The Last Volunteer by Steve Wetherall
The fate of
the world lies with one man: Bip Plunkerton.
Talentless psyentist and frequent drinker at The Empty Goat, young Bip
Plunkerton will follow in his father’s footsteps as a Volunteer…footsteps that
have yet to return from the wilds of the wide world outside.
Traverse the harsh weather of the formidable Ice Plains, navigate the Boiling
Sea, and suffer the ravaging heat of the Bone Desert. Bip’s impossible task,
continually thwarted by the semi-corporeal Mr. Random, is to warn the rest of
the world of the coming doom of the Massive Ball of Death hurtling through
space.
Will the last volunteer be any more successful than the first? Will Bip save
planet Bersch from a fate set into motion millennia before?
Probably not, but we can likely drag this question out for a couple more books,
though. Right?
Review
Take a pinch of Douglas Adams, add a dash of Terry Pratchett and a smidgeon of Monty Python then simmer it gently in a pan of boiling lunacy. Bake in the mind of Steve Wetherall for a few months at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and allow to cool
The result is possibly the funniest book I’ve read this year (bear in mind it is the middle of December so this is no faint claim)
This is book one in the Doomsayer Journeys series and follows two journeys to save the world set 1000 years apart.
The characters are well drawn and the dialog is witty and fresh throughout.
If you enjoyed Hitchhikers Guide, Dirk Gently or the Color of Magic then this’ll be right up your street.
I’m writing this while watching Strictly Come Dancing so to quote judge Craig Revel-Horwood this book was FAB-U-LOUUS
The Author
Steve Wetherell has written for Maxim, Cracked and CBS Local, and is a regular on the Authors and Dragons podcast. He is affiliated with Falstaff books and wrote the fantasy comedy series The Doomsayer Journeys, which he'd love you to read.
He lives in Northamptonshire, England, and enjoys beer, rock music and writing about himself in the third person.
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