The Further Adventures of Halley's Comet

by John Calvin Batchelor

Book by Batchelor, John Calvin

Genres: Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I s'pose this is the kind of book generally described as a romp, or a caper. But the pace is uneven (in a good way). Let's go with "breakneck" because the turns and corners, stops and starts, spirals, dead sprints... all add up to the Sweet Rollercoaster from Transsexual Transylvania. It's also kind of like The Princess Bride, but its fantastical* and fairytale qualities feel slightly dated. So... not a fairy tale, then.

You could argue that the more complex something (anything!) is, the more it ties itself to a particular place/time/space, and that would explain why this book is so obviously a product of the early '80s. But you could also argue that I wasn't even born then, and consequently, what do I know? Obvious schmobvious.

Reading this did remind me that I've read very little about Vietnam and know very little about it, most likely because my dad was pro- the war (and, improbably, still is) and we never talked about it growing up. This represents a vast gap in my historical and cultural knowledge of the United States.

*I don't know whether fantastical is actually a word.

[Azeem · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting tale of events centered around the 1986 appearance of Halley's comet. Clever and funny, a great read for anyone.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

quite the characterist.

[Pradeep Jayatunga · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did anybody notice the occasional spoofing of Scott's Ivanhoe here?