A wonderful satire on life in Ireland in the 90's. I definitely got a lot of enjoyment from recognising aspects of life in Galway and Dublin that I knew myself, but the story as a whole kept me amused throughout. Definitely well worth reading, though I think readers who are more familiar with Ireland will get more out of the satire. ( )

This is not a good book. It starts off promising enough, and reminded me of Pat McCabe on speed. There were a couple of laughs, it's true. But then Jude gets to Galway, and ends up underground in some large corporate HQ impersonating Stephen Hawking, and has a penis on his nose, and Charlie haughey, etc. The suck set in and never let up. By the time he got to Dublin, this book had well and truly worn off its welcome, the laughs were scant, and the situations increasingly contrived and unfunny. I couldn't finish this. ( )

I'd like to review a book that was issued this year and is a wonderful odyssey for our times. If you're one of those people who skip to the end of reviews for a sound bite I'll be kind and start with one: (Jude: Level 1), by Julian Gough, is that rare thing, a novel that's funny and beautifully written.

For those who like a bit more meat in a review I'd say this is funny, stimulating, vividly exciting, and brilliantly written without a single boring cliche in sight. It's got a bit of (Douglas Adams) in it, and a smattering of (Flann O'Brien). A small portion of it got minced up with (Beckett), enough to get you imagining some great Irish heavy drinker like Jack McGowran. His fruity voice would be exactly right for this story of serial demolitions. McGowran would probably embroider the whole mad story into the creamy top of his Guinness. How often do you come across a writer who can make humour deep? Joyce of course, Beckett certainly, but it's pretty thin after that. Nutbeam's party in Annie Proulx's fab (`The Shipping News') gets close to the same feeling, so if you enjoyed that one you'll go for this one.

Okay, who the hell am I to say this? I'm just a painter scratching a living who happens to be a fan of reading. I'm also keen on exploding buildings, and this novel manages to destroy lots of them. It also runs circles around those everyday Oirish accounts of hard times, famines and gangsters. Despite having several orphans in it the story doesn't for one moment get syrupy, and every time an orphan gets killed you'll laugh. And anyone with a penchant for Leonardo di Caprio will find themselves looking intently at this fine actor's nose in future...

I shall be rooting for the next bits of this story on the net. I'll be ordering the hardback as soon as I can. It's a cheerful book with a skewed logic of its own, and I hope it becomes a major prizewinner. I want to see it issued as a film; as a range of kitchen utensils; and most of all in a signed limited edition, bound in the skin of the Salmon of Knowledge. You'll just have to read it to find out what the hell I'm talking about.

Anyway, I wrote something very similar on Amazon, and in case someone thinks that kettle666 is a pseudonym for Julian Gough I'd like to assert that I really am not he! I do believe that Gough is a damn good writer, up there with (Nicola Barker) for instance. I could go on for several pages but, as this my first visit, I'll politely spare you that. ( )

Jude: Level One by Julian Gough is an odd sort of book; it reminds me more than anything of the fantastical weirdness of Robert Rankin. It’s the story of Jude, an 18 year old Tipperary orphan, raised by the Church, who now that he’s a man sets off out into the world to Seek the Truth of his Parentage, and Snare the Love of His Life. It’s that sort of random capitalisation sort of a book. Along the way he causes the Orphanage to be burnt down, combats the wily plans of Charles Haughey, accidentally disguises himself as Stephen Hawking and blows up an Evil Corporation, has his face surgically reconstructed to resemble Leonardo DiCaprio (albeit with an unfortunately erectile nose) and generally causes havoc to erupt wherever he goes (there’s an extended chase scene through Dublin towards the end).
It’s difficult to pin down genre-wise, and the plot is fairly nonp-existent, but what remains is a collection of comic set-pieces that more often than not hit their target.
As another curiosity, Level One is the first part of a trilogy, with the intention being to publish Levels Two and Three online first, before publishing a collected volume of all three levels next year.
It’s a slightly haphazard read, but it’s nonsensical, energetic and funny, and highly entertaining for it. ( )