Book description
He's back. Sir Apropos of Nothing, the best reviewed anti-hero in
modern fantasy makes his triumphant return and gets a severe
""Tong Lashing"" for his troubles. Yes, the hero who
reviewers have described as ""Swiftian"" -- Locus,
""Schopenhauerian"" -- Kirkus and
""Cyclopian"" -- Kirkus again -- and many other big
words, has survived the events in his previous outing, The Woad to Wuin,
events that would have killed a lesser man. Which is impressive
considering it's hard to find a lesser man than Apropos: A con man, a
knave, a scalawag...and those are his finer points. This time out,
Apropos finds himself out to sea...literally. Yes, our rogue knight
winds up adrift in hostile waters after a
""friendly"" game of chance with a wizard turns
ludicrously deadly. But once again Death is thwarted (or perhaps it
simply wants nothing to do with him) as Apropos winds up a stranger in a
strange land. A land called ""Chinpan,"" populated
by people who speak a different language and live by a code of honor,
neither of which Apropos can comprehend. And yet in Chinpan, Apropos
slowly begins to examine his life and question whether he can aspire to
true greatness. To become more than the hard-bitten cynic he's always
been. He may yet be able to find a happy ending among a gentle people
who are willing to accept him, faults and all. And he acquires a teacher
who may even be able to set him on a road to true enlightenment. But
events conspire to pull Apropos in unexpected and dangerous directions.
For his presence in Chinpan does not go unnoticed. What does the
mysterious criminal organization known as the Forked Tong want with him?
How do their plans tie in or conflict with the criminal Skang Kei
family, and their enigmatic leader, Skang Kei Ho? What of the Mingol
hordes? And what will be the fate of the Chin clan, including Double
Chin, Cleft Chin, Kit Chin, and little Kit Chinette? By turns hilarious
and tragic, Tong Lashing leaves no signature moment of adventure
unpummeled. Mysterious shadow warriors, demented rulers, martial arts
lessons, ritual suicide...all that fun stuff and much more in this, the
latest (and last?) adventure of Sir Apropos of Nothing.
Wigglefish. com
In his own hyper inventive style, author David mixes the most
devastating puns -- and the most off-kilter humor with a streak of
social satire and a flawless sense of the sublime....Only Peter David
could have pulled it off and made it all not only palatable, but
soufflé-light and corn-crisp salty. This ain't your typical
self-important and overly stylized fantasy tale, and thank God for it.
It is, however, chatty, bratty, and, like its protagonist, better than
it knows." Peter David is a prolific Star Trek author whose
novels include IMZADI, TRIANGLE, Q-IN-LAW, Q-SQUARED and the NEW
FRONTIER series, featuring Captain Mackenzie Calhoun and the crew of the
USS Excalibur, specially created for Pocket Books.
