Fishy Wishes: Wish You Were Here and Djinn Rummy

Tom Holt Omnibus #6

by Tom Holt

Another omnibus joins together two of Tom Holt's popular fantasy stories. In Wish You Were Here, it’s a busy day on Lake Chicopee. But it was a mixed bunch of sightseers that had the strange local residents rubbing their hands with delight. But most promising of all, there was Wesley Higgins, the young man from Birmingham, who was there because he knew the legend of the ghost of Okeewana. All he had to do was immerse himself in the waters of the lake and he would find his heart’s desire. Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time. In Djinn Rummy, we learn that in an aspirin bottle, nobody can hear you scream. Outside an aspirin bottle, however, things are somewhat different. And when Kayaguchiya Integrated Circuits III, a Force Twelve genie with an attitude, is released after 14 years of living with two dozen white tablets, there’s bound to be trouble.

Genres: Fantasy, Humor, Comedy, Fiction

688 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2004

About the author

Tom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.

Reviews

[Darlene Dobson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Witty and thoroughly entertaining... both of them!

[Rpaul Tho · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best of the omnibus books. Both were ok but neither was stellar for me.

[Ann Dulhanty · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are two complete novels in this book. I rated Wish You Were Here a 4.5/5 and Djinn Rummy as 4/5.
Wish You Were Here is a comedy of circumstance, with four people falling into a magical lake and adventuring their way to finding their heart's desire. In fine Tom Holt fashion, there are plenty of amusing digs at things we hold dear and things we abhor. Good pokes are aimed at the relentless pursuit of wealth and at the relentless pursuit of sensation in the media. The premise of the story also provides reflection on the question - if your fondest wish was granted, would it make you as happy as you think it will?
Djinn Rummy is a story about genie who is retrieved from an aspirin bottle. This novel focuses on how people interact - people who are in love, people who compete against each other, and again people who are provided with the opportunity to fulfill their fondest wishes.
Both stories are very funny and cleverly written, weaving together the multiple story lines into a satisfying ending. Some of the characters are caricatures and others are vivid, real people (or other worldly creatures) with challenges and desires.