Quentin Cundick and The Web of Machinations

by Alastair Pack

Quentin, through no fault of his own, loses his home, his business and the only woman in his life... actually, it's entirely his own fault. He's a slacker. But no more! After briefly turning to crime, Quentin sets out to reverse his fortunes and becomes entangled in a Web of Machinations that includes a tramp suffering from Morgellons (those itchy, itchy Morgellons), a sinister group of computer hackers, a Tibetan boy claiming to be the Chosen One, a mysterious blonde woman and a duck called Stalin. Quentin may have set out to save his home, but now finds himself tasked with saving the world.

396 pages, Paperback

First published August 17, 2014

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided this book for an honest review.
Quinton Cundick is a lazy criminal solicitor who has lost his fun in the job this culminates in him being bankrupt and evicted from both his office and home. He decides to take up crime to solve this issue and finds himself drawn into something he doesn’t understand.
In this alternate reality Wales and Scotland have broken from England’s rule and Wales has its own monarchy from which we meet the ruling king and his advisor called Ivor a slippery and dark individual.
It took me a while to get to grips with the storyline but I got there eventually.
It’s comedic at times but also very dark in places.

[John Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pythonesque and very funny!

This book reminded me of the Monty Python film "The Life of Brian". This particular tale managed to weave together the strands of base British humour, sci-fi and philosophy. The story drifted into a parody of the "Book of Revelations" towards the end, when the author posed the question of whether or not the Internet could be a receptacle for God's return to Earth. A strange book really, but one I enjoyed enormously.

[Patrick Carroll · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is an 'OK' fantasy book but I struggled with the initially unexplained UK history that leads up to the events of the book. Pulling off alternative universes is quite difficult, even Jasper Fforde struggles sometimes. This is mildly funny with a hapless anti-hero who's chaotic "luck" is amusing. I thought that the book rushed the denouement but also got bogged down with retrospective explanations at the end.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unusual book! If you want to read something farcical then this will tickle your fancy. Quentin Cundick is a wonderful character and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a sequel.

Alastair Pack has a talent with words. The story of course is absurd but great fun. I hope to read more books by this author in the future.

[Sue Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can honestly say that I have never read a book quite like this! It was very entertaining and well written. It had a type of Roald Dahl vibe to it, which is a great compliment to the author. I found it especially apt due to the political situation and Brexit currently. There are some hugely funny moments but a very dark side too, especially when lives are taken.

[Steven Jenkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really funny book. Three different stories with twists and turns that all come crashing together. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this, and isn't that why we buy books? The plots are a bit madcap at times, but that's the whole point of fiction. It has to take us outside of reality, otherwise we wouldn't bother reading it, we'd all just sit down and read an encyclopedia instead.

[Simon Leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a brilliantly funny book in places, with enough humour to keep you entertained but can be quite dark in places as well. The way the characters were written made it a very easy and quick book to read. Will be looking out for more by Alastair in the future

[John Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quentin cundick and the web of machinations

A very enjoyable read. This book has a bit of everything including humour, politics and murder with plenty of outrageous characters all of them larger than life.

[Kamini Mehta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Told from several points of view. Separate story lines that come together. I liked Quentin's story, I was less impressed with others.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good fun with twists & turns

I enjoyed the 3 individual stories and the way the story weaves together to a satisfactory conclusion. Thoroughly enjoyed 👍.

[Maria Maria1954 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Who ever said it was funny, please show me, Lord of the Rings was easier to understand. Gave up after 49% just couldn't take anymore rubbish. Sorry author better look next time.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

For fans of Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, Malcolm Pryce and Jasper Fforde, comes this brilliant debut. The sign of a good book for me, one that does actually make you laugh out loud (sorry for the lol, had to get that in there, it will make more sense once you read the book), but if you find yourself making a real noise out loud when reading then the book is working it's magic.

There are three strands to this story: the first and main strand features our eponymous anti-hero whose life just seems to go from bad to worse as he loses his business, his home and most of his possessions. He's left with just what he could salvage from under the noses of the bailiffs, and from there the adventure begins. The events that follow you almost wouldn't believe, just one thing after another as nothing seems to go right, or does it? I especially loved the Scottish tramp he keeps meeting along the way.

The second strand revolves around the reign of the new King of Wales as he comes to the celebrations of the third year anniversary of his appointment, and the schemings of his devious Royal Advisor Ivor Munchkinhead, someone not quite happy with his lot in life and vowing to get revenge on the idiot of a king.

The third strand involves a band of internet rebels calling themselves Binary Levers, their nemeses the Luddites, and a monk accompanying the next Messiah.

How do these strands intertwine, you will have to read to find out, all 3 do come together very nicely in an ending i definitely did not see coming.

I look forward to a sequel, nay i demand one!

[Andrew Lawston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quentin Cundick and The Web of Machinations is a promising first novel, a tale of war between the Welsh and the English (that the English haven't yet actually noticed), into which is thrown a Chosen One, secret societies, and a lazy inept lawyer.

It's an enjoyable, mostly light-hearted read for anyone who likes a bit of Jasper Fforde, but to be honest I never found it especially funny. There are just too many characters, and you find yourself not really caring about just too many of them. Unfortunately, that does rather include Quentin himself.

The book takes a while to get going, with its various narrative strands all taking a while to get going towards the eventual climax. Once the action is firmly underway though, it's an engaging and exciting read that is at its best when it resists the temptation to go for "wacky" humour.

I look forward to reading the sequel that I gather is in the works!

[D.L. Morrese · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this very British comedy of errors and bad choices, a lawyer goes bankrupt and resorts to crime, Wales is a separate monarchy and declares war on England (although few people notice), and a group of computer hackers is looking forward to the coming of a new messiah. The scenarios tend to the absurd, but the writing is good and the story is fun. If you've read and enjoyed books by Jasper Fforde or Ben Aaronovitch, you'll probably like this one.

[Marcus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was kind of a hard book for me to read. This wasn't because of the plot or characters, but because of the style that it was written in. The best way for me to describe it is that in was written in a British style. The book is a pretty interesting read, with more than enough humorous moments interwoven in the plot. The main character continuously gets himself into very funny situations that keeps the plot going. Overall it is an interesting read.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual genre, but I am so glad I tried it. Fun, quirky but with a really good story behind it.