Customer Reviews

The Philosophical Strangler (Joe's World)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

While not in quite the same class as Terry Pratchett(Discworld) or Peter David (Sir Apropos of Nothing), Eric Flint provides a welcome addition to the world of humorous fantasy. Laughter is on every page and very few fantastical memes remain unskewered. Readers with no knowledge of philosophy, physics, Dante or the Beowulf will find themselves missing out occasionally, but overall the laughs are clever and accessible. The translation of metaphorical concepts into real life are frequent and funny, if sometimes a bit too ridiculous. It's one thing to be told that God writes on stone tablets in words of fire, but quite another to see that one of His correspondants maintains a collection of the burning slabs she receives in a separate alcove and uses them to keep down the heating bill. I also laughed out loud at the description of the enigmatic female warrior Shrodinger's Cat, especially when it comes to her combat technique: her opponents are aggravated to learn that while they can see where she is or where she's going, it's somehow impossible to determine both at any given moment.

However, the joy ride is not without its flaws. Grayboar's philosophical leanings quickly recede into the background and the book begins to feel like a bunch of incomplete short stories that were mashed together for expediency. That said, this is still perfectly good book for fantasy fans looking for lighter, less-serious fare.

The book is written from the viewpoint of Ignace (the whiney, I call him), agent to Greyboar, greatest assassin/strangler in the world, "the man by whom professional thuggee should be judged." You'd think that would be an easy life. Sit back and let the assignments roll in. The Amazon editorial commentary on this book mentioned the problems: Philosophical conundrums and ethical dilemmas. What it didn't mention is the greatest horror of all, LOST COMMISSIONS. Mind you, you get all three of these things in just the first chapter of the book. After that, things get weird.

This book is a riot. You'll understand after you've read it why I'll never be able to deal with the term "aftermarket" again without a giggle.

My advice, get this book, and Fetch the Comfy Chair, one you can't fall out of no matter how hard you laugh. Make sure you have some privacy for reading, lest you cause concern, remarks on your cackles and gusts of laughter, or frantic calls for the men in the white coats. After that, in Robin Williams' immortal words, "Y' on y'own. Good night."

Well, looking at the other reviews of this book, I can't help but feel I must have been reading a completely different book altogether.
I really, really did not like this book. At all. As a matter of fact, this is the first book in many years that I have seriously considered stopping in the middle of, and not finishing. I finished it, but I really didn't see any improvement.
That said, I will explain.
It was interesting, and different, having the main characters be.... well, a strangler, and his manager. It had a lot of promise, but right from the start this book just rubbed me the wrong way. I have nothing against stranglers, or their managers, but....Well, I found myself with an intense dislike of these characters from the beginning.
The first-person writting style doesn't bother me at all, but in this case I just really, REALLY didn't want to be in this guy's head.
I couldn't see what the various parts of the story had to do with any of the others, and my frustration was getting the best of me.
The overall book was.... not good. I was disappointed, and annoyed that I had actually spent my time on this.
In this case though, this is only my opinion. The reason I went with 2 stars, as opposed to 1, or none if I could, was because most of my problems with this book were personal. I really disliked the plot, and the characters, and the story was just dull. So, 2 stars for the book based on the elements that were good about it.
I find it strange, because I like Eric Flint.
Sorry, but this one I will not be reading again, nor it's sequels, if there are any.

This book reads much differently then Mr. Flint's other works to date.. and my glance at the sample chapters led me to think...What has he DONE?... but.. once you get use to the way the story is presented.. (with the odd flash back.. forward and sometimes sideways) from the point of view of the strangler's manager the book is much more enjoyable. Personally I read far enough to get used to it then went back and started over.. the book is hysterical in places.. and merely humorous in others.. if you liked Mary Gentle's Grunts.. this is the sort of humor you'll find here.. bloody without being slasher gory

Anyone who knows anything about professional assassins knows that Greyboar is usually the best at the trade. However, if the intended victim can engage Greyboar in his passion, not sex but philosophical discussion and debate, the target might survive in a Sherherazade type of way.

Like any pro, Greyboar has an agent Ignace and he hopes a significant other in the nearsighted swordswoman Cat who he just met at his favorite drinking spot the Sign of the Trough. However, Greyboar has also learned that his estranged sibling, the amazon Gwendolyn has a lover who apparently has vanished perhaps into the bows of hell or some place even worse geographically. A commission for his sibling is not what Greyboar or Ignace prefers, but family, even a card-carrying member of the dwarf liberation movement, is still family.

A visit to THE PHILOSOPHICAL STRANGLER is a visit to weirdness where even Rod Serling would wonder if this might be one step beyond the Twilight Zone. The story line is satire at its sharpest as the cast skewer many of modern society's values. The plot is more a series of vignettes tied together by the key cast members rather than a novel, but fans of ironic fantasy will devour this tale and demand more from Eric Flint.

Harriet Klausner

This novel was an utter delight. Do not let the title fool you, there is no real need to understand the philosophical contents of the novel to truely enjoy it.

You have fun poked at philosphy, human nature, politics, the whole works.

There is always a joke or pun to be had, nary a page where you don't at least chuckle.

The story is told from a the first person (Ignance) who is the Strangler's Agent. Ignance gives his insight to everything those around him do, adding his own flare to the actions of others.
You find yourself laughing at his interpretation of events.

In short, its a whimsical tale which pokes fun at human nature, and a joy to read.

I found this book a wonderful blend of moral and philosophical commentary and fantasy/mind candy. It didn't read like many fantasies because the plot was not the author's main interest. Rather it seemed as though Flynt wanted to present ideas for both the characters and the reader to mull and idle over, which I just loved. I will say that because of this, the book rambles and wanders rather than leading a clear path from point to point. If you don't like that style, you will probably dislike the book immensely. But for the reader who wants a little intellectual fodder with their fantasy, I think this is a great choice and I am personally hoping to find that others of Flynt's books provide more of the same. And in contrast with other reviewers, I enjoyed the ending. While it was somewhat anticlimactic, I found the ending unpredictable and satisfyingly appropriate for the characters.

I wish I could have given this froth a 3 1/2. This is an amusing book, with amusing characters who are constantly in the midst of amusing mayhem, murdering mostly deserving folk for profit...but it's no more than that. I even laughed out loud a few times...not often, but a few times. Do you understand my problem?

This book has a lot of wasted potential. It was like a series of short stories strung together with very thin connecting material. It's a very light weight tale, unfortunately in hardbound, with spotty, but amusing, character development. This wasn't up to Flint's usual standards...but amusing, rather amusing.

The Philosophical Strangler (2001) is the first fantasy novel in the Joe's World series. It is set in a milieu of sorcerers, abbesses and stranglers, not to mention a militant church. These adventures occur mostly in the town of New Sfinctr on the continent of Grotum, although side trips happen now and then.

In this novel, Greyboar is a professional strangler. He is very tall and built like an ox. He is a member of the Guild of Stranglers and strictly follows their code of professional ethics. His weapons of choice are his hands. Greyboar likes to say that it is all in the thumbs.

Gwendolyn is Greyboar's sister. She is built like her brother, but shorter and voluptuous. They grew up together, but parted when Greyboar left the slaughter house to become a strangler. Gwendolyn is an agitator for dwarf's rights and objects to Greyboar becoming a well paid thug.

Ignace is an old friend of the siblings. He is short, red-headed and freckled and looks like a dwarf compared to Greyboar. He was rescued by Gwendolyn as a child and then grew up with Greyboar. He worked with Greyboar in the slaughter house and then left with him. Now he is Greyboar's agent and financial manager.

Benvenuti Sfondrati-Piccolomini is an artist, He is also very handsome and graceful; women fall in love with him at first sight. Benvenuti is totally unfair competition to any male.

Shrodinger's Cat is a woman with a sword, thick glasses and a vague manner. She is looking for Shrodinger, probably with malice afore thought. Cat is a very ineffectual swordswoman, except that she is never where you would expect her to be. She hacks away here and then somewhere else until her opponent is slashed to pieces or flees the scene.

In this story, Ignace arranges an engagement for Greyboar to choke the King of the Sundjhab. They force their way through the elite soldiers, the Grand Sorcerer, and the master of martial arts. Then the King catches Greyboar's attention by claiming to be a philosopher. After a pleasant discussion of entrophic philosophy, Greyboar reluctantly strangles the King. He has professional ethics, don't you know.

Afterward, Greyboar and Ignace leave town for a while to allow Queen Belladonna III time to cool down. They have a very exciting time in Prygg and Blain, but don't talk about it much. But Greyboar does meet Cat while he is away and, after returning to Sfinctr, he invites her to the Sign of the Trough for a drink or three.

Greyboar also meets Benvenuti in the Sign of the Trough. Ignace hates him on sight. Benvenuti wants advice from Greyboar on a painting of one of Greyboar's targets. The heirs claim that the painting belongs to them and insist on its completion and delivery. Benvenuti has an idea and would like Greyboar's assistance.

Later, Greyboar learns that Benvenuti had been Gwendolyn's lover. She had left him to attend to Underground Railroad business. He still pines for her and takes out his sorrow by painting portraits of her in various states of dress. After an initial bit of confusion, they join in adoration of Gwendolyn.

This tale is narrated by Ignace, a hard-hearted manager with a greatly suppressed heart of gold. He always tries to be reasonable, but everybody ignores him and goes ahead into some risky venture. He really starts having internal conflicts when he becomes involved with Jenny and Angela.

This farce involves Greyboar and Ignace is a series of mishaps and troubles with the authorities. Greyboar is summoned to the Abbey of the Sisters of Tranquility to provide assistance to Hildegard -- the Abbess -- in a spiritual task. Greyboar also arranges a rescue of Cat from the Durance Pile. Then they become even more deeply involved in the Joeist heresy.

The story is a series of episodes, each mentioning other episodes, which involve further episodes. The work is woven of many threads that are never fully explained. Only the main storyline (if you can follow it) leads to a conclusion. Although many other personae impinge upon the story, at least the central characters are limited in number.

This volume is followed by Forward the Mage. Surely some loose threads will be exposed more fully in the sequel or maybe the subsequent books. Enjoy!

Highly recommended for Flint fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of high adventure, confused heroes, and a touch of romance.

-Arthur W. Jordin

Greyboar is the world's greatest strangler ("Have Thumb, Will Travel") and Ignace is his manager. During the course of this hilariously chaotic book they have such adventures as: visiting Abbess Hildegaard, who regularly corresponds with God (he insists on using the postal service); helping steal a Rap Sheet (a Joe relic) in Prygg; breaking into a high-level cleric's house (after setting him up to be kidnapped) and breaking into The Pile (high level security prison) to break out Schrodinger's Cat, who is Greyboar's girlfriend; and descending into the Place Worse than Hell and facing Hands Worse Than (the CEO of Hell's) to rescue Benvenuti, who is Greyboar's sister's ex-boyfriend. Along the way, in the various courses of their adventures, they meet such characters as: a fallen angel (and learn the differences between a fallen angel and a devil); a troll (and learn the differences between a troll and an ogre); and various types of snarls.

It is almost impossible to define the plot of this book; it wanders, it rambles, it carries on. But it is WONDERFULLY fun! Eric Flint is one of the best at writing humorous fantasy/science fiction/military science fiction (and if you don't believe me, check out Rats, Bats & Vats and/or The Rats, the Bats & the Ugly (The Rbv Series)) and is sure to keep you coming back for more. I can heartily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good laugh!