Having never encountered Duke Grandfather, or the Nuisance Men, before I came to this little book without preconception. I hoped for a good, fast-paced fantasy laced with a dollop of humour.
I wasn’t disappointed.
It didn’t really take too much to figure out what a Nuisance Man does, and although the peculiarities of his gun were never explained it didn’t get in the way of my enjoyment.
I loved the way the author just picks you up and dumps you right in the middle of Duke Grandfather’s life; if you’re new to the books you kind of have to sink or swim, but there are so many life rafts about that the swimming is easy and the story hurtles along at such a pace that you don’t have time to worry too much if you don’t completely understand a small detail or the nuances of a particular relationship. I loved it.
The idea of a portal to hell isn’t revolutionary, but it is handled with a fresh imagination and the outcome is never a sinecure.
I don’t want to compare this with anybody else’s take on a strange city in a strange land, instead I will say that this book is fast, funny, clever and very well written.
My advice?
Read it…
Five big fat shiny stars.
Duke Grandfather is back!
If you are already fully involved in the world of Duke Grandfather this is another wonderful addition to his saga and I doubt you even need a review – you’ll have seen it and bought it right away!
Duke Grandfather Unleashes Hell (most aptly named) is a short read set after the main events of the series and features most of the characters one has come to know throughout reading it. Like the other stories in the series, it is fast-paced, tension-packed, hilarious and full of the unexpected. But what else could it be when a bottomless pit to the heart of Hell opens up in Capital City?
Backed by his friends and allies like Brindar the Dwarf, and even his less-than friends like the enigmatic Raven, and of course Lily his beloved necromancer wife, Duke Grandfather has to find a way to defeat the Bone-Lord and seal up the Pit before Hell is irrevocably unleashed.
Comparisons to Pratchett’s world and style must spring to mind, and if you are a fan of that you might very well love Duke Grandfather. But personally, I see them as very different perspectives on a similar theme.
However for those who are frowning in puzzlement at the odd name and wondering what exactly is a Nuisance Man, much as I feel this is a wonderfully accessible short story, I would sooo advise you to go back to the beginning and pick up a copy of Tales of a Nuisance Man so you can follow the whole wonderful saga through from its beginning – Oh, and you’ll find out what a Nuisance Man is as well 😉
I absolutely love the Duke Grandfather series and enjoyed having a chance to revisit it in this short. Please may there be some more!
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