Well, this did not turn out as I expected! Interesting and strange in a British way. First you have a diverse cast of characters that get doled out as the story progresses. Then you have a question of replicants replacing some characters Overland while the originals get sucked into Underland. Then you have The Wise One who is spoken of and to but never seen. There is to be an invasion (maybe?), there are Fabman running loose and eating any cakes they can find. There is flooding, narrow escapes, strange creatures, and understated British humor. Overall, it reminds me of Hammer films mashed in with Laurel and Hardy and a pinch of P.G. Wodehouse for spice. If you go with the flow, you are likely to enjoy yourself. I did!

Sometimes it reminds me of Gaiman's Neverwhere, maybe for the idea of the Underland. Sometimes there are echo of Douglas Adams or Ben Aaronovitch.
Funny, entertaining, sometimes surrealistic. The author will surely grow and will be able to develop his/her full potential.
Many thanks to Troubador and Netgalley.

After reading a fairly heavy short story collection I was in the mood for something light. This seemed to fit the bill. It's very light. And whimsical. And charming too. All done in the inimitable British style. There's Overland (the world as we know it) and Underland (the world you can try to imagine populated by a peculiar assortment of creatures set on world domination, albeit in a somewhat circuitous way with replicants and such). This really was a fun read and would have been more so had I not overestimated my interest in the silliness of it all. Or maybe it was ever so slightly too busy, there's a very expansive cast of characters (originals, replicants, over and underlings), it actually did come with a dramatis personae, but at the end of the book, so you'll have quite a job of maintaining a grasp on who's who throughout. Somewhere along the lines of funny fantasies, the author definitely shows potential and a much appreciated zeal for alliterations. But for an entertaining kinda mindless humorous read this did the trick. Thanks Netgalley.