Archer’s Goon

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Basically it broke my brain, mixed impossible things together extraordinarily well, had mind-blowing plot twists (SERIOUS. PLOT. TWISTS. WOW. *flail*) and was exciting and breathtaking and downright HILARIOUS! The characters. I didn't trust any of them, but... yeah. Hathaway was one of my favorites, as was Shine, which is weird I know but whatever. I also really liked Howard.

As the Autumn equinox slips away and the nights start getting longer, I find myself reaching more for comfort books; books that I know and love, that have engaging, magical storylines and bright, vibrant characters. And one of the best at that, for me, is Diana Wynne Jones. Too Spicy for Yog-Sothoth: Dillian is easily able to use her magic to charm Howard and Fifi, but Awful is simply too... awful. Or is the situation more complex than at first appears, and will the Sykes’ household of parents, son, daughter and student lodger each find they have a role to play, where their decisions and actions have unexpected consequences and their relationships be revealed as contrary to appearances? And in the end, you're left with so many questions--not the bad kind that leave things unfinished and bug you forever and indicate bad storytelling, but wonderful areas to imagine about. Like... Who ARE these people? Aliens? How did they get here? What are their parents like? (Must be amazing (in maybe an awful way) with children like those...) What will the people on the spaceship do? Will they survive and try to take over a different planet? Will Erskine try to farm the world? Will Awful try to farm the world with him? (I'm suspecting since Venturus is good with future stuff, maybe he can see the future to a certain extent and his intuition about Erskine was correct. Although maybe with Venturus's influence it will turn out differently.)In a similar fashion is Howard's escape from Erskine, running through the town causing chaos as all the other siblings give him various forms of aid. Dave Langford reviewed Archer's Goon for White Dwarf #63, and stated that "Mass). After this, things get complicated. Though one dodgy moral question goes unanswered, the ending is splendidly silly; Jones has written better books, but her inventiveness is a reminder that there's life in fantasy if you know where to look." [1]

Much of the action takes place in a town not too dissimilar to Bristol, the author’s home town, clues coming from (for example) street names like Corn Street, Zed Alley, Woodland Terrace, and Park Row (disguised as Upper Park Street). Erskine and Venturus's relationship. Erskine looks out for him! And understands him well enough to figure everything out about him when nobody else could. And Venturus is fond enough of him that he feels hurt and betrayed when the Goon turns out to be Erskine, and kind of likes him despite all this. When comparing all the rest of the siblings' attitudes towards each other, this is love indeed. Sam početak romana, prvih recimo pet-šest strana (jer sve dalje od toga zalazi u teritoriju spojlera) deluje kao Harold Pinter za decu. Trinaestogodišnji junak dolazi kući iz škole i u kuhinji zatiče osobu koja se predstavlja kao "Arčerov siledžija". Osoba izgleda kao Vini Džouns, samo je trideset santimetara viši i srazmerno širi. I došao je zato što junakov otac njegovom gazdi (za koga nikad nije čuo a kamoli poslovao s njim) duguje dve hiljade. I sedeće u kuhinji dok ne dobije te dve hiljade (hint: nisu funte u pitanju). Lynn Bryant reviewed Archer's Goon in Space Gamer/Fantasy Gamer No. 79. [2] Bryant commented that "Well written and original, a gripping read." [2]Written and published during the Reagan-Thatcher years, when it felt as though some of the world at least was taking a dangerous lurch towards an confrontational and authoritarian triumphalism, Archer’s Goon explores some of that state of affairs in what presents merely as children’s fantasy.