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Product Description
Review
Praise for TOMAS: 'Absolutely amazing' - Stephen Fry. 'The noises I made whilst reading this book frightened people' - Noel Fielding. 'Visionary, revealing grim truths' - Evening Standard. 'Should be on the long list for the Man-Booker prize' - Peter James. 'Savage satire of the highest calibre' - Monocle. 'Grotesque as it is gripping' - Niall Ferguson. 'A scathing attack on celebrity culture' - TLS. 'I loved it' - Claudia Winkleman. 'Many will enjoy this grotesque, bizarre satire' - thelondonpaper. 'Either mad or genius of both' - Rory Bremner. 'Has cult written all over it' - TheBookBag.
Product Description
Tancredi was born on the same day that scientists discovered a new star. It was so small it had gone unnoticed for millennia. Stargazers named it Surprise, in the spirit of a little astrological joke. On closer inspection they made another finding, this one less amusing. After a lifetime of obscurity the diminutive star intended to draw attention to itself. Activity on its surface indicated that one day it would go supernova. A star, so insignificant it had escaped detection, was destined to be the instrument of Armageddon across the Universe.
Humankind has become so riddled with the disease of short-termism that it ignores its fate. Tancredi decides to make it his mission to save the Earth. Made rich by his invention of the MoronOmeter, he buys a ticket for the space ship Invincible on its maiden voyage through the galaxy.
It is a decision that will change everything.
James Palumbo provides an uncompromising and brutal satire on the philosophy of short-termism, which has polluted every aspect of our lives and is bringing the world to the brink of destruction. Beautifully illustrated and reminiscent of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS and THE LITTLE PRINCE, it is in turn shocking and profound, undercut with the dark sense of humour that made his first novel TOMAS so scandalous and successful.
While TOMAS captured the greed and stupidity of the banking industry which created the financial crisis, TANCREDI predicts a world paralysed by individual self-interest and lack of foresight that is unwilling to stop its own destruction.
Praise for TOMAS:
'Absolutely amazing' - Stephen Fry
'The noises I made whilst reading this book frightened people' - Noel Fielding
'Visionary, revealing grim truths' - Evening Standard
'Should be on the long list for the Man-Booker prize' - Peter James
'Savage satire of the highest calibre' - Monocle
'Grotesque as it is gripping' - Niall Ferguson
'A scathing attack on celebrity culture' - TLS
'I loved it' - Claudia Winkleman
'Many will enjoy this grotesque, bizarre satire' - thelondonpaper
'Either mad or genius or both' - Rory Bremner
Humankind has become so riddled with the disease of short-termism that it ignores its fate. Tancredi decides to make it his mission to save the Earth. Made rich by his invention of the MoronOmeter, he buys a ticket for the space ship Invincible on its maiden voyage through the galaxy.
It is a decision that will change everything.
James Palumbo provides an uncompromising and brutal satire on the philosophy of short-termism, which has polluted every aspect of our lives and is bringing the world to the brink of destruction. Beautifully illustrated and reminiscent of GULLIVER'S TRAVELS and THE LITTLE PRINCE, it is in turn shocking and profound, undercut with the dark sense of humour that made his first novel TOMAS so scandalous and successful.
While TOMAS captured the greed and stupidity of the banking industry which created the financial crisis, TANCREDI predicts a world paralysed by individual self-interest and lack of foresight that is unwilling to stop its own destruction.
Praise for TOMAS:
'Absolutely amazing' - Stephen Fry
'The noises I made whilst reading this book frightened people' - Noel Fielding
'Visionary, revealing grim truths' - Evening Standard
'Should be on the long list for the Man-Booker prize' - Peter James
'Savage satire of the highest calibre' - Monocle
'Grotesque as it is gripping' - Niall Ferguson
'A scathing attack on celebrity culture' - TLS
'I loved it' - Claudia Winkleman
'Many will enjoy this grotesque, bizarre satire' - thelondonpaper
'Either mad or genius or both' - Rory Bremner
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Two years ago I read James Palumbo's terrible debut novel, 'Tomas', which is a prime example of a book which can only have been published because its author had connections and cash rather than talent or even a good idea for a story. This total mess of a novel should have put me off Palumbo for life. However, when 'Tancredi' came along, the description of the plot caught my interest and I decided I'd give him a second chance. I shouldn't have bothered.
The novel takes place on an accidental journey through a constellation of increasingly nonsensical planets, each representing a contemporary Earth 'problem' taken too far. There's a planet where healthcare has been extended to the point that its elderly, decaying residents are desperate for death; a planet where man-pig paparazzos rummage through waste to find the next celebrity scandal; a planet full of obese gameshow-watching slobs who are so fat that they've lost the ability to walk; planets where health and safety or political correctness have been taken to the Nth degree; and so on. The situations on the various planets do have some prescience, but Palumbo races through each one at breakneck speed and doesn't invest any time in developing the ideas (or the characters). Inevitably some ridiculous plot twist propels our band of dimwitted, unappealing characters onto the next planet and the cycle starts again. The book continues toward its entirely predictable ending, which I won't spoil but you can probably guess from reading the back-cover blurb. By the time it gets there, though, you'll have lost all interest in the story.
Don't be fooled by the gushing reviews given by other Amazon reviewers. 'Tancredi' is a short, poorly-written story with no character development and very little to keep the reader interested beyond a couple of valid but ultimately under-developed points about the state of the world we live in. One to avoid.
The novel takes place on an accidental journey through a constellation of increasingly nonsensical planets, each representing a contemporary Earth 'problem' taken too far. There's a planet where healthcare has been extended to the point that its elderly, decaying residents are desperate for death; a planet where man-pig paparazzos rummage through waste to find the next celebrity scandal; a planet full of obese gameshow-watching slobs who are so fat that they've lost the ability to walk; planets where health and safety or political correctness have been taken to the Nth degree; and so on. The situations on the various planets do have some prescience, but Palumbo races through each one at breakneck speed and doesn't invest any time in developing the ideas (or the characters). Inevitably some ridiculous plot twist propels our band of dimwitted, unappealing characters onto the next planet and the cycle starts again. The book continues toward its entirely predictable ending, which I won't spoil but you can probably guess from reading the back-cover blurb. By the time it gets there, though, you'll have lost all interest in the story.
Don't be fooled by the gushing reviews given by other Amazon reviewers. 'Tancredi' is a short, poorly-written story with no character development and very little to keep the reader interested beyond a couple of valid but ultimately under-developed points about the state of the world we live in. One to avoid.
3 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Attempting to wade through this literary car crash was a real struggle, despite the story being (thankfully) very short; determination to finish it was fired by the simple belief that something unfathomably enlightening MUST be revealed at the end (as indicated by other reviews).
The story is written in pseudo children's book language with sporadic illustrations, which is unusual and okay if the style is compensated with substance. Unfortunately, not one iota of substance here... only weak and obvious metaphors of a journey through everything that's wrong with the world according to Palumbo (which I don't necessarily disagree with), and an attempt at surrealism more suited to a fake acid trip.
The last page did, in fact, reveal something enlightening; it revealed that this book must have been written with the sole purpose of making fun of us, for paying for such a farcical piece of literature... and that the moment I paid for this, my hypothetical MoronOmeter went off the scale. Therefore, instead of passing it onto friends or charity shops as I'd usually do with finished/rubbish books, this one was promptly sent back to amazon for a full refund. Without a speck of guilt.
The story is written in pseudo children's book language with sporadic illustrations, which is unusual and okay if the style is compensated with substance. Unfortunately, not one iota of substance here... only weak and obvious metaphors of a journey through everything that's wrong with the world according to Palumbo (which I don't necessarily disagree with), and an attempt at surrealism more suited to a fake acid trip.
The last page did, in fact, reveal something enlightening; it revealed that this book must have been written with the sole purpose of making fun of us, for paying for such a farcical piece of literature... and that the moment I paid for this, my hypothetical MoronOmeter went off the scale. Therefore, instead of passing it onto friends or charity shops as I'd usually do with finished/rubbish books, this one was promptly sent back to amazon for a full refund. Without a speck of guilt.
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
After finding James' previous novel, Tomas, a little hard to digest I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did, but I thoroughly enjoyed it and found myself constantly empathising with the heroes Tancredi, Tamany and Kasbek.
Tancredi is a short, easy read but at the same time very thought-provoking given the current state of world-affairs, I think James' satirical take on mankind's 'short-term' thinking is pretty much spot on.
The book is very well laid out and the quirky illustrations really help to guide the readers imagination.
Tancredi is a short, easy read but at the same time very thought-provoking given the current state of world-affairs, I think James' satirical take on mankind's 'short-term' thinking is pretty much spot on.
The book is very well laid out and the quirky illustrations really help to guide the readers imagination.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A very enjoyable read
It's not that often you come across a mix of sci-fi and satire that plays so well on political correctness gone wrong. Read more
Published 5 months ago by blameless
Spirited tale delivered with passion... (Political correctness...
We think in pictures...! If I say 'banana' you see a banana in the front of your mind...if I say green fire blowing dragon you see a green fire blowing dragon - hence why its... Read more
Published 6 months ago by C x
really didnt want it to end.!
Simply couldnt put the book down ,really didnt want it to end!
Tancredi is a dark fiction,satire highlighting modern cultural,political issues of our society. Read more
Tancredi is a dark fiction,satire highlighting modern cultural,political issues of our society. Read more
Published 7 months ago by fa
Very imaginative and thought provoking !!!
Wow! Just as James' first book Tomas, Tancredi is definitely a different read, very imaginative and thought provoking. Read more
Published 7 months ago by ACher
Carnivalesque satire with a tinge of darkness
Ok so where to start with Tancredi... In his first novel Tomas, author James Palumbo showed his ability to skirt the edges of surrealism and the darkness of the human condition... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Joshua P. OConner
An extraordinary journey!
A brilliant follow-up to the incredible Tomas. James Palumbo's writing style once again draws you in to another world of adventure, full of incredible visuals and fascinating... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Aliw
A whirlwind of adventure...
The continual adventures with Tancredi to several different planets each representing a different theme doesn't leave you short of humor and suspense. Read more
Published 8 months ago by girl london
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