I found this book as a feature in a weekly newsletter from a free e-book site. As a longtime fan of all things Alice, I saw the words “White Rabbit” and immediately headed over to download it.
It was a fantastic choice to make.
People, this book is one of the best free books I’ve ever read. It was gloriously thick in descriptive imagery, like a rich stew that hits the spot on a cold night. It left me with a book hangover and accompanying disappointment that it ended. There was a link to the author’s Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/stuart.oldfield.9), so I crossed my fingers and sent an email request to be put on the list to be notified if he continued writing the story.
The internet is a strange place and I didn’t expect to hear back from him at all. There was an empty feeling that seems to be solely a bookworm’s curse – that feeling that the story isn’t over, but you’re accepting the fact that you just might never get to know what happens. It’s a death of sorts, a terrible sense of void.
My day was put right by a quick response from the author which included a link to books 2, 3 and 4.
It has been years since I’ve written an in-depth book review, so you get the short version, but I heartily encourage you to get this series. Caveat: I’m writing these reviews on September 17 - I finished book 1 on August 24 and book 2 on August 26, so the details are a bit fuzzy.
As an American, any cultural slang is endearing to my ear. It reminds me of hours spent watching Faulty Towers, Monty Python, and other shows where the ladies are always dressed as if they’re just about to head off to church. This book slides pleasantly into your brain, cheerfully mucking about with the serotonin levels and making you feel as if you’ve just eaten a few special brownies. It sits well and is reminiscent of the book “Good Omens”.
There are several Adult Situations in the story. If that sort of thing offends your delicate sensibilities you may want to read something a little softer, but it’s definitely written professionally and can’t be any worse than That Book Of Numerous Shades.
Book 1 finds our hero in an unhappy spot of life, and leads you down the trail that may or may not be a horror story. You get lost with him, pushing leaves and branches out of the way, and find yourself wanting to swoop in and rescue him all at once. You may find that the abundance of descriptive wording does more harm than good if you’re one trying to genuinely picture the scene, but if you take it slow it’s not bad. This read requires close attention to follow the bouncing ball from woods to suburbia.
There’s an Office. A Company, if you will. You begin to feel yourself surrendering to the ease of having The Company run your life, and (as you take a sip of your Medium Sized Coffee Drink) you may find that it’s just easier to give up and watch as you drown in screensavers, charts, and TPS reports.
A host of characters comes to life to help our fearless friend get from point A to Q, and it reminded me of a more adult version of the Disney Alice classic that I loved so much.
Good things happen, bad things happen, but the story continues. Read it.