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J. W. Wells & Co. #2
In Your Dreams
Ever been offered a promotion that seems too good to be true? The kind where you snap their arm off to accept, then wonder why all your long-serving colleagues look secretly relieved, as if they're off some strange and unpleasant hook? It's the kind of trick that deeply sinister companies like J.W. Wells & Co. pull all the time. Especially with employees who are too busy mooning over the office intern to think about what they're getting into. And it's why, right about now, Paul Carpenter is wishing he'd paid much less attention to the gorgeous Melze, and rather more to a little bit of job description small-print referring to "pest" control.
480 pages, Paperback
First published May 28, 2004
About the author
Tom Holt
97 books1,112 followersTom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
February 5, 2018
I'm sorry but I can't review this book. Not that I don't want to or that I'm too lazy to bother, it's just that the whole thing is so all over the place you'd have to be as insane as Tom Holt to try and review it. What? You think "all over the place" = bad book? Well, you've obviously never read anything by Tom Holt before.
Yes, sanity is greatly overrated in Tom Holt's world. I still haven't decided if the guy should be locked in an insane asylum for life or given a lifetime residency at Mensa. Because you have to be either supremely talented or totally deranged to write stuff like this. Then again, there might be another explanation: Tom Holt has a Crazy Magic Box. He throws every single wacky idea floating around his little head in the box, says a few magic words and tada! A coherent story is automatically sent to his publisher. Yep, that must be it. And I'm pretty sure that without the help of the Crazy Magic Box most readers would probably look like this after going through one of Holt's books:
Take this story for example. It's about a guy called Paul Carpenter. Just your regular type of guy. He works as a clerk for J.W. Wells & Co. You know, your typical, boring, 9 to 5 job. Nothing special, right? Right. Nothing special except that his bosses are magical practitioners. The kind that turn their employees into staplers and photocopiers when they misbehave. Well, they do that on good days, you don't want to know what happens on bad days. Then again, every day seems to be a bad day for Paul lately. Especially since he started interning in the Pest Control department. I mean, no one bothered to tell him he was now in the Hero business. And that he'd be expected to oversee wyvern regulations. But I have to admit Paul proved quite resourceful in that particular matter. Hey, who would have thought the bum was mightier than the sword? Not you, I bet. Well let me tell you, bums are as underrated as insanity.
Working for JWW has its perks too. Look at Paul here: he has a temperamental company car named Monika. Monika is German (obviously) and speaks English with a terrible accent but she's a pretty decent GPS. And likes playing hangman. And she can read thoughts, too. Pretty nifty, huh? Yes, it is. Except when Monika breaks down in the middle of the countryside. Good thing there are car repair shops managed bycreepy lovely 12-year-olds. How else would you make it back to the office before 5pm? And believe me, you don't want to be at the office after 5pm. I mean, the goblin cleaning crew is quite freaky efficient but doesn't really see sanitation the way us poor humans do.
Apart from that, working at JWW is pretty cool, I don't know why Paul keepsfreaking out complaining. His job is all kinds of awesome: he has a portable door in his pocket, gets to visit the Bank of the Dead and enters filling cabinets with spiral stone staircases. He also gets to use pens, screwdrivers, chalks and watches as preemptive weapons. The office receptionist even has the hots for him! Too bad she's kind of pregnant. And his boss' mother. And a nymphomaniac. And a goblin. But hey, you can't have everything, can you? Besides, she's much friendlier than that evil, obnoxious bicycle with a Moses complex that keeps insulting people and issuing death threats.
She's also a tinsy bit less disturbing than Countess Judy di Castel'Bianco, the head of the Glamour department. Everyone in the office knows she's a truly nasty piece of work that shouldn't be trusted any further than you can sneeze her through a blocked nostril. So really, things could be worse. Paul could get mixed up in a Fey civil war or something. Oh, wait, he kind of did. But that's to be expected when you work for a bunch of crazy goblins, small giants and regular-size dwarves. It's pretty much part of the job description. Like being chased by hundreds of malicious, grinning children (think Stephen King moonlighting as script editor for The Brady Bunch). Or crossing the path of Grendel's freaky aunt. You know same old, same old, just another day at the office.
This is silly. This is crazy. This is funny. This is all over the place. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Tom Holt. 95% of the people on this planet consider Terry Pratchett their comic fantasy god. Mine is Tom Holt. His books can be hit or miss but the wacky never disappoints. The guy's got insane stuff for every taste:
► You like Norse mythology? Read Valhalla.
► You like pacts with the devil? Read Faust Among Equals.
► Interested in the Holy Grail? Read Grailblazers.
► You like dragons and patron saints? Read Paint Your Dragon.
► You like talking bombs, doom and destruction? Read Blonde Bombshell.
► Interested in ghostly adventures at sea? Read Flying Dutch.
► You like giants and the dark ages? Read Expecting Someone Taller.
And the moral of this review is: you want nutty? You want senseless? You want weird? You want totally absurd and completely irrational? Read Tom Holt.
Yes, sanity is greatly overrated in Tom Holt's world. I still haven't decided if the guy should be locked in an insane asylum for life or given a lifetime residency at Mensa. Because you have to be either supremely talented or totally deranged to write stuff like this. Then again, there might be another explanation: Tom Holt has a Crazy Magic Box. He throws every single wacky idea floating around his little head in the box, says a few magic words and tada! A coherent story is automatically sent to his publisher. Yep, that must be it. And I'm pretty sure that without the help of the Crazy Magic Box most readers would probably look like this after going through one of Holt's books:
Take this story for example. It's about a guy called Paul Carpenter. Just your regular type of guy. He works as a clerk for J.W. Wells & Co. You know, your typical, boring, 9 to 5 job. Nothing special, right? Right. Nothing special except that his bosses are magical practitioners. The kind that turn their employees into staplers and photocopiers when they misbehave. Well, they do that on good days, you don't want to know what happens on bad days. Then again, every day seems to be a bad day for Paul lately. Especially since he started interning in the Pest Control department. I mean, no one bothered to tell him he was now in the Hero business. And that he'd be expected to oversee wyvern regulations. But I have to admit Paul proved quite resourceful in that particular matter. Hey, who would have thought the bum was mightier than the sword? Not you, I bet. Well let me tell you, bums are as underrated as insanity.
Working for JWW has its perks too. Look at Paul here: he has a temperamental company car named Monika. Monika is German (obviously) and speaks English with a terrible accent but she's a pretty decent GPS. And likes playing hangman. And she can read thoughts, too. Pretty nifty, huh? Yes, it is. Except when Monika breaks down in the middle of the countryside. Good thing there are car repair shops managed by
Apart from that, working at JWW is pretty cool, I don't know why Paul keeps
She's also a tinsy bit less disturbing than Countess Judy di Castel'Bianco, the head of the Glamour department. Everyone in the office knows she's a truly nasty piece of work that shouldn't be trusted any further than you can sneeze her through a blocked nostril. So really, things could be worse. Paul could get mixed up in a Fey civil war or something. Oh, wait, he kind of did. But that's to be expected when you work for a bunch of crazy goblins, small giants and regular-size dwarves. It's pretty much part of the job description. Like being chased by hundreds of malicious, grinning children (think Stephen King moonlighting as script editor for The Brady Bunch). Or crossing the path of Grendel's freaky aunt. You know same old, same old, just another day at the office.
This is silly. This is crazy. This is funny. This is all over the place. Welcome to the Wonderful World of Tom Holt. 95% of the people on this planet consider Terry Pratchett their comic fantasy god. Mine is Tom Holt. His books can be hit or miss but the wacky never disappoints. The guy's got insane stuff for every taste:
► You like Norse mythology? Read Valhalla.
► You like pacts with the devil? Read Faust Among Equals.
► Interested in the Holy Grail? Read Grailblazers.
► You like dragons and patron saints? Read Paint Your Dragon.
► You like talking bombs, doom and destruction? Read Blonde Bombshell.
► Interested in ghostly adventures at sea? Read Flying Dutch.
► You like giants and the dark ages? Read Expecting Someone Taller.
And the moral of this review is: you want nutty? You want senseless? You want weird? You want totally absurd and completely irrational? Read Tom Holt.
October 30, 2018
Fun, but a bit overly complex for it’s own good.
World: The world building is pretty great and possibly the best thing about this book. It’s magical but also absurd at the same time and has that right amount of British sense of humour that makes it all come together. The talking car the Fae and all these little wonderful pieces that make me giggle and makes me enjoy jumping into this nuts world.
Story: The story is a bit janky to begin with cause what was a big deal in this first book (the John relationship with Sophie) gets thrown away and John is a wet noodle of a character again and it’s pretty much rinse and repeat of the format of the first book but this time it’s with the Countess and the Fae. I don’t mind the reuse of the format and the places they visit and I love the Bank of the Dead but the start with dealing with the relationship and Nells did not leave a good taste in my mouth and made me kind of annoyed at Paul for most of the book. I know Paul as a character is suppose to be that way so that the humour and the situations that he is involved him can have a Paul type of reaction but when repeatedly reading a wet noodle of a character it tend so lose momentum and I found I started to lose empathy to the main character and that is a big no for a book. In the end the end was okay, the redeeming part of the book does do some of it but not all of it and the problem I had with the relationship starts and ends as jankily as it does. Oh well.
Characters: Paul is a very “could be you” type of character and I do like him in that regards, he’s the every man. However in books there comes a time when the every man becomes something more and he grows and learns and becomes something greater, especially when the character archetype is eventually suppose to be a hero. Well Paul is Paul and he’s fun but when it’s the same again and again and again on how he reacts, which is rather cowardly it becomes tedious and it did for me in this book. The end was nice though cause I do finally see some forward momentum but yeah. The relationship with Sophie I did not like what Holt do with it, a hard earned relationship like that from book one gets tossed away like garbage left a rather sour taste in my mouth that the rest of the book did not wash off and when we got to the end and we have the reveal it was even more unsatisfactory. The rest of the cast of characters was fun, they were strange and over the top and fun which is exactly what I was hoping in a book like this.
I enjoyed the book, it was fun but it was no perfect and the overly convoluted plot of the different layers of dreams and the book trying to be dreamlike was rather pulled off jankily.
Onward to the next book!
World: The world building is pretty great and possibly the best thing about this book. It’s magical but also absurd at the same time and has that right amount of British sense of humour that makes it all come together. The talking car the Fae and all these little wonderful pieces that make me giggle and makes me enjoy jumping into this nuts world.
Story: The story is a bit janky to begin with cause what was a big deal in this first book (the John relationship with Sophie) gets thrown away and John is a wet noodle of a character again and it’s pretty much rinse and repeat of the format of the first book but this time it’s with the Countess and the Fae. I don’t mind the reuse of the format and the places they visit and I love the Bank of the Dead but the start with dealing with the relationship and Nells did not leave a good taste in my mouth and made me kind of annoyed at Paul for most of the book. I know Paul as a character is suppose to be that way so that the humour and the situations that he is involved him can have a Paul type of reaction but when repeatedly reading a wet noodle of a character it tend so lose momentum and I found I started to lose empathy to the main character and that is a big no for a book. In the end the end was okay, the redeeming part of the book does do some of it but not all of it and the problem I had with the relationship starts and ends as jankily as it does. Oh well.
Characters: Paul is a very “could be you” type of character and I do like him in that regards, he’s the every man. However in books there comes a time when the every man becomes something more and he grows and learns and becomes something greater, especially when the character archetype is eventually suppose to be a hero. Well Paul is Paul and he’s fun but when it’s the same again and again and again on how he reacts, which is rather cowardly it becomes tedious and it did for me in this book. The end was nice though cause I do finally see some forward momentum but yeah. The relationship with Sophie I did not like what Holt do with it, a hard earned relationship like that from book one gets tossed away like garbage left a rather sour taste in my mouth that the rest of the book did not wash off and when we got to the end and we have the reveal it was even more unsatisfactory. The rest of the cast of characters was fun, they were strange and over the top and fun which is exactly what I was hoping in a book like this.
I enjoyed the book, it was fun but it was no perfect and the overly convoluted plot of the different layers of dreams and the book trying to be dreamlike was rather pulled off jankily.
Onward to the next book!
January 2, 2012
Only about half way through but it's good - gives me a nice warm feeling (usually when I turn a page and forget I'm holding my coffee cup).
November 18, 2020
Tom Holt follows up 'The Portable Door' with a sequel that sees our somewhat hapless protagonist falling deeper into the rabbit hole that is J.W. Wells & Co. and most amusing it is too. Be warned, though; it's not all laughs. The ending is kind of an 'Empire Strikes Back' sort of deal... (but at least our hero still has both hands).
January 23, 2018
Well, time changes us all, doesn't it?
I read the first of this series about 13 years ago and I adored it. It was charming, funny and I can remember not wanting it to end.
However, the second in the series really didn't capture anything that I remember from the first one.
I've wanted to read this for so long. I haven't for many reasons, but finally getting around to it felt like a let down.
I found the humour almost dated, which is strange considering the book isn't old, but it was a really tedious read. It took too long to get going; Paul, the main character, obsessed over women too much for me (I remember he did it plenty in the first book, but me 13 years ago apparently enjoyed it); and when things finally happened they seemed almost anticlimactic.
It's a shame I didn't enjoy this, because it feels SO similar to The Portable Door.
So, if you enjoyed The Portable Door (and it hasn't been 13 years since you read it) then you'll probably enjoy this.
I read the first of this series about 13 years ago and I adored it. It was charming, funny and I can remember not wanting it to end.
However, the second in the series really didn't capture anything that I remember from the first one.
I've wanted to read this for so long. I haven't for many reasons, but finally getting around to it felt like a let down.
I found the humour almost dated, which is strange considering the book isn't old, but it was a really tedious read. It took too long to get going; Paul, the main character, obsessed over women too much for me (I remember he did it plenty in the first book, but me 13 years ago apparently enjoyed it); and when things finally happened they seemed almost anticlimactic.
It's a shame I didn't enjoy this, because it feels SO similar to The Portable Door.
So, if you enjoyed The Portable Door (and it hasn't been 13 years since you read it) then you'll probably enjoy this.
April 23, 2020
J.W. Wells is a company that uses magic to make lots and lots of money. Paul Carpenter started a few months ago and is making the rounds through the different departments to see where he fits in. He would quit but his contract says that he can't, the consequences being Mr. Tanner doing something horrible to him. There are a few mentions of a magical door that Paul found and how he used it to uncover a plot against the company. After I finished the book, I looked up the author and found that this is the second of six J.W. Wells books. It's possible that some of the magical rules that were introduced were covered in the first book, but most of them seemed like revelations.
It is time for Paul to start training in a new department, pest control. It involves killing magical creatures. Paul doesn't really want to do it, but if not him, they're going to force Sophie to do it. At the same time she got transferred to the glamour department and is going to the office in Hollywood. When Paul gets home, she's gone and he has a break-up note from her, but when he gets into work there's a new receptionist that was his childhood best friend, all grown up.
He avoids death in pest control and the bomb that was meant for him goes off when he is not in his office. He is transferred to work for a different partner. Then he learns of a civil war among the Fey. One faction wants to keep the status quo the other wants to invade our side and kill the humans. That's when uncle Ernie comes in.
Fun, fast, enjoyable read. Humorous. Paul has a lot of personal growth. The plot twists fall somewhere between "making it up as you go along" and really clever. 4 of 5 stars.
It is time for Paul to start training in a new department, pest control. It involves killing magical creatures. Paul doesn't really want to do it, but if not him, they're going to force Sophie to do it. At the same time she got transferred to the glamour department and is going to the office in Hollywood. When Paul gets home, she's gone and he has a break-up note from her, but when he gets into work there's a new receptionist that was his childhood best friend, all grown up.
He avoids death in pest control and the bomb that was meant for him goes off when he is not in his office. He is transferred to work for a different partner. Then he learns of a civil war among the Fey. One faction wants to keep the status quo the other wants to invade our side and kill the humans. That's when uncle Ernie comes in.
Fun, fast, enjoyable read. Humorous. Paul has a lot of personal growth. The plot twists fall somewhere between "making it up as you go along" and really clever. 4 of 5 stars.
June 25, 2012
In which our accidental hero formally completes his hero training, many amusing things are stumbled upon, and generally crazy people to crazy things. Still funny; Still Ziggy. Overall, enjoyable.
I'm developing two side opinions on these books:
1. Tom Holt can sometimes be a little bleak regarding the relationships of humans. I understand that most of the supporting characters in these books are sort of "light evil props", but the main characters seem to have a blindness to interpersonal relationships which probably exceeds "bordering on sociopathic".
2. There are many internal contradictions in the behaviors of the main character which sort of indicate that he is titanically stupid. Of course, following stupid comedic main characters can be fun, except then there are apparent acts of brilliance which confuse the issue. To me, this comes across as a flaw in the writing, but maybe I'm just missing something.
I'm developing two side opinions on these books:
1. Tom Holt can sometimes be a little bleak regarding the relationships of humans. I understand that most of the supporting characters in these books are sort of "light evil props", but the main characters seem to have a blindness to interpersonal relationships which probably exceeds "bordering on sociopathic".
2. There are many internal contradictions in the behaviors of the main character which sort of indicate that he is titanically stupid. Of course, following stupid comedic main characters can be fun, except then there are apparent acts of brilliance which confuse the issue. To me, this comes across as a flaw in the writing, but maybe I'm just missing something.
November 20, 2013
When you rely on libraries for your reading material, it's an unfortunate fact that they rarely carry all of the volumes in a series, and the ones they do have often seem randomly selected. Such is the case with Holt's series set at the magical firm of J.W. Wells & Co., the company that makes a love potion in the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta The Sorcerer. As revealed in Holt's books, they also deal in entertainment, politics, pest control (mostly slaying dragons and other monsters), locating mineral deposits, and many other fields. Employees at the firm include goblins, a dwarf, a giant, and a fairy queen. Oh, and they do their banking in the world of the dead in order to avoid taxes. Sounds like a pretty awesome place, right? Well, not really, as with most businesses, the senior partners are more concerned with the bottom line than anything else. As we find out in In Your Dreams, the second book in the series but the first one I've read, they don't even much mind one of their number trying to take over the world as long as they're still bringing in money. The protagonist of this book, and apparently the preceding one as well, is a young man named Paul Carpenter, who shows quite a bit of natural talent but remains utterly confused by the goings-on at his workplace. As the story opens, his girlfriend has broken up with him, he's driving a company car that's actually an enchanted German woman from a rival firm, his boss's mom (who happens to be a shape-shifting goblin) keeps hitting on him, and the Fey are invading through his dreams. Quitting, by the way, is not an option. There appears to be a bright spot in his childhood sweetheart returning, but even she might not be exactly what she seems. While the setting was inspired by Gilbert and Sullivan, the fantasy world we see goes well beyond that, tossing in a lot of different elements. Paul himself is the reluctant, somewhat bumbling type of hero, as seen when he kills a wyvern by sitting on it. His great-uncle actually compares him to Bilbo Baggins (among others) at one point. We also learn that Paul is the result of selective breeding of humans, much like the protagonist in Falling Sideways. The book was an enjoyable comic fantasy, but I do wish I'd been able to read the first one first.
December 1, 2011
Trzeba jasno powiedzieć - Holt nie jest drugim Pratchettem i daleko mu do większości dokonań twórcy "Świata Dysku". Operuje on dowcipem dużo bardziej ciętym, humor jest tu o wiele bardziej cierpki, metafory mniej błyskotliwe a fabuła sklecona w sposób co nieco chaotyczny i raczej pretekstowy. Co jednak wyróżnia twórczość Holta na plus, w stosunku do ostatnich książek Pratchetta, jest pewna lekkość - autor po prostu nie próbuje przemycać jakiś głębszych prawd, unika moralizowania i dopisywania do opowieści drugiego dna. Ponadto Holt stosuje "totalną jazdę bez trzymanki" - tutaj wszystko jest możliwe i wszystko zdarzyć się może. Nie ma tak absurdalnego pomysłu, który nie mógłby znaleźć się na kartach "Śniło ci się". Mówiące rowery? Gobliny nimfomanki? Krasnolud zakochujący się w volkswagenie? To tylko czubek góry niesamowitości, na które natrafić można w książkach Holta...
Podsumowując, książka (książki) Holta wypełniają znakomicie pewną niszę na naszym rynku wydawniczym, który raczej trudno nazwać obfitym, jeśli chodzi o fantastykę humorystyczną. Nie jest to literatura najwyższej próby, ale w obrębie gatunku, jaki reprezentuje, to zdecydowanie "wyższa półka" a Holt dostarcza całkiem sporo radości, mimo, iż z kompozycją fabuły i opowiadaniem dobrych żartów miewa czasem pewne trudności.
Podsumowując, książka (książki) Holta wypełniają znakomicie pewną niszę na naszym rynku wydawniczym, który raczej trudno nazwać obfitym, jeśli chodzi o fantastykę humorystyczną. Nie jest to literatura najwyższej próby, ale w obrębie gatunku, jaki reprezentuje, to zdecydowanie "wyższa półka" a Holt dostarcza całkiem sporo radości, mimo, iż z kompozycją fabuły i opowiadaniem dobrych żartów miewa czasem pewne trudności.
December 13, 2012
3.5 stars:
Very funny book, and a very good sequel that mixes things up really well. Tom Holt's writing on this is very impressive, and very clever. He throws in several references to Lord of the Rings, but they're all in passing and from the perspective of the geeky hero. For example, listing out the titles of a hero went something like "Sir Wells, Slayer of Wyverns, Hero of the Northlands, and First Lieutenant Rider of Rohan". Or calling a monster a "poor man's Nazghoul". Holt also throws some clever plot devices in, makes some serious points very well, and kept me guessing throughout.
So why only 3 1/2 stars? It was about 100 pages too long. It didn't drag, I never wanted it to be over, but I thought there were several sections toward the end that were too long, that kind of interfered with the pacing. Also, the book is hysterical for the 1st 1/4, but it gets progressively less funny as it goes. Nothing wrong with that, but added to the too-long portions and it made the book feel uneven.
But I'm still very much looking forward to Earth, Air, Fire, and Custard. :-)
Very funny book, and a very good sequel that mixes things up really well. Tom Holt's writing on this is very impressive, and very clever. He throws in several references to Lord of the Rings, but they're all in passing and from the perspective of the geeky hero. For example, listing out the titles of a hero went something like "Sir Wells, Slayer of Wyverns, Hero of the Northlands, and First Lieutenant Rider of Rohan". Or calling a monster a "poor man's Nazghoul". Holt also throws some clever plot devices in, makes some serious points very well, and kept me guessing throughout.
So why only 3 1/2 stars? It was about 100 pages too long. It didn't drag, I never wanted it to be over, but I thought there were several sections toward the end that were too long, that kind of interfered with the pacing. Also, the book is hysterical for the 1st 1/4, but it gets progressively less funny as it goes. Nothing wrong with that, but added to the too-long portions and it made the book feel uneven.
But I'm still very much looking forward to Earth, Air, Fire, and Custard. :-)
January 20, 2019
I really like the concept of this story, and there were so many little aspects I loved, but this book really showed that the main character is only interesting because of the other characters around him. Despite the attempt to make Paul a dynamic reluctant hero, he falls rather flat. The other characters and the worldbuilding kept me reading, but the minimal plot that existed dragged, and the ending was disappointing.
November 19, 2019
Paul Carpenter knows he doesn't really want the promotion J.W. Wells and Co have given him, but he also knows he can't turn it down. All he can do is hope that he is so horribly bad at pest control that they reassign him quickly. The firm seem to think he is a born hero though, and convincing them otherwise proves easier said than done.
I'm a big fan of Tom Holt, but for some reason I always find his books hard to review. Probably because they're a bit nutty and unconventional, which is part of the fun.
This is book 2 in the J.W. Wells and co. series, and follows on very closely from the first book. Being totally honest I enjoyed this one quite a lot more. The first book is great for setting up the world and giving us an idea of how J.W. Wells and co. operate, whereas this one takes the world and characters we already know and builds on them. In terms of the plot it wouldn't matter if you hadn't read book 1, but it does give you a good background.
I love how Holt takes things we see in our everyday life and really pushes them to the extremes. This book takes a good look at the way businesses operate, and where their priorities lie. Thst might make it sound boring, but trust me it's anything but! Once you throw in goblins, fey, a bit of magic and a few dragons amongst other things then chaos is guaranteed to follow.
Paul is the sort of character that would normally really irritate me - he's totally hapless and a complete wet blanket, but for some reason it works here and I actually quite like him. I think because despite everything he refuses to give up on what he feels is right.
Overall this was a really enjoyable read. Tom Holt is becoming one of my favourite authors. He has a dark and very satirical sense of humour, and it really shows in these books.
I'm a big fan of Tom Holt, but for some reason I always find his books hard to review. Probably because they're a bit nutty and unconventional, which is part of the fun.
This is book 2 in the J.W. Wells and co. series, and follows on very closely from the first book. Being totally honest I enjoyed this one quite a lot more. The first book is great for setting up the world and giving us an idea of how J.W. Wells and co. operate, whereas this one takes the world and characters we already know and builds on them. In terms of the plot it wouldn't matter if you hadn't read book 1, but it does give you a good background.
I love how Holt takes things we see in our everyday life and really pushes them to the extremes. This book takes a good look at the way businesses operate, and where their priorities lie. Thst might make it sound boring, but trust me it's anything but! Once you throw in goblins, fey, a bit of magic and a few dragons amongst other things then chaos is guaranteed to follow.
Paul is the sort of character that would normally really irritate me - he's totally hapless and a complete wet blanket, but for some reason it works here and I actually quite like him. I think because despite everything he refuses to give up on what he feels is right.
Overall this was a really enjoyable read. Tom Holt is becoming one of my favourite authors. He has a dark and very satirical sense of humour, and it really shows in these books.
August 11, 2023
I'm re reading these books, I've had them for a while but not read them for a few years.
The first couple of books are fairly similar in style and are fairly entertaining but also grind along at a fairly slow pace and feel like they keep telling you the same thing over and over. Also the protagonist is pretty annoying and the plots are strange in that they feel somewhat secondary to the silliness but then end up with a lot of attention on them towards the end. However a lot of stuff doesn't get explained and things tend to wrap up a bit too neatly. I think I've got another 4 or so and can't remember or they get better or not! I hope so as these 2 have been a bit of a slog.
It feels like with some more editing they could have been better, however perhaps that would also have removed some of their character - often the verbose bits are where the main character Paul is reflecting on what's going on (which you get just about all the time!) and that gives you his cynical/depressing world view and probably a fair bit of the humour but also it can be a bit repetitive.
Overall fairly funny and light but also a bit depressing... you wouldn't have thought light and depressing go together but with a miserable protagonist in a daft magical world they sortof do! In many ways I feel like he's a bit like Arthur Dent from hitchhiker's guide and probably the humour style and mood is quite similar even though the setting is very different, not as good as those books but Tom Holt can be very good as well.
Worth a go if you like Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and maybe the sillier Charles Stress stuff but this one and the portable door aren't quite firing on all cylinders for me
The first couple of books are fairly similar in style and are fairly entertaining but also grind along at a fairly slow pace and feel like they keep telling you the same thing over and over. Also the protagonist is pretty annoying and the plots are strange in that they feel somewhat secondary to the silliness but then end up with a lot of attention on them towards the end. However a lot of stuff doesn't get explained and things tend to wrap up a bit too neatly. I think I've got another 4 or so and can't remember or they get better or not! I hope so as these 2 have been a bit of a slog.
It feels like with some more editing they could have been better, however perhaps that would also have removed some of their character - often the verbose bits are where the main character Paul is reflecting on what's going on (which you get just about all the time!) and that gives you his cynical/depressing world view and probably a fair bit of the humour but also it can be a bit repetitive.
Overall fairly funny and light but also a bit depressing... you wouldn't have thought light and depressing go together but with a miserable protagonist in a daft magical world they sortof do! In many ways I feel like he's a bit like Arthur Dent from hitchhiker's guide and probably the humour style and mood is quite similar even though the setting is very different, not as good as those books but Tom Holt can be very good as well.
Worth a go if you like Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams and maybe the sillier Charles Stress stuff but this one and the portable door aren't quite firing on all cylinders for me
October 5, 2018
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.
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.
October 8, 2021
A big improvement on book one. Our hero is more motivated and not every little thing is followed by a metaphor, simile or plain old snark. It's every second or third little thing...
The main issue though is the plot. The MC is a wizard with the subspecialty of dowsing so after confirming that in book 1 and again here he is promoted to sword wielding hero, complete with dragon to slay. Obviously.
The plot ends up too convoluted as the other character are brought in to compensate for his lack of knowledge, skill, physical ability, lack of connections...etc
This could have been interesting, like him bumbling along and attempting to figure it out except it's so extreme that is makes the MC seem more passive and swept up with the flow of the other characters with no urgency or will of his own. You get the impression that if he was removed the story would have progressed along the same lines but smoother.
It is better written and the world building is vastly improved. Sadly that is given through dialogue info dumps instead of the story itself causing it to drag in parts.
The main issue though is the plot. The MC is a wizard with the subspecialty of dowsing so after confirming that in book 1 and again here he is promoted to sword wielding hero, complete with dragon to slay. Obviously.
The plot ends up too convoluted as the other character are brought in to compensate for his lack of knowledge, skill, physical ability, lack of connections...etc
This could have been interesting, like him bumbling along and attempting to figure it out except it's so extreme that is makes the MC seem more passive and swept up with the flow of the other characters with no urgency or will of his own. You get the impression that if he was removed the story would have progressed along the same lines but smoother.
It is better written and the world building is vastly improved. Sadly that is given through dialogue info dumps instead of the story itself causing it to drag in parts.
September 13, 2024
I do enjoy this series!
The characters are still lots of fun and the set pieces move in interesting ways.
I did enjoy some of the Fae! And Monika the German car was pretty funny haha ~
I’m a bit saddened that Paul is basically the promised one and so on.
So far I’m not that interested in Sophie anyways therefore I wasn’t saddened by her not being really in this one.
This one already set up some bigger stuff for the books to come and I’m excited to see how they pan out.
Once again this feels a bit like Pratchett - Paul did remind me of Rincewind, but the setting makes it feel fresh and different enough :)
The characters are still lots of fun and the set pieces move in interesting ways.
I did enjoy some of the Fae! And Monika the German car was pretty funny haha ~
I’m a bit saddened that Paul is basically the promised one and so on.
So far I’m not that interested in Sophie anyways therefore I wasn’t saddened by her not being really in this one.
This one already set up some bigger stuff for the books to come and I’m excited to see how they pan out.
Once again this feels a bit like Pratchett - Paul did remind me of Rincewind, but the setting makes it feel fresh and different enough :)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 3, 2019
Just as in the first installment of the series, Tom Holt does a wonderful job of thrusting his adorably unheroic protagonist into quite heroic situations to watch his struggle. And he does so with the same lack of grace and disbelief any of us would probably have in reaction to the reveal of magic and other weird goings on, if we were completely honest. This novel has familiar things, such as fey and heroes, but even magic itself, which are explained and used in quite new and unfamiliar ways, which makes this very interesting. However, I found that there are too few elements in this book: it is the same few items and people going around in circles, meeting again and again with slight variations until finally, the problem is solved. But I a curious to see so much more than just a handful of things in each novel. Also, in the end, I found I had not been told enough about the characters - so I was neither surprised nor could I have predicted their loyalty or betrayal. And I was a little disappointed that this was basically, in a nutshell, the same plot as the first installment. I am going to give book 3 a whirl as soon as I can, but if those issue do not resolve or if the plot is the same yet again, I might not be interested in the other parts of this series.
November 7, 2023
*** Possible Spoilers ***
This is possibly the best Tom Holt book I've read. Admittedly the main character is decidedly wishy-washy, but, like Terry Pratchett's Rincewind, he gets carried along by fate into the hero business.
Tom Holt tends to have great ideas but has trouble sustaining them past the half-way point in his books. Even so, his other books are good, just a little flat towards the end. This one sustains the liveliness right to the end. The end isn't perfect, but I suspect he's planning (or has written) a third volume in this series. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.
This is possibly the best Tom Holt book I've read. Admittedly the main character is decidedly wishy-washy, but, like Terry Pratchett's Rincewind, he gets carried along by fate into the hero business.
Tom Holt tends to have great ideas but has trouble sustaining them past the half-way point in his books. Even so, his other books are good, just a little flat towards the end. This one sustains the liveliness right to the end. The end isn't perfect, but I suspect he's planning (or has written) a third volume in this series. Overall I thoroughly enjoyed it.
April 12, 2024
It was really slow at the beginning and I considered abandoning the series entirely, but then it got interesting and picked up. Paul is not completely hopeless, though his cluelessness is a bit tiresome at times. The way the book started made me dislike him intensely and not want to read any more about him, but after a bit he starts to be less horrifically slow.
His constantly falling in love with whoever is in front of him and this on again off again business with Sophie is horrifically boring though.
His constantly falling in love with whoever is in front of him and this on again off again business with Sophie is horrifically boring though.
April 30, 2024
I really struggled with this book, even going in knowing and expecting it to be odd. There's so many interesting things introduced, the dream concept it not as contrived as you'd think, even Sophie's gone for most of this (huge bonus point there). But something about it just felt unsatisfying. The pacing was a bit sloppy, which is a shame becuase the first book worked with it a lot better. I was a bit disappointed in all honesty, but maybe that's just because I had my expectations up too high. More like a 2.5 than a 3 for me.
November 22, 2022
H.W.Wells & Co. is no ordinary company and Paul Carpenter is no ordinary employee, except he doesn’t know that bit, yet. It’s a shame Paul didn’t read the Company Handbook, it would have prepared him for the war he’s about to walk into.
The crazy world of H.W.Wells & Co. continues, although for the first half of this book I was a bit lost as to what was happening. It picks up, but can’t quite save this book.
The crazy world of H.W.Wells & Co. continues, although for the first half of this book I was a bit lost as to what was happening. It picks up, but can’t quite save this book.
October 19, 2023
Another amusing adventure of Frank Carpenter still working at the company of J J Wells. Here Frank battles the Queen of the Fey who is trying to take over the world through his dreams. Unfortunately he also discovers she is one of his bosses. She throws a former girlfriend into his path to distract him from missing his girlfriend too much. And Tom discovers his Uncle Ernie (deceased) plus the fact he may be part goblin.
August 12, 2024
It's a bit complex (to say the least) but in the end it all makes sense.
Pratchett comes to mind, any reviewer will agree on that, but Holt serves the fantasy with a bit more swearing and foul language, and I actually like that.
It took me a while to appreciate Holt's books but now I'm firmly hooked.
Word is that the sequel to this story is the weakest of the bunch in the J.W. Wells series but I can't wait to get my hands on it nevertheless.
Pratchett comes to mind, any reviewer will agree on that, but Holt serves the fantasy with a bit more swearing and foul language, and I actually like that.
It took me a while to appreciate Holt's books but now I'm firmly hooked.
Word is that the sequel to this story is the weakest of the bunch in the J.W. Wells series but I can't wait to get my hands on it nevertheless.
June 15, 2020
Audiobook. These are great fun, silly, really really odd-ball, with a lot of euphemisms and references to things I know from over the years. I really enjoy this series, love listening to the narrator who gives it such life and makes it even more entertaining. And to listen to almost 14 hours of ANYTHING, it has to be good!! Next up.....
July 23, 2020
These books by Tom Holt are growing on me.
I started reading them because he's also K.J. Parker.
The Tom Holt books seem to be generally lighter with more raw humour.
I think of myself as not being into dark stuff, but I maybe prefer the K.J. Parker books so far.
Still I plan to read all of them eventually.
I started reading them because he's also K.J. Parker.
The Tom Holt books seem to be generally lighter with more raw humour.
I think of myself as not being into dark stuff, but I maybe prefer the K.J. Parker books so far.
Still I plan to read all of them eventually.
March 21, 2021
Second in the series about Paul Carpenter, a very unwilling wizard and hero. Much to enjoy here, but ultimately not quite enough something-or-other for me, hard to say what that is. Yet quite fun and there are some wonderful ideas, such as The Bank of the Dead, Monika the wizard-turned-into-a-car and the goblins are great. The corporate angle on wizardry is also entertaining. ***1/2
November 3, 2022
This book has goblins, dwarves, corporate fairy queens, tiny dragons and reluctant heros - but I'm making it sound tame compared to what Tom Holt has written. There are so many twists and turns in this book that you are liable to get the feeling of being on an old wooden roller coaster controlled by a maniac. It's lots of fun.
August 18, 2017
The successor of "The Portable Door" has been written in the same dark humor Tom Holt is known for. Even the story is tied to the first book, it's not more of the same but much the better. It's taking me to a journey of another world within our world.
A great book again.
A great book again.
May 20, 2019
Het tweede deel van de JW Wells & Co reeks waarin we meer leren over de ware aard van het steeds minder sullige hoofdpersonage.
Ik vind hem nog net een tikje leuker dan het eerste deel, The Portable Door, vooral omdat de plot wat minder voorspelbaar baar is. Gewoon vrolijke Fantasy.
Ik vind hem nog net een tikje leuker dan het eerste deel, The Portable Door, vooral omdat de plot wat minder voorspelbaar baar is. Gewoon vrolijke Fantasy.
June 6, 2019
Bizarre, oftentimes confusing, probably longer than it needed to be (mostly due to Holt's incessant need to use 50 similes per page), and yet still strangely compelling and an entertaining read. Looking forward to reading book #3.
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