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lavinia_speaks's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
fwog19's review against another edition
2.0
Oh, goodness. This book. Where do I start?
First, it was pretty obvious that this was a first novel. It wasn't a bad book, but it took me forever to finish it. I enjoyed the characters, but this book felt like listening to a hyper toddler tell a story. It was all over the place with the dialogue and the author couldn't seem to decide on a voice for anyone except Dooly. The author went from making the main character (the Cheeser, Johnathan Bing) sound fairly educated to a backwoods hick in the next sentence. The same went for Professor Wurzle. Starting a sentence with things like "Anyway" made it feel like a very long conversation instead of a book. In some cases, that's a good thing, but I found it to be more annoying and off-putting than anything.
Ah, the blurb. If you read the blurb on the back, you get the idea that the story would have a decent pacing and would move in a sort of straightforward order.
Nope.
Most of the stuff in the blurb happened in the first half of the book. The rest just seemed like filler. I mean, really. WHY would I care that they're sitting at the tiller of the raft for hours? If anyone remembers the LOTR movies and how people complained that there were too many scenes of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas running - this book was WORSE. At least in those movies, you knew that it had a point. (For the record - I LOVED the LOTR books and movies and didn't have an issue with the running scenes.)
I honestly think that this book could have been a third of what it was and told a better story. The author: "Oh crap - my book needs to be at least this many pages. I'd better put in some filler!" Remember the feeling you got in school when you had to write a paper of at least 1000 words and couldn't think of anything to write? Yeah - like that. As for the ending, it's like the author just got bored or distracted and just stopped writing it. Yes, it's the first book in a trilogy, but for Pete's sake. At least give us some lead in to the next book or a definite ending for this part of the story.
The only reason I didn't give this book just one star was because I did like the story, I just wish it had been written better. The characters weren't annoying and Dooly felt like the simple cousin that just hangs around. Part of me wants to read the rest of the series just to see what happens, but this book left me asking "What the heck was the POINT?!" It moved so slowly that I wanted to scream to the author to get to the dang point.
Okay - rant over. Read the book if you want something totally mindless, but if you want to save a brain cell or two, read a comic instead.
First, it was pretty obvious that this was a first novel. It wasn't a bad book, but it took me forever to finish it. I enjoyed the characters, but this book felt like listening to a hyper toddler tell a story. It was all over the place with the dialogue and the author couldn't seem to decide on a voice for anyone except Dooly. The author went from making the main character (the Cheeser, Johnathan Bing) sound fairly educated to a backwoods hick in the next sentence. The same went for Professor Wurzle. Starting a sentence with things like "Anyway" made it feel like a very long conversation instead of a book. In some cases, that's a good thing, but I found it to be more annoying and off-putting than anything.
Ah, the blurb. If you read the blurb on the back, you get the idea that the story would have a decent pacing and would move in a sort of straightforward order.
Nope.
Most of the stuff in the blurb happened in the first half of the book. The rest just seemed like filler. I mean, really. WHY would I care that they're sitting at the tiller of the raft for hours? If anyone remembers the LOTR movies and how people complained that there were too many scenes of Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas running - this book was WORSE. At least in those movies, you knew that it had a point. (For the record - I LOVED the LOTR books and movies and didn't have an issue with the running scenes.)
I honestly think that this book could have been a third of what it was and told a better story. The author: "Oh crap - my book needs to be at least this many pages. I'd better put in some filler!" Remember the feeling you got in school when you had to write a paper of at least 1000 words and couldn't think of anything to write? Yeah - like that. As for the ending, it's like the author just got bored or distracted and just stopped writing it. Yes, it's the first book in a trilogy, but for Pete's sake. At least give us some lead in to the next book or a definite ending for this part of the story.
The only reason I didn't give this book just one star was because I did like the story, I just wish it had been written better. The characters weren't annoying and Dooly felt like the simple cousin that just hangs around. Part of me wants to read the rest of the series just to see what happens, but this book left me asking "What the heck was the POINT?!" It moved so slowly that I wanted to scream to the author to get to the dang point.
Okay - rant over. Read the book if you want something totally mindless, but if you want to save a brain cell or two, read a comic instead.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a pretty big fan of many of Blaylock's sophisticated later works of steampunk and contemporary fantasy, so I was willing to give this one a try. It was his first book, so I was expecting a fairly straightforward fantasy story, and I'd have to say that my expectations were just about met.
The cleverness that Blaylock would later develop into his unique style is demonstrated here mostly as an excess of whimsy. In fact, if you took the most whimsical parts of The Hobbit and cranked up the whimsy factor even more, well... something like this is what you'd end up with. The protagonists were just too cartoonish for me; at times they seemed to be trying to outdo each other in terms of silliness. And the goblin enemies were cartoonishly bad in turn, pathetically portrayed as nasty and mischievous - not really even distinct characters, but more of a gremlin-like force of nature.
When, in the end, it came to the quest to retrieve a time-stopping watch from the dwarf antagonist, things were handled a bit more seriously, but then the continued eccentric dialogue came across more like cutesy banter and seemed out of place.
Would probably have enjoyed this much more in '82 when it was written; reading it now, it's more of a vaguely promising indication of Blaylock's later efforts.
The cleverness that Blaylock would later develop into his unique style is demonstrated here mostly as an excess of whimsy. In fact, if you took the most whimsical parts of The Hobbit and cranked up the whimsy factor even more, well... something like this is what you'd end up with. The protagonists were just too cartoonish for me; at times they seemed to be trying to outdo each other in terms of silliness. And the goblin enemies were cartoonishly bad in turn, pathetically portrayed as nasty and mischievous - not really even distinct characters, but more of a gremlin-like force of nature.
When, in the end, it came to the quest to retrieve a time-stopping watch from the dwarf antagonist, things were handled a bit more seriously, but then the continued eccentric dialogue came across more like cutesy banter and seemed out of place.
Would probably have enjoyed this much more in '82 when it was written; reading it now, it's more of a vaguely promising indication of Blaylock's later efforts.
calvinrain's review against another edition
2.0
This book has some elements to make it a charming fantasy Huck Finn style rafting adventure. The goblin appearences are always enjoyable. Skeletons walking around made for fun old school fantasy.
However, it gets slowed down by prose that is a slog to get through. I found the couple characters that were literally dumb annoying. It's also odd that there isn't one female in the entire book, and the Elf Ship only makes a very brief appearance.
However, it gets slowed down by prose that is a slog to get through. I found the couple characters that were literally dumb annoying. It's also odd that there isn't one female in the entire book, and the Elf Ship only makes a very brief appearance.
galactic_hitchhiker's review against another edition
Приятная книжка, которая, наверно, имела бы большой успех среди меня в 11-12 лет, но для взрослых глаз очень плоскими кажутся все эти приключения ради приключений, баумовско-толкиеновское бестолковое мельтешение, расцвеченное описаниями вкусного сыра и джема (вполне уютными)
squishies's review against another edition
3.0
Almost like Tolkien, where he would describe things and events to almost the last detail... but at least it was almost comical. Almost. So the pace was fairly slow, but it was kinda interesting.
slferg's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first book. Read the second book first and this one explains a lot. I enjoyed the book with the original encounter with the dwarf Selznack and the trip down the river. Some humorous situations and a fun read.
daviddavidkatzman's review against another edition
5.0
I decided to revisit a series that I read in childhood when I discovered randomly that there is a third book in this series, and I had only read the first two. I recall it to be one of the most likable charming stories I had ever read, so we'll see if it holds up.
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After re-reading, I have confirmed my opinion that this was one of the most charming, lighthearted fantasy reads ever. There is no better word than “charming” for the style here. It’s rich with very dry, silly British humor. Not absurdist like Python but more along the tone of P.G. Wodehouse minus the social class commentary. The names alone are worth the price of admission. Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing and his dog Ahab, Professor Wurzel, and Dooly from Twombly Town. And don’t forget the scallywag Theophile Escargot. Someone asked if this was considered a “Young Adult” book. I’d say…it probably is, but I’m not sure it was intended to be. I think he just had a humorous style in mind, some characters and a general plot…that precludes violence, sex or complexity. It’s like asking if The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is Young Adult. No, but it’s kid friendly. The only negative here from a youth perspective is the repetitive action of pipe-smoking.
The story itself follows Bing, Wurzel, the dim-witted Dooly and loyal Ahab on a river float trip, determined to discover why the Elfin trader’s station up river has been abandoned. Bing needs to trade his cheeses for goods and the town is worried about what happened. Dangerously mad goblins have been seen about the forests as well. Suffice it to say that they must confront the nefarious Selznak the Dwarf to lift the darkness affecting the towns.
The subsequent books in this series develop rather darker, spookier and more violently, but the follow-up at least, The Disappearing Dwarf retains the same humorous tone and likable characters. I’m glad I re-read these first two and discovered the third book in the series, The Stone Giant. Nostalgic, yes, but not bad writing at all.
======================
After re-reading, I have confirmed my opinion that this was one of the most charming, lighthearted fantasy reads ever. There is no better word than “charming” for the style here. It’s rich with very dry, silly British humor. Not absurdist like Python but more along the tone of P.G. Wodehouse minus the social class commentary. The names alone are worth the price of admission. Master Cheeser Jonathan Bing and his dog Ahab, Professor Wurzel, and Dooly from Twombly Town. And don’t forget the scallywag Theophile Escargot. Someone asked if this was considered a “Young Adult” book. I’d say…it probably is, but I’m not sure it was intended to be. I think he just had a humorous style in mind, some characters and a general plot…that precludes violence, sex or complexity. It’s like asking if The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is Young Adult. No, but it’s kid friendly. The only negative here from a youth perspective is the repetitive action of pipe-smoking.
The story itself follows Bing, Wurzel, the dim-witted Dooly and loyal Ahab on a river float trip, determined to discover why the Elfin trader’s station up river has been abandoned. Bing needs to trade his cheeses for goods and the town is worried about what happened. Dangerously mad goblins have been seen about the forests as well. Suffice it to say that they must confront the nefarious Selznak the Dwarf to lift the darkness affecting the towns.
The subsequent books in this series develop rather darker, spookier and more violently, but the follow-up at least, The Disappearing Dwarf retains the same humorous tone and likable characters. I’m glad I re-read these first two and discovered the third book in the series, The Stone Giant. Nostalgic, yes, but not bad writing at all.
willem179's review against another edition
2.0
BLaylock is a very good writer with a brilliant style, good characterizations, lively descriptions. The story, however, is drowned in a long sequence of random accidents, which the hero has to surmount. For me too dull in the long run.