In Your Dreams

It's good to be back at J. W. Wells :-) I haven't finished the book yet, but I am happy with it so far !

This was my first Tom Holt (by way of a Christmas present). I have mixed feelings about this one - it started off clever and sharp and had some great twists - think office/corporation meets Harry Potter [think Roberty Lynn Asprin's Myth Adventures]. It plays nicely with ideas of myth and fairytale and magic - but most of the last chapters involve characters just re-hashing to other characters what has just taken place in the previous chapter in which the other characters weren't involved. Typically books just gloss over this rather than have the reader sit all the way through the re-enactment again. And again. It could have been a few hundred pages shorter and cleaner sparing the above - and then it would have been 5 Stars. I'll try another in the series and see how it goes.

A superior entry by Tom Holt which moves at a fast pace from beginning to end. This book is a sequel to "The Portable Door", but it can be easily read as a standalone. Son of the world's worst parents may have something to do with Paul's lack of confidence. His coworkers at J W Wells are an odd assortment of wizards, goblins, dwarves, and even the Queen of the Fey. Paul is still a trainee and has recently been assigned to pest control, but these pests include fire breathing dragons, wyverns,etc. His duties also include assisting in the companies banking at the Bank of the Dead, which is a bit tricky and also a "bit of a tax fiddle". "In Your Dreams" answers the following important questions: 1. Can you take it with you? Yes, merely setup an account at the Bank of the Dead and deposit, making sure you burn cash and deposit slips thoroughly. 2. Is your company car really the bosses sister? Yes. 3. Does life ever produce happy endings? Nah.

This book, the sequel to The Portable Door, is absolutely one of the BEST books I have ever read. I said the same thing about The Portable Door, but that is now my second favorite book of all time. Tom Holt is an excellent author. If I could choose to be an author of great caliber, I would choose to be Tom Holt. I know that Mr. Holt has been in the game for a while, and I have read several of his Omnibus edition novels (All of which I loved), but this latest foray into the wonderful world he has created was excellent. I could not put this book down. Finished it in three days. My wife complained that I was ignoring my family, but, when she finished the book, she completely understood. There are so many issues left open for a third book, that I find myself hoping time will fly by, and I can get the 'next' book. Please! Please! Please! Keep up the amazing work, Mr. Holt.