Review: I loved every moment of this
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 14, 2013
I don’t know, but right at the get-go, Aldous Mercer’s book made me giggle—and I never stopped giggling, even laughing out loud in all the right places throughout the book. Sure, this ‘Royce Ree Omnibus’ is essentially science fiction, but Mercer is a highly clever author who has that rare comedic talent to subtly yet effectively express humor in that deadpan, Stephen Fry way.This Royce Ree Omnibus follows the misadventures of Imperial agent Royce Ree, assigned to steal a vital piece of technology—except nobody knows what the technology looks like. The simple mission quickly takes on a ridiculously hilarious level as Royce finds himself in a series—nay, multiple dilemmas that are nested with one another—from the Princess of Baldesh asking Ree about matters concerning fashion, to the sudden appearance of Ree’s scorned ex-husband. Picture Simon Pegg as Royce Ree, and you get why I think even the most “ordinary” scenes in this book are hilarious.The humor—not loud and not crackling, but funny enough to make you feel good and sniggling throughout most of the book. Mercer’s style is like classic Monty Python, David Sedaris, Douglas Adams or maybe throw in a few genetic strands of Terry Pratchett—his humor burbles smoothly underneath the fabric of the story’s plot, constantly threatening to become a full-blown guffaw.The Royce Ree series of books is hugely entertaining from start to finish—and it’s a great thing Mercer is “threatening” to publish more in 2014—I can’t wait to read more stuff from this incredibly talented author.  A solid five-star rating for this omnibus version.