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De fire og han som gjør galt verre #1
De fire og han som gjør galt verre - Begynnelsen
Fire kamerater fra lille Pelsheim på Vestlandet, får en dag sine usedvanlig begivenhetsløse liv snudd på hodet. Bambo Fohrtwo, Pepper Bihf, Salt Ehfan og Hutte Meg Tu får beskjed av en gruppe magikere om at de må følge med til Nepal. Den onde Lord Kor gjør seg klar for Krigen Som Ender Alle Kriger og i følge nedtegnelsene i boken «De Fire, Han Som Gjør Galt Verre og andre ting Generelt, som kan redde oss fra Verdens Undergang og Lignende Tragedier» er De Fire de eneste som kan stå mellom Lord Kor og Lysets krefter. Jesper Schtadig, Han Som Gjør Galt Verre, kommer også inn i begivenhetene, selv om ingen, Nepals magikere inkludert, helt vet hva han skal bidra med. Det mangler dessverre en del sider i den berømmelige boken …
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First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
December 31, 2016
This is a curious book. At it's best it's engaging and witty, with flawed-but-likeable characters, good dialogue and some absolutely brilliant prose. At its worst, it's awkward and clunky, with some weird sentence structure and an immature fratboyishness that's directly painful to read.
This puzzling dual nature of the book is in full display on every level. Weirdly enough, sometimes it actually really works. At least I sort of think I get what the author was going for here:
He basically takes five obnoxious, sex-obsessed and strongly caricatured anthropomorphic-animal characters that feel like rejects from an animated Ralph Bakshi movie (most notably Cool World or Fritz the Cat) and hurls them into an epic fantasy story...
...and then has things go completely to hell because these animals, while essentially well-meaning, really have no business being in an epic fantasy story.
The juxposition is often used to great comedic effect, but also often works dramatically, as the animals' screw-ups get some really serious consequences.
But ocasionally the fratboyish immaturity gets a little tiresome. Let's just say that sometimes this story is just a little too obviously written by a twentysomething heterosexual man, who is writing his first fantasy novel and hasn't quite worked out how to write characters who aren't, well, him.
It's especially noticable with the sparse female characters in the story, most of whom are basically interchangeable and mostly there so the male characters have someone to drool over.
The one female character who's actually interesting and engaging as a character in her own right is the obsessive, psychopathic Line Soltvedt who spends the entire book trying to hunt the main character down as revenge for a broken fence -- but even in her case the narrative spends an uncanny lot of time informing the readers just how fuckable she is.
I don't mind sexy women at all, but this is ridiculous. The only books I can think of that were worse about beating it over he readers head how insanely beautiful every single female character was were the Dragonlance books.
Women aside, though, one of the most positive aspects of the book is the characters. Some of them are a little stereotypical, but the author has clearly made an effort to make them stand out from the classic fantasy tropes -- like how the Big, Wise, Great Leader of Good is also a hotheaded douchebag who yells and screams and keeps making frustrated remarks about his two incredibly stupid sons, and how the greatest warrior for the good side is also a lazy, flippant and sarcastic "screw the establishment!" type who only gets away with being such a pain in the neck because... he's the greatest warrior for the good side and they can't afford to lose him.
While the bad guys are a little less interesting, the four Diciples (the Dark Lord's Lieutenants) have a surprising amount of wicked charm to them -- and the minor antagonists, led by the aforementioned Line Soltvedt, have their own side-adventures as they hunt for the main characters, which are almost more fun and interesting than the main story itself.
Partly because these adventures also feature my absolute favorite character in the book: Inspector Molling, the cop who's hunting for Line Soltvedt and trying to make sense of it all. He's sort of every cynical, haggard street-cop from fiction rolled into one, he's gay, and he's an absolute delight to read about.
So in the end, I just have to forgive the book its many flaws. Because it has several annoyances and could have needed a rewrite or two (and possibly a stricter editor)... but when it's good, it's really good.
Three stars -- or more like three and a half. Would easily have been four stars if the prose had been a little less awkward and the female characters had been better handled.
This puzzling dual nature of the book is in full display on every level. Weirdly enough, sometimes it actually really works. At least I sort of think I get what the author was going for here:
He basically takes five obnoxious, sex-obsessed and strongly caricatured anthropomorphic-animal characters that feel like rejects from an animated Ralph Bakshi movie (most notably Cool World or Fritz the Cat) and hurls them into an epic fantasy story...
...and then has things go completely to hell because these animals, while essentially well-meaning, really have no business being in an epic fantasy story.
The juxposition is often used to great comedic effect, but also often works dramatically, as the animals' screw-ups get some really serious consequences.
But ocasionally the fratboyish immaturity gets a little tiresome. Let's just say that sometimes this story is just a little too obviously written by a twentysomething heterosexual man, who is writing his first fantasy novel and hasn't quite worked out how to write characters who aren't, well, him.
It's especially noticable with the sparse female characters in the story, most of whom are basically interchangeable and mostly there so the male characters have someone to drool over.
The one female character who's actually interesting and engaging as a character in her own right is the obsessive, psychopathic Line Soltvedt who spends the entire book trying to hunt the main character down as revenge for a broken fence -- but even in her case the narrative spends an uncanny lot of time informing the readers just how fuckable she is.
I don't mind sexy women at all, but this is ridiculous. The only books I can think of that were worse about beating it over he readers head how insanely beautiful every single female character was were the Dragonlance books.
Women aside, though, one of the most positive aspects of the book is the characters. Some of them are a little stereotypical, but the author has clearly made an effort to make them stand out from the classic fantasy tropes -- like how the Big, Wise, Great Leader of Good is also a hotheaded douchebag who yells and screams and keeps making frustrated remarks about his two incredibly stupid sons, and how the greatest warrior for the good side is also a lazy, flippant and sarcastic "screw the establishment!" type who only gets away with being such a pain in the neck because... he's the greatest warrior for the good side and they can't afford to lose him.
While the bad guys are a little less interesting, the four Diciples (the Dark Lord's Lieutenants) have a surprising amount of wicked charm to them -- and the minor antagonists, led by the aforementioned Line Soltvedt, have their own side-adventures as they hunt for the main characters, which are almost more fun and interesting than the main story itself.
Partly because these adventures also feature my absolute favorite character in the book: Inspector Molling, the cop who's hunting for Line Soltvedt and trying to make sense of it all. He's sort of every cynical, haggard street-cop from fiction rolled into one, he's gay, and he's an absolute delight to read about.
So in the end, I just have to forgive the book its many flaws. Because it has several annoyances and could have needed a rewrite or two (and possibly a stricter editor)... but when it's good, it's really good.
Three stars -- or more like three and a half. Would easily have been four stars if the prose had been a little less awkward and the female characters had been better handled.
January 9, 2024
Herlig humor! Jeg koste meg med alle disse. Det er nesten umulig å ikke le høyt og lese høyt for alle i nærheten.
February 18, 2016
2,5 stars.
I think I'm too into literature to find this funny - the way it's supposed to be. The plot and the universe is interesting to a certain degree, and that is why I gave the extra .5 star. However, the at times poor language and downright writing errors cannot go by unnoticed, and the humour is too childish for me to really enjoy. I guess it could be a hit for teenage boys!?
I think I'm too into literature to find this funny - the way it's supposed to be. The plot and the universe is interesting to a certain degree, and that is why I gave the extra .5 star. However, the at times poor language and downright writing errors cannot go by unnoticed, and the humour is too childish for me to really enjoy. I guess it could be a hit for teenage boys!?
November 4, 2015
Amazing writer .. with a great fantasy.
I have never laughed so much while reading a book, like a had with this one, and the previous books. I laught even more the second time I read them.
Highly recomended.
Suitable for everbody from 10 to 100 years old.
I have never laughed so much while reading a book, like a had with this one, and the previous books. I laught even more the second time I read them.
Highly recomended.
Suitable for everbody from 10 to 100 years old.
May 2, 2015
Helt perfekte! litt merkelig fantasi og magi elementer, men ellers helt utrolig. Karakterene var hysteriske og jeg lo høyt flere ganger. Elsker serien og nbefaler denne til andre.
April 25, 2019
Har igjen litt over 100 sider, men orker ikke å fullføre. Jeg hadde kanskje sett humoren i denne boka om jeg hadde lest den da jeg var tenåring. Nå irriterer jeg meg bare over alt fra karakterene til handlingen til de ræva ordspillene.
August 12, 2019
En bok som ikke har elses noe godt... Oof
May 20, 2021
Veldig god fiksjon, god minner fra dette
February 1, 2022
Eventyrlig moro. Tårene renner.
February 16, 2025
Fantastisk bok. Spennende, morsom, og meget underholdende. God introdukjson til en solid serie.
October 25, 2008
De fire og han som gjør galt verre - Begynnelsen (on english: The four and he who makes everything worse - The beginning) is a really funny book. A bit weird i have to say, but funny. It's about four friends, Bambo, Hutte, Salt and Pepper and the guy who makes everything worse, Jasper. These guys are all animals, they're living in a world were animals and humans are equals. One morning the four friends are heading out to the beach, they're day got all but normal...
These immature teenagers will soon have to save the world! On their way they'll have to fight fowls in armours and many other weird creatures. All i can say is; you just have to read the book, you'll get a laugh, promise.
These immature teenagers will soon have to save the world! On their way they'll have to fight fowls in armours and many other weird creatures. All i can say is; you just have to read the book, you'll get a laugh, promise.
October 21, 2010
The reason why I picked this book is because my brother had read it, and he strongly recommended it. One of the things in the book I liked is that is really funny and it makes u happy in a way, which i think is rare when you are reading a book. In the end of the book it was really exciting, but it ended in a way I never thought it would..
The next book I want to read is maybe the next book in the series.
The next book I want to read is maybe the next book in the series.
December 26, 2012
Tidvis ganske morsom, men den ble litt "mye". Litt for mye slap-stick-humour. Særlig skilpadden Jesper, det er greit at han tenker mye på sex, men det går an å ikke nevne det i annenhver setning. Jeg tror utgaven jeg leste var førsteutgaven (tror den kom ut i 2005/06?), den hadde flere særdeles irriterende skrivefeil og feil i setningoppbygging. Ellers var den grei underholdning. Vurderer å lese resten av trilogien.
August 6, 2015
Although a Norwegian author, this is probably one of my absolute favourite books. I would define it as hysterical fantasy, the characters are extremely random and hilarious, the story is random, and I love it!
You meet everything from animals saving the world, to a gay cop, to a weapon fanatic doctors wife (dragging her alcoholic husband along). A must read for anyone wanting a lighthearted, easy-to-read story, with unique characters and never ending and utter nonsensical action.
You meet everything from animals saving the world, to a gay cop, to a weapon fanatic doctors wife (dragging her alcoholic husband along). A must read for anyone wanting a lighthearted, easy-to-read story, with unique characters and never ending and utter nonsensical action.
July 30, 2014
Denne ble alt for banal for meg, tidvis synes jeg språket minte om en stil fra en ungdomsskoleelev. Plottet ble litt mye til tider, samt at den eneste kvinnelige karakteren i boka er en for sterk karikatur.
March 2, 2011
en utrolig morsom bok
February 3, 2012
A humorous book. very easy to read, but not addicting enough to run to the closest store for the next par though. But a must read for the one with mush time and little to do...
July 20, 2012
Herlig bok! Elsket den! Klarte nesten ikke å holde meg for å begynne på neste! Fantastisk!
July 9, 2014
Dette er virkelig en flott bok å lese når man er i humør for litt humor!
June 8, 2017
I just loved this trilogy❤️ If someone can recommend other books like these I would be soooo happy! The craziness makes me so happy!
May 18, 2023
I like 😃
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews