Peril in the Old Country

The author’s voice is what drew me in from the first page. First paragraph, really. With its tongue–firmly-in-cheek prose, the story kept me turning the virtual pages.

Sloot Peril is a great hero because although he is a walking neurosis, he feels real. Most readers probably know someone just like him. His progression throughout the story is cleverly done, so that we see him slowly changing, managing to do some things that he wouldn’t even have considered at the start of the novel. This growth on his part is one of the things that make him such a believable character, even in such a series of wacky plots. Roman was another favorite of mine because he is both so bad and so good at the spy business that you never know if his plans will actually work or not.

There are some real laugh-out-loud moments, making this definitely a story I would recommend for people who want something lighter. I especially enjoyed the queuing scenes because they show an exaggerated version of the bureaucratic nonsense we have all put up with. Oh, and the black market. Which is actually a black market, underground and super secret. All of those details add flavor to an already fun read.

If you enjoy witty narratives that have plenty of comedic moments, then I highly recommend this one.

Summary: Sloot Peril is living an ordinary bland life in the Old Country until a promotion leads him into an adventure fraught with spies and double crosses.


What I liked: I loved this entire book. Sam is a amazing writer. The story of Sloot was witty and intelligent. Every story thread was followed through to a great ending. (All except one...You know what I am talking about Sam). The characters were fleshed out beautifully and I can picture what each character looks like. The storylines are well thought out and tied up in a bow at the end...sort of. (No spoilers read the book and you will know what I am talking about).


What I didn't like: There isn't a second book out yet! I want to find out what happens to Peril.


Star Rating: 5 and then some! BUY IT


My thoughts: Peril in the Old Country was such a fun read. It had everything that a great story needed; action, adventure, a love interest and some goblins. I loved this book it was so much fun. I still find myself chuckling every so often when I think about Sloot or something that he said or did. I have a Advanced Readers copy but I will be buying it when it comes out.

Sloot Peril is an anxious, law abiding citizen of the Old Country, a devoted accountant, and a loyal subordinate to the Domnitor - long may he reign. No way would he ever have anything to do with his country's greatest enemy, Carpathia, thank you very much. He is as loyal as a loyal citizen can be, Oath declared every day and all.

An accounting report, however, is about to change all that. Sloot becomes a dinner guest of Lord Hapsgalt, one of the most powerful, and vastly rich people in the country. And that is where everything goes terribly, terribly wrong. That's the part when he learns he's a Carpathian, meets a bunch of very peculiar people, and finds his bravery. It's also the part where he gets in grave danger. And, let's not forget, Sloot wants nothing to do with any of these things.

Welcome to the Old Country, whose true name is never pronounced, and where goblins are a real threat. This is the land where no one can swear, lines in Public Services are bound to be long - or else one would get the wrong impression- and freedom is not a word the citizens are quite familiar with. Nevertheless, it beats the neighboring country, Carpathia, where citizens are complete savages, beating people up and killing for no reason. Or is all this just tale tell?

This is a witty tale, full of creatively constructed countries and peculiar heroes. Much more humane than in mostly other heroic tales, the people you meet in Sloot's story are genuinely real. They're not made of steel, and so they can, too, experience fear and agony, and still be heroic in their own way. From a crazy old nanny to the ruler of the great and mighty Carpathia, each one offers an abundance of laughter, witty remarks, and snappy remarks. Twisting and turning, the plot is full of dark humor, but can also leave you shocked at times (let's not elaborate on that, we want to keep it spoil free).

Sam Hooker's writing reminded me, in essence, a lot of Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, mixed with a humorous 007 story plot. The Old Country has something strongly Orwellian about it, giving the story a larger depth, while showing that a humorous mystery tale can also reveal many, many ugly truths about society. That being said, it would be a book to recommend for all of the fiction lovers out there. Pick up the book, follow Peril through his perilous adventures, and get lost in a world of strange habits, strange people, and strange happenings.

The topic of this book intrigued me. I loved the wit and sarcasm of its characters, and the world-building enticed me. Sloot Peril is hardly the hero we expect of a fantasy novel, and that definitely gave me buy-in for the novel. Unfortunately (at least for me), I got lost somewhere in the middle. I don't know if I wasn't following the narrative correctly, or didn't get where the writer was going, but things didn't make sense to me. The ending seemed rushed and left me puzzled (but not curious to see what would be next).It could be that I didn't understand Mr. Hooker's humor and wit. Or that I'm new to the adult fantasy genre. But Peril in the Old Country is a pretty good book - it simply wasn't for me.

If you love the humor of Terry Pratchett, you absolutely must pick up a copy of Peril in the Old
Country.  It is a delightfully absurd novel with elements of the movie Brazil. Witty, astute observations on the nature of man and the reality he creates are paired with strange situations that become more and more convoluted as Sloot Peril endeavors to do the right thing and keep his head attached to his shoulders.

All Sloot did was correct a memo. Now he is the financier of an idiot nobleman, a spy, and possibly falling in love for the first time in his life.  He is way outside his comfort zone and the situation is becoming more ridiculous and more complex as it progresses.  Peril in the Old Country is an absolutely wonderful novel.  Not only was it extremely funny, it also had just the right way of pointing out truths that left the reader groaning and or rolling in laughter.  My only quibble is the abrupt ending.

5 /  5

I received a copy of Peril in the Old Country from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

— Crittermom

Sloot Peril the accountant is a nervous/befuddled/pathetic character on the order of Arthur Dent or Rincewind the Wizard, and he lives in a world that sounds like 1984 as written by Terry Pratchett who has just read a bunch of dark fantasy (be careful which characters you get emotionally attached to). Poor Sloot, the most law-abiding of citizens, renders great service to an important man (correcting an accounting report that implied he wasn’t so rich that he didn’t have to count his money) and is plunged into a world of plots within plots.

The characters are ridiculous, the situations are absurd, and the narration is hilarious and snarky (beware if you are easily offended by something you value being satirized). This was on it’s way to being a 4.5 to 5 star book, but the end really annoyed me. There are plot unveilings, deaths, swearing (e.g. “the one that rhymes with elbow” or “the one that starts with m and refers to the face you make right before sneezing”), true love…and then the book ends before we find out how the situation resolves…I hate that kind of cliffhanger ending. If you’re a good author you don’t need to string me along like that! You should be able to offer some resolution and still keep my interest. It annoyed me so much that I almost dropped this clear down to 3 stars, but I had too much fun overall to do that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sam Hooker for allowing me to read and review Peril in the Old Country. What a fantastically enjoyable book! Loved it!

Key Take Away: I had no idea I needed an odd fantasy, seemingly written by Robert Heinlein himself, in my life until I was reading Peril in the Old Country.

Review:

As the name suggests there is peril in the old country. The 'Old Country' being a comedic totalitarian state and 'Peril' being our quote unquote hero, who goes by the name Sloot Peril.

If you’re following me Peril is about to be surrounded in peril.

Immediately, we become aware that Sloot is a meek, cowardly young man, possibly afflicted with obsessive compulsive disorder with pinches of Asperger’s every so often. To his benefit he leverages such strengths to become a rather successful accountant, in the capital of Old Country Salzstadt. With Success comes an odd promotion, and with this promotion comes Sloot’s mother's retirement. Her retirement creates a vacancy that Sloot is obliged to take.

As a spy.

Against the country he was born and is incredibly loyal towards.

Turns out Sloot Peril is a Carpathian by blood, enemy to the state, currently in a cold war with the country he loves.

Top this off with the fact that his "promotion" is to care for and manage the son of the richest man in Salztadt, the “Money Man” if you will.

The son’s first attempt to live on his own will be supervised by Sloot—problem being—his charge is 40 years old and has the understanding of life comparable to a six-year-old.

A rich, spoiled six-year-old.

Add a backdrop of comedic bureaucracy, an eccentric spymaster (one I would very much like to see a story focused on), a maid possessed by a lazy philosopher, and goblins that poof into existence if someone happens to curse out loud, and you have a general idea of the story.

I enjoyed reading this, it was fun more than anything else.

I had no idea I needed an odd fantasy, seemingly written by Robert Heinlein himself, in my life until I was reading Peril in the Old Country. Hooker takes an absurd situation and pours more absurdity on top of it. I will admit, I was smiling most of my time while reading this.

Though, it stalls at times. 

The trick with silly comedy is that it brings you closer to the characters—a person gets unknowingly attached to them through comedy, so when the sh** hits the fan it triggers.

When the story rises and teases to eject from the silliness it just cant seem to get the velocity. The result being, we get a main character who probably can not be accurately described as the protagonist.

The main hero, I believe, is the Spymaster he works for (story isn’t about him though, as much as I wish it were).

We see poor Sloot grow from a meek, cowardly accountant trying to please both sides, into a slightly less meek, cowardly adventurer/accountant just trying to get out of a bad situation.

So, at the climax, when we begin to see a few ways that Sloot may explode from his shell, make a fist, or raise his voice even, I tell you I’m excited, then I look down on my e-reader and see I am on the second last page!? 

Turns out I am reading a novel where the side character is the main character, and this realization (and the climax that comes with it) left me feeling....hmmm, how to put this? Like my girlfriend on the nights I've worked to late, or had to much to drink.  

Don’t get me wrong, it was a great read.

If a book has a sincere laugh out loud moment, it will be remembered. This book has many.

All it would have taken to make it gold, to make me believe there was a reincarnation of Robert Heinlein (who gave up sci-fi for fantasy) out there in California, would have been to give it a proper ending where I could think to myself “good for you Sloot,” instead of, “Sloot you’re such a loser.”   

I’d read it again though, after all my girlfriend is still my girlfriend after many dissatisfied endings.

Hello. The following review will be published in Grimdark Magazine Issue 15, April 1, 2018.
https://www.facebook.com/grimdarkmagazine/
Peril in the Old Country by Sam Hooker
Review by malrubius
Peril in the Old Country is a hilarious new novel by Sam Hooker (The Winter Riddle, not that you’ve heard of it). It pits the hapless and hopelessly timid accountant Sloot Peril against numerous adversaries as he attempts to protect the fortune of wealthy dimwit heir William Hapsgalt, discover his own identity, fall in love, and maybe even stay alive for a short while longer, not that that’s entirely necessary in his opinion. In a style (very) reminiscent of the late Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide and Dirk Gently series, Hooker spins a very funny tale with some fairly complex characters, tense conflicts, philosophizing, a nicely realized setting, and line upon line of funniness. It’s also chock full of nasty goblins, secret societies, ancient wizards, undead armies, wizards, and a little of the stabby stuff.
Thanks to the ineptitude of one of his co-workers, whose paperwork he must clean up in a hurry, Peril is thrust into the secret spy agency of Salzstadt, the capital of the Old Country (the name of which cannot be mentioned without inviting a congress of goblins into the general proximity, which then must be battled with brooms), against its longtime nemesis, the neighboring country of Carpathia. After his successfully brief summary of the giant stack of paperwork he corrects just in time, he is chosen by Mrs Knife, the head of Three Bells Company, to help oversee the wealth of the daft heir to the richest man in the Old Country as the young lad (about forty years old) makes his own way in the world at the family’s goblin-infested estate at Whitewood. Peril oversees the hiring of the household staff: Myrtle, a cute housekeeper, who is possessed by the spirit of a dead and very bored philosopher; Roman, a sneaky valet; and Nan, the ‘young’ heir’s nanny, who won’t take no for an answer and quickly rids the estate of goblins with her trusty broom. Once the hiring is settled, the enormous fortune and everything else in the estate is abruptly stolen, and Peril must undertake a deal with Winking Bob, the head of the underground mafia, Four Bells Company, to win a small portion of the money, still amounting to an incredible fortune, back or else face the wrath of Mrs Knife, among others. Dirty deeds and double-dealing ensue as Peril takes his team, plus Greta, local watchmaker, on an ‘expedition’ to Carpathia, a very nasty place whose citizens, as far as Peril knows, “wore the untanned skins of beasts they killed, communicated only through grunts and bloodthirsty screaming, ate fruit without washing it first, and worse,” to help regain William’s fortune. All of which ultimately leads to a deadly and comical climax as the forces of Salzstadt must battle an undead army of Vlads from Carpathia. Many, many twists and turns complicate the way to a surprising and funny, though perhaps slightly unsatisfying, ending, which I won’t describe since it would spoil the fun.
Sloot Peril is a beautifully conceived accountant: he is exceedingly self-conscious, hates to deal with anything that can’t be assessed strictly in terms of numbers, is socially inept, and ridiculously afraid of anything not entirely sanctioned by the Domnitor, the head of the Old Country. Every morning, he wakes, says the Loyalty Oath to the Old Country, and walks to work, going a mile out of his way to touch Salzstadt’s north gate, which secures his home city from the very likely evil Carpathians who live directly to the north and have conquered pretty much everywhere else. His social circle consists almost entirely of conversations with his beloved mother, who reveals her secret identity to him, thereby crushing all of his preconceived notions of self, leaving him adrift on a sea of doubt. Nevertheless, he tries to court Myrtle, though her inability to stifle the voice of the cynical know-it-all philosopher, Arthur, who possesses her, makes it very awkward, to say the least. The other minor characters are equally as endearing in their own ways: Roman, a house valet, seems to know all about the underground, secret societies, and Carpathia; Greta, a humble yet kick-ass watchmaker, who longs for adventure but might be forced to marry Willie despite her pleas; Nan, the nanny, who forces herself on Peril and follows along, though uninvited, on their adventure and is really the character who turns this humble adventure into an extremely perilous one; and Willie, a forty-year-old spoiled brat who alternates between commanding authority and acting like a six-year-old (which Nan is convinced he really is, thanks to a spell). There are other important characters as well, including a couple of wizards, who act as nice foils to each other, Vlad the Invader herself, Queen of Carpathia, and the undead army of all past Vlads going back thousands of years, including the comically annoying Vlad who died of a head wound and can’t remember that he is no longer king and is, well, dead.
As if the situations and characters weren’t entertaining and humorous enough, the settings of Salzstadt and Carpathia are both thoughtfully rendered. Salzstadt comes with a strong dose of Orwell’s 1984. There are rules for everything, including swearing, fighting, and which fork to use, all seemingly to keep out goblins, which would seem to be easily eradicated were it not for a certain prohibition against brooms. Carpathia, on the other hand, is comically spooky with gargoyles peering down from every rooftop, underground sewers, and a giant non-working clock tower. It is decidedly more medieval gothic than the Old Country, which seems more Victorian, but it really doesn’t matter. It is the work of a lively imagination and never fails to set the stage for a relentless assault of humor and antics.
Overall, though, it is Hooker’s writing that makes Peril in the Old Country so enjoyable. Yes, it cannot go without comparison to Douglas Adams, but nevertheless, the wordsmithing and phrase-turning of the third-person narrative and dialogue are the real stars here. For example, when Roman describes the rituals of a secret society, the Serpents of the Earth, he says
“Of course, they mostly do their black masses in the library basement. Fairly rare. Blood moons.”
“Black masses? You mean with human sacrifices and the like?” [asks Peril.]
“Oh no,” said Roman. “I mean yes, they do that kind, too, but they use the basement of the Great Cathedral for human sacrifices. Much better drainage.”
Similarly, after watching the elite Old Country guard in battle, the narrator gives us Peril’s thoughts: “It’s hard to be proud of two dozen corpses no matter how shiny their armor is.” And so on. It’s great fun, if you’re into that sort of thing. Fun, that is.
But is it grimdark? Nicholas Eames’s brilliant Kings of the Wyld leaves no doubt that dark fantasy can be written with a hefty dose of humor. Peril in the Old Country brings humor to the forefront. However, both sides of this story’s conflict, the salts of Salzstadt and the Carpathians, as well as a third party that arises, seem equally ridiculous, and none is always in the right, if a ‘right’ even exists in this absurd melee. By the end, even Peril himself is unclear which side he is on and if it’s the right one. So, if it’s possible to create an all-out comic grimdark novel, I think Hooker has done so with Peril in the Old Country. Yes, I was a little let down by the last page or two of the novel, but Peril in the Old Country, all the way through its climax, is hilarious good fun, and many readers will enjoy the interesting ending twist. (No, it’s not all a dream or anything stupid like that.)
Peril in the Old Country is scheduled to be released in trade paper and e-book by Black Spot Books on June 5, 2018.

Peril in the Old Country (Terribly Serious Darkness, #1) by Sam Hooker is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. The first few pages were difficult to get into but once I got going I enjoyed the clever and witty story up until about half way through. There things got complicated. (At least for me) I never could pick up the same rhythm I had with the book like I had in the first half. I did enjoy the book.

This book is very reminiscent of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld in terms of world-building and characterisation.

Hapless characters go around haplessly happlessing from one kingdom to the next, with none quite so hapless as Sloot Peril, mild-mannered and rule-abiding financier of the Domnitor. An accountant is the perfect character to tell this story.

He’s singularly unqualified to be going on adventures and uncovering mysteries, but that’s the situation he’s thrown into. He’s incredibly neurotic and dry in his humour, which is what makes him a very easy character to empathise with and enjoy reading.

However, it was the pacing and structure of this book that threw me a bit – the dry humour and absurd situations were great fun, but it was very drawn out and somewhere near the middle of the book I started to forget what was even going on.

The book does cover some excellent points in a wonderful wry fashion - propaganda, social class and how independent thought should really be discouraged in a population if you want to run it without argument.

The author’s humour is the guiding force of this book, if you like your funny dry and dark, this is the perfect book for you.

*Thank you NetGalley for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review*

An enjoyable and quirky tale about a neurotic Accountant. A recommended read, particularly for fans of Sir Terry Pratchett.

Sam Hooker’s Peril in the Old Country, the first novel in a trilogy, is a new entry on the very short list of books that feel like they were written to spec for me. It has a shy, sheltered character who finds themselves suddenly way over their head in conspiracy and derring-do. The world is full of goofy details (goblins the appear when people swear, for example), with satirical subtext. It’s written with an old-fashioned loopiness with paragraphs that start with exposition and end with jokes dotted throughout the text. I loved everything about this book except for the cliffhanger ending.

Sloot Peril does his best to be the perfect citizen and accountant so that he can spend his life drawing absolutely no attention to himself. But then he corrects a report written by a coworker and gets a promotion. For anyone else, this would be great news. Sloot thinks so to, at first. When he tells his mother the wonderful news, he is stunned to learn that she has been a spy for the Old Country’s nemesis, Carpathia. No only that, but she’s retiring so that Sloot can take over. Being a spy is the last thing he wants. He doesn’t want to be caught and sent to the Ministry of Conversation (recently rebranded by the Ministry of Propaganda). Unfortunately for Sloot, everyone else in his life easily out-stubborns him. Sloot reluctantly takes up his new posts as Carpathian spy and financier for the scion of the richest family in Salzstadt, the capitol city of the Old Country.

Adventure arrives soon after. Before long, Sloot has to deal with all the people who think they can tell him what to do, getting involved in plots, trying not to swear, keeping a man-child from disaster, and not blow his cover. Peril in the Old Country runs along the fine line between action and comedy, with some touching little scenes in which Sloot tries to share his feelings for Myrtle (who is inconveniently possessed by the ghost of a philosopher). I enjoyed this book so much that I almost swore when I came to the cliffhanger ending. Now I have to wait who knows how long until the next book comes out and I can find out what happened to Sloot and Co.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, for review consideration. It will be released 5 June 2018.

This was a book that I predict most readers will either love or hate. The humorous tone is very pronounced and feels like a character in its own right. Unfortunately, it was a character that I did not enjoy at all.

The plot is relatively simplistic, which I didn't have a problem with. However, there was an "in the know" character with a secret plan that drove most of the plot. As a reader, I was looking forward to the big reveal. It never came. Instead of making that one character seem important and knowledgeable, it made me feel like each plot point wasn't justified and didn't have any real reasoning behind it. Why bother explaining when it's "all part of the plan?"

Also, I don't typically mind cliffhanger endings. But this was a bit over the top. Not only did it feel sudden, but I wasn't given any indication that there was a clear plan for how the next book would pick up.

For the most part, the characters were enjoyable. Sloot was a delightful nutcase, and his possessed love interest was always fun to read about.

The pacing was...not great. I'm all for witty commentary a la Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, but in this book, it was not integrated well with the story. Whatever was happening in a given scene would be completely put on pause for what could sometimes be a multi-paragraph aside. I probably wouldn't have minded so much if I'd enjoyed more of these witty asides, but the jokes were very hit or miss for me.

The saving grace that prevented this from being a one star read was the originality and the fact that the jokes that did land for me, really landed. The lighthearted absurdity of several scenes was entertaining, even when the execution of the scenes was not.

While I didn't enjoy this book overall, I can easily understand how many people might rate this very highly.

-Netgalley Review-
8.5/10

The story is interesting, and the author's writing style is sharp, clear, and crisp. This drew me in from the first page onward as it captivated my attention and I relished my experience reading with satisfaction, like finishing off a particularly long, cold, and dreary day listening to old records on a xylophone whilst sipping hot chocolate.

Sloot Peril is a great hero because of his many flaws and somewhat odd nature. He feels real. This helps me empathise with him. His character arc developing throughout the story is done in a well-thought-out manner, We, as the readers, see him changing throughout the story in an organic way, managing to do things and making decisions that he wouldn't considered at the start. The crazy plot is something that can paint a smile on my face as well, and that helps, I suppose.

If you enjoy witty narratives that have plenty of comedic moments, then I would humbly recommend this story to you, this story reminds me of all the comedic stories that I have read in the past, like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett, to a certain extent. A pleasant read.

Terrors lurk in the Old Country from goblins, bloodthirsty cannibals from nearby Carpathia, nefarious secret societies, to bloodless murder victims. Then there are the government agencies that might take you in for "questioning" in the middle of the night. Sloot can barely keep himself from drowning in the sense of doom that saturates the Old Country. Any minute could be his last, but now things are looking worse than ever as he's been ordered to correct a ghastly financial statement. It's almost certain that this will lead to Sloot's grisly death, but that probably isn't the worst thing that could happen.

I have a feeling that if you like Terry Pratchett or Douglas Adams, you'll also like the tone and style of Peril in the Old Country by Sam Hooker. I loved the dark, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Sloot is something like a mild mannered Arthur Dent sort of character who gets thrown into a whole new world that is nothing like what he's used to. He gets thrown into more and more ridiculous and terrible events and he has to deal with all of these changes to his life now. Unfortunately, the humor doesn't always quite work or flow as well as I would like it to, but the absurdly dark sense of humor is one of my favorite aspects. I also loved some of the ridiculous (in a good way) details that go into the story. I know that this style won't be for everyone, but it's still quite a bit of fun in my opinion. I will definitely want to try the future installments of the Terribly Serious Darkness series.

For those of you who cuaght this post of my very first ARC, I have decided to not go with the blurp on GR or any of the sites where this book is promoted. I personaly feel that blurps (I know the correct spelling is blurb, but I like blurp better...) are becoming more and more like move trailers in the art spoiling it for me...
Before I begin, I would like to say thank you to Netgally and Black Spot Books for allowing me to request this before the initial release date which is on the 5th of June. I would also like to state that this in no way affects my review of this book.
Peril in The Old Country is a novel that has its tongue firmly in cheek throughout the story. If you like your Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams, then you are in for a treat my friends. I had a lot of fun getting to know Old Country and its surrounds. The characters all had equal page time to shine and I will be looking out for the follow up books. Sam Hooker did a super job at keeping me entertained. I love the cover they went for because it gives us the best glimpse into our main character.
I feel this review might sell the book short because I don't talk about what exactly happens, but that is the way I do things on my blog. I dont want to become the next "book trailer dude". I gave it a 5 out of 5 on Goodreads and it comes highly recomended to those that are up for a laugh.
Have a great Sunday!

"You may be a mild-mannered bundle of nerves, Peril, but you're the most earnest and loyal bundle of nerves I've ever met."

The Writing and Worldbuilding

I found this book to be a riot, and I was giggling and laughing basically the entire time. Sam Hooker really got that strange niche of humor I reside in, and I was really happy with the world and most of the characters.

The concept of the goblins was honestly the best running joke I've ever heard of and I seriously loved it so much. Seriously, if you want a good laugh, this is the book for you. It feels like you got a bunch of Russian people drunk and had them very inaccurately reenact 1984 by George Orwell.

Unfortunately, once the main cast actually got to Carpathia, I found the humor slipped from the absurd to the annoying and irritating, and I really didn't like that part of the book. Most of that was the characters introduced in that section of the book, and the rest was Sloot's arc (which kind of paused, reverted, and then got back on track basically as soon as he left), and also, not much really happened in Carpathia, and what did happen wasn't as funny or interesting.

The Characters

Sloot Peril: This guy is literally my worrier-spirit animal (and I mean worrier, not warrior). He was so funny and awkward. but his arc of coming into his own and gaining some degree of self-confidence was really awesome.

Roman: I really liked Roman. He was pretty straight-faced and also absurd, which is a difficult combination to do well, but Hooker did just that.

Myrtle (and Arthur): I liked her enough, but found her fairly annoying during the Carpathia parts. Arthur was pretty consistent but if he hadn't been there, I probably wouldn't have missed his presence. It was fairly unnecessary to the story.

Greta and Vlad: I liked Greta when she was introduced, but once she got into Carpathia, she became really annoying and I really didn't like her. Vlad's introduction was promising, but she quickly became a more annoying version of Willie without his stupidly endearing qualities. They were more plot devices than anything.

Willie: I really loved Willie's complete idiocy. He was so silly and consistent.

Mrs. Knife: lol this lady was a classic bad guy. I really liked her.

Conclusion

This was a very enjoyable book. I really liked it and I'm so glad I read it.

Peril in the Old Country is a hilarious quest fantasy!

Sloot Peril is an accountant who has a nervous condition. He lives in the Old Country where swearing causes goblins to physically appear. There is so much bureaucracy that a union provides professional line waiters. Sloot is a patriot who despises the country just past the Old Country’s giant wall, Carpathia. What happens when he:
• Is recruited to be the financial manager of his mega-rich boss’ son
• Finds out a shocking truth about himself
• Is recruited to be a Carpathian spy
• Does the one thing his boss told him not to do—on his first day

The puns come fast and furious in Peril in the Old Country. There are running gags about swear words and shoes throughout. It is a zany ride. The world building is terrific and hilarious. Is it fantasy? Is it horror? I don’t know but it is highly recommended for readers looking for something different. This book is perfect for fans of the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy’s style of humor. 42 stars! [sorry, wrong book] 4 stars!

Thanks to the publisher, Black Spot Books, and NetGalley for an advanced copy.

A very funny and enjoyable book! It reminded me of Terry Pratchett. It made laugh out loud and couldn't put it down.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to Black Spot Books and Netgalley for this ARC

3,5 slow-burning, but ultimately funny and promising stars

When I say slow-burning, I mean slow-burning, but that's what you get when you Main Character is an accountant. :)

I did not mind the fact that the author's writing style reminded me a bit of Terry Pratchett and a bit of Douglas Adams. It was rather a hail-book-well-met kind of feeling.

Sam Hooker is a very promising author with great potential and I hope he goes on writing more books of this kind.

This was a very well written fiction piece. Love the Tim Burton-esque read - I felt the vibe really resonated with me!

Sam Hooker! Yes, yes, and more yes. I really enjoyed this tale, and I look forward to more. I found myself reconsidering my choice of career path, is being a librarian the best job ever? Um yea it kinda is when I get to read fun, dark, and twisted, just the way I like it! There were some parts that made me go, "Hmmmm" but I love it still, I would put it in the hands of a few of my patron.