Customer Reviews

Tong Lashing : The Continuing Adventures of Sir Apropos of Nothing

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I enjoyed the first two books in the series immensely for different reasons. The first book, while irreverent, dealt beautifully with the concept of an anti-hero who thinks he is a hero. The second book was just a fun romp with a small bit of soul searching thrown in. The third book in the series, Tong Lashing, lost a lot of the humor of the previous two books and seemed overburdened with an almost high-school goth girl search for meaning in life. I appreciate developing characters as much as the next libriphile (pardon my mixing of Greek and Latin), but Peter David should not have tried to turn his amoral anti-hero into a moral hero in the space of a few hundred pages. Tong Lashing, while humrous at times, will leave you a bit put-off by how much preaching David launches into. I'd still read it because I cannot not finish a series, but don't buy this book. Take a day and sit at Barnes and Noble or borrow it from a friend, but don't buy it.

"Tong Lashing" is the third book to feature the anti-hero Apropos of Nothing, along with roughly 115% more puns than is really necessary for anyone's sanity. (David is well-known for deploying both off-the-cuff standard low-brow eye-rolling puns and much more elaborate ones that take half a book to set up.) This current volume takes place in a Davidian emulation of ancient China/Japan (aptly named Chinpan), and Apropos runs afoul of the Forked Tong, the Skang Kei crime family, and the dreaded Anais Ninja clan (headed by the inscrutable Veruh Wang Ho).

David can truly break your heart, though, when he feels like it, which is once per book. And which happens here. The writing is effective, but the books have become very formulaic: pun, pun, snarky observations, Apropos runs away, everyone wants to kill Apropos, Apropos questions whether anti-heroism is an effective philosophy, he tries half-heartedly to do something good and is horrendously punished for it, a villain reveals an unexpected and poignant side, then the big heartbreak scene, and...END.

The page count could've been trimmed easily by dropping a good deal of the relentless internal monologuing over "Am I a good person or not, and is there such a thing as a good person, and why would anyone WANT to be a good person?" and so on.

The author definitely has skills and is not a little daring. I mean, in a single scene featuring three characters (immediately after a climax that some may find borders on troubling territory), he manages to allude to the Christian Holy Trinity, the atomic bombs Fat Man and Little Boy, AND the cult duo of Lone Wolf and Cub. But he needs to shake things up a bit. Every novel he writes, no matter the setting or cast, is largely the same novel. I want to see something different from him for once.

Future adventures of Apropos may not be forthcoming for awhile. David has noted that Pocket Books is not publishing new fantasy novels, but since they have the rights to the existing trilogy, he would have a hard time shopping a fourth book to another publisher. In the meantime, he intends to write some Apropos short stories, but whether those will ever see the light of day is unclear.

For almost every page, this book delivers. Fans of the first two books will be giddy with joy, for this book has the same goofy puns, the same sardonic narration, and the same ridiculous names a the first two books. Almost every page is full of all the cynical wit that the first two Apropos books delivered. The story builds wonderfully, and then at the very end of the book there are two . . . plot twists. The first might not be as shocking as Apropos finds it, but the second is way over the top. Together, they forge a conclusion so harsh and sudden, it feels as if the author just gave up. It is as if your favorite football team is winning the Super Bowl, and then they suddenly forfeit and leave .

Other readers may find the ending of "Tong Lashing" rather, well, apropos; but Apropos - and the reader- deserved something better.

Although the second of this three books series is my favorite Tong Lashing was a wonderful read. After getting to know Apropos from the first two the third brings in more conflicts that he must face. Twists and turns in the story kept me wanting to read the book the entire day. David's brilliant sense of humor I commend once again; he is always leaving me laughing and has the creativity to bring in drama as well, I applaud. When you thought Apropos has been through just about everything David swings a few more curve balls to boggle the mind and say "What the?!..." This is a book I'm sure you won't be able to put down.

Thanks to angering a powerful supernatural being (so what's new?), Apropos is shipwrecked and washes up in the alien country of Chinpan. Everything about Chinpan is different from what Apropos is accustomed to, from their looks to their odd over-developed sense of honor. He stumbles upon a small farming village, made up mainly of the Chin family, and to his surprise, makes himself at home with them as a simple farmer. He is encouraged to study with the village's revered teacher, Chinpan Ali, who begins to teach Po how to empty himself and find peace. Apropos finds himself in the unusual position of being happy-and he waits for the axe to drop. Which, naturally, it does.

Chinpan Ali is murdered and Po seeks vengeance-biting off way more than he can chew. Again, what's new?! He angers the Hamunri Clan, the criminal organization the Forked Tong, the Tong's Skang Ke family, the Anais Ninjas, and pretty much everyone else he encounters. The Imperior, the head of the Skang Ke family (Skang Kei Ho), an annoying person named Mitsu, and a former acquaintance also make Po's revenge-and life-more difficult and he goes from one bizarre situation to the next.

Like the first two Apropos books, Tong Lashing is filled with that bizarre humor that makes a Peter David book so darn good. Puns, the outrageous, satire, sarcasm and the just plain funny run rampant, making the reader groan and laugh at the same time.

Unlike the others, Tong Lashing is rather introspective. (Consider the dedication: "to all those who had the chance and passed".) Po begins to change, sometimes subtly, sometimes obviously, and to rethink his prior way of living. Whereas it used to be every man for himself and Po first, others start taking a more important role in his life.

While still enjoyable, and still a four-star book, I want to warn the reader that it IS different from the previous books. Not different in a bad way, but definitely different. There is a more serious tone to this book, with humor taking a back seat to Po's development, with an ending that leaves one confused and thinking, just like Po. If you've read the first two, you need to read this third-and possibly final-volume of Apropos' life.

I'm a big fan of puns. The more I groan, the better I like them. Peter David must feel the same way, because he's been responsible for a great many of the best groaners around. In fact, I haven't seen anybody make a pun like he has, because he not only makes the joke, but then he makes something useful out of it. It's a rare talent, and one that really makes his books worth reading.

Which brings us to Tong Lashing (see what I mean?), which is the third book in the Sir Apropos of Nothing series. The first book, also called Sir Apropos of Nothing, introduces us to the wonderful but extremely self-centered Apropos, a man who won't stick his neck out for anybody. David then gives us The Woad to Wuin, which brings Apropos to the land of Wuin, where he learns that he can sink to even further depths. David says in the acknowledgements that Apropos's future is up in the air. If that's so, it makes me sad, because he unfortunately didn't end it on a great note. Tong Lashing is still a very good book, but the tone is wildly variable, ultimately making for a disappointing finish.

I find myself with completely mixed feelings about this book, and I'm not sure if it's just me not getting the ending or what. The book is wonderful, with colorful characters, wonderful dialogue and witty asides (the book is told in first person, so the asides are written by Apropos). It's everything I loved about the first two books, and the jokes are even better then those. Up until the last 100 pages, I was going to call this the best of the three. Everything was just clicking, and I couldn't stop laughing, but yet being touched as Apropos learns even more about himself. He's always been unlikable, mainly because he is the complete anti-hero. In Tong Lashing, however, he starts moving beyond that, and showing that he can actually care for somebody.

But then the climax starts, the book all of a sudden turns very dark. This is a pivotal moment in Apropos's life, and it's very well done. He's brought down to the very bottom, the ultimate level of self-loathing as he realizes that he brought all of this death and destruction down on his friends. He's determined to avenge them, and he hatches a plan to bring down everybody in Chinpan. This is fine by itself. While the tone is dark (there are no real jokes by this point), it is very effective. However, then things go even worse, with a literally explosive climax that completely ruins the mood and tone of the book. I think David went way too far in this one, and if he's trying to make some point, it went completely over my head. This change in tone almost made my teeth clap together it was so sudden.

I can't say enough about how wonderful the rest of the book is, though. Apropos is his normal self, but he has grown and the change is welcome to see. He is still cynical, knowing that every time he is happy something's going to happen to bring it down. Mitsu is the daughter of the Imperior, impulsive and headstrong in a society where women are not even second-class citizens. She is a product of her upbringing though, and one of the sticking points between Apropos and Mitsu is her willingness to sacrifice her handmaidens when she is being punished. We find out the secret of Mordant, and how he is able to talk. The Imperior is suitably insane, and just when you think he's being stereotypically dumb, David pulls a twist out of his hat and shows us a villain who's both insane and kind of smart too.

And then, of course, there are the jokes and puns. You've seen a couple of them in this review, and I don't really want to reveal any more. Probably the best one is a take-off on the Ninjas of old Japan (if you have no plans to read this book, email me and I'll tell you what it is). Peter David has a wildly humorous way of writing, though he is definitely somebody you'll either love or hate. Basically, I can say that if you like puns, you will love his writing. The jokes come fast and furious, and I loved reading about Apropos's feelings on life in general. He talks directly to the reader, writing this in his old age (so yes, it's obvious that he survives everything). Apropos often expresses his amazement that he still has readers, which can be a dangerous thing for an author to do. But David handles it with aplomb, knowing that he's got his reader hooked.

The best part about his puns is that they are more than just puns. He makes the Forked Tong a legitimate (and dangerous) criminal organization. The Ninjas could have been used for a joke and then discarded, but they become an integral part of the plot, and characters in their own right. Minor characters, to be sure, but still at least with two-dimensional. The joke becomes part of the plot, rather than just a rim-shot. Even the mad Scotsman Ronnell McDonnell actually gets a mention after he has strutted across the stage. In fact, any gamer will love the sequence with McDonnell and the magical role-playing game.

Still, we have to get to the end, and I felt very unsatisfied. It hit me like a two by four to the head, but not in a good way. David had better write another Apropos book to wash the taste of it out of my mouth. It is effective in one way, however. Apropos ends the book truly as Sir Apropos of Nothing. And he's finally satisfied with that.

I'm not, however.

David Roy

I have been a Peter David fan for a while and I think his Apropos books are hilarious and imaginative. And talk about wit! The third book is as wonderful as the previous two. The beginning starts off so amusing I was laughing out loud. And this keeps up in the middle. Towards the end I felt that the book was starting to let me down until the actual which redeemed the small setback.

This book is a must for any Peter David fan.

Generally, in fantasy (among other genres), the principal characters fit into one of three broad categories. There are, of course, the heroes and the villains, and somewhere between the two is the anti-hero. Which is Peter David's character, Sir Apropos of Nothing? At times, he can be any of the three, which makes him all the more interesting. Certainly, in the third Apropros book, Tong Lashing, we get to see him at both his best and worst.

The novel begins with the protagonist drifting at sea, the only survivor of a shipwreck. This wreck was the result of a dangerous Dungeons & Dragons-like game that Apropos is forced into playing with some rather obvious parodies of Fafhrd, the Grey Mouser and Thomas Covenant. Now, Apropos seems doomed, but he is the ultimate survivor who eventually winds up washed up on the shore of Chinpan, a land that is a blend of China and Japan.

Apropos is taken in by a farming village and begins to find peace with their simple existence. Eventually, however, the real world intrudes and he is drawn into a conflict between the local emperor and a vast criminal/rebel organization. Even this has mixed blessings as Apropos shifts his allegiances from one side to the other and reaps the benefits, at least temporarily. He may even find true love, albeit with a woman who is distinctly evil.

This is dark fantasy, not in the standard sense of a supernatural horror story but because of the pervasive grimness that seems to follow Apropos. He is unable to be happy; any sense of contentment is marred by his worries about the next bad thing. Do the gods truly conspire against him or are his problems caused by his own dark nature? There is no simple answer.

Mixed in with all this darkness is a lot of humor (especially in the first half of the book). Much of this relies on puns that range from the clever to the ridiculous, but there is also plenty of good pokes at the conventions of the fantasy genre. Sometimes, the sillier aspects are an inconvenient distraction. Overall, however, this is a good book - a high four stars - that should please most fantasy fans. It is the third book in a series, however, and is better read as part of the set than as a standalone book. As a whole, this is one of the better fantasy series in recent memory.

I'm a big fan of science fiction/fantasy humor like Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams. I have read and bought the entire Sir Apropos of Nothing Series and although this was my least favorite, I didn't dislike it. I loved the wordplay--better than in either of the other books, but the book seemed a little burdened with social issues. Plus, it looks like Peter David is looking to end the series here because he resolved most of the conflicts that have been present since book one. Unfortunately, some of them ended rather abruptly--unsatisfying! However, there's hope because of a tiny bit on the last page that drove me crazy after I finished the book and realized what it was saying. Not sure if this helps...but basically if you liked the other books in the series, you should give it a try!

I won't bother going into the plot - read the book. I will say that I'm having a hard time deciding whether this book is better or worse than the first, which was incredible. This 3rd book in the Apropos series is also incredible. The second book wasn't that consistantly great but I still liked it. Anyway, here are the good and bad of Tong Lashing:

Good:
1) The poking fun of other fantasy literature was exquisite. It gave you that feeling of "hey, I read that book! I'm hanging with the IN crowd!"
2) Puns - everyone's talking about the puns. The puns are great. Sure, they make you groan, but groaning's fun, and if you don't like these puns then you need to groan up.
3) There's some INCREDIBLE insight into the human condition, morality, etc. I'd hate to meet the girl responsible for Peter David's ability to write about these things. In D&D terms, I'd say he probably has a 19 or 20 in his Wisdom.
4) This book is totally absurd.

Bad:
1) Others have harped on the ending. I don't QUITE have a problem with the ending. I think there's definitely room for another book, despite those others, who shall rename maneless. Still, if this really is the end, then Peter was having a BAD DAY when he finished the book. Talk about train-wrecks. I think I would have preferred an ending more in line with the other two books, overall. I will say that the ending was incredibly interesting.
2) There's this one part, and if you've read the part you KNOW what I'm talking about, which gave me the willies. I'm conflicted on whether this was actually a bad part, because it was also pretty funny. But I'm technically "afraid" to call it a good part :)

Ok, there weren't really any true "bad" parts, but what can I say - this book had it all. I think the first book will forever remain perfect in my eyes, but Tong Lashing kind of pushed the envelope.