Twits Hit the Target: A Steampunk Distraction

The Twits Chronicles #8

by Tom Alan Robbins

“It’s Alice. We’ve had a terrible row. She won’t speak to me. She won’t pass me the salt. What should I do, Bentley?” When Pansy and Alice fall out, Pansy trusts Bentley to help put things right, but Cyril believes he can effect a reconciliation without Bentley’s brilliant mechanical brain. The results are predictably hilarious.
They trundle down to Cheeseworth House with Binky, Aunt Hypatia and Uncle Hugo in tow. It's a merry romp in the country with robots gone amok, a drooling mastiff and... archery!

Genres: Steampunk

185 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 21, 2024

Reviews

[Lori Alden Holuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleased to see a new addition to the Twits Chronicles, just before Christmas. So of course I bought myself a present!

As usual, Binky's got women troubles — though at least this time around he hasn't fallen hopelessly in love, but that doesn't mean he's off the hook. You see, Cyril has a cunning plan involving poor Binky to help newlyweds Pansy and Alice reconcile after their first lovers quarrel... and it's foolproof! Which, of course means we are in for a hilarious ride as events play out badly in the over the top fashion we've come to expect whenever Cyril get a notion into his head.

While you can read this story as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the entire series from the start. These are novellas and won't take up a lot of your time. I love the droll wit, the mindset of the absurdly rich protagonist, and the goofball characters that populate this addlepated reality.

[Sally Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

These shorts (novelettes? novellas?) are silly fun. Set in a steampunk world with almost no natural resources left, but plenty of gentlemen's clubs full of the winners of the Upper Class Twit of the Year, as the Pythons put it. Ever-changing fashions, country houses, helpful robots, complications with cousins, and many laughs. The protagonist is the richest man in the world, who's Wooster minus all the brains; the true hero is his robot dresser/butler/majordomo Bentley, who is Jeeves turned up to 11 or 12.

Jolly adventures full of misunderstandings ensue, door-slamming chases in the "Noises Off" manner, puns. You get the idea.

Only occasionally does it look like a comparison with our world.

All 8 stories are free on KU, which is where I read all but this one; I got it as an Xmas gift to myself with a credit.

[Mary Ann Seidman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an okay book. It wasn't as good as previous books in the series but I still enjoyed it. The storyline was overall kind of thin, and his butler didn't really do that much this time. I wish it was a little more meaty.

[stephanie huntington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and entertaining