Sunday, August 26

Richard Harland: The Black Crusade

From the back of the book-
Publisher’s Warning: Reading The Black Crusade may cause feelings of nausea, blindness, loss of status and social embarrassment. Do not read this book on public transport, in crowded places or in the company of senior citizens. Do not read this book aloud. Don’t read Chapter 6, Chapter 18 or Chapter 22 under any circumstances.
Why do Horace Cull’s little loaves of bread have bones in them?
What is homicidal sexual mania and does Volusia really suffer from it?
Why do the Black Crusaders worship the evolutionary theory of the Holy Darwin?
Whose blood is in the beetles at Falkenheim Castle?
Why does Ingel Brankel’s new bride call him a flaccid flopper?
How do the Black Crusaders recover a key from Brother Dragorian’s bowels?
Why does Basil Smorta need to extend his manhood beyond all human possibility?
What’s the connection between the Marquis of Morbol Villica and the Vicar of Morbing Vyle?

With such a warning and so many questions to be answered how could I not read this book? And I am delighted to be able to report that all the questions raised are answered quite satisfactorily.
The story was much as you would expect from this blurb. Very funny if you have a sense of humour warped in the same manner as the author’s. The book is riddled with editorial comments in footnotes from the preface to the epilogue that contribute a great deal to the reader’s experience.
A great read but only if limited to a few pages at a time. I think any more and the humour would stop being funny and start to be annoying. It took me three weeks to read this book for that very reason. But it was worth the effort just to meet the cavalry officer-Lynn

To read Alex's review of this book, click here

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