Negative Feedback

by Eddie Lancaster

Paul Webb - 5 out of 5 stars - Tremendous "Generally when a book is described as being hilarious or so funny the reader couldn't breath, it's often true this isn't the case. However Negative Feedback is genuinely one of the funniest books I've read in years - a perfect escape from the madness and difficulties of 2020. If you need a lift and an amusing escape, download this now."

Jasper and Annie are a pair of jobless no-hopers who have dropped into the cracks between the paving slabs of life. Rather than bothering to climb out, they have embraced their situation and created a life based around doing pretty much nothing. That is, apart from visiting various chronic illness clubs for the free refreshments and selling old cassette tapes online. But when a customer leaves negative feedback for a month old purchase without first making contact, Jasper seeks retribution.

Bernd Tost is a wise old German punk who lives on the top floor and is reputed to have been a Stasi agent during the Cold War. Together they form the Negative Feedback Retribution Squad and discover they have a talent for striking a comical blow for the little people. When their first mission is a massive success they decide to advertise their services online. What follows are a series of increasingly more elaborate revenge windups involving television celebrities, politicians, pop stars and even the clergy. Until predictably, they bite off far more than they can chew and things take a sinister turn. All set against the story of Bernd's former life and exactly how he came to be living at the top of a tower block In a little town called Oldbury.

325 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 1, 2020

About the author

I was born in one of the small towns where Birmingham collides with the Black Country, making me a ‘Yam Yam’. I write comedy novels aimed mainly at my own generation, for folks who enjoy a laugh and don’t take life too seriously; anyone from toilet readers to bored van drivers and those poor souls sitting in a doctors waiting room hoping it’s not bad news. Plots as thin as cigarette paper, held together by a thousand dad gags. Vintage humour from a time before everyone got offended by everything and the difference between a joke and an insult was the expression on the face that said it.

My influences are the ‘golden years’ of film and television - Bless This House, George and Mildred, Carry-On, Man About the House, and more recently, Still Game, Bottom and The Young Ones. There’s a smattering of bad language and the odd knob gag, but very little sex, mainly because I think you have to be good at something in order to write about it! So I usually concentrate on characters who are skint and use them to poke fun at things I probably shouldn’t, subjects I know a lot about, to laugh at a time when life isn’t very funny…

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nup

DNF.

[Simon Burdus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely read. Fun characters and amusing plot.
Very British humour.

[AngelaC · Rating 5 out of 5]

The basic premise is the same as for Jonas Jonasson's "Sweet Sweet Revenge" - a group of friends contacted by members of the public plans retribution for slights, physical injury or unacceptable behaviour.
There are no literary pretentions here, no literary devices, nothing to get it shortlisted for the Booker, Pulitzer etc. It is, though, a really funny book. Totally ridiculous but totally hilarious. To give details of the friends' ideas would be to spoil the read.
Highly recommended.

[Gill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I came across this book completely by accident while looking for an antidote to the boredom of being stuck inside with Covid. What a gem ! The three central characters seem as if they have been plucked from an episode of the young ones and recast as chaotic sleuths out to get revenge for the hard done by. Gut wrenching descriptions, extreme language and darkly comic references to real people and events of the last 40 years.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun read

A down to earth and fun read. Imagine , if you can, the wise cracking noir of a Phillip Marlow based in modern day Black Country. Jasper is no gum shoe, but he and his 'crack' team (his large ,aggressive girlfriend and East German neighbour) just want to get even with a world that all too often tries to undermine the little people. No-one puts Annie in the corner!

[Mr M.S.Skitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

No negative feedback on this book. Best book on a long time

Very funny book that was truly laugh out loud. As well as being very funny it had a great story and well defined character. I hope Eddie Lancaster has written many more books.

[Geoffrey Beaver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Typical Eddie

Plenty of laugh out loud moments as usual plus an unexpected ending.
Only four stars this time as I didn't enjoy as much as his other books.
Clever and funny so recommended.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun read from Eddie Lancaster. Not as laugh out loud as 'The Cheesy Dip' but lots of smiles as I read!

[S A W Steel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just brilliant

Quirky and original, a laugh out loud book best not read on public transport. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.

[HEATHER REYNOLDS · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funniest book I've ever read

Proper laugh out loud stuff. Couldn't put it down.
Looking forward to reading Eddie's other books. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you.

[George Tuffey · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED IT!

A laugh out loud story 🤣.
Eddie is a fantastic storyteller with a keen eye for detailed comedic situations and characters.
The first book I have read in a long time that I personally think could be made into a TV sitcom.
I couldn't put this book down, I read it in a day.
👍🏻

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant haven't laughed this much in ages

I'm not great at reviews and tend to just leave a star rating....well this book indeed needs a little review...Read it and laugh...fab book, all I can say

[Michael Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely hilarious !

Came across this by accident, glad I did,one of the funniest and cleverest plot lines.Hope the author sticks with his writing,brilliant!

[Pamela Felton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Laugh On Every Page



I loved this book. Wonderful characters. Just what I needed in this covid lockdown. A Laugh a minute, loved this book.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I should have heeded the warning on the cover that this was a 'hilarious laugh out loud page turner' and then perhaps I wouldn't have been reading 'Negative Feedback' and made a complete spectacle of myself whilst I was sitting in the sun, directly in front of the car-wash team that were cleaning my car, who became quite edgy in the presence of my poorly suppressed sniggering, that could not stifle the occasional guffaw.
This screwball journey is the story of Jasper, the little man trying to earn a few extra pennies on eBay selling unwanted cassette tapes to a limited market of people yearning for the days when they could listen to their music to a background of noise pollution, distortion and the quiet whirr of the capstan motor as it struggled to keep the magnetic tape from jamming in the various spindles and record and play heads.
He was never going to make more than a bob or two to supplement his meagre state benefit money, so when a troll decides it would be better to post some negative feedback on Jasper's eBay account, rather than contact him directly and demand an exchange or refund. Jasper rallies support from his East German, ageing punk, retired urban guerrilla Bernd Tost, and his heavyweight pugilist girlfriend Annie with a heavy weight diet to match. Together they form the 'Negative Feedback Retribution Squad,' a force to be reckoned with that has no boundaries that it will not cross. The humour in this book is constant throughout the narrative and dialogue with the most outrageous characters. The plot is brilliantly absurd. Chapter Twelve is a masterpiece set in a QVC studio, and the climatic ending featuring German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a stroke of comedy genius. I have now purchased the author's two other publications, 'The Cheesy Dips' and the recently published 'The Sardinian Job.'

[Jenny Snowdon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and well paced

Totally crazy story, but very funny and some great one liners.

The grammar leaves a lot to be desired, but there's a footnote that basically says to excuse the grammar, spelling etc due to being unable to pay for someone to edit the book, so we'll leave it there.

[Portland Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read this on the bus

People might give you strange looks when you start laughing. This book is seriously funny, especially if you know Birmingham well. It feels a bit like you shouldn't be reading it - a guilty pleasure perhaps. Its humour is dated, suited to the time frame the story is set in. A delightfully outrageous, farfetched romp.

[Steve W · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, this was an entertaining read with some funny characters and an imaginative story line. Sometimes there was a bit too much ‘bog humour’ and made light of murder and injury. Final scene was too far-fetched to be credible but nevertheless I enjoyed it.

[Gwynfryn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and entertaining

Funny,funny,funny!
Excellent writing keeps you wanting more.laugh after laugh with the unlikely characters. I know quite a few people like them!

[Pollyanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essy read and very entertaining

If you want a light hearted and a laugh out loud book to cheer you up this book is for you

[Peter Barrass · Rating 5 out of 5]

Realy enjoyed this great fun .

[Donald Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyable book I am looking forward to reading his next one. It is a shame that he has only has written 2 more. Keep writing we need more writers like you at this time

[Phil Altimas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a cross between a love story and a detective novel, it had me laughing out loud as I read it
Loved the characters’ and the story line, yes its farfetched in parts but boy is it funny

[Roger Hughes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I almost gave up on this one early in. It was a slow start and Jasper was not the best character in this, so the early focus on him wasn't grabbing me. Bernd and Annie are by far the best and funniest characters here. But stick with it I did and this got funny and stayed funny. Jasper and his band of dole bludging losers form a retribution squad and mete out justice (for cash) on those done wrong, and the capers gets more elaborate as the story rolls on.

The set pieces are clever, and well executed for maximum fun. The Candle caper TV shopping scenes were hilarious - never has the church been more funnily portrayed as a cynical prayer-selling mafia. The parish kickbacks go all the way to the Vatican, where the pope is the Godfather, and a great pun is had with that.

The 3rd act takes a huge Michael Bay-inspired turn, where things get explosive and bloody, but still played for laughs. Lancaster pulls this off, as he keeps the same tone throughout, regardless of the obvious over-the-topness. I'll be reading more of his stuff, it's good fun.

[jakkicook · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unexpected treasure.

I bought this book by accident! I was going through a phase of reading social commentaries a d didn't read the blurb properly. I was expecting a book on social deprivation on sink estates.
I am so glad I read it. It is laugh out loud funny. It is full of a wealth of weird but likable characters. The situations they create and get themselves into are preposterous and are very visual.
If you like Tom Sharpe, Robert Rankin and Carl Hiasson then you'll probably like this book.
I'll certainly look out for more books by Eddie Lancaster.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit of a slow start to this book for me, but it got a lot better in the second half.

There were some extremely funny scenes, Annie really made the book for me, but I do think some of the humour was trying a little too hard to be funny. The ending was a little abrupt and far-fetched but it's that sort of book, so it wasn't overly irritating.

This book is absurd in a good way and it did have me laughing out loud at times.

3 STARS OUT OF 5.

[Glennjoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frequently hilarious (mis)-adventures of the self-styled A Team of the West Midlands (plus Mucky Barry!) as they set about righting wrongs and avenging misdeeds. Our team of mis-matched vigilantes are flawed, fallible yet strangely endearing as we follow their encounters with crooked clergymen,bent coppers, crazed drug dealers, local TV celebrities and more. Laugh out loud funny from page one this 5 star read has left me avid to read more of the authors work. Highly recommended!

[Patrick Carroll · Rating 3 out of 5]

You do need to be wary of review blurb that insists and authors books are "laugh out loud", however this was an amusing book somewhat reminiscent of Tom Sharpe's style. The plot is fairly similar to Sweet, Sweet, Revenge Limited (Jonas Johanasson) but on a more "Birmingham" scale. Basically a bonkers book but still amusing as the "little" guy wins.

[Alan Cobb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent reading

Quite amusing and entertaining book , story line moves along nicely characters blend into the story line. If you want an action packed non stop action not the book for you, one with humour and feel good factor give it a try might be just what you want, I can only say I enjoyed it.

[Emz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very funny and highly entertaining, this lighthearted, if not poignant, look at lives in Britain presents an original premise executed well. The cast features well-rounded characters placed in comedic and ridiculous situations, making the characters both believable and relatable. Overall, it's thoroughly enjoyable and extremely amusing.