This is a cross-genre story that feels like it should be classified somewhere between Doctor Who and Discworld. I’m calling it science fiction rather than fantasy because at one point the ‘magic’ is described as the clever application of the strange effects of quantum mechanics. This is no more outlandish than the Doctor’s TARDIS, although instead of the unlikely time travel of Doctor Who, this story includes travel between our reality and an unlikely alternate dimension.

It’s an interesting place.

This alternate Earth is run as a police state, and our reluctant hero, The Pan of Hamgee, is a Goverment Blacklisted Indivdual. His existence is therefore illegal, and the fact that he has survived as a GBI for five years, which is about four and a half years longer than normal, proves that he is very good at not being caught. This talent comes to the attention of Big Merv, a major crime boss, who recruits him as his new getaway driver. For the Pan of Hamgee, this is good news for two reasons. As a GBI, no legitimate employer will hire him, and Merv’s other option was dumping him in the river - with cement overshoes - but these are details we don’t need to go into here.

This story has flying car chases, a bad guy you love to loath, likable gangsters, and a hero you can really identify with since, like most of us, he’s not terribly heroic - at least not intentionally. He reminds me a bit of Rincewind in Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. He’s a professional coward whose talent for getting into unintended trouble is only exceeded by his talent for escaping from it. All he wants is a simple, normal life, but the universe seems to have another fate planned for him. The book also has a few laughs, a lot of smiles, and even a bit of political and religious satire. There are far too few books like this. Great characters, interesting setting, humor, and cultural satire, with a genuinely good plot providing a framework holding them together is a hard blend to achieve and an even more difficult one to do well. This book does.

The prose is well executed with just enough description for the reader to visualize the scenes. Backstory, where needed, is integrated seamlessly into the narrative. Dialog is believable and suitable to the characters and to the situation. Grammar, spelling, formatting, and other of technical requirements of the storyteller’s trade that sometimes pose a problem for the independent writer are executed professionally in this book.

It passes my personal 5-star test. In addition to all the basics needed for a well-told tale, it has that something extra that would prompt me to read it again. I enjoyed following the misadventures of The Pan of Hamgee, a likeable sod thrown into an uncomfortable situation in an imaginative world that has certain parallels to our own. I highly recommend it to readers of lighthearted speculative fiction or anyone who may be looking for something a bit different and a lot of fun.
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review to follow ( )

Book Info: Genre: Science Fantasy Thriller
Reading Level: Adult
Recommended for: fans of Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and other zany British comedy
Trigger Warnings: violence, murder (implied)

My Thoughts: Do you like Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and the like? You do! *gasp* So do I! That's awesome, call me, let's do lunch.

Now, as to this book. It's quite a crazy quilt. You have parallel universes, gangster Swamp Things, a Hamgeean with eyes on the back of his head, snurds (like flying cars), and all other sorts of things.

Speaking of, have you ever wondered what a snurd chase would look like? Wonder no longer.

Anyway, the book is completely full of absolutely ludicrous nonsense, like this: “He'd told her his name was Robin Get, 'like Stan, only without the z'.” And of course you have to love Ada and Gladys, the Grongles, and the K'Barthans idea of religion, which is basically “Be decent to each other.” (Now that's a religion I can get down with...)

At any rate, if you like absolutely ludicrous nonsense all tied up in a most interesting story of alternate worlds, parallel dimensions, fight for freedom, and a hero that would much rather just live in peace with a nice ale and hot supper, then you really need to read these stories. Really fun stuff!

Series Information:
Prequel: Unlucky Dip. I thought I had this, but it turns out the version I downloaded actually contained the wrong file. I have the corrected version and will read it next!
Book 1: Few are Chosen
Book 2: The Wrong Stuff
Book 3: One Man: No Plan, tentatively scheduled for release around Christmas 2013

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Synopsis: The Pan of Hamgee isn't paranoid. There must be some people in K Barth who aren't out to get him; it 's just that, right now, he's not sure where they are. His family are dead, his existence is treason and he does the only thing he can to survive: getaway driving. As if being on the run isn't bad enough, when he finds a magic thimble and decides to keep it, he unwittingly sets himself on a collision course with Lord Vernon, K Barth's despot ruler. Unwillingly, The Pan is forced to make choices and stand up for his beliefs; beliefs he never knew he had until they were challenged. But faced with a stark moral dilemma, will his new-found integrity stick? Can he stop running? ( )

This is not the sort of book I would usually read but I was amused by the sample chapter supplied by the author. It's a chance I am glad I took because this quirky piece of fantasy adventure fiction was a lot of fun.The Pan of Hamgee is a fugitive on K'Barth, blacklisted by the Gronglians who are taking over his world,he has a special knack for getting into trouble. When he accidently burns down a local thug's apartment block he is blackmailed into using his skill as getaway driver. For The Pan, who has managed to stay on the run longer than any other GBI (government blacklisted indiviual)his role in Big Merv's crew is both a Niminism blessing and a Grongolian curse.The Pan is very likeable, he has an artless charm and endearing lack of self esteem. He is convinced its cowardice and luck that has allowed him to outmaneuver those pursing him, rather than taking credit for his skills and sense. I enjoyed his spirit of adventure and determination as well the sense of fun McGuire has infused him withDespite the physical oddities of McGuire's characters, Grongrolians have green skin and Big Merv is an orange Swamp Thing, they have human traits which are easy to relate to. One of the things I struggle with in this genre are books where the setting, history, technology, character descriptions etc., require or are given, extensive detailing. K'Barth may be an alien world, but what is 'other' is intergrated neatly into the plot. For me, this grounds the story so that the characters and events are the main focus of the tale.The pacing is good, there is plenty of action, though I feel the plot could have been tightened a little more to maintain impetus in the middle. The style is fluid and comfortable with neglible copyedit errors.As I don't read a lot in this genre, I can't compare Few Are Chosen to a similar title but I think anyone who enjoys a humourous fantasy adventure that includes a magic thimble, a [flying and submersible] car chase and a pair of concrete boots will appreciate this debut of the K'Barthan Trilogy. I am looking forward to reading McGuire's sequel. ( )

The Pan of Hamgee is charming, funny, quick thinking – and a coward. The only thing he’s any good at is running away. It’s a pretty good skill though, and explains why after being blacklisted for five years, he’s still alive when the rest of his family are dead, and his whole existence is treason. Perhaps there are some people in his home world of K’Barth who don’t want to kill him, but they seem to be few and far between. It’s probably lucky then that he literally has eyes in the back of his head.

He puts his getaway skills to use as a driver for a gang of bank robbers, but when they inadvertently steal a precious thimble which has magical powers, he is set on a road to disaster, which pits him against Lord Vernon, the despot leader of K’Barth. Lord Vernon is prepared to go to any lengths necessary to stop the rightful leader from becoming known – and just because The Pan got in his way once before, there’s no way either of them want that to happen again.

The Pan has never believed that ethics and principles are very helpful in the art of survival, but all of a sudden he finds himself fighting for what he believes in, trying to escape with his life, and becoming captivated by a young woman whose name he does not even know. Will he survive? Will he get the girl? And might he even gain some courage along the way?…

Fantasy is not normally a favourite genre of mine, as I can find it hard to suspend disbelief. However, I did not have this problem with this book. It’s packed with humour and action, and held my attention throughout. The struggles for independence and survival by both The Pan and the residents of the land to an extent reflect real life events which happen in our world.

The Pan is a great hero, precisely because he does not possess the usual ‘heroic’ attributes. He is happy to admit that he is a coward, who is just desperate to stay alive. For someone who tries so hard to avoid confrontation, he finds himself in many sticky situations and often exacerbates matters by talking before thinking. But he has charisma and is very likeable. I also liked his employer Big Merv, who had hidden depths which are revealed throughout the book.

Lord Vernon made for a formidable villain – powerful, intelligent and without a shred of compassion.

The writing flows easily and the story moves along rapidly, with plenty laughs, and detail about the world of K’Barth which is both similar and very different to life on earth. This book is the first in a trilogy and I was definitely left feeling that I wanted to know what happened next.

Recommended, especially to fans of fantasy, but also to those who might usually avoid it. ( )