Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
“The sound of samba drifting up from Aberdare’s Latin Quarter filled the bar with its contagious rhythm.”
The trick sometimes to getting a new book out there is to spot a gap in the market. For example, until now, much of the literati have been talking of little else than the fact there’s practically no Welsh-based comedy cyberpunk novels. Matt Thomas has got there first.
Kevin Jones is wasting his life, spending his days writing a graphic novel about a farting ninja and watching films with his forgetful grandfather. That is until Gwen walks into the Aberdare library and kidnaps him, taking him through a portal into an alternate universe where Wales is the dominant global superpower. Informed that there are people who want him dead, Gwen sets about trying to get him to the right people so he can be protected, because there’s something about Kevin that holds the key to why our world is the only one where Wales doesn’t take control of the planet.
In this alternate world, there’s no power higher than the Jones Corporation, created by Kevin’s grandfather as he was in this universe, and responsible for all the cheap energy that changed the world and made Wales rich. But they’ve got a secret, and they need Kevin, even if the druids, Taffia and the Jones’ political rivals want him dead. Kevin will have to finally pull his finger out if he’s to have any chance of saving himself – and the world(s).
Comparisons to Jasper Fforde are, I think, valid, but perhaps that’s just because he’s keen on using Wales for comedic purposes in his books. It’s a silly and funny novel, peppered with quips and led by an oblivious narrator. Kevin thinks of himself as the hero these sort of books require, but in reality he’s anything but. He remains deluded that women love him, he dream of being a graphic novelist will be a success, and that living at home with his mother is a choice he’s made. At one point, he even meets an old school friend who still lives with his parents and tells us what a loser he is. His delusion stretches to thinking that when Gwen kicks him in order to get him to shut up, he thinks it’s an accident. Because of this, he’s not exactly likeable, but there’s a certain something that’s endearing about him. In reality, you’d punch him in the face. In fiction, it’s funny.
I love alternate histories and finding the things that have changed. Having Wales as the only global superpower is naturally a funny idea. It allows for a whole raft of jokes about nationalism, Welsh rarebit, Tom Jones and druids. The text is peppered with Welsh dialect and words from the language, most of which is understandable by context, which is just as well as it’s not a language I have any knowledge of. I also like the idea of this being a multiverse where each one is slightly out of sync with the others, so when you jump across a barrier, you also travel in time, although that difference can be anywhere from a fraction of a second to the best part of a century. It’s another nice take on the notion.
A nice comedic romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
Looking for something else? Try my novels, The Atomic Blood-Stained Bus (the story of a cannibal and an ex-god) and The Third Wheel (a comedic alien invasion tale), test yourself with a quiz from my book Questioning Your Sanity, or visit my website and I’ll cultivate you a whole quiz on whatever subjects you like. If you just want more reviews, guide yourself around my blog with the navigation bar and find hundreds of reviews at your fingertips.
