annieb123's Review of The Riddle of the Fractal Monks (A Mathematical Mystery)

by Jonathan Pinnock

A mystery lands – literally – at Tom Winscombe’s feet, and another riotous mathematical adventure begins…

Tom Winscombe and Dorothy Chan haven’t managed to go on a date for some time, so it’s a shame that their outing to a Promenade Concert is cut short when a mysterious cowled figure plummets from the gallery to the floor of the arena close to where they are standing. But when they find out who he was, all thoughts of romance fly out of the window.

Just who are the Fractal Monks, and what does Isaac, last of the Vavasors and custodian of the papers of famed dead mathematical geniuses Archie and Pye, want with them? How will other figures from the past also demand a slice of the action? And what other mysteries are there lurking at the bottom of the sea and at the top of mountains? The answers lie in The Riddle of Fractal Monks.

Praise for Jonathan Pinnock:

‘Lovely stuff.’ Ian Rankin

'A series of humorous, riotous mathematical mysteries.' David Nicholls

‘He makes funny and self-deprecating company.’ The Herald

‘Jonathan Pinnock writes compelling tales with a deliciously wicked glint in his eye.’ Ian Skillicorn, National Short Story Week

‘Jonathan Pinnock is Roald Dahl’s natural successor.’ Vanessa Gebbie

‘Funny, clever, and sometimes brilliantly daft. A comedy that I am sure would have made Pythagoras, Archimedes and Douglas Adams all laugh out loud.’ Scott Pack on The Truth About Archie and Pye

Originally published on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

The Riddle of the Fractal Monks is the third in the Mathematical Mystery series by Jonathan Pinnock. Released 16th April 2020 by Duckworth on their Farrago imprint, it's 304 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.

The setup and humor remind me very much of other humorous British SF(ish) classics: Fforde, Fowler, Grant/Naylor, Moore, Stross, Aaronovitch, et.al. It's not derivative, not really, the author has a slightly different humorous slant and oh, good heavens, the puns flow like a mighty river. Whilst reading, I definitely felt like the aforementioned authors were being channeled though...

There are genuinely funny moments and the pacing is frenetic and relentless. The bad guys are boo-worthy, the good guys are plucky and funny and brave (if often quite hapless) and the end result is enjoyably readable. This is precisely the type of mystery/speculative fiction I adore and I was honestly captivated from literally the first page. This is the first book in a while which has made me stay up late reading. The author is adept at writing in necessary backstory, so it does work well enough as a standalone, but I recommend the other volumes in the series quite highly.

Four and a half stars, rounded up for the writing. People who loathe puns (or intelligent humour) will likely not enjoy this one. Fans of Laundry Files, Red Dwarf, HHGttG, and the others will find a lot to like until the next Shadow Police novel hits the stands (if it ever does... yes, I'm lookin' at you, Paul Cornell). For North American readers, the spellings and vernacular are British English. Nothing which should prove frustrating in context.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

The Riddle of the Fractal Monks (A Mathematical Mystery)

by Jonathan Pinnock

Reviewed by annieb123 on Jun 21, 2020

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