Review: I'm a fan...
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 8, 2014
I read the second book in this "series" first (Xanadu, btw, you don't need to read them in order) and I liked it very much. So I knew what to expect from the main character (and narrator), Nicolas Keszthelyi. The book is a dictation or lengthy account of a series of events being written shortly after the fact by him. And as such, I can forgive a few loose ends or implausible scenes. In the end, I laughed at the funny parts (lots of them, it turns out) and thoroughly enjoyed the story.Here's the thing. The main character is a rogue, an anti-hero. He's a cynic with a superiority complex and a condescending voice. And whether or not you like the character, how you react to his actions is kind of the meta question for the read.The author brings you right up to the edge and then, ultimately, lays the decision at your feet. Either you find him sympathetic or you don't. Either you like him or you don't. Either you believe his story...And as for the book itself, I loved the unapologetic writing. Nicolas addresses the reader of the account throughout. At one point, while describing a long (tedious?) conversation/evening he breaks to say to the reader something to the effect of: "Oh, is this boring you?" The effect works well and did nothing to pull me out of the enjoyment of the story.Rumor has it that a third book is in the works. You can bet I'll read that one too.