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Sir Apropos of Nothing #1
Sir Apropos of Nothing
Fatherless, estranged from his prostitute mother, and the product of a violent, abusive childhood, Apropos makes his living as a thief, until the death of a young girl prompts him to question his dark existence and forges an unlikely alliance with a noble hero who could change his life forever. Reprint.
672 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2001
About the author
Peter David
3,482 books1,308 followersaka David Peters
Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff". David is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real world issues with humor and references to popular culture. He also uses metafiction frequently, usually to humorous effect, as in his work on the comic book Young Justice.
Peter Allen David (often abbreviated PAD) is an American writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff". David is noted for his prolific writing, characterized by its mingling of real world issues with humor and references to popular culture. He also uses metafiction frequently, usually to humorous effect, as in his work on the comic book Young Justice.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 162 reviews
January 18, 2009
I enjoyed this book because it was very clever. I enjoyed the puns and the humour in the language. I thought that what Apropos did wasn't nice or kind in anyway, but there was character growth and it definitely kept things interesting. I've never read a book about an anti-hero before (well, not quite like this one!) so it was a wonderful change of pace.
There is some sex in it, but it's not smutty. There is some violence in it, but it's not gory. It's fairly middle of the road as far as objectionable content goes, but the story is pretty great.
There is some sex in it, but it's not smutty. There is some violence in it, but it's not gory. It's fairly middle of the road as far as objectionable content goes, but the story is pretty great.
March 31, 2017
"He had no idea who I was. He fell in love with what he thought was a peasant girl. It was only recently that he learned who I truly was . . . and vowed to me that he would take me away with him and we would live happily ever after."
"Four words that have no business in each other's company," I snorted. "One doesn't live ever after. One dies. And there's very little happily about it."
"Four words that have no business in each other's company," I snorted. "One doesn't live ever after. One dies. And there's very little happily about it."
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March 19, 2011Terry Pratchett and Diana Wynne Jones are known for how they brilliantly send up well-worn fantasy cliches. Peter David, in this fantasy about a limping base-born boy who is in a rage at an unfair world, also sends up a bunch of fantasy tropes, including some funny twists on common terms that get reinvented (The Harpies Bizarre being one of the most, er, compelling); but the humor is uncomfortably juxtaposed against some really ugly stuff. Heroes do horrible things, including the main character. At one point the hero and the heroine are obviously eating human meat, though they don't know it, but the reader does, and is shuddering. There is a long and rather unnecessary rant in the middle (we get the point already!) but even so I kept reading, and reading, and reading, until the end. Colorful prose, non-stop action, unexpected twists, characters reappearing at odd times, interesting revelations from what you think are stock characters, all made it a wild roller coaster ride. Just don't expect the funnies to be comfortable.
March 5, 2017
This book has been on my radar for quite some time. I hadn't really read a summary in recent years, but I had this image in my head of something like Piers Anthony's Xanth series, but maybe less sexist. You know, light and humorous fantasy with lots of puns and playing with traditional fantasy tropes. Which was kind of accurate, but also really not. You see, Sir Apropos of Nothing is actually much more dark than I ever suspected. There are some majorly bad things that happen, such as gang rape, murder, bullying, etc. They are not presented positively, but they are major parts of the story, and if they are things you prefer to avoid, then I suggest that this book is probably not for you.
For me, though, it turned out really well. I traditionally struggle with more humorous fantasy, with authors like Terry Pratchett being very hit or miss for me. But Peter David's writing had just enough darkness and satire to it to actually make parts of it very funny to me. Also, I found the random puns scattered throughout to be a real treat. I love wordplay like that, it really floated my boat here.
The main character, Apropos, was also really great. I'll warn you right now; he's a jerk and a coward. He will make decisions based on saving his own skin, and they will be terrible things to do to another person. And yet, I really grew to like him anyway. Admittedly, it was a kind of mocking affection. Things would blow up in his face, and I would just sit back and laugh at him. I found myself talking to him all the time, partially because I listened to this book on audio, and partially because I was just so wrapped up in the story and couldn't help but respond. Apropos really feels like a real person, and that made the entire experience of listening to his story just that much more enjoyable.
I was also very impressed by the pacing. It's a longer book, but a lot happens in it. I think the slowest part is the section on Apropos's childhood, but that serves as a vital set-up to the rest of the book, but the rest of it flows quickly from one disaster to the next. In the last quarter of the book, when things looked like they were just about to be wrapped up, I started to get a little confused. It seemed like a happy ending for all, so why did I still have hours left to listen? Well, turns out that things could go completely wrong several more times! Every time I thought the action was dying down, it ramped right back up again.
Finally, I have to mention the audiobook. I listened to a GraphicAudio version of this story. For those who don't know, GraphicAudio does different voice actors for different characters and sound effects in background. It's kind of like listening to a TV show. At first, I wasn't a huge fan. I thought that some of the background noises were terribly distracting, and for the first hour or so I wasn't sure that I would be able to continue with it. However, once I got used to it, it really grew on me a lot. Now, I feel like the GraphicAudio version of the story truly lent the story depth and entertainment value that I might not have gotten just from reading the book. So, if you like audiobooks, I'd definitely recommend this as a possible audio read!
For me, though, it turned out really well. I traditionally struggle with more humorous fantasy, with authors like Terry Pratchett being very hit or miss for me. But Peter David's writing had just enough darkness and satire to it to actually make parts of it very funny to me. Also, I found the random puns scattered throughout to be a real treat. I love wordplay like that, it really floated my boat here.
The main character, Apropos, was also really great. I'll warn you right now; he's a jerk and a coward. He will make decisions based on saving his own skin, and they will be terrible things to do to another person. And yet, I really grew to like him anyway. Admittedly, it was a kind of mocking affection. Things would blow up in his face, and I would just sit back and laugh at him. I found myself talking to him all the time, partially because I listened to this book on audio, and partially because I was just so wrapped up in the story and couldn't help but respond. Apropos really feels like a real person, and that made the entire experience of listening to his story just that much more enjoyable.
I was also very impressed by the pacing. It's a longer book, but a lot happens in it. I think the slowest part is the section on Apropos's childhood, but that serves as a vital set-up to the rest of the book, but the rest of it flows quickly from one disaster to the next. In the last quarter of the book, when things looked like they were just about to be wrapped up, I started to get a little confused. It seemed like a happy ending for all, so why did I still have hours left to listen? Well, turns out that things could go completely wrong several more times! Every time I thought the action was dying down, it ramped right back up again.
Finally, I have to mention the audiobook. I listened to a GraphicAudio version of this story. For those who don't know, GraphicAudio does different voice actors for different characters and sound effects in background. It's kind of like listening to a TV show. At first, I wasn't a huge fan. I thought that some of the background noises were terribly distracting, and for the first hour or so I wasn't sure that I would be able to continue with it. However, once I got used to it, it really grew on me a lot. Now, I feel like the GraphicAudio version of the story truly lent the story depth and entertainment value that I might not have gotten just from reading the book. So, if you like audiobooks, I'd definitely recommend this as a possible audio read!
February 19, 2015
I don't know what my feelings are on rating a book I haven't finished, but I have realized that I will never rate any book I have finished 1 star because I don't finish books that are that bad.
So, let's use a little simile. When I was 14, I had a best friend, and my best friend and I wrote novels like crazy. We were our only readers. My best friend's primary character was a down-on-his luck, cast off, cynical royal who had left the castle go adventuring. The intro quote to her first novel about this guy was, "Never trust a man who attempts to appraise the value of your teeth."
This book, as far as I could get, read EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Uncannily. Which means the prose and plotting were pretty good for an unpublished 14yo girl -- not a highly successful media author whose other work I have enjoyed.
I would think that all the happy nostalgia the first chapter brought on would have kept me reading, but even I can't get invested in prose that bad by someone I don't care about. The last time I was in touch with that old friend, she was in her 20s, and her writing was better.
I suppose it deserves 2 for being a dark satire with great ideas. I know there were great ideas because I listened to the synopsis at book club. If the book had read like those synopses, I wouldn't have been able to put it down.
So, let's use a little simile. When I was 14, I had a best friend, and my best friend and I wrote novels like crazy. We were our only readers. My best friend's primary character was a down-on-his luck, cast off, cynical royal who had left the castle go adventuring. The intro quote to her first novel about this guy was, "Never trust a man who attempts to appraise the value of your teeth."
This book, as far as I could get, read EXACTLY LIKE THAT. Uncannily. Which means the prose and plotting were pretty good for an unpublished 14yo girl -- not a highly successful media author whose other work I have enjoyed.
I would think that all the happy nostalgia the first chapter brought on would have kept me reading, but even I can't get invested in prose that bad by someone I don't care about. The last time I was in touch with that old friend, she was in her 20s, and her writing was better.
I suppose it deserves 2 for being a dark satire with great ideas. I know there were great ideas because I listened to the synopsis at book club. If the book had read like those synopses, I wouldn't have been able to put it down.
October 19, 2016
3,5/5 stars. I would have enjoyed this book much more had it been a couple of hundred pages less. The hero - a person many of us would recognize as an exact portrayal of ourselves behaving like normal humans more often than not - ended up too goody good for my taste, while whining about being a selfish, egotistical bastard throughout the whole book. And no, I wasn't convinced by the "character evolution", nor by the flaming romance with the princess, not to mention that he lightly brushed off [spoiler alert] the grossness of what happened towards the end after finding out the truth about her [spoiler].
I rounded my rating to 4 stars for the originality of Entipy's naming, and for the admittedly unexpected plot twist at the end. Not sure whether I'll read the next volume, especially if it's not audio.
I rounded my rating to 4 stars for the originality of Entipy's naming, and for the admittedly unexpected plot twist at the end. Not sure whether I'll read the next volume, especially if it's not audio.
January 9, 2010
This book was based on a highly amusing basic premise, that of a main character who is something of an antihero: he's not of noble birth (other than being a noble bastard), he's not brave, honorable, a mighty warrior, etc, etc, etc, but is rather self-centered, cowardly, cynical, and lame, but manages to get himself into the world of knights & nobility anyway. As I say, an amusing concept, but one which started to wear thin after a while. I was going to give the book a poor rating as a result, but eventually there actually WAS some character development, and the character evolved into someone who I actually began to like. It's possible that the development took a little longer than it should (which is why I only gave the book four stars) but it's also possible that I was simply not being sufficiently patient, and that if it had happened more quickly, it would have been insufficiently gradual and thus plausible. I'm just not sure.
December 24, 2008
I'm afraid my review is a bit biased: the writing of the story is brilliant, the originality of it is both incredibly bold and astonishingly fresh. I just say that I loathe the book for the disgusting taste the main character left in my mouth when I was through with the book. I don't mind an anti-hero, I don't mind flawed heroes. I DO mind books with characters that lack a moral center, and revel in anger, revenge, and jealousy...when all of these emotions are aimed at friends and people who help him.
November 5, 2014
I seem to write nothing but negative reviews lately (and even if they're not negative they still see me underwhelmed by a book all too often). Trust me, I wish I weren't because reading bad books is not something I enjoy. Unfortunately I cannot always tell with 100% accuracy whether I'm going to like a book before I start. These things happen, and it appears I've simply had a streak of bad luck with my reading. I'm hoping with each book I start that this will be the one to break the chain!
Well, Sir Apropos of Nothing was not the one to lift the curse. If you're into book related in-jokes you might almost say it was not his destiny to be.
All in all I found this book to be pretty disappointing. I went to this knowing it was regarded as a satire of the fantasy novel genre, but I found it lacking in the qualities I expect the most from satire: thinking. Questioning.
The reason why I felt Sir Apropos of Nothing followed more of the well-trodden paths of Sword & Sorcery novels of the lowest order rather than subverting them is that it is such a flat novel! There is zero meat to its world-building. It uses the usually inane tropes and staples of the more trivial fantasy novels (like standing armies in a feudal agricultural society, mook-soldiers following a hive-mind, villains fashioning furniture out of small childrens' bones, villains monologuing to the heros for seven pages(! bloody hell!) without being interrupted once), without questioning them. The only thing that is subverted in this book is the naive, romantic outlook on heros and destiny found often in more allegorical fantasy classics like Lord of the Rings or The Last Unicorn.
While cruelly mocking the naivité presented in those works the book overlooks its own naive world-building. Ultimately this has the effect of creating a world that simply isn't cohesive. It's no surprise that other deconstructions of Fantasy works that I've actually liked and love (Discworld, Derkholm) run on completely opposite paths. They show an understanding of, play with, and actually do some thinking on the genre and motifs and general themes of humanity they question, and pull it all off in a lot more encompassing manner, rather than just focussing on one part and handwaving the rest.
Also, these other works stick to their own rules. On Discworld for example everything runs on the rules of narrative. Unlike the world of Apropos where it's just the magical beasts and the barbaric Warlords who behave like they are living out a Sword & Sorcery novel for no reason at all, while everyone around them just appears to accept it, despite the narration trying to present them as sceptics ... it doesn't really make a lot of cohesive sense. Like, some characters/creatures of this book, without any connection to each other, could have walked straight out of a Discworld novel. But at the same time the book tries to make a point about how stories are just stories and there's no place for these things in reality -- apart from the very examples of this that are a huge part of the reality of this fictional world.
It simply doesn't add up for me. The point the book is making gets lost because at some points the book itself realises that the stories are simply a lot more entertaining than cynical reality -- only for these moments of clarity to pass and be taken over by a contradictory message. It's incoherent, incohesive, in plain old English: muddled.
And it is dull! Oh is it ever so dull! These characters talk too much and it is all so uninteresting I had to force myself not to start skimming just in case I might have missed a bit of dialogue actually relevant to something I might care about (not a lot of that in this book).
Oh, and finally, I guess the type of humour employed here simply wasn't my cup of tea. The puns annoyed me. The fact that the book goes to extreme lengths to set up a joke over pages and pages of narrated background info would have impressed me more if I actually had laughed at the jokes that were the point of these ginourmous backtracks. The references to vastly superior works of Fantasy only amused me because it is kinda comical to watch a book try and take a jab at the big ones when the book itself is doing so poorly entertaining its reader. And I simply don't find people being raped to death all for the sake of a pun funny. I'm sorry if that makes me a wuss too unrefined to enjoy true black humour.
I'm still rating this two stars because the book does have a couple of themes that are actually valid and interesting enough to be explored: Like the complete and utter cynic Apropos developing something akin to a conscience or empathy. Or how his quest to defy destiny actually led to him still being trapped by destiny. Also, I guess this book is enjoyable to some people -- who arguably have a vastly different sense of humour than me, and who enjoy the puns and jokes enough to overlook how flat this world is that Apropos travels.
Well, Sir Apropos of Nothing was not the one to lift the curse. If you're into book related in-jokes you might almost say it was not his destiny to be.
All in all I found this book to be pretty disappointing. I went to this knowing it was regarded as a satire of the fantasy novel genre, but I found it lacking in the qualities I expect the most from satire: thinking. Questioning.
The reason why I felt Sir Apropos of Nothing followed more of the well-trodden paths of Sword & Sorcery novels of the lowest order rather than subverting them is that it is such a flat novel! There is zero meat to its world-building. It uses the usually inane tropes and staples of the more trivial fantasy novels (like standing armies in a feudal agricultural society, mook-soldiers following a hive-mind, villains fashioning furniture out of small childrens' bones, villains monologuing to the heros for seven pages(! bloody hell!) without being interrupted once), without questioning them. The only thing that is subverted in this book is the naive, romantic outlook on heros and destiny found often in more allegorical fantasy classics like Lord of the Rings or The Last Unicorn.
While cruelly mocking the naivité presented in those works the book overlooks its own naive world-building. Ultimately this has the effect of creating a world that simply isn't cohesive. It's no surprise that other deconstructions of Fantasy works that I've actually liked and love (Discworld, Derkholm) run on completely opposite paths. They show an understanding of, play with, and actually do some thinking on the genre and motifs and general themes of humanity they question, and pull it all off in a lot more encompassing manner, rather than just focussing on one part and handwaving the rest.
Also, these other works stick to their own rules. On Discworld for example everything runs on the rules of narrative. Unlike the world of Apropos where it's just the magical beasts and the barbaric Warlords who behave like they are living out a Sword & Sorcery novel for no reason at all, while everyone around them just appears to accept it, despite the narration trying to present them as sceptics ... it doesn't really make a lot of cohesive sense. Like, some characters/creatures of this book, without any connection to each other, could have walked straight out of a Discworld novel. But at the same time the book tries to make a point about how stories are just stories and there's no place for these things in reality -- apart from the very examples of this that are a huge part of the reality of this fictional world.
It simply doesn't add up for me. The point the book is making gets lost because at some points the book itself realises that the stories are simply a lot more entertaining than cynical reality -- only for these moments of clarity to pass and be taken over by a contradictory message. It's incoherent, incohesive, in plain old English: muddled.
And it is dull! Oh is it ever so dull! These characters talk too much and it is all so uninteresting I had to force myself not to start skimming just in case I might have missed a bit of dialogue actually relevant to something I might care about (not a lot of that in this book).
Oh, and finally, I guess the type of humour employed here simply wasn't my cup of tea. The puns annoyed me. The fact that the book goes to extreme lengths to set up a joke over pages and pages of narrated background info would have impressed me more if I actually had laughed at the jokes that were the point of these ginourmous backtracks. The references to vastly superior works of Fantasy only amused me because it is kinda comical to watch a book try and take a jab at the big ones when the book itself is doing so poorly entertaining its reader. And I simply don't find people being raped to death all for the sake of a pun funny. I'm sorry if that makes me a wuss too unrefined to enjoy true black humour.
I'm still rating this two stars because the book does have a couple of themes that are actually valid and interesting enough to be explored: Like the complete and utter cynic Apropos developing something akin to a conscience or empathy. Or how his quest to defy destiny actually led to him still being trapped by destiny. Also, I guess this book is enjoyable to some people -- who arguably have a vastly different sense of humour than me, and who enjoy the puns and jokes enough to overlook how flat this world is that Apropos travels.
October 19, 2009
It's been almost three weeks since I had the time or inclination to pick up a novel. I don't exactly know why I've struggled to read lately, but getting back into the literary arts was certainly something on my agenda. And with what a title to start...
"there's nothing like seeing twenty armed men arriving too late to do anything about a disaster that truly stirs the heart to bursting with emotion."
That's the entire ambiance of this novel. Every joke, gibe, jape and jest appears to be one thing but turns out to be something utterly different. Even the characters break the mould.
"I am by trade neither writer nor historian; I am merely a master of fabrication, which I am told is all one requires to take up either of the aforementioned pursuits."
So says Apropos, hero, narrator, look-out of his own fait and nothing else. Apropos is quite a messed-up guy, and his chronicled adventures in this novel kept me highly entertained from start to finish. the language is so well used that it's almost impossible to imagine things going any other way, but it doesn't stop there. the environs and universe in which the novel is set is by no means done in sweeping grandeur, but we get enough detail to know what's going on at any time.
characterisation, dialog and pithy insight make the novel a cut above anything I've read for a while, and it's great fun to read - one feels as if one is peering over Apropos' shoulder and peeking into his hapless misfortunes.
"It was disconcerting to realize that I was in agreement with someone whom I considered to be only slightly smarter than a mushroom I'd just mashed beneath my foot."
Apropos himself is hardly the sort of hero one wants to feel kinship with - in fact, I can hardly stand him, as a person. Although he is generally true to his ethos, and there's something to be said for that - he's also a first rate top-class egoist. as much as I may dislike him, though, the twists, turns and surprises thrown at me throughout this book made me utterly unable to put it down. I hate apropos, but I love reading about him, and so there's no doubt I intend to stuff a sock in my mouth to stop myself from laughing, and go pick up the next book in the hopes that the story is continued with accustomed aplomb.
"there's nothing like seeing twenty armed men arriving too late to do anything about a disaster that truly stirs the heart to bursting with emotion."
That's the entire ambiance of this novel. Every joke, gibe, jape and jest appears to be one thing but turns out to be something utterly different. Even the characters break the mould.
"I am by trade neither writer nor historian; I am merely a master of fabrication, which I am told is all one requires to take up either of the aforementioned pursuits."
So says Apropos, hero, narrator, look-out of his own fait and nothing else. Apropos is quite a messed-up guy, and his chronicled adventures in this novel kept me highly entertained from start to finish. the language is so well used that it's almost impossible to imagine things going any other way, but it doesn't stop there. the environs and universe in which the novel is set is by no means done in sweeping grandeur, but we get enough detail to know what's going on at any time.
characterisation, dialog and pithy insight make the novel a cut above anything I've read for a while, and it's great fun to read - one feels as if one is peering over Apropos' shoulder and peeking into his hapless misfortunes.
"It was disconcerting to realize that I was in agreement with someone whom I considered to be only slightly smarter than a mushroom I'd just mashed beneath my foot."
Apropos himself is hardly the sort of hero one wants to feel kinship with - in fact, I can hardly stand him, as a person. Although he is generally true to his ethos, and there's something to be said for that - he's also a first rate top-class egoist. as much as I may dislike him, though, the twists, turns and surprises thrown at me throughout this book made me utterly unable to put it down. I hate apropos, but I love reading about him, and so there's no doubt I intend to stuff a sock in my mouth to stop myself from laughing, and go pick up the next book in the hopes that the story is continued with accustomed aplomb.
September 15, 2008
The main character is an ass and unfortuntely, he fails to be an ass in that smart-aleck, secretly kind-hearted way that some anti-heros manage to pull off so well. Bottom line: a book about an ass. Thank you Peter David. Because I don't have to deal with enough asses on a day-to-day basis. *rolls eyes*
April 22, 2022
After reading a bunch of Peter David's old Hulk comics, I decided to check out one of his novels (not realizing that he wrote Imzadi, an AMAZING Star Trek: The Next Generation novel that I read a while back).
This book is really good. It takes all of your standard fantasy tropes and viciously skewers them.
It is also really, really funny.
This book is really good. It takes all of your standard fantasy tropes and viciously skewers them.
It is also really, really funny.
December 1, 2008
I read to page 94 of this book (out of 647). I didn't like the writing style. It seemed incohesive and jumbled. There were a lot of over-used cliches. And the main character seemed to have "I was there" first-hand knowledge of events that happened before he was even born. Please.
February 15, 2010
I'm not quite sure how to classify this book. It has so many different elements! I mean, its a fantasy, for sure. And it's funny, very funny. And yet, it isn't typical to any genre I've ever read.
Apropos of Nothing is the perfect anti-hero. He looks out for number one, first and formost. Actually, I'll go further than that. He really doesn't care about anyone else, except for his mother. Damsels in distress? Don't call on Apropos!
Apropos is the son of a whore. Begot by rape, one night, by knights. He is raised in an inn, where his mother worked, by day and night. As he grows up, he realizes just how discontent he is with life in general.
His adventures include a would-be hero, a mad King, a not mad King, a dreaded War-lord, a berserk phoenix, a possibly psychotic princess, and crazy unicorns...all of which he endures most unwillingly.
Here is a favorite passage, from the very beginning of the book:
This sets the tone for the whole novel. Peter David is probably the wittiest author that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy about Sir Apropos, of Nothing.
Apropos of Nothing is the perfect anti-hero. He looks out for number one, first and formost. Actually, I'll go further than that. He really doesn't care about anyone else, except for his mother. Damsels in distress? Don't call on Apropos!
Apropos is the son of a whore. Begot by rape, one night, by knights. He is raised in an inn, where his mother worked, by day and night. As he grows up, he realizes just how discontent he is with life in general.
His adventures include a would-be hero, a mad King, a not mad King, a dreaded War-lord, a berserk phoenix, a possibly psychotic princess, and crazy unicorns...all of which he endures most unwillingly.
Here is a favorite passage, from the very beginning of the book:
As I stood there with the sword in my hand, the blade dripping blood on the floor, I couldn't help but wonder if the blood belonged to my father.
The entire thing had happened so quickly that I wasn't quite sure how to react. Part of me wanted to laugh, but most of me fairly cringed at what had just occurred. I didn't do particularly well with blood. This tended to be something of a hardship for one endeavoring to become a knight, dedicated to serving good King Runcible of Isteria, a ruler who more often than not had his heart in the right place.
The recently slain knight also had his heart in the right place. This had turned out to be something of an inconvenience for him. After all, if his heart had been in the wrong place, then the sword wouldn't have pierced it through, and he wouldn't be dead, and I wouldn't have been in such a fix.
This sets the tone for the whole novel. Peter David is probably the wittiest author that I have ever had the pleasure of reading, and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book in the trilogy about Sir Apropos, of Nothing.
January 17, 2013
Here's the thing: I give this three stars because I honestly don't know what I feel about it, and that seems like a good middle ground.
The thing about Peter David's antihero Apropos is that he is indeed an antihero. In fact, he takes antiheroism to the Nth degree. He makes an art form out of antiheroism. On the one hand, that's awesome, and bold, and brilliant, and creative, and very well done. On the other, I hated everyone in this book pretty much all the time. This makes reading a book rather difficult.
The first half of the book is backstory, and it admits it's backstory--one of the things I didn't like about this was how often Apropos (as narrator) breaks the fourth wall, and not for funny things, but to just check in with the reader and make sure you're still there. And it's not fun backstory; for all the fact that there's a lot of snide and often subtle humor in this book, there's a whole lot of violence and anger and ugliness, too. And Apropos pulls no punches (although I have no idea how he would have come by most of the details he so willingly imparts to us; didn't buy the near-omniscient narrator thing), because he's even angrier about it than you are. Mostly. If it doesn't cost him too much to be so.
So it's not until the second half of the book (which isn't short) that the characters become anything other than Disney-gone-to-jail-and-shanked-a-few-times. And even then, they're still that, but in a you-can't-help-having-a-hero kind of way. So there are some really good moments. But then, because there's a sequel, it all goes to hell. (Spoiler alert.)
So the book is clever. And there are some great wordplays and other assorted jokes thrown in that I really appreciated. I like how David plays with--consciously--the hero narrative, and the idea of narratives, and what happens when the plan gets shirked. But I think he took it too far, and lost me in that bonding moment with the characters in which I was about as happy as the phoenix to be yanked along on this grumpy accident of an adventure.
The thing about Peter David's antihero Apropos is that he is indeed an antihero. In fact, he takes antiheroism to the Nth degree. He makes an art form out of antiheroism. On the one hand, that's awesome, and bold, and brilliant, and creative, and very well done. On the other, I hated everyone in this book pretty much all the time. This makes reading a book rather difficult.
The first half of the book is backstory, and it admits it's backstory--one of the things I didn't like about this was how often Apropos (as narrator) breaks the fourth wall, and not for funny things, but to just check in with the reader and make sure you're still there. And it's not fun backstory; for all the fact that there's a lot of snide and often subtle humor in this book, there's a whole lot of violence and anger and ugliness, too. And Apropos pulls no punches (although I have no idea how he would have come by most of the details he so willingly imparts to us; didn't buy the near-omniscient narrator thing), because he's even angrier about it than you are. Mostly. If it doesn't cost him too much to be so.
So it's not until the second half of the book (which isn't short) that the characters become anything other than Disney-gone-to-jail-and-shanked-a-few-times. And even then, they're still that, but in a you-can't-help-having-a-hero kind of way. So there are some really good moments. But then, because there's a sequel, it all goes to hell. (Spoiler alert.)
So the book is clever. And there are some great wordplays and other assorted jokes thrown in that I really appreciated. I like how David plays with--consciously--the hero narrative, and the idea of narratives, and what happens when the plan gets shirked. But I think he took it too far, and lost me in that bonding moment with the characters in which I was about as happy as the phoenix to be yanked along on this grumpy accident of an adventure.
December 26, 2014
Picked up this book at a used book store in Pike Place Market when I realized my bus book wasn't going to get it done. It was an excellent bus book. The pages turned. I can't say that I liked our main character, Apropos. He was mostly a dick. But Peter David did a nice job of playing with the unsympathetic hero/side kick trope and making me have sympathy for the guy even while I despised him for violating Wheaton's Law again and again. I liked it a WHOLE lot more than I liked Un Lun Dun, perhaps because it's total lack of pretension.
The best review I read of this? http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php.... This is a book that knows where it's towel is.
The best review I read of this? http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php.... This is a book that knows where it's towel is.
March 25, 2024
I didn’t love this book. It opens with a gang rape and events only get darker from there. It’s trying to send up the Glorious Days of Yore tropes but I personally didn’t find it funny enough. There are a lot of puns but those can feel quite forced, particularly as some take several pages to set up.
Apropos has a lame leg which does limit his activity but I would have liked to hear more about what he uses to adapt his activities (how does he mount a horse, for example).
Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if the book had been a little shorter and the pacing a little tighter but it was too rambling and too dark for me.
Apropos has a lame leg which does limit his activity but I would have liked to hear more about what he uses to adapt his activities (how does he mount a horse, for example).
Maybe I would have enjoyed this more if the book had been a little shorter and the pacing a little tighter but it was too rambling and too dark for me.
June 12, 2017
Not the best of David's work, but very enjoyable. The character starts out insufferable but grows on you and actually grows up during the storytelling. I admit I saw most of the punchlines a mile away, but still enjoyed the telling of the tale.
March 3, 2018
Shelf Life – Sir Apropos of Nothing Skewers the Hero’s Journey
Fantasy and satire are two of my favorite genres in any medium, but especially so in books. Satirical fantasy, then, holds a special place on my shelves. I grew up on Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and desire to imitate him and his style is what led me in middle school to begin writing in earnest, for fun, and for myself rather than just for my teachers and their assignments.
So when I picked up Sir Apropos of Nothing, I did so based on the title pun and the back-of-the-book synopsis that promised “a berserk phoenix, murderous unicorns, mutated harpies, homicidal warrior kings, and – most problematic of all – a princess who may or may not be a psychotic arsonist.” I expected another lighthearted riff on the familiar archetypes. Murderous unicorns? Unicorns are not typically described as such! Oh teehee, how unexpectedly humorous!
Sir Apropos of Nothing is a satirical fantasy, just like it promised, though at times it’s hard to tell how much of the story is played for laughs and how much is played straight. See, the thing about satire that’s easy to forget at times is that it’s not synonymous with buffoonery. Make no mistake – Apropos is a funny book, full of witty dialogue and groan-inducing puns. It’s a book that takes great delight in lampshading traditional fantasy tropes and archetypes, as well as the entirety of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey idea. But it is not always a silly lampshade; sometimes a cliche or trope is pointed out to have its inherit ridiculousness laughed at, and sometimes it is pointed out because it is causing real and lasting pain or damage, either to the society in which it is set or, more often, to the titular Apropos himself and his ever-degrading esteem of both the people around him and himself.
The tone, at first, is hard to pin down. The story starts in media res with the main character being caught by a knight while in mid-coitus with that knight’s wife and escalates from there. The second chapter opens with a fourth wall-breaking narrative admission by Apropos himself that this was done with the express purpose of catching your attention, and now we’re going back to cover Apropos’s childhood, which ends up being equal parts dark, tragic, punny, and conveniently trope-filled – all of which Apropos, as narrator, approaches with the same resigned, blasé outlook.
If this sounds a bit jarring, well, it kind of is. Early on, I wasn’t sure what to think of where the story was trying to go or what I was expected to feel about it. After the first turn from cliché to dark and visceral to light and punny, all within a few pages, I caught myself thinking, “Crap, is this book gonna try and mix goofy jokes with serious drama and thoughtful moral quandary?”
The answer is yes. And it pulls it off fantastically.
This is due in large part to the interesting depths of the antihero, Apropos, who seems to be so named purely for the joke in the title. In Apropos we see a deep sense of justice and rightness that is entirely eclipsed by an even deeper cynicism and an unshakeable instinct for self-preservation. His life is objectively terrible, but rather than brood and lament, he adjusts. He keeps his head down when he can, weathers abuse when he can’t, and learns to deal with the constant shit storm, all the while bottling his growing anger and resentment at a world that would allow such amounts of suffering and hypocrisy to go unchecked. The fact that he himself becomes a selfish, hypocritical, and generally awful person is not lost on him, and the result is a flawed, unheroic, pathetic coward of a protagonist, a magnificently multifaceted bastard who doesn’t spare even himself from his vast and withering contempt.
And it’s a blast. It really is. Apropos is refreshingly pragmatic and unabashedly pessimistic, a welcome change from the typical righteous-yet-humble heroes of traditional fantasy, or even the loveable and untalented everyman in over his head of traditional fantasy spoofs. Despite a portentous birthmark (on his ass, no less) and beginnings that are not “humble” so much as “poverty of the dirtiest kind,” Apropos is everything a hero should not be short of outright evil.
And this, as it turns out, is entirely the point. This is where the satire, funny or otherwise, really shines through. This is the crux that elevates Sir Apropos of Nothing from a generically self-aware fantasy story to an original and memorable subversion of storytelling as a whole.
Without giving too much away, there comes a point in the plot where Apropos realizes that the events surrounding his miserable life are part of a heroic tale that has been preordained by Fate and is now being epically written out by Destiny. And despite his birthmark, his tragic past, and his mother’s constant reassurances that he has some sort of great destiny hovering over him, he is not the hero. He is only a minor character. A walk-on role on the hero’s stage. A brief pit-stop along the hero’s journey. An NPC whose dreams, desires, and continued existence are so far below importance to the story as to be utterly negligible.
And once this finally clicks with him, he violently, brazenly rebels against it. He gives an emphatic middle finger to Fate’s ideas and sets about making Destiny sit up and take notice of him again. He momentarily and violently overcomes his own abject cowardice just long enough to find a way to completely wreck the traditional heroic ballad in which he lives, all on the basis that, dammit, the world owes him more than this, and nobody should be so miserably cursed as to live their entire life as a foil character.
At this point in my own reading, I didn’t know whether to cheer him on or worry about the repercussions of his actions, because he doesn’t suddenly become heroic when this happens. He’s exactly as much of a selfish, lying bastard as before, and however bad you feel for him, you can completely understand why he was never cast for this role in the first place. Add to this the complete disregard of the author for following what seems to be the obvious progression of events in favor of twists that take you completely by surprise, but still make complete sense and arise organically from the story itself, and you eventually give up thinking that you have any sense of where the story’s going or how any event is going to play out. From beginning to end, it feeds you familiar ideas and then completely subverts them, introduces clichés and then proceeds to tear them apart, and you laugh and pity and feel something the entire way through.
In short, Sir Apropos of Nothing is a book that will keep you turning page after page – not necessarily because of the gripping drama (although it has that) or because of any breezy humor (although it has that too), or because the narration itself oozes suspense (although it often does), but because, with the rapid infusion of new and creative ideas and the hidden depths of character constantly bubbling to the surface in everyone involved, you honestly never know what’s going to happen next. If you like fantasy and can stand to have your expectations messed with, Apropos is certainly apropos.
Fantasy and satire are two of my favorite genres in any medium, but especially so in books. Satirical fantasy, then, holds a special place on my shelves. I grew up on Sir Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series, and desire to imitate him and his style is what led me in middle school to begin writing in earnest, for fun, and for myself rather than just for my teachers and their assignments.
So when I picked up Sir Apropos of Nothing, I did so based on the title pun and the back-of-the-book synopsis that promised “a berserk phoenix, murderous unicorns, mutated harpies, homicidal warrior kings, and – most problematic of all – a princess who may or may not be a psychotic arsonist.” I expected another lighthearted riff on the familiar archetypes. Murderous unicorns? Unicorns are not typically described as such! Oh teehee, how unexpectedly humorous!
Sir Apropos of Nothing is a satirical fantasy, just like it promised, though at times it’s hard to tell how much of the story is played for laughs and how much is played straight. See, the thing about satire that’s easy to forget at times is that it’s not synonymous with buffoonery. Make no mistake – Apropos is a funny book, full of witty dialogue and groan-inducing puns. It’s a book that takes great delight in lampshading traditional fantasy tropes and archetypes, as well as the entirety of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey idea. But it is not always a silly lampshade; sometimes a cliche or trope is pointed out to have its inherit ridiculousness laughed at, and sometimes it is pointed out because it is causing real and lasting pain or damage, either to the society in which it is set or, more often, to the titular Apropos himself and his ever-degrading esteem of both the people around him and himself.
The tone, at first, is hard to pin down. The story starts in media res with the main character being caught by a knight while in mid-coitus with that knight’s wife and escalates from there. The second chapter opens with a fourth wall-breaking narrative admission by Apropos himself that this was done with the express purpose of catching your attention, and now we’re going back to cover Apropos’s childhood, which ends up being equal parts dark, tragic, punny, and conveniently trope-filled – all of which Apropos, as narrator, approaches with the same resigned, blasé outlook.
If this sounds a bit jarring, well, it kind of is. Early on, I wasn’t sure what to think of where the story was trying to go or what I was expected to feel about it. After the first turn from cliché to dark and visceral to light and punny, all within a few pages, I caught myself thinking, “Crap, is this book gonna try and mix goofy jokes with serious drama and thoughtful moral quandary?”
The answer is yes. And it pulls it off fantastically.
This is due in large part to the interesting depths of the antihero, Apropos, who seems to be so named purely for the joke in the title. In Apropos we see a deep sense of justice and rightness that is entirely eclipsed by an even deeper cynicism and an unshakeable instinct for self-preservation. His life is objectively terrible, but rather than brood and lament, he adjusts. He keeps his head down when he can, weathers abuse when he can’t, and learns to deal with the constant shit storm, all the while bottling his growing anger and resentment at a world that would allow such amounts of suffering and hypocrisy to go unchecked. The fact that he himself becomes a selfish, hypocritical, and generally awful person is not lost on him, and the result is a flawed, unheroic, pathetic coward of a protagonist, a magnificently multifaceted bastard who doesn’t spare even himself from his vast and withering contempt.
And it’s a blast. It really is. Apropos is refreshingly pragmatic and unabashedly pessimistic, a welcome change from the typical righteous-yet-humble heroes of traditional fantasy, or even the loveable and untalented everyman in over his head of traditional fantasy spoofs. Despite a portentous birthmark (on his ass, no less) and beginnings that are not “humble” so much as “poverty of the dirtiest kind,” Apropos is everything a hero should not be short of outright evil.
And this, as it turns out, is entirely the point. This is where the satire, funny or otherwise, really shines through. This is the crux that elevates Sir Apropos of Nothing from a generically self-aware fantasy story to an original and memorable subversion of storytelling as a whole.
Without giving too much away, there comes a point in the plot where Apropos realizes that the events surrounding his miserable life are part of a heroic tale that has been preordained by Fate and is now being epically written out by Destiny. And despite his birthmark, his tragic past, and his mother’s constant reassurances that he has some sort of great destiny hovering over him, he is not the hero. He is only a minor character. A walk-on role on the hero’s stage. A brief pit-stop along the hero’s journey. An NPC whose dreams, desires, and continued existence are so far below importance to the story as to be utterly negligible.
And once this finally clicks with him, he violently, brazenly rebels against it. He gives an emphatic middle finger to Fate’s ideas and sets about making Destiny sit up and take notice of him again. He momentarily and violently overcomes his own abject cowardice just long enough to find a way to completely wreck the traditional heroic ballad in which he lives, all on the basis that, dammit, the world owes him more than this, and nobody should be so miserably cursed as to live their entire life as a foil character.
At this point in my own reading, I didn’t know whether to cheer him on or worry about the repercussions of his actions, because he doesn’t suddenly become heroic when this happens. He’s exactly as much of a selfish, lying bastard as before, and however bad you feel for him, you can completely understand why he was never cast for this role in the first place. Add to this the complete disregard of the author for following what seems to be the obvious progression of events in favor of twists that take you completely by surprise, but still make complete sense and arise organically from the story itself, and you eventually give up thinking that you have any sense of where the story’s going or how any event is going to play out. From beginning to end, it feeds you familiar ideas and then completely subverts them, introduces clichés and then proceeds to tear them apart, and you laugh and pity and feel something the entire way through.
In short, Sir Apropos of Nothing is a book that will keep you turning page after page – not necessarily because of the gripping drama (although it has that) or because of any breezy humor (although it has that too), or because the narration itself oozes suspense (although it often does), but because, with the rapid infusion of new and creative ideas and the hidden depths of character constantly bubbling to the surface in everyone involved, you honestly never know what’s going to happen next. If you like fantasy and can stand to have your expectations messed with, Apropos is certainly apropos.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2007
A recommendation from danniangel & mousme, as well as Fenris from the SDMB/UB, I picked up a used copy of Sir Apropos of Nothing a month or so ago & started reading it over the weekend.
The book starts in media res, with Apropos caught cuckolding a knight; as a squire, this is definitely not recommended as a career move. He escapes through luck and a quick wit, then proceeds to fill us in on his background. The bastard son of a whore, born with a lame leg, his childhood was as mean and crude as one would expect. He develops a friendship of sorts with Tacit, a young man seemingly born to greatness; but tragedy separates them. Apropos starts his own quest for vengeance; and ends up on a quest to retrieve a princess with a will of her own.
This novel is not quite as clever as it wants to be - though the concept of a supporting character taking on a hero's role is rather intriguing. The puns run thick and fast at times, and I can see where dedicated fantasy readers might get frustrated with the direction of the plot at times. I found it relatively engaging and a fun twist on some of the clichés of the genre.
Recommended to fans of fantasy with a sense of humour about the genre.
The book starts in media res, with Apropos caught cuckolding a knight; as a squire, this is definitely not recommended as a career move. He escapes through luck and a quick wit, then proceeds to fill us in on his background. The bastard son of a whore, born with a lame leg, his childhood was as mean and crude as one would expect. He develops a friendship of sorts with Tacit, a young man seemingly born to greatness; but tragedy separates them. Apropos starts his own quest for vengeance; and ends up on a quest to retrieve a princess with a will of her own.
This novel is not quite as clever as it wants to be - though the concept of a supporting character taking on a hero's role is rather intriguing. The puns run thick and fast at times, and I can see where dedicated fantasy readers might get frustrated with the direction of the plot at times. I found it relatively engaging and a fun twist on some of the clichés of the genre.
Recommended to fans of fantasy with a sense of humour about the genre.
October 28, 2007
Originality - this is what you start looking for, when you see dozens of new books published, virtually indistinguishable from each other. And this book has it in abundance.
Is it simple to find another lame, cynical scoundrel as a protagonist of a fantasy novel? And it's not that he grows out of it to become another run-of-the-mill prince charming - he stays consistent for the length of the trilogy. He is a hero out of necessity not choice, and if by saving his own skin he can save the world - well, it wasn't his honest intention so he can't be help responsible. It's just his fate - get entangled in real mess and try to get out without losing too much skin.
It's not easy to describe this book - seems like a real negative character but he has his own principles and charisma. And all those knights in shining armor just start to become a little overused. Because creating a believable Hero with a capital H isn't as simple as it seems. Although the negative characters almost always have it even tougher. Their lot is pasteboard bidimensionality and personality set in stone once and for all.
So if you are getting just a little tired of high fantasy, why not try looking from the other side?
Is it simple to find another lame, cynical scoundrel as a protagonist of a fantasy novel? And it's not that he grows out of it to become another run-of-the-mill prince charming - he stays consistent for the length of the trilogy. He is a hero out of necessity not choice, and if by saving his own skin he can save the world - well, it wasn't his honest intention so he can't be help responsible. It's just his fate - get entangled in real mess and try to get out without losing too much skin.
It's not easy to describe this book - seems like a real negative character but he has his own principles and charisma. And all those knights in shining armor just start to become a little overused. Because creating a believable Hero with a capital H isn't as simple as it seems. Although the negative characters almost always have it even tougher. Their lot is pasteboard bidimensionality and personality set in stone once and for all.
So if you are getting just a little tired of high fantasy, why not try looking from the other side?
July 31, 2013
From what the description says, you might expect this to be a light-hearted read, somewhere in the neighborhood of Terry Pratchett or A. Lee Martinez.
NOPE
It certainly has a lot of very cynical humor, and is at times outright funny, but it's also very gritty and unpleasant at times. The author frequently enjoys turning your expectations as a reader of what's going to happen on their head, as well.
I've noticed that others, in their review, describe Apropos as being an utterly despicable character. And sometimes he is! Also, sometimes he is utterly embarrassing, utterly stupid, utterly clever, or utterly heroic. Or, more often, utterly lucky in such a way that the people around him just think he was heroic. Most of all, he is a very convincingly human character.
Now for what is no doubt an inflammatory opinion. What I said in these two paragraphs are related to an impression I frequently had while reading the book: in a way, it reminds me of two series: Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, and Song of Ice of Fire. However, unlike those two series, I actually enjoyed this book and thought it was worth the paper it was printed on. Flame war anyone? :)
NOPE
It certainly has a lot of very cynical humor, and is at times outright funny, but it's also very gritty and unpleasant at times. The author frequently enjoys turning your expectations as a reader of what's going to happen on their head, as well.
I've noticed that others, in their review, describe Apropos as being an utterly despicable character. And sometimes he is! Also, sometimes he is utterly embarrassing, utterly stupid, utterly clever, or utterly heroic. Or, more often, utterly lucky in such a way that the people around him just think he was heroic. Most of all, he is a very convincingly human character.
Now for what is no doubt an inflammatory opinion. What I said in these two paragraphs are related to an impression I frequently had while reading the book: in a way, it reminds me of two series: Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, and Song of Ice of Fire. However, unlike those two series, I actually enjoyed this book and thought it was worth the paper it was printed on. Flame war anyone? :)
May 20, 2009
Somebody recommended this book to me, comparing the Sir Apropos of Nothing series to Douglas Adams' humor in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. That just set me up for disappointment. Peter David, though a good author with an able wit about him, is nowhere as intelligently ludicrous as Mr. Adams. And, unfortunately, his protagonist isn't a lovable bumbling hero like Arthur Dent ... Apropos is a self-serving weasel who happens to be so "unlucky" that his selfish actions backfire and result in apparent heroism. I just wish I could remember who made the recommendation to me so I could share my disappointment in person. It is only Mr. David's talent as a writer (he does have a couple passages that are laugh-out-loud funny, and I really did enjoy Knight Life) that saved this book from a one-star rating. sigh
July 18, 2019
One of my favourite Fantasy satires ever. The adventures of Sir Apropos isn't the conventional heroic fantasy story. It can be very witty and funny, but also dark and cynical. Somehow this anti-hero of a character, who always thinks of himself first but ends up doing good things in the end, develops into a likeable character, with flaws and everything. Since this is written in the perspective of Apropos you get to see a lot of what makes him tick and why he acts the way he does.
The clever thing about the novel are the many surprising turning points in the latter half of the book. Peter David is a clever writer and there are subtle hints throughout the novel that make sense at a later point. The ending is bittersweet and leaves you wanting more. Thank god there is a second and third book, with a fourth coming out this summer.
The clever thing about the novel are the many surprising turning points in the latter half of the book. Peter David is a clever writer and there are subtle hints throughout the novel that make sense at a later point. The ending is bittersweet and leaves you wanting more. Thank god there is a second and third book, with a fourth coming out this summer.
November 19, 2012
I first discovered Peter David as a reader of the Star Trek novels. Indeed, he wrote one of the best Worf stories I've ever read. After that I began following his comic stuff & it was a pleasure to start reading his novel work. Sir Apropos is everything a knight is not but he has that plucky survivor's spirit that I love in characters. The book accurately represents Peter David's twisted sense of humor but also combines it with a nasty streak that makes it even funnier (in a sad, whincing sort of way). And there are a lot of ways Peter David takes the typical fantasy series tropes and turns them on their head. A fun, great read.
May 25, 2013
Well this book was highly entertaining. A fantasy satire, it presents the protagonist as somewhat of an anti-hero you can't help but like and dislike at the same time as he takes the most practical and cynical approach to life's obstacles.
I found that I could relate to the main character Apropos because he mostly utilizes inner monologue to express his wit and as many of my close friends can attest to I am inclined to randomly grin or chuckle at a passing thought I have and by the time I want to share with someone why my view of a given scenario is amusing the moment has passed.
I found that I could relate to the main character Apropos because he mostly utilizes inner monologue to express his wit and as many of my close friends can attest to I am inclined to randomly grin or chuckle at a passing thought I have and by the time I want to share with someone why my view of a given scenario is amusing the moment has passed.
March 29, 2016
This is a fantasy satire. Parts of it were very humorous, for instance, the names of the characters. There was a lot of word play and puns. However, the protagonist was pretty unlikeable. Also, some of the material the author chooses to poke fun at (gang rape, prostitution, killing prostitutes) is not remotely funny. David is clever, and I can see exactly where he's aiming: unfortunately, he takes me to a lot of places I just don't want to go.
February 14, 2008
Typical fantasy adventure stuff. Great puns, great humor, but I hated the main character too much to enjoy the story. He's a bit too realistic -- selfish, hateful, cowardly, dishonest -- and yet everything still works out for him. Offends my sense of justice.
February 3, 2009
Perhaps it's because I started this right after finishing The Martian Chronicles, but this is not starting well with me.
Also, I'm not as fond of puns as the author seems to be. I say this after finishing the first chapter.
ETA: I gave it three chapters, and that was plenty. Bleah!
Also, I'm not as fond of puns as the author seems to be. I say this after finishing the first chapter.
ETA: I gave it three chapters, and that was plenty. Bleah!
July 15, 2007
I may pick up another Peter David novel in the future, but don't let's hold our breath, ok?
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