Fools Errant
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- £3.99
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- £3.99
Publisher Description
Wise, witty and just a little weird, FOOLS ERRANT wryly strolls the satirical path laid down by Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and Jack Vance, heralding the brilliant debut of a gifted new voice. Foppish young Filidor Vesh wants only to dally among his shallow pastimes. But a simple errand for his uncle, the vaguely all-powerful Archon of those parts of Old Earth still populated by human beings, becomes a frenetic odyssey across a planet speckled with eccentric nations pursuing odd aims with intense determination. Harried at every step by the irascible dwarf, Gaskarth, and frequently at the peril of wild beasts, enraged mobs and a particularly nasty thaumaturge, Filidor makes a relucant progress toward a final encounter with an ancient and possibly world-ending evil.
Praise for Matthew Hughes:
"Matthew Hughes does Jack Vance better than anyone except Jack himself" - George R.R. Martin
"Heir apparent to Jack Vance" - Booklist
"Hughes's boldness is admirable"- New York Review of Science Fiction
"Hughes effortlessly renders fantastic worlds and beings believable"- Publishers Weekly
"A towering talent"- Robert J. Sawyer
"A treasure" - David Gerrold
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Combining many of the elements of a good fantasy (quest, magic, strange lands and memorable characters), Hughes's rollicking debut details the coming-of-age of young Filidor Vesh, nephew to the Archon of Old Earth. The journey begins when Filidor and his aging mentor, Gaskarth, agree to deliver a package to the Archon. En route, they encounter weird and often humorous lands and people whose lives revolve around a distinct value (such as the Jampions who care only about competition, or the Zeelotes who prize innovation). Readers may be disappointed, however, by the novel's rather episodic structure. Filidor's odyssey swiftly falls into a pattern in which Filidor travels to a new land, faces some mortal peril at the hands of an extremist community, overcomes his peril and then travels to the next land. Hughes thankfully breaks from this cycle toward the end of the book when the true nature of Filidor's quest is revealed. Despite the plot's predictability, Hughes has crafted a worthwhile tale reminiscent of Gulliver's Travels. The individual cultures are well-conceived and enjoyable, and the images that Hughes conjures will stick with the reader long after the plot is forgotten.
