If you enjoy zany humour you might enjoy Gobbelino London & a Scourge of Pleasantries by Kim M. Watt, a hilarious urban fantasy about a cat private investigator. If you hate cats, you might not.
I finally got around to reading the first Gobbelino London, PI book by my prolific and talented friend, Kim M. Watt. (Did I mention I interviewed Kim recently?) This book has been on my to-be-read list for some time now, but you know how devious and ever-expanding those lists are.
Anyway, boy am I glad I did.
As we talked about before, I know you won’t believe any of my gushings about a book written by a friend, so instead of gushing I’m going to talk about who might and might not enjoy this book.
Yes, but what’s the book about?
Kim’s website has this to say:
“What’ve we got?”
“Tigers. Snakes. Alligators. Tears in the skin of the universe.” Susan shrugged. “I think I saw a kraken in the sink, too.”
Find a missing book.
That was the job the woman in the Doc Martens gave us. Easy money, right?
Only now it seems she’s actually an ancient, powerful sorcerer, and the book is a Book of Power that doesn’t want to be found. It wants to tear reality apart at the seams, and it’ll use anyone it can to do it.
So now we’ve got one spectacularly displeased sorcerer, a hungry, still-missing book, a dentist with bad hygiene, and a neighbourhood having some reality issues to deal with. Plus about a day before the book turns our world – and us – inside out.
We’ve totally got this. I hope.
This is the first book in the Gobbelino London, PI urban fantasy series, centred around the adventures of a mercenary feline PI and his human sidekick. It contains snarky cats and other gods, many bad jokes and terrible puns, plus a large serving of mythological and real creatures behaving badly. It will appeal to anyone who likes their fantasy funny, modern, and filled with friendship rather than romance – and also to those who suspect their cat may be living a great and secret life when they’re not looking.
Which, of course, they are.
Who might enjoy this book?
* Anyone who needs a zany, hilarious escape from 2020. I think everyone can agree 2020 has major personality problems, but don’t fret, here’s the escape you need. I laughed out loud so many times reading it. Sure, it’s ridiculous at times (okay, most of the time), but in a way that oddly makes sense. It’s urban fantasy with a capital F.
* Cat people. Yes, the main character is a cat. Smart, opinionated, and a little too knowledgeable about life. He’s probably more intelligent than his human sidekick, but he can still put on a brainless cute kitty act when cornered by a livid dentist. And he understandably hates getting wet. If you don’t fall in love with him, I don’t know what’s wrong with you.
* People bored with your average fantasy book that takes itself way too seriously. Gobbelino London (the cat, that is) does take the world very seriously, and that makes his snarky comments all the more funny. His world of Leeds, however, has seriousness (as well as reality) issues. Or maybe that’s just the Book of Power, bent on making the world a better place… before it destroys it. Enter pastel coloured rats, bewildered penguins, and so much more.
* People who enjoy physical humour in their books. Sure, the cat private investigator of the title does some cerebral sleuthing, but a lot of the laughs (and there are many) come from Gobbelino’s attempts to save the world while being, well, a cat. I would so love to see this book as an animated movie. Rich friends, where are you?
Who might not enjoy this book?
* People who hate cats. What can I say? Such incomprehensible people should go back to their dog parks and play catch with Rover.
* People who hate long book titles. I admit I didn’t think too much about the title before I read the book. But looking back now it’s kind of perfect–apart from being long. Leeds is facing a wave of transformations that make it a nicer place… but nothing so nice comes without a cost. (And sometimes it tries to eat you.)
* People whose hearts stop every time a cat runs across a road without looking both ways. I mean, I love you, Gobbelino, but please stop giving me heart attacks. I don’t care what you’re running from. Be more careful crossing the road.
* People who are offended by blasphemy. It’s not extreme by any measure, but it’s understandably there. I mean, you try teaching a cat polite language.
Have you read any of the Gobbelino London books? (Shortly there will be three!) Do you want to now, or are you a dog person?
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“People who hate cats”? Do such people really exist?
It seems plausible, though fortunately I’ve never met any of them.
Probably for the best.
Ooh, Pandemic escape read. Sounds like a nice change of pace.
It’s an excellent book, you really should read it.
Seconded.
This book sounds like way too much fun. As for people who hate cats, I don’t believe they exist. That is to say, I know people who say they hate cats, but I’m confident it’s only because they haven’t met the right cat yet.
You’re right, it’s *way* too much fun.
I was on a Zoom call the other day and my cat came to sit on my lap and smooched. The person on the call said, “Your cat is being just like a dog.” Um, no! Clearly a person in desperate need of cat love.
I LOVE your not-a-book-reviews, and thank you so very, very much for this one! I’m so glad it made you laugh, and if it offered some escape from 2020, all the better.
As for those cat-haters – bah. My dad is Not A Cat Person, but the Little Furry Muse had him lying on the floor playing with all her toys within about two days of them meeting (he still regularly apologises for breaking her favourite catnip mouse’s feather boa off, and that was 5 years ago). I think the problem is that cats demand you earn their affection, whereas dogs just give affection away with wild (if adorable) abandon…
You’re welcome! Your books are so funny and charming. I’m fully convinced the world would be a better place if everyone read them.
I’m glad you enjoy my not-reviews. They feel like less responsibility to write than review-reviews, and I’m all for avoiding responsibility. 😉
Your dad sounds like a cat person to me…