Going Fourth: A Fairy Tale Farce

by G.J. Dunn

When Brian starts hearing an incredibly mean voice in his head, his attempts to get rid of it set him on an adventure through a fairy tale world he won't soon forget.



As it turns out, his voice is something called a Narra Torr, a bodyless storyteller from another world, and Brian is his Protagonist. Luckily for Brian, the Protagonist wants rid of him too. Journeying alongside the Cockney, a magical being who does not grant wishes, and a Princess that just wants to live her own life, Brian sets off on a journey to fix the Fourth Wall – the Wall that separates Brian's world from that of the Narra Torr's.



What adventures will they have? What disasters and triumphs will they find? Will Brian succeed in his goal of fixing the Fourth Wall? I'm not going to tell you. That would ruin the book.

322 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2024

About the author

G. J. Dunn writes from a sofa in Leyland, UK. When not writing, he develops gene therapies, runs half marathons, and attempts to tire out his border collie, Belle. So far, he’s only succeeded with the first two.

Reviews

[Bob]

Shows Promise

Despite the usual Pratchett comparisons, this is more Tom Holt territory than Terry's. The fantasy starting point and the fairytale elements make it seem like a standard fantasy farce, but the story threads eventually twine together to make serious points and THAT's where it veers somewhat into Discworld territory. So. A little patchy - but, there again, so was Strata - and we all know how far Terry developed after that. Reasonably humorous, good character development, convincing dialogue, and enough original touches (I liked the Cockney genie) to make it good rainy-afternoon entertainment. The author seemed to be finding his own voice more towards the end, and I think the reverse-Narnia idea of having fantasy characters enter our world could profitably be developed.

[Ink]

Going Fourth by GJ Dunn had me howling with laughter!

With exceptional cover art mildly reminiscent of the Wilt books, and storytelling that has a smidge of Tom Holt and a soupcon of Pratchett with a hefty belt upside the head of Monty Python sensibilities, I was alll over this book.

Let me make one thing clear. Holt and Pratchett are among my top ten authors of all time so I do not give that compliment lightly, same as Python, but let us also be clear, this book is its own animal and is carving its own niche in the fantasy genre

Brian is hearing a voice in his head and not one of those nice helpful ones that reminds you to turn the oven off when you've finished cooking. This one is the Narra Tor (genius name btw) and it is hell bent on making Brian's life complicated

Whip up fairy tales, mysteries and mythology, bring them screaming into the present day and you have this absolute gem of a story. Loved it and will be looking out for more!

[Andy]

I picked this book up after learning about it from Reddit. I knew straight away after reading the blurb that I'd enjoy the book.

It's an interesting take on mashing 2 worlds together - the real world and a world full of fairy tales. I will say, Brian had far more patience than I would with Kevin. I'd have absolutely slapped him silly and snapped his device. Killing poor Cynthea.

The reason for 4 stars - the Epilogue. It felt a bit.. meh, really. It didn't make much sense, maybe I need to read that part again. If the wall wasn't repaired then how come the Narra Tor's was no longer coming through. Where or what happened to all the magical creatures and villagers on the battlefield. I'm not sure, the whole mother and step son scene was good. I liked that, but from the point of Brian leaving back through the cupboard felt a bit anticlimactic.

Regardless, still very much enjoyed the book and I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys fantasy, sci-fi genres.

[Ing]

Brilliantly Surprising
If you like to chortle, chuckle, snigger, or snicker or even plain guffaw with laughter as you read fantasy, this is the story for you. The extra bonus is the cleverly crafted plot that weaves two stories (or rather an inner voice and an outer series of events) into one tight, twisted, satisfying ah-hah.
The hero of the story is an unlikely character, someone no one expects much of, who falls from one fairy tale into another along his journey to escape from an inner voice. Not that he wanted to go on this adventure, but after all he is the main character and fate called or rather shouted at him.
Of course, he meets a princess, a giant and a dragon. But he also meets his nemesis … eventually … on the other side of a wall.
Super fun. I highly recommend it.

[Mr Ian Mander]

A light-hearted mini epic adventure which will suprise you and delight you. In the style of Tom Holt, you meet fairytale characters but not in the way you expect. An easy read where the pages fly by. Well worth a read.

[Rachael Berry]

A great comedic fantasy fairytale of a story with many appearances of beloved childhood fairytales but with a few twists. For me it felt like it had a bit of stardust type vibes but much more hilarious.

[Joseph Kelly]

"Going Fourth" is a must read for fans of comic fantasy! This book won me over with its witty characters and a story that's both fast-paced and engaging. I loved it so much, I even grabbed the paperback after finishing the Kindle Version. Delivery for the paperback via Amazon was really quick which was brillant. Refreshingly fun adventure - highly recommend!

[Caleb Edwards]

A very whimsical and silly light hearted fantasy book. It's easy to read and digest, with a fun plot concept and enjoyable twists.

[Becky]

I loved this comic fantasy book! A really great concept, that is well written and easy to follow. I have struggled with fantasy before, with difficult to pronounce names and difficult narratives, but this book is different. I loved the character development and the steady to fast pace of the story. Really made me laugh out loud at points. Well done to this young, new author and can't wait to read more from them!

[Sarah]

An imaginative, escapist adventure that is both heart warming and laugh out loud funny. This book is a fun and easy read with brilliant characters taking you on an epic journey and offering a new twist on some classic fairytales. A perfect tale for anyone looking for a bit of feel good magic!