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A review by wordmaster
My Idea of Fun by Will Self
2.0
Stop me if you've heard this one:
A magician moves into a trailer park. He befriends an awkward prepubescent kid, guides him through adolescence, teaches him some mystical rites, and takes him on as an apprentice. Later it turns out that he might be the devil (or, as he'd probably prefer you to put it, The Devil). The kid goes into marketing and into therapy to forget about his supernatural dalliances, but the pact he made with his instructor looms heavily over his head. It's two parts Doctor Faustus, one part Great Expectations, and a liberal sprinkling of American Psycho.
2.5 stars out of 5. I forgave it its slow start because once it's worked up a good head of steam this one really takes off, but then it sputters and stalls out again midway through. It is uneven with several laggy spots throughout (most frequently when the supernatural stuff takes back burner to a more standard bildungsroman) and it really loses focus towards the ending. Some have complained about the overblown vocabulary and pompous "purple prose" but honestly that was my favorite part. The sections where this all works are really enjoyable, but it's not consistent.
A magician moves into a trailer park. He befriends an awkward prepubescent kid, guides him through adolescence, teaches him some mystical rites, and takes him on as an apprentice. Later it turns out that he might be the devil (or, as he'd probably prefer you to put it, The Devil). The kid goes into marketing and into therapy to forget about his supernatural dalliances, but the pact he made with his instructor looms heavily over his head. It's two parts Doctor Faustus, one part Great Expectations, and a liberal sprinkling of American Psycho.
2.5 stars out of 5. I forgave it its slow start because once it's worked up a good head of steam this one really takes off, but then it sputters and stalls out again midway through. It is uneven with several laggy spots throughout (most frequently when the supernatural stuff takes back burner to a more standard bildungsroman) and it really loses focus towards the ending. Some have complained about the overblown vocabulary and pompous "purple prose" but honestly that was my favorite part. The sections where this all works are really enjoyable, but it's not consistent.