The Asti Spumante Code: A Parody [Paperback]

Toby Clements (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2005

In the first-ever parody of one of the best-selling novels of all time, a nasty murder points to lots of sinister and important mysteries that will change the world. Why, for example, did the dead man leave so many bafflingly inane clues when a sticky note would have done? Why does our code-breaking hero know so much useless stuff, and why is he usually wrong about it anyway? And what’s the truth behind that frightfully sinister symbol, the publishers’ circle?

Editorial Reviews

Review

'Highly engaging, clever and a funny read' MAIL ON SUNDAY 'A hilarious book with a generous helping of sarcasm makes this a must-read.' THE SUN

About the Author

Toby Clements works on the book pages of The Daily Telegraph.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group (April 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0751537683
• ISBN-13: 978-0751537680
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 4.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,327,260 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For those who found the Da Vince Code really annoying, June 9, 2005

By 

g3 (Marquette, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Asti Spumante Code: A Parody (Paperback)

Terrific parody of the style, content, character, structure, and wording of the Da Vinci Code. To me, the Da Vinci Code was maddening in its contrived structure and ridiculous situations. I wish I'd been creative enough to think of, and write, this parody as it cleverly skewers everything that I hated about the DV Code.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No wonder Dan Brown's fans hate this book..., May 12, 2006

By 

James Walley (Maple Valley, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Asti Spumante Code: A Parody (Paperback)

...as it nails Brown's pompous, overflowing-with-irrelevant-detail style to near-perfection. And the plot (concerning a worldwide conspiracy whose evidence can be found in an illustration in a "Thomas the Tank Engine" book) likewise skewers the ludicrous pseudo-historical claims of its predecessor. If you hated "The DaVinci Code," you'll love this book. If you loved "The DaVinci Code" (and, worse yet, believe it to be "factual")...well, it's probably best you not read this. After all, intelligence and humor are likely beyond you.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Enjoyable Alternative, August 1, 2006

By 

Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Asti Spumante Code: A Parody (Paperback)

"The Asti Spumante Code" kicks off in Brussels, with the murder of Gordon Sanitaire - curator of the city's Grande Bibliothèque. He proves to be the latest victim of the hirsute Stoat - so called because his hair (or, more accurately, `fur') changes colour with the season. (For this reason, he travels on two passports : one for the summer, the other for the winter). Stoat is a member of the Uxbridge Road Group, the militant wing of the English Book Guild. The Guild was founded with the aim of encouraging people to read and, although the URG's methods are extreme, they have also proved effective. Under the instructions of Brown Owl, Stoat is searching for the legendary Mūre-de-Paume, some sort of keystone.

The investigation into Sanitaire's death is headed up by Capitaine Taureau, who very quickly manages to point the finger at the book's hero : James Crack. Not only the Professor of Para-Literal Meta-Symbologist Studies at the University of Catt-Butt in Nebraska, Crack also proves to be an clueless, egotistical bore.

For those of us who hated "The Da Vinci Code", this is the easiest way of getting any pleasure from it. Brown's writing style is mocked perfectly : the chapters are ridiculously short, while every opportunity is taken to labour over the most minute and irrelevant point. Certain things are stated as fact, when they're clearly anything but true. Crack himself makes wild jumps of logic and stumbles across clues by means of blind luck rather than any form of skill. Recommended for those who read "The Da Vinci Code" and hated it.