I found this book to be instantly likeable, with a real cutting, irreverent sense of humour
from the very first paragraph. If you 'Look Inside' and enjoy the
author's narrative style you'll be more than happy to read the whole
series. I think the title is deliberately obtuse and as such I am going to
refer to it as Shabby Realm Book 1 from now on!
The first in what I
hope is a long series of adventures for Winston (a PI and vampire),
his ex-wife Maggie (a PI and witch) and Timir (A Timmy) starts with
Winston alone attempting to secure a teapot on behalf of a client.
Little does he know at the time this single object turns out to be
the rarest of items, a realm jumper. After an initial scuffle with
the teapot's other suitors the gang are forced into trying out the
realm jumper in order to escape from imminent danger.
It's at this point that
the story really comes alive, as Winston, Maggie and Timir are thrust
into a parallel realm, one with giant serpents, beautiful princesses,
flammable fruit and psychic frogs that reveal your innermost
thoughts. From this point onwards the action is fast paced and often
hilarious, especially when the characters are separated and forced to
fend for themselves.
There's plenty of
fantastical action and spell-binding fight scenes, requiring the
unique skill set of all three main characters in order to survive,
Winston's vast experience and cunning, Maggie's knowledge of low
level kids party magic, and Timir's ability to grovel. When the
final showdown occurs it's testament to the clever writing that the
likely result is unclear until the last possible moment.
Although I enjoy the
long and winding narrative style with plenty of wit, it perhaps takes
a little long to get to the action. You should stick with it though
as the second half of the book post-realm-jump does a lot more to
develop the plot. The unique take on vampires, witches and, well,
British Indians, ensures the characters don't feel too atypical and
stale, even if Timmy does feel a little like his namesake in Rules Of Engagement.
I shall definitely
continue reading the series as and when they're released and I hope
that the groundwork I put in getting to know Winston et al in the
first half of this book pays off in the next instalment.
9/10
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