Thraxas

I love these books. My husband and I read them together. They're just a riot! I think it's a shame that they're not more readily available and mainstream.

Very funny. This one made me laugh out loud several times. Thraxas is a man you want at your side. Although maybe not when you are having pizza, or it is your shout and you are trying to keep up. :) Despite a lot of fondness for various narcotics, intoxicants and baked goods, Thraxas knows where his towel is. The half-orc with the pointy ears does cause him many problems, but is incredibly good at the slayage when he needs a hand.

The real name of the author of this series is Martin Millar. You can go to http://www.thraxas.com/ to see what sort of fellow Thraxas is. There are seven books in the series so far, and the eighth is to be published in Spring 2005. Each one seems better than the preceding to me. This edition contains the first two. The Thraxas stories have been translated into several languages and have a worldwide following. Unlike many science fiction and fantasy works, in these stories you get to know the characters through their own dialog and actions rather than second-hand through descriptions. Anyway, Martin Millar is amazingly creative and I eagerly await the next installment!

I like this book and was sufficiently entertained to actually finish it. (If you knew me personally, you'd know that was high praise.) If you're looking for a rich fantasy world, noble deeds and thought provoking themes--forget it! This is just fun. Not "hilarious" like the cover says, but definitely amusing throughout. I liked the main character, Thraxas, and his own honest assessment of his character and physical state. (Who could completely hate a guy who insists that no one sleep on his couch because he may need it himself if he can't make it all the way to his bed?)Generally, I despise anachronisms, but Martin Scott makes "modern" dective story superimposed on a fantasy background work for me. You can usually sucker me into a novel if the characters are good. That is, the characters must HAVE character. I much prefer characters that tend toward the more sterotypical comic book types than those that are so "deep" they bore me to sleep. This book doesn't take itself too seriously and is even handed. Martin Scott knows what he wants to accomplish and does it nicely.Pick up Thraxas. You'll know in a few pages whether you'll like it or not.

The Thraxas series is Fantasy's answer to Nero Wolfe ... with Archie Goodwin rolled in for good measure. A larger than life detective with a great supporting cast (his female sidekick rocks!), Thraxas is the first book in hopefully a long series. Thraxas' world is an intriguing mix of Humans, Elves and Orcs - a fantasy noir lite mix of magic with tongue-in-teeth humour and few politically correct reservations at all. A great light read : highly recommended.