Very clever and new

Would you listen to The Outsorcerer's Apprentice again? Why?

I would and have done so. I listened it to it twice in a row.

What other book might you compare The Outsorcerer's Apprentice to and why?

Kind of like Jasper Fforde but more cerebral and sharp; a lot like the Johannes Cabal series; Outside of this, hard to compare because it is rather unusual.

Which character – as performed by Ray Sawyer – was your favorite?

The King of the Goblins was funny, and I loved when Sawyer performed any cockney or lower-class British character--his accent is dead-on and incredibly timed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot and chuckled at some of the sly jokes. Throughout, it was funny and entertaining--you can easily miss some of the references if you aren't paying attention.

Any additional comments?

This is an extremely clever and fresh book. The elements of the narrative are too outlandish to try to explain here, but somehow, the author makes them work together. The writing is sharp and funny and tongue-in-cheek. It is sort of a meta-fairytale in that it constantly plays on its own references to traditional fairytale tropes; in one moment, a character wonders if the fairytale land makes money from a "four percent leverage on traditional narrative tropes." You may find the narration a little slow at first, but Sawyer knows exactly what he is doing. As the story unfolds, he voices additional characters perfectly and sets the pace well. One thing about this book: it requires your attention. There are so many little things going on, and if you are not listening attentively, you may miss them. I found myself rewinding it again and again just to catch small stuff. However, it is totally worth it because the dialogue and narration are so funny and, at times, quite smart and thought-provoking. This is the only book I've listened to twice in a row, in addition to the thousand rewinds in between. I recommend it if you like stories that collapse genres, make you think, and are a bit silly and unconventional. By the way, I think Tom Holt did some brilliant writing and storytelling here. I hope he writes more like this. It reminded me of Jasper Fforde with a bit more gravitas and slyness and subtlety. I teach literature and plan on teaching this in an Ethics and Values in Lit course. It brings up many philosophical and ethical issues that would get college students thinking. If you are a person who would prefer not to think of such things, you will still like the book--they are woven into the narrative so strategically that you can overlook them and just enjoy the silly goings on. Either way, I highly recommend.

14 people found this helpful

Good for a laugh, but third in a series

I enjoyed The Outsorcerer's Apprentice. I was looking for something light and funny and it fit the bill. There was some stuff that I didn't follow immediately, and came to find out this is the third book in a series of four. Grrrr. I wish I'd known that. Still, Tom Holt is a gem and I'm glad I found him. Back to book one...

11 people found this helpful

Sauce Code not recognized

Not quite Tom's usual standard but amusing and a few nods to respected authors.
I fear mr Holt has run the doughnut series too far, yes Art and his uncle are an entertaining pair, but they can't save every story. Perhaps a link to a previous story might be needed. Paint your Dragon always makes me snort liquids.
Keep it up Tom you are our best author since the passing of Sir Terry, and James Herbert (should also be a sir if you ask me!)

2 people found this helpful

More Fun From Holt

Although not noted as such, this is really part of the series that began with Doughnut. However, reading Doughnut and When It's a Jar is not really necessary to the plot of this story (which is somewhat of a spin-off rather than a sequel). In many ways I enjoyed this book more than the previous 2 books. It wasn't as bogged down by the scientific theories and explanations that necessarily governed Doughnut.

If you are already a fan, you will not be disappointed. If not, I would recommend starting with Doughnut.

4 people found this helpful

Worth it

I always enjoy Tom Holt. I recommend you add this great adventure in magical bureacracy and economics to your library

1 person found this helpful

Gave up

Gave up on this story line. I just couldn't make it through them. I tried. Way too much energy put into trying to be clever. I finally had to give up. I suppose there is an audience out there but it just wasn't me. Sorry!

1 person found this helpful

Was hoping for more

This book was suggested because of my love of Christopher Moore's books. I thought I had found a new writer to get into that was into the quirky but this just wasn't it. It had all the bones to be great but it just didn't get there. Not sure if it was because the story was just too slow or because of the performance but it just didn't do it for me.

1 person found this helpful

Great Idea, boring execution

If you've taken a look at books like "Off to be the wizard", prepare for disappointment. The story is okay but it's plodding and not too much happens. Characters appear to be rather 2 dimensional.

This ISN'T a comedic how to guide for how to manage a kingdom. Nor is it an Office Space style parody story filled with incompetent managers in a medieval/sorcery setting.

If you're still interested at this point, take a listen. You may enjoy it

3 people found this helpful

It was alright but the story dragged

narrator pretty good but the story was a little bit too slow. it was okay

1 person found this helpful

Interesting story, but I got lost about half way.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The book was enjoyable. It was likened to a Jasper Fforde style story. I only lost my was a little bit. I'm not saying I wouldn't listen to it again, but I may not.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was good, can't say that it helped the story, but I liked it.

Which character – as performed by Ray Sawyer – was your favorite?

I'd say Red was my favorite. Ray does a good job with her voice. Not that his voice sounds like a girls voice at all, but that the tone matches what I expected. I think she stole the book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I'd rent the movie on DVD or just wait till it comes on cable. Not a book I'd turn into a movie.

1 person found this helpful