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Jan 24, 2017JCLChrisK rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Ludicrous, ridiculous, and preposterous! I mean, what can you say about a book whose second character introduced is named Omynus Hussh? Yes, that is an ominous indication of things to come indeed! Things like a world populated by talking, intelligent, bipedal animals, the vast majority of them villainous scoundrels of the most unsavory sort. Where pirates kidnap children (like Mabel Jones) who eat their boogers. Where the captain of the sailing vessel Peapod is Ishmael H. Toucan, searching for the white whale that swallowed his brother Abel. Where one of the preferred drinks is Wasp Rot, brewed from the pee of a thousand stray cats and laced with crushed wasp, and where one of the vilest drinks is milk. Related by a narrator who makes frequent asides to readers, addresses them directly, takes mid-action-sequence breaks to eat pickled onions, and who, thinking our heroine dead, shares his intentions to have her name and image tattooed on his buttocks so that "poor Mabel Jones will be remembered whenever I need to scratch my bum in public." And that's just the faintest hint of the utter nonsense displayed on every single page. Which doesn't even mention the constant, melodramatic use of bolding, enlarged font, illustrations, and graphic design elements for added effect. Or the fact that, despite the highly effective, absurdist humor, the book manages to pull off actual suspense, character growth, and sentiment. This is silliness that is rollicking, clever, and fun. And added praise for the outstanding, over-the-top audiobook narration of Toby Jones, who begins his reading with the clarification that he is of no relation to the title character. Most highly recommended.