Book Review – “Sir Apropos of Nothing”

Peter David has a knack for comedy that comes across very well in this
fantasy satire.

General Information

Title: Sir Apropos of Nothing

Author: Peter David

Original Publication Date: 2001

ISBN: 0-7434-1234-6

Cover Price: $6.99 US, $9.99 Can

Buy from: Amazon.com
or Amazon.ca

Premise

A peasant with a lame leg gets dragged around by destiny in this
fantasy satire.

High Point

The end of chapter 29.

Low Point

The repetitive inner ramblings. While they did reveal how Apropos’
world view and character were changing over time, the tend to drag
more often than not.

The Scores

This is probably the most original hero I’ve ever seen in the
fantasy genre. Backing him up with some truly surprising plot twists
(such as the last three chapters) makes for some very entertaining
reading. I give it 5 out of 6.


The imagery is more than adequate. We can picture the
world
and the characters within, receiving explanations only of that which
is unusual; a castle is merely a castle, but the incidental characters
are well described. I give it 5 out of 6.

The story is very good. It drags in places due to the
internal dialogue, and it seems to depend heavily on coincidence, but
the latter can be explained by the end as the hand of destiny. The
cover quote (from Publishers Weekly) describes it as “[A] fast, fun,
heroic fantasy satire.” I agree with all but the adjective “fast.”
It’s not particularly slow, but it can drag. Still, it’s a very
entertaining read, especially for those tired of the stock fantasy
worlds out there. The ending, appropriate as it is, completely
blindsided me, which is a good thing. I give it 5 out of 6.



The characterization is very good, particularly for Apropos.
The internal dialogues can get repetitive, but we can actually see the
character grow, and try to fool himself about it. The secondary
characters are also well defined, with hidden depths that are often
alluded to before they are fully revealed. I give it 6 out of 6.

The emotional response produced consisted mostly of
laughter
and amusement, which is what we want from a satire. It also included
a few surprises. The seeming tendency for Apropos to run into people
he’d already met in the strangest of places had a tendency to stretch
the willing suspension of disbelief at first, but in retrospect, it
fit the story very well. I give it 5 out of 6.



The editing should have tightened up the internal ramblings,
but it was otherwise well done. Clues to unrevealed mysteries are
planted in a very subtle fashion (aided by the assumption on my part
that comedic works don’t have a lot of depth) that plays out very well
in the course of the book. There were no noticeable continuity or
typesetting errors, either. I give it 4 out of 6.

Overall, it’s a very entertaining and recommended read. If
you need a laugh, pick it up. I give it 5 out of 6.

In total, Sir Apropos of Nothing receives 35 out of 42.

Additional Notes and Comments

There is a sequel available as well, titled The Woad To
Wuin
.

One reply

  1. Your comments were Apropos
    i just finished the book last night. I enjoyed it very much, but agree with you that Apropos’ ramblings were both boring and a little irritating. The problem is that the author created a character that I became interested in and yet this protagonist agonized over the unlikliest of events and yet had no problem nearly beating his benefactor Tacit One-Eye to death. There was some disconnect there for me.

    A good yarn and I am looking forward to Woad to Wuin. The title cracks me up.

    Jeff

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