Earth, Air, Fire and Custard

Taking a break from the Neal Stephenson epic, last weekend was spent reading the one of the latest from Tom Holt. Earth, Air, Fire and Custard is the third in his series that started with The Portable Door set in what must be one of the weirdest places to work. Weirder even than a UK government department. I’ll let you read about it if you want, rather then trying to explain. I don’t think I could.

What’s so good about these books is the way Holt can get across the feeling that for his main characters this is just like the most mundane, boring job that I’ve ever done, despite all the chaos and mayhem that is going on around them. And there is certainly plenty of that! As well as the filing.

It’s good to try not to worry about working out just what the hell is going on for a while safe in the knowledge that it will all be explained sometime, somehow. Maybe.

I also really like a bit at the end where one of the characters is asked to explain New Zealand to another: “Well I don’t really know a lot. It’s sort of near Australia, and the people are sort of like Australians only not quite so bouncy, and they filmed the Lord of the Rings there, and I think that’s about it really.” Sums it up really!

Really good fun.

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