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K'Barthan #3
One Man: No Plan
Confused ex-outlaw, pardoned for all misdemeanours, seeks answers...
The Pan of Hamgee has a chance to go straight, but it's been so long that he's almost forgotten how. Bewilderingly, despite a death warrant over his head he is released, given a state-sponsored business, and a year's amnesty from all offences while he adjusts.
He doesn't have a year, though. In only five days Lord Vernon will gain total power and destroy K’Barth. Much to his frustration, the only person who can stop him is The Pan: a man without a plan.
The Pan of Hamgee has a chance to go straight, but it's been so long that he's almost forgotten how. Bewilderingly, despite a death warrant over his head he is released, given a state-sponsored business, and a year's amnesty from all offences while he adjusts.
He doesn't have a year, though. In only five days Lord Vernon will gain total power and destroy K’Barth. Much to his frustration, the only person who can stop him is The Pan: a man without a plan.
- GenresScience FictionHumor
344 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2014
8 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
About the author
M.T. McGuire
21 books135 followersM T McGuire enjoys the real world but wouldn't want to live here full time. That's why she writes books. She grew up, or at least, got bigger, half way up a windy down in Sussex. Her home was also the first location choice for Hogwarts, in the Harry Potter films, so maybe it's not so strange that she's ended up writing spec-fic. Perhaps there's something in the water up there, apart from chalk. She used to do stand up but sat down and started to write books when she got married. She now lives in Bury St Edmunds, in Suffolk, with a McOther, a McMini and a selection of very silly cars. She hasn't found a way to make any of the cars fly, and none of them is fitted with ordnance like the ones in her books, but she and her team of evil scientists are working on that.
Despite the fact she's pushing fifty now, and supposedly, an adult, M T checks all unfamiliar wardrobes for a gateway to Narnia. She hasn't found one so far but she lives in hope.
Despite the fact she's pushing fifty now, and supposedly, an adult, M T checks all unfamiliar wardrobes for a gateway to Narnia. She hasn't found one so far but she lives in hope.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 27, 2022
One Man: No Plan is book three in the K’Barthan series and probably my favourite so far. The characters are already established as is the world they live in. Some of them such as Deidre and General Moteurs become more three-dimensional as their personalities and motives are revealed and they are not the way the reader first assumed. The main character of The Pan continues to delight as he bumbles his way through the various dangers and mishaps he finds himself in. Convinced he’s a coward – despite all his actions proving the exact opposite – I love him for his relatable honesty and vulnerability.
This book finds our heroes at their darkest hour. Half of them are languishing in prison cells awaiting execution, and the others are desperately planning how to stop the villains from achieving their dastardly plans of world domination or just generally not being very nice.
There was a part in this book which broke me and had me sniffing back tears of sympathy and muttering angrily as if The Pan could hear me – “don’t be such an idiot, work it out, she’s doing this to save you!”
As usual, the author skillfully blends very British humour with fast-paced action, weird science, and moments of sheer emotional meltdown as she puts her characters through the wringer showing them no mercy.
I loved this book – and indeed the whole series so far – that I immediately started book four.
This book finds our heroes at their darkest hour. Half of them are languishing in prison cells awaiting execution, and the others are desperately planning how to stop the villains from achieving their dastardly plans of world domination or just generally not being very nice.
There was a part in this book which broke me and had me sniffing back tears of sympathy and muttering angrily as if The Pan could hear me – “don’t be such an idiot, work it out, she’s doing this to save you!”
As usual, the author skillfully blends very British humour with fast-paced action, weird science, and moments of sheer emotional meltdown as she puts her characters through the wringer showing them no mercy.
I loved this book – and indeed the whole series so far – that I immediately started book four.
June 24, 2014
I assume readers of this review have read the first two books in the excellent K'Barthan series but if you haven't I'll try to make sure that I don't spoil either of those for you. The villainous Lord Vernon is determined to declare himself The Candidate and marry The Chosen One. She, however, is in love with The Pan of Hamgee – form a queue behind me! Actually, I have a thing for the Thing. Big Merv, the Swamp Thing. On with the review!
This book is more introspective than the earlier two which were full of action. Here we deal with motivations and feelings. Ruth is asked to choose between her own happiness and the life of the person she loves. She has to be convincing so he must believe she doesn't love him. There are some heartrending passages here. It's horrible but it's beautifully done. The Pan pulls things together towards the end, then steps out to meet his fate. I won't be the only one hardly daring to breathe till we find out what happens in Book 4.
This book is more introspective than the earlier two which were full of action. Here we deal with motivations and feelings. Ruth is asked to choose between her own happiness and the life of the person she loves. She has to be convincing so he must believe she doesn't love him. There are some heartrending passages here. It's horrible but it's beautifully done. The Pan pulls things together towards the end, then steps out to meet his fate. I won't be the only one hardly daring to breathe till we find out what happens in Book 4.
June 26, 2014
There are some tense moments in this third book of the series. I really enjoyed book one and I loved book two; for me this falls somewhere between the two. I would have liked a little more action, and a little more time with my favourite characters, which says more about my reading taste than the writing. For me then this merits a four, but the reason it does so may well prompt someone else towards five. Hey, were all different.
All in all a great third book in a four part trilogy that leaves me waiting eagerly for the next instalment, which is all set up to be a cracker. And speaking of crackers, Humbert shows some real sparkle: I love that parrot.
Bring on the next book, and soon.
All in all a great third book in a four part trilogy that leaves me waiting eagerly for the next instalment, which is all set up to be a cracker. And speaking of crackers, Humbert shows some real sparkle: I love that parrot.
Bring on the next book, and soon.
September 30, 2016
Good read.
Good read and plenty of twist. Fun read. Follows the first two books perfectly. Can't wait to read the next one.
Good read and plenty of twist. Fun read. Follows the first two books perfectly. Can't wait to read the next one.
April 17, 2025
Marvellous! This is the nth time that I have read this book, and it never fails to please.
March 16, 2021
I received a free review copy of this audio book, at my request, and am voluntarily leaving this unbiased review.
I was disappointed with this entry in the series, not because the book is bad, but because it definitely pales in comparison with books 1 and 2.
This book is dark and is very tonally different from its predecessors. In the previous books, everything is always light and feels fun. Even during tense moments where the pan is picked up by the Resistance or being beaten by Lord Vernon. A lot of this is from the Pan's reaction to events around him, but also from other characters.
In this book the Pan barely makes an appearance in the first third of the book and when it does come into it he doesn't behave like himself. The supporting cast from book 2 is mostly forgotten about, with the exception of Ruth. This books leans heavily into the Resistance candidate, a resistance scientist and Ruth being broken. All of these unfunny characters and unfunny situations leads to this scifi comedy to be fairly unfunny.
That being said, it only pales when compared to the other books in the series. On its own, as a sci fi and not a sci fi comedy, it's fine. The characters are interesting, the plight seems real and the settings are familiar (to the series). The plot is a little light, as it takes place over only a couple days, and is mostly about Ruth having a bad time and Deidre having a good time, with the occasional bit about the Resistance being run by morons. The Pan barely features and the same for Big Merv, Lucy and the rest. The Pan gets a small storyline, and the rest are only in it as they appear in The Pan's or Ruth's story.
This is understandable based on the situation, but regrettable, as Big Merv became such a force of his own in Book 2. For him to be forgotten in Book 3, was a mistake, in my opinion.
The book wasn't as long as book 2 but felt longer, because of the dark nature of the plot. Like I said before, it lacks the humorous nature of the previous books. I would have liked to spend more time with the Pan, and lighten the mood up and break up the darkness more. However, it was a relief, for the elephant in the room to finally be addressed, even if it couldn't be fully explored in this book.
The voice narrative, by Gareth Davies, is once again excellent. He has less characters to keep track of in this book, but he does them all justice, none the less.
All in all, this is a great book but it doesn't fit in with the tone of the series, so far. This book is very dark, with only a touch of humor. In contrast, the other books have been funny, with only a touch of darkness. Some of the best secondary characters are sidelined and even the Pan is barely in his own book. This was a good book, just not my favorite in the series.
I can't wait to start book 4
+++spoilers+++
I was disappointed in Ruth's behavior. I kept expecting her to pull Lord Vernon aside and try and explain for Stockholm Syndrome to take effect, he has to at least appear to have her interest in mind, and then he wouldn't have to gard her so closely because she'd actually want to be with him. Unfortunately, there was no attempt to make it humorous or make light of it at all, it is loomed over the book like a dark cloud. I understand it's important to show hoe bad her situation is, but it does so at expense of the continuity of the tone of the series.
I was disappointed with this entry in the series, not because the book is bad, but because it definitely pales in comparison with books 1 and 2.
This book is dark and is very tonally different from its predecessors. In the previous books, everything is always light and feels fun. Even during tense moments where the pan is picked up by the Resistance or being beaten by Lord Vernon. A lot of this is from the Pan's reaction to events around him, but also from other characters.
In this book the Pan barely makes an appearance in the first third of the book and when it does come into it he doesn't behave like himself. The supporting cast from book 2 is mostly forgotten about, with the exception of Ruth. This books leans heavily into the Resistance candidate, a resistance scientist and Ruth being broken. All of these unfunny characters and unfunny situations leads to this scifi comedy to be fairly unfunny.
That being said, it only pales when compared to the other books in the series. On its own, as a sci fi and not a sci fi comedy, it's fine. The characters are interesting, the plight seems real and the settings are familiar (to the series). The plot is a little light, as it takes place over only a couple days, and is mostly about Ruth having a bad time and Deidre having a good time, with the occasional bit about the Resistance being run by morons. The Pan barely features and the same for Big Merv, Lucy and the rest. The Pan gets a small storyline, and the rest are only in it as they appear in The Pan's or Ruth's story.
This is understandable based on the situation, but regrettable, as Big Merv became such a force of his own in Book 2. For him to be forgotten in Book 3, was a mistake, in my opinion.
The book wasn't as long as book 2 but felt longer, because of the dark nature of the plot. Like I said before, it lacks the humorous nature of the previous books. I would have liked to spend more time with the Pan, and lighten the mood up and break up the darkness more. However, it was a relief, for the elephant in the room to finally be addressed, even if it couldn't be fully explored in this book.
The voice narrative, by Gareth Davies, is once again excellent. He has less characters to keep track of in this book, but he does them all justice, none the less.
All in all, this is a great book but it doesn't fit in with the tone of the series, so far. This book is very dark, with only a touch of humor. In contrast, the other books have been funny, with only a touch of darkness. Some of the best secondary characters are sidelined and even the Pan is barely in his own book. This was a good book, just not my favorite in the series.
I can't wait to start book 4
+++spoilers+++
I was disappointed in Ruth's behavior. I kept expecting her to pull Lord Vernon aside and try and explain for Stockholm Syndrome to take effect, he has to at least appear to have her interest in mind, and then he wouldn't have to gard her so closely because she'd actually want to be with him. Unfortunately, there was no attempt to make it humorous or make light of it at all, it is loomed over the book like a dark cloud. I understand it's important to show hoe bad her situation is, but it does so at expense of the continuity of the tone of the series.
August 23, 2017
I read this ages ago and just realised I never reviewed it. Shame on me! I must have been a bit too busy at the time, or maybe my internet was playing up.
I can't remember exactly what I thought of it at the time, but I'm sure I enjoyed it, since I was reading the series, hence the 4* rating. It must have been at least that for me to remember reading it. I'll round it up to 4.5* shall I?
I think there may have been sex, swearing or violence in it (not entirely sure) which might be why I didn't review. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it was fun. Or dramatic. Or both.
I can't remember exactly what I thought of it at the time, but I'm sure I enjoyed it, since I was reading the series, hence the 4* rating. It must have been at least that for me to remember reading it. I'll round it up to 4.5* shall I?
I think there may have been sex, swearing or violence in it (not entirely sure) which might be why I didn't review. Anyway, I'm pretty sure it was fun. Or dramatic. Or both.
May 21, 2024
a good series
Alternate realities, magic portals, car …. Sorry, Snurd chases, rebels, resistance, and spies. This series keeps you interested with the twists and turns in the story. I’m looking forward to the last book.
Alternate realities, magic portals, car …. Sorry, Snurd chases, rebels, resistance, and spies. This series keeps you interested with the twists and turns in the story. I’m looking forward to the last book.
April 21, 2019
AWESOME!
Too bad there's only four books. I would have liked to see a longer story. We should have snurds too.
Too bad there's only four books. I would have liked to see a longer story. We should have snurds too.
July 7, 2020
Lots of fluff and not much stuff.
Frankly it seems like there just a lot of filler for all the books which could have been better consolidated and told in a single book.
Frankly it seems like there just a lot of filler for all the books which could have been better consolidated and told in a single book.
December 23, 2020
Nice setup for the final book of the series.
December 5, 2015
It's probably impossible to review book 3 of the K'Barthan series without giving things away, but it's an excellent romp as befits the rest of the series.
One Man No Plan starts where book 2 left off, with the Pan setting off to rescue the Chosen One. There’s a lot of great action in the Grongolian palace in this section of the adventure, and the Pan is in there, rescuing, escaping, and running away as usual. He’s getting increasing trouble from voices in his head, and the ring that insisted he wore it is also causing undue attention. Book 3 races through a week of wondering what to do to prevent Lord Vernon marrying the love of the Pan’s life, with excellent friends like Pub Quiz Alan rallying around when the Pan is landed with Gladys and Vera’s pub to run as his own, courtesy of Lord Vernon, and General Moteurs turning up in increasingly bizarre circumstances, raising the question of his loyalties beyond imagination. Well, I got thoroughly confused, anyway.
By now you will know that it'll be a cliffhanger ending, so I just enjoyed it. And started on the next one pretty much straight away.
One Man No Plan starts where book 2 left off, with the Pan setting off to rescue the Chosen One. There’s a lot of great action in the Grongolian palace in this section of the adventure, and the Pan is in there, rescuing, escaping, and running away as usual. He’s getting increasing trouble from voices in his head, and the ring that insisted he wore it is also causing undue attention. Book 3 races through a week of wondering what to do to prevent Lord Vernon marrying the love of the Pan’s life, with excellent friends like Pub Quiz Alan rallying around when the Pan is landed with Gladys and Vera’s pub to run as his own, courtesy of Lord Vernon, and General Moteurs turning up in increasingly bizarre circumstances, raising the question of his loyalties beyond imagination. Well, I got thoroughly confused, anyway.
By now you will know that it'll be a cliffhanger ending, so I just enjoyed it. And started on the next one pretty much straight away.
January 2, 2015
M T McGuire never disappoints. The first two books in the K'Barthan series I likened to Douglas Adams, but in this book M T McGuire really comes into her own. Brilliantly written, nicely paced, it was a real pleasure to read. I enjoyed it so much I bought the fourth one as soon as I finished the last chapter. Indie publishing at its best.
January 2, 2015
M T McGuire never disappoints. The first two books in the K'Barthan series I likened to Douglas Adams, but in this book M T McGuire really comes into her own. Brilliantly written, nicely paced, it was a real pleasure to read. I enjoyed it so much I bought the fourth one as soon as I finished the last chapter. Indie publishing at its best.
February 22, 2016
Excellent reading.
April 17, 2017
The plot thickens... And it's good fun.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews