What terror lurks in the shadows of the Old Country?

Well, there are the goblins, of course. Then there are the bloodthirsty cannibals from nearby Carpathia, secret societies plotting in whispers, and murder victims found drained of their blood, to name a few. That’s to say nothing of the multitude of government ministries, any one of which might haul one off for “questioning” in the middle of the night.

The Old Country is saturated with doom, and Sloot is scarcely able to keep from drowning in it. Each passing moment is certain to be his last, though never did fate seem so grim as the day he was asked to correct the worst report ever written.

Will the events put in motion by this ghastly financial statement end in Sloot’s grisly death? Almost definitely. Is that the worst thing that could happen? Almost definitely not.

 

The author’s voice is what drew me in from the first page. First paragraph, really. With its tongue–firmly-in-cheek prose, the story kept me turning the virtual pages.

Sloot Peril is a great hero because although he is a walking neurosis, he feels real. Most readers probably know someone just like him. His progression throughout the story is cleverly done, so that we see him slowly changing, managing to do some things that he wouldn’t even have considered at the start of the novel. This growth on his part is one of the things that make him such a believable character, even in such a series of wacky plots. Roman was another favorite of mine because he is both so bad and so good at the spy business that you never know if his plans will actually work or not.

There are some real laugh-out-loud moments, making this definitely a story I would recommend for people who want something lighter. I especially enjoyed the queuing scenes because they show an exaggerated version of the bureaucratic nonsense we have all put up with. Oh, and the black market. Which is actually a black market, underground and super secret. All of those details add flavor to an already fun read.

If you enjoy witty narratives that have plenty of comedic moments, then I highly recommend this one.