In 1944, as waves of German ninjas parachute into Kent, Britain s best hopes for victory lie with a Spitfire pilot codenamed 'Ack-Ack Macaque.' The trouble is, Ack-Ack Macaque is a cynical, one-eyed, cigar-chomping monkey, and he's starting to doubt everything, including his own existence. A century later, in a world where France and Great Britain merged in the late 1950s and nuclear-powered Zeppelins circle the globe, ex-journalist Victoria Valois finds herself drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the man who butchered her husband and stole her electronic soul. Meanwhile, in Paris, after taking part in an illegal break-in at a research laboratory, the heir to the British throne goes on the run. And all the while, the doomsday clock ticks towards Armageddon.
Ack-Ack Macaque
and over 1.5 million other books are available for Amazon Kindle . Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
 Trade In this Item for up to £1.40
Trade in Ack-Ack Macaque for an Amazon.co.uk gift card of up to £1.40, which you can then spend on millions of items across the site. Trade-in values may vary (terms apply). Special Offer until June 30, 2013: Receive an additional £5 promotional Gift Card, when you trade-in at least £10 worth of books. Learn more
|
Book Description
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
Powell primes an explosive narrative with brilliant cliffhangers. --The Guardian
More fun than a barrel of steampunk monkeys ... It's an over-the-top, verbally caffeinated adventure story with smart, nasty ideas and plenty of pulp. What makes it truly special is Ack-Ack, the action hero who can cut through any strategy session or infodump. --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Any book that makes me grin like a buffoon whenever I crack it open is a definite winner. Full of great characters, fast moving plot and lashings of first-rate action, I can t recommend this highly enough. --The Eloquent Page
More fun than a barrel of steampunk monkeys ... It's an over-the-top, verbally caffeinated adventure story with smart, nasty ideas and plenty of pulp. What makes it truly special is Ack-Ack, the action hero who can cut through any strategy session or infodump. --Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Any book that makes me grin like a buffoon whenever I crack it open is a definite winner. Full of great characters, fast moving plot and lashings of first-rate action, I can t recommend this highly enough. --The Eloquent Page
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Pablo Cheesecake (The Eloquent Page)
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
In order to get the most from this novel you need only do one thing. If you can happily accept the premise a monkey can fly a fighter plane during World War II and that it is the most natural thing in the world you'll be on to a winner. Yes, yes I know it sounds entirely absurd (it is) but you know what? It totally works. Powell revels in the madness of it all and has crafted a cracking science-fiction adventure around the idea.
The character of Ack-Ack Macaque himself is just so much damn fun. Think a sardonic, simian Biggles with a penchant for bad rum and good banana daiquiris and you'll be about half way there. He enjoys his cigars, swears more than my wife (you'll have to trust me on this one, she swears a lot) and has a marvellously bolshie attitude. His default solution to almost every situation is varying degrees of violence. Larger than life and proud of it he is more than just a character, he is a force of nature.
"You know what we need, Merovech?"
"What?"
A hairy palm slapped the wood hard enough to raise dust.
"Booze! And lots of it!"
Meanwhile the other main lead, Victoria Valois, manages to hold her own against the one-monkey war machine that is Ack-Ack Macaque. She's intelligent, inquisitive and absolutely determined to uncover the details of the conspiracy that left her ex-husband dead. Victoria's history gives Powell the opportunity to include some really cool technology in the story.
Now how do these two finally end up in the same place? Well, that would be telling and I'm not going to do that. Take it from me the discovery, in this instance, is half the fun.
You're bound to feel a certain amount of deranged joy when you realise that all bets are off.... Read more ›
The character of Ack-Ack Macaque himself is just so much damn fun. Think a sardonic, simian Biggles with a penchant for bad rum and good banana daiquiris and you'll be about half way there. He enjoys his cigars, swears more than my wife (you'll have to trust me on this one, she swears a lot) and has a marvellously bolshie attitude. His default solution to almost every situation is varying degrees of violence. Larger than life and proud of it he is more than just a character, he is a force of nature.
"You know what we need, Merovech?"
"What?"
A hairy palm slapped the wood hard enough to raise dust.
"Booze! And lots of it!"
Meanwhile the other main lead, Victoria Valois, manages to hold her own against the one-monkey war machine that is Ack-Ack Macaque. She's intelligent, inquisitive and absolutely determined to uncover the details of the conspiracy that left her ex-husband dead. Victoria's history gives Powell the opportunity to include some really cool technology in the story.
Now how do these two finally end up in the same place? Well, that would be telling and I'm not going to do that. Take it from me the discovery, in this instance, is half the fun.
You're bound to feel a certain amount of deranged joy when you realise that all bets are off.... Read more ›
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Raziel
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The blurb really is a thing to see. Alternate history? Nazi Ninjas? Doomsday clocks? A Spitfire piloting monkey? Part of me thought "this will be brilliant or a bloody mess," and it was the former. Good god was it the former... With intrigue, complex plots woven together that crash together into one glorious whole towards the end and a brilliant cast of characters, Ack-Ack Macaque is one of those books you just want to finish and one that leaves you pining for a sequel. The main monkey himself is one of the most memorable and enjoyable characters I have encountered to date and one that I will keenly revisit in the years to come, looking forward to passing him on to my sons when they're old enough not to repeat ALL of his phrases at school.
Buy it. Really, do. Or buy it for someone else.
Or both.
Buy it. Really, do. Or buy it for someone else.
Or both.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Ack Ack Macaque is an adventure based in an alternative Steam Punk world were Zeppelins still fly, where Britain and France were unified in the 1950's creating a very different Europe and where familiar modern tech such as the Internet developed alongside Cyberpunk wetware technology.
I decided to buy this on impulse when I saw it in the bookshop, as I'd read a small strip about the titular hero in last Christmas's copy of 200)AD and was interested in the character.
Without giving anything away, the book isn't what I expected at all but it's absolutely brilliant. Much of it takes place 50 years from now but the wartime fighter pilot setting suggested by the dress of Ack Ack on the cover of the book also features strongly. The story is one of steampunk, political intrigue, the possibilities of technology merging the brain and computers and high adventure and it's an absolute page turner.
I'd honestly say this is the most enjoyment I've had from a new book in a long time. Gareth L Powell has wasted no words, the writing is tight and fast flowing (he could teach a lot of modern authors a thing or two, too often now word count seems king even when nothing of note is being written).
A fantastic entry in what I hope can be a series. I'll be keeping an eye out for future works from Powell, one to watch.
If you're on the fence do yourself a favour and give the Macaque a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
I decided to buy this on impulse when I saw it in the bookshop, as I'd read a small strip about the titular hero in last Christmas's copy of 200)AD and was interested in the character.
Without giving anything away, the book isn't what I expected at all but it's absolutely brilliant. Much of it takes place 50 years from now but the wartime fighter pilot setting suggested by the dress of Ack Ack on the cover of the book also features strongly. The story is one of steampunk, political intrigue, the possibilities of technology merging the brain and computers and high adventure and it's an absolute page turner.
I'd honestly say this is the most enjoyment I've had from a new book in a long time. Gareth L Powell has wasted no words, the writing is tight and fast flowing (he could teach a lot of modern authors a thing or two, too often now word count seems king even when nothing of note is being written).
A fantastic entry in what I hope can be a series. I'll be keeping an eye out for future works from Powell, one to watch.
If you're on the fence do yourself a favour and give the Macaque a chance. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Ok that's technically a lie, but whenever I had the free time I kept picking this up. I'm a slow reader at the best of times so this did take me a while to complete but I am so glad I did. A comic strip prequel to this appeared in 2000AD's Prog 2013, and having relatively recently gotten into 2000AD I thought "2000AD featured it, might as well give it a go". I am very happy I did, this is a fantastic novel with interesting ideas and notions, the novel is somehow able to paint vivid pictures without OVER explaining things. Whether it does or doesn't happen in the future, I would love to see a movie, or TV movie either animated or live action of this, I think it has legs, and with a sequel novel recently confirmed it seems Everybody Loves The Monkey!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Dr SJ Turner
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is a tightly written book with characters who you want to win. It is an adventure, alternative history, sci fi book that is hard to put down. I loved the original short story (which is included) published in Interzone and I enjoyed this as much.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
Completely new and improved version of the original story which I loved from interzone. Great ideas that move along at a rattling good pace with really good character development. Can't wait for Gareth's next novel!
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
›
Go to Amazon.com to see all 5 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A magnificent monomaniacal monkey masterpiece!
You know, it's far too easy to try and shove bands, books and movies into some kind of genre pigeonhole so readers of reviews will know what they're getting. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Zeke Pliskin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Alternative history SF
I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of Gareth L. Powell's latest book. The novel hits the beaches in January 2013 from Solaris. Read more
Published 1 month ago by 3rd spearman
5.0 out of 5 stars
Swashbuckling, uplifted monkeys in epic sea and zeppelin battles
So really what's not to love? Also manages to ask some pretty serious questions about the nature of consciousness whilst you're distracted by all the adventure. Brilliant.
Published 2 months ago by Mr. Dj Livesey
5.0 out of 5 stars
You gotta love that monkey
This book is a story within a story, partly set in an alternative WWII, with Ack-Ack Macaque fighting off hoards of black clad German Ninja warriors. Read more
Published 3 months ago by pnoris14
4.0 out of 5 stars
A nice read
I recall the original short story which shares the same name. It was one of those where the concept and character stays with the reader for a long time. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Robert
4.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant idea, well executed, but plays it too safe towards the end.
I really enjoyed the early parts of the book, with two very different stories that seem to have no connection, but cleverly collide. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Ian Marshall
5.0 out of 5 stars
Gotta love the Monkey
The title may sound ridiculous but this is brilliant escapist fun just suspend your disbelief and the mad monkey mayhem.
Published 3 months ago by MR P BROOKS
5.0 out of 5 stars
Magnificent Military Monkey Madness
In order to get the most from this novel you need only do one thing. If you can happily accept the premise a monkey can fly a fighter plane during World War II and that it is the... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Pablo Cheesecake (The Eloquent Page)
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
