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Title: Great Lines, Not Great Ending
Review: Tom Holt stories are typically more than a bit eccentric and fantastic, with a hefty dash of humor - word play and situations that might be at home in Terry Pratchett (Guards,Guards or Witches Abroad period more than the more-recent novels) or Douglas Adams book - almost always in the displaced-fish-out-of-water mold. Like Pratchett, Holt stories often have a large dose of supernatural or magic in them, but many of them take place in England. Great ingredients for light hearted fun.This book has some of the best individual lines and a great premise, but the characters aren't as engaging as usual or even likable, and even worse, the ending is flat-out depressing. I found it the least re-readable of his books.For an introduction to his funner, lighter-escapism with great humor, try Snow White and the Seven Samauri, or Who's Afraid of Beowolf.
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