I received this novel from the publisher, Critical Tales, in exchange for an honest review. This is a short, fun adventure story as we follow 3 gnomes as they embark on a heist in a magical world any adult will enjoy. What makes this story so enjoyable is the witty humor displayed on practically every page and I had to stop reading on several occasions because I couldn’t stop laughing. I consider Terry Pratchett to be the king of comical/satirical fantasy stories and M. J. Northwood has such a funny sense of humor, at least on the page, that it reminded me a lot of Sir Terry. This novel is barely 100 pages and I breezed through it in a day siting by a warm fire.
Here is the synopsis: Every hurdle in a gnome’s life is just a little bit bigger. After years apart, the three gnomes Gassy, Borty, and Turdlet aim to scale the tallest of challenges a thief can face: The Crimicompetition. Fighting for the clout against MagInc—a corporation of unimaginable influence—the gnomes are about to discover how small honor amongst thieves can get. The plot is very simple and straight forward, but it is the characters and the conversations that will drive this story home for you. The world that we get to inhabit is filled with all different types of creatures and each one was more interesting then the next. From the get go, the 3 gnomes have names that resemble people’s hindquarters: Gassy, Borty, and Turdlet. This is done on purpose as you will find out in the story and that is just the beginning of this journey on the humor train.
To give you an idea of the type of dialogue you will read in this story, let me share with you my favorite line, “Gassy was distracted by the most stunning beauty he had ever laid eyes on. A bouncing brunette with long dripping-wet locks draping across her carefully curving neck… She’s the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. Woman? That’s a donkey.” I was sold from there after apologizing to my wife for walking her up due to my laughing hysteria!
This short book is not meant to be taken seriously but with an anticipatory smile when watching a stand-up comic performing his act. There is some adult language in this book, but any fan of Terry Pratchett would get a chuckle or two here. I look forward to reading more about of 3 beloved gnomes where ever their small legs carry them next.
Cheers!
Under The Radar SFF Books 