I've just read Tom Holt's 'Barking'.

It is about his best story, although I will concede Going Dutch and a couple of others may be considered to be better.

What struck me were the number of allusions to other stories it contains, so I am rereading it to count the ones I can identify. There are probably others that persons wiv a good edukasion can identify.

Anyone else read it yet?

Yup... read it whilst travelling, so maybe I didn't appreciate it so much, but I didn't think it was that amazing. I felt it was too... persistantly dues ex. Although I do concede that he's getting back towards his best.

What allusions have you spotted so far?

And I must be showing my age... I remember when mentioning T*m H*lt's name round here was a lynching offence...

Rob

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That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

Heh. He was never one of my favourites. Rather passoverable really.

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'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

***** see edit ******* Yep. I've also read it. I think it is probably the best of the "Portable Door" stories, but I preferred his operatic/mythological ones more.

Rob, I wonder what JFf will think of the SFX mag's linking of himself and Tom Holt? (Top 100 authors - if you like nnn, then you will probably like xxx)

*****edit **** I got confused! comments above refer to the latest "Portable Door" story - "A Better Mousetrap". "Barking" is o.k. but to my taste, no better than the others in the series.

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/18/2008 11:29AM by SkidMarks.

Always annoys me slightly giving a 'Top XX' of anything.

On commercial radio you hear those acting as mindless morons (See Radio Mindless, ISIRTA 1973) saying this or that is the greatest song ever. Few if any of the songs so referred to are ever heard after six months.

When they have lasted as long a 'Smoke Gets in you Eyes' or the 'Queen of the NIght' aria then they may have earned that accolade.

Similarly with books.


At any one time a number of books may be considered to be the best of a genre, but the individual choice is what makes for the diversity. What TP writes may strike a chord with say JF and there may be a reference but how say TH or RR handle and idea is their own style. Each appeals slightly differently to each reader, but to claim one is better than another is being presumptuous.


Which is Shakespeare's best play? And why?

I like the one written by Bacon - Hamlet.

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My computer beat me at chess, but I won at kickboxing

Whichever one it is, it's NOT MacBeth. I did that at school and was thoroughly unimpressed.

I much prefer 'Name that fruit!'. It has more sophisticated sentiments.

Any play featuring a dog is fine by me.

Othello maybe. Or Midsummer Nights Dream

Define 'best'.

"Least worst"

So... the one with the fewest sausages...

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That statement is either so deep it would take a lifetime to fully comprehend every particle of its meaning, or it is a load of absolute tosh. Which is it, I wonder?
Terry Pratchett, Hogfather

The problem is that I don't think it's fair to compare films from different eras. Movies are just made differently now. That said, it's probably the worst in many people's eyes.

<Standard cop out number four>

Is 'leastworst' like bratwusrt, or blackpudding, or haggis?

I knew someone would try to get food mentioned here somehow.

Sex, sex, sex, it's all you ever think about...

We would not be thinking of sausages then.

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

....that depends .....

Sex and sausages: is there a snag in your love life?

Possibly an edible restraint?

__________________________________
'We're all mad here. I'm mad, you're mad." [said the Cat.]
"How do you know I'm mad?" said Alice.
"You must be," said the Cat, "Or you wouldn't have come here."
- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures In Wonderland

I was counting the references to other stories and marking the pages with little strips of paper.

I found the book on the floor with nearly all the little pieces of paper out of the book. And attack by the killer Birmans I suppose. So I've lost all the reference points, and have no intention of reading it a third time, so I can't direct you to the things as i said I would.

However, the second reading didn't feel to be as saturated with reference s as did the first reading, so it may have been the combination of Barking and Good Omens which I was reading at the same time (in alternate bursts, not simultaneously for any pedants who may read this. Not regular fforumites who would have inferred that already}.

Shouldn't the question be more philosophical: 'Sex OR sausages?'?