Expecting Someone Taller

Holt is great. Some of his newer works aren't as solid IMO. But this one, Who's Afraid of Beowulf? and Flying Dutch are a must read!

Ever wonder happened to the ring of the Nibelung after Gotterdammerung? Check this book out for a very funny update of the Ring to see how the hapless Malcolm inherits the all-powerful ring and becomes reluctant ruler of the world in modern-day England. He must confront contemporary incarnations of Alberich, Wotan, and some very seductive Rhinemaidens. The book is a good short (228 pages)fantasy novel that is lots of fun even if you don't know the Ring (and even funnier if you know the Ring well). It is great fun!

Holt's comic novels can best be described as of uneven quality. When's he's on, there's no one better. When he's off, the comic twists and turns come off as strained and forced. I have only the highest recommendations, however, for Holt's best: "Expecting Someone Taller" and "Who's Afraid of Beowulf.""Expecting Someone Taller" is an inspired send-up of Wagner's "Ring Cycle." Woden, Loge, Alberich, a clutch of beautiful Valkyries, and the gorgeous Rhine Maidens all vie to steal the magic ring that makes its owner the most powerful being in the universe. Its current owner is Malcolm, a mild-mannered sort who has been dismissed as, well, disappointing, even by his own family. Malcolm dodges all the divine strategems designed to relieve him of the ring, but must deal with his own feelings for a goddess. The ending is best described as Gotterdammerung. Enjoy!

Another in the peculiar strain of utterly outrageous British science-fiction humor authors, Tom Holt has actually written several more books than are available here. I had to go to London to get them! Here's a plea to publishers: Bring us more! Bring us Robert Rankin -- I can't find the Brentford Trilogy anywhere! And Rob Grant and Doug Naylor and Grant Naylor. And Diana Wynne Jones. We're missing a lot of laughs on this side of the Atlantic