The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse

by Tom Holt

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

The Eight Reindeer of the Apocalypse is another office politics / industrial espionage caper featuring the wizards and demigods at J.W.Wells & co, written by Tom Holt. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Orbit Books, it's 336 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.

For fans of the author, the full-bore frenetic humor is front and centre here as well. Interoffice politics, sarcasm, sniping, and the occasional dirty deed (for the right price) feature heavily. There are demigods, infernal agents, banks in the realm of the dead, and excursions to killer asteroids, death, and (literal) destruction on offer. 

This is one for fans of Charles Stross, Christopher Moore, Ben Aaronovitch, and of course, current fans of the author. For fantasy fans who don't already have him on their must-read list... it's -very- sharply sarcastic and almost frenetically humorous which can come across as trying too hard in places. For all that, it's absolutely cleverly convoluted and very well constructed. 

There's an old chestnut attributed to Chekhov: "a gun presented in act 1 must be used by act 3" and the author is absolutely virtuoso at this narrative prestidigitation. There are incidental details written in which seem to simply have absolutely no bearing on the story which wind up getting whipped out at the denouement and used to devastating effect. 

Four stars, it's funny, bonkers, and chaotic. That rating will be higher for folks who already love his other work, and this fits very well in his oeuvre. It's the 8th book to feature some of these returning characters, but works fine as a standalone. 

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