ISBN: 1-85723-462-6 Order from: Amazon.co.uk
A humorous, literary adventure with a distinctly non-heroic but humorous portagonist, encounters with many familiar myths and stories, and believable villains.
Reviewed by David on August 21, 2000
Genre: Fantasy (Humor)
Synopsis: Maxie Waxie, a car thief in the London of near future, is pretty pleased to lift a beautiful and rare Ferrari. When a police chase cause him to total the car on a strip of grass, his fate takes a turn for the weird. Encounters with his displeased employers start to alternate with supernatural events—and unusual temptations.
Full Review: Set in the universe introduced and explored in Chase the Morning, The Gates of Noon and Cloud Castles, this much lighter book throws a hapless but intelligent crook into the Spiral, where away from the mundane and solid Core, space and time become mutable, and dreams take solid shape. Steve Fisher, the hero of the earlier (very good) trilogy and his two female companions make a cameo (but crucial) appearance here.
A number of historical, literary and folklore characters participate, or are at least glipsed, in this romp. Unlike Silverlock, with which it shares this characteristic, this novel has a solid and engaging plot.
The adventures never stop, as the fantastical reveals the true, and sometimes terrifying, extent of human vices. Surprisingly, Maxie proves an excellent vehicle for the plot, showing decency while remaining true to his character.
With enough humor to cause frequent out-loud laughter, this enjoyable encursion of magic and mayhem improves the Spiral Universe, instead of detracting from it as too many sequels tend to do.
Note, the book is not sold in the US. It's available in the UK publishing region.
Universe: The Spiral
Overall: 6.5; Plot: 5.5; Characters: 6; Style: 6.5; World-building: 6; Originality: 6.5;
Copyright date 1997, Orbit, 1997, Mass market paperback, 376 pages
ISBN: 1-85723-462-6 Order from: Amazon.co.uk