- Hardcover
- Publisher: San Val (Mar 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1417715677
- ISBN-13: 978-1417715671
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Robert Sheckley may not technically be the best novelist ever but if its creative ideas and off-beat humour you want look no further. Perhaps his collaboration with Zealany helped to keep the story more consistent. Other reviewers have complained that in other books he jumps about without making a proper novel (this is because his overworked brain is cooking up infinitely more mad ideas per day than most SF authors manage in a lifetime). I've been a fan of his ever since I read Mindswap in 1970's (In which the hero takes a cheap holiday by swapping minds with a alien). This is another Sheckley classic as funny as T. Pratchet, D. Adams etc. If you want a proper story go read War and Peace ...I've read just about everything he's written and this is one of his very best, you will not be disappointed
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
7 reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
An awful piece of work.
7 Nov 2003
Format:Paperback
I just finished 'A Farce to Be Reckoned With' by Roger Zelazny and Robert Sheckley. I've read a fair bit of Zelazny--the Amber novels and Lord Of Light and some others. This book looked more light hearted, but I figured I'd give it a try.
I was sorely disappointed. There's no plot. Or, rather, there is a plot, but it makes no sense. Plot turns are introduced (like the Greek gods getting free) and then dropped, willy nilly. There's a character called Peter Westfall who gets Pandora's Box at the beginning, but we never hear from him again. And at the end, we have a fight scene that is a total deus ex machina--the end of the book comes with no explanations.
Normally, you expect characters to have reasons for things they do. They can do weird things, but they should justify it to themselves, and have the actions be a natural outgrowth of their past. This is called characterization. Characters in this book have one sentence justifications for absurd actions. We have a nun who decides to deal with the devil, and an angel who is ordered to spy. There's a set of religious pilgrims headed toward Venice during the Middle Ages. A demon joins them, proves himself to be a demon, and they don't even run away from him.
The dialog is wretched. Everyone converses in a stilted manner. The description is campy; the authors apparently decided to focus on the clothing of women--there are attractive wimples and red low cut blouses galore.
It feels like this book has been subjected to random editing. Or perhaps worse than random, as I feel that there may have been malicious intent at confusing the reader. Characters pop up, disappear for a while, then pop up again with no explanation (an example is the young lady named Priscilla [or Puss]).
But you know what? All of the above flaws could have been forgiven if there had been any scene, any scene at all, that was funny. I wanted to forgive the flaws--I wanted to laugh--I read the entire book, didn't I? But I didn't even crack a smile the entire book. There were times I put it down and thought to myself, 'Why are you wasting your time?' I will admit, I finished the book (I think for the same reasons that folks slow down to look at a wreck on the highway).
Don't buy this book. If you want some funny fantasy, read 'A Night in the Lonesome October' (which is great!) or anything by Blaylock. Don't buy this book.
11 of 14 people found the following review helpful
This book is really a mess.
24 Feb 2004
Format:Paperback
I barely managed to struggle my way through this book. Frankly, it's a mess. It is in desperate need of editing. It lurches unsteadily and introduces new themes and characters on a whim for no apparent purpose. The Mongol horde mentioned in one of the blurbs provided here at Amazon is a good example of this "kitchen sink" mentality. The way "the seven" end up sitting around waiting for a meaningless ceremony in the end also highlights the basically unorganized and ill-conceived nature of the story. There's really very little to recommend this book to anyone. Even farce and satire needs structure and a cohesive thread. I really don't understand how this book got published in this form.
There certainly could have been a decent story here (as there can be with any premise really) but it doesn't seem like there was any attempt made to tighten up the story and string it together properly. It read like a very early draft meant to demonstrate a couple of key points rather than assemble them into an entertaining story.
Not my cup of tea. Maybe yours.
5 Nov 2011
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a dedicated Zelazny fan; have been since I was a kid. I loved most of his books, until I hit this one. To me, it is just too precious and forced. He came up with great ideas, way before his time, the way a really excellent Scifi/fantasy writer does. His imaginative and delightful phraseology just fights to get through this one. I got through it, but had to struggle with it. Will keep it, because his lesser writing is better than most writers' good work. Have not read the other reviews, but someone probably provided a synopsis. This was not my cup of tea, but Amber and Coils were a whole banquet.
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