The Spanner: A Novella

by P.A. Fenton

Stan Ramble has a problem. He has to explain his job, but he deliberately forgot it five years ago. As pressure mounts on him to produce answers, he realises there's only one thing for it: time travel. Good thing he has Doctor Who on hand to advise him; shame he's a hallucination.

The Spanner is a novella about absurd incompetence trying to dig itself out of a hole.

Kindle Edition

First published October 14, 2012

About the author

I was born in Sydney waaaay back in the seventies, and have spent most of my adult life in London with my wife. We woke up one day to discover we had children, so rather than let them grow up believing the sun to be the stuff of fairy tales, we legged it back to Australia.

I write books which fall somewhere between comedy (dark) and mystery; though some would argue they've been smeared thinly across both with an absurdity spatula.

When I'm not working or writing, I spend my time trying to convince my kids I know more than they do. I only have a small window for this, and it's closing fast.

Reviews

[Kath Middleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paul Fenton’s novella takes the sort of irritating character we may all have come across and blows him completely out of proportion (although I believe this was based on a real character!) Stan Ramble has engineered his project at work so that only he can keep the job going. He has removed from the computer code anything that will allow another person to get to grips with it. He’s horrible and irritating both at work and at home. Eventually, he is found out. We see the ends to which he is driven in order not only to escape that discovery, but to try to reconnect with his son.

Paul Fenton has a genius for humour and this book with its inexorable inevitability reminds me a little of the film ‘Clockwise’ – it’s that rolling out of control that this author does so well. A real treat for fans of the ludicrous (and people with an irritating and obstructive colleague!)

[Barrie Penman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dodges questions with the aplomb of a weaslie MP being cross questioned about fiddling expenses infront of a House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee.
Like some else says "Not sure why I am continuing reading it"
but it is only 111 pages.
Oh! It has just dawned on me why.......

Have added to Educational shelf. Allowed me the oppertunity to experience the effecrt of drugs without indulging.

Currently free on Kindle
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B0...

[Rosie Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a very cleverly written humourous book. The plot became complex but absurd and I did wonder why I was reading it at times. Stan is the ultimate spanner in the works and the character names do make you laugh. Chaos increases as more people get involved in a project that the reader it still left questioning when it all ends with one big final explosion. Where's Stan now?

[Pia Groff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird in a good way. Totally unpredictable.