters weren't strong enough to make it worth the wait.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

My full review here: http://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.wor...

It’s all mahogany desks, rowing crews, glasses of sherry and legal loopholes in Ian Flitcroft’s The Reluctant Cannibals, the story of a secret gastronomic society at St Jerome’s college, Oxford.

“The unusual parts of normal animals and the normal parts of unusual animals had left him wondering whether it was such a good idea to offer ice cream as a dessert.”

The title tells you the guts of the plot – a group of food-obsessed academics devote themselves to investigating exotic and forgotten culinary treasures. One of the group members, Professor Arthur Plantagenet, discovers he has a serious heart condition and decides that his imminent death should not be in vain – his will contains instructions that test the loyalty of society members by tackling gastronomy’s ultimate taboo: cannibalism.

“Anthropophagy, please, cannibalism is such an ugly and etymologically unsound word,” replied Arthur…

I was torn by this book. The descriptions of food were sublime, quirky and unquestionably intriguing – who knew beaver tail was considered fish for the purposes of Lent; that squills were the ultimate ‘fast-food’ crustacean; and that oysters are one of the few foods that are routinely eaten with a still beating heart?

“The sea urchin and fennel en papillote with… caramelised vermouth sauce….”

“A fresh oyster in dill-scented cream over Laphroaig whiskey… Courgette flowers lightly fried in fennel and Courage’s Best Bitter batter with a fresh anchovy and pecorino stuffing…”

Equally, the descriptions of odd university traditions (asparagus races; to be ‘croqueted’; Parson’s Pleasure) gave the story a nicely voyeuristic feel – who doesn’t like to know about secret societies and ancient rituals?

However, I slogged through the second half of the story. In fact, I found myself picking up the book and putting it down so many times that I began to wonder why it had failed to keep my attention. I suspect that the sub-plot (a Japanese diplomat, dropping dead at a society dinner after eating puffer fish and the efforts of college students to unmask society members) was simply too long and detailed – lots of the subplot could have been done away with for a livelier tale. Equally, while as an ex-rower I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of boat races and the subsequent celebrations, one or two would have been sufficient.

Flitcroft’s writing style is methodical and impeccably detailed (no doubt a reflection of his professional career as a doctor). His style gives credibility to every aspect of the story, leaving the reader to question what is fact and what is fiction – you may want to have Google by your side as you read.

2.5/5 The writing is fine, the concept is fine but it just didn’t hold my attention. Dare I say that this is a story I would have enjoyed more as a film or as a play? A swift delivery would make it shine.

I received my copy of The Reluctant Cannibals from the publisher, Legend Press via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.