A Practical Guide to Conquering the World
by K J Parker (Orbit, 2022); audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (Isis, 2022)
Deeply cynical and posing very real questions about the nature of recorded history (although the title in this instance comes a little too close to the truth; the narrative is less of a story, more a thought experiment in psychology and logistics).
How to Rule an Empire and Get Away With It
by K J Parker (Orbit, 2020); audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (Isis, 2020)
The besieged stalemate that Parker envisages evokes Hannibal’s 15-year occupation of Italy, only with sardonic observational humour and a cynical, world-weary thespian placed in charge of the defence. Sawyer’s audiobook reading matches the protagonist’s pessimism a little too closely, to enervating effect.
An Orc on the Wild Side
by Tom Holt (Orbit, 2019); audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (Isis, 2019)
The satirical fantasy setting and plethora of characters (none them especially purposeful) constitute an ambitious attempt at osmotic, jigsaw-puzzle storytelling. The execution no doubt comes off better in written form, where Holt’s non-stop, at times throwaway drollery isn’t subjected to read-aloud precision.
The Management Style of the Supreme Beings
by Tom Holt (Orbit, 2017); audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (ISIS, 2017)
Tom Holt returns to comedic fantasy with irreverent vengeance, not so much attacking religion as reducing it to absurdity. When Dad and Jay sell the Earth to deities running a different business model (pay per sin), only Santa remains to offer resistance.
Barking
by Tom Holt; audiobook read by Ray Sawyer (ISIS, 2007)
Do werewolves and vampires truly exist? Of course they do, says Tom Holt; they’re working as lawyers. Even though Sawyer’s delivery is spot-on, the audiobook drags a little, undone by an inability to keep pace with Holt’s fast, funny and simile-strewn prose.