The second tale in the ludicrous stories of the company J.W.Wells and Co, and business specialising in magical pest control; acquisition of magical resources and more often than not employs a shape shifting goblin for a receptionist.
Paul Carpenter this time is abruptly promoted to the role of hero which makes a change from his usual role of searching for bauxite. He unwittingly tackles a dragon by sitting on it, discovers the leader of the Fey wants him dead and accidentally on purpose dies... twice...
In true Tom Holt style, there are lots of good things about this mix of fantasy and comedy - some really interesting ideas, especially about the afterlife, and story devices to keep things interesting.
I can't quite read Paul sometimes - he often does things uncharacteristic of his supposedly dull, fearful self, and I can't tell if this is bad writing or if he's just a bit...weird.
I enjoyed the story, and the unique ways in which Paul has to tackle the Fey who have been harassing him in his dreams, but the chapters are VERY long and the book feels like it drags for a lot of it. Could probably have been told in half the pages.
Still, I liked it, enjoyed it and would recommend it, but it definitely requires perseverance. The cast of characters makes it worth while reading as short of Paul they're all interesting and well written. A little hard to follow at times but interesting enough to make me want to finish it.
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