The Outsorcerer's Apprentice

By: Tom Holt

Narrated by: Ray Sawyer

Length: 13 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A happy workforce is a productive workforce. At the moment, the Wizard's employees are neither. The goblins are upset with their working conditions, the dragonslayer has thrown a hissy fit over his medical insurance (or lack thereof) and everyone is upset about the terrible canteen coffee.

Yet the Wizard hasn't got time to worry about revolution in the workplace - he's about to see his brilliant business plan (based on entrepreneurial flair and involving one or two parallel worlds) disrupted by a clueless young man. Side effects may include a huge hole in the fabric of reality. This is almost certainly going to be a bad day at the office.

©2014 One Reluctant Lemming Company, Ltd (P)2014 Hachette Audio

love the references

Loved the book. Seemed to be over before I knew it. They had a perfect reader as well.

Decent

Decent read, a bit long to get into the story, but once engrossed you'll enjoy it. Seems like a complete story with no need for a sequel.

Delightful

Loved this book, love the series. Wildly inventive. Bravo all the way around. It's a series that I will listen to many times over.

Very clever and new

Would you listen to The Outsorcerer's Apprentice again? Why?

I would and have done so. I listened it to it twice in a row.

What other book might you compare The Outsorcerer's Apprentice to and why?

Kind of like Jasper Fforde but more cerebral and sharp; a lot like the Johannes Cabal series; Outside of this, hard to compare because it is rather unusual.

Which character – as performed by Ray Sawyer – was your favorite?

The King of the Goblins was funny, and I loved when Sawyer performed any cockney or lower-class British character--his accent is dead-on and incredibly timed.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a lot and chuckled at some of the sly jokes. Throughout, it was funny and entertaining--you can easily miss some of the references if you aren't paying attention.

Any additional comments?

This is an extremely clever and fresh book. The elements of the narrative are too outlandish to try to explain here, but somehow, the author makes them work together. The writing is sharp and funny and tongue-in-cheek. It is sort of a meta-fairytale in that it constantly plays on its own references to traditional fairytale tropes; in one moment, a character wonders if the fairytale land makes money from a "four percent leverage on traditional narrative tropes." You may find the narration a little slow at first, but Sawyer knows exactly what he is doing. As the story unfolds, he voices additional characters perfectly and sets the pace well. One thing about this book: it requires your attention. There are so many little things going on, and if you are not listening attentively, you may miss them. I found myself rewinding it again and again just to catch small stuff. However, it is totally worth it because the dialogue and narration are so funny and, at times, quite smart and thought-provoking. This is the only book I've listened to twice in a row, in addition to the thousand rewinds in between. I recommend it if you like stories that collapse genres, make you think, and are a bit silly and unconventional. By the way, I think Tom Holt did some brilliant writing and storytelling here. I hope he writes more like this. It reminded me of Jasper Fforde with a bit more gravitas and slyness and subtlety. I teach literature and plan on teaching this in an Ethics and Values in Lit course. It brings up many philosophical and ethical issues that would get college students thinking. If you are a person who would prefer not to think of such things, you will still like the book--they are woven into the narrative so strategically that you can overlook them and just enjoy the silly goings on. Either way, I highly recommend.

Only for those who like science with fantasy.

In my opinion, most fantasy is really poor, unless written by a superior author, and as those who have a science background are sorely limited in this genre, it is a treat to read some science (no matter how improbable,) along with the fantasy.

Thought the narrator was excellent, especially his Bob Hoskins characterization.

Offbeat fun

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Depends on the friend. This book is targeted at a British audience and seems to capture a lot of the zeitgeist (and pop culture) I remember from the 90s. I have a hard time imagining a younger reader enjoying it.

Any additional comments?

This is a bit of an odd tale. If absurdity doesn't work for you this won't. Think Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy crossed with Fractured Fairy Tales.

The first half of the story was worth the price of admission. It lost momentum and a lot of the lighthearted fun in the latter half but I still finished easily enough.

More Fun From Holt

Although not noted as such, this is really part of the series that began with Doughnut. However, reading Doughnut and When It's a Jar is not really necessary to the plot of this story (which is somewhat of a spin-off rather than a sequel). In many ways I enjoyed this book more than the previous 2 books. It wasn't as bogged down by the scientific theories and explanations that necessarily governed Doughnut.

If you are already a fan, you will not be disappointed. If not, I would recommend starting with Doughnut.

Sauce Code not recognized

Not quite Tom's usual standard but amusing and a few nods to respected authors.
I fear mr Holt has run the doughnut series too far, yes Art and his uncle are an entertaining pair, but they can't save every story. Perhaps a link to a previous story might be needed. Paint your Dragon always makes me snort liquids.
Keep it up Tom you are our best author since the passing of Sir Terry, and James Herbert (should also be a sir if you ask me!)

Worth it

I always enjoy Tom Holt. I recommend you add this great adventure in magical bureacracy and economics to your library

Interesting story, but I got lost about half way.

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

The book was enjoyable. It was likened to a Jasper Fforde style story. I only lost my was a little bit. I'm not saying I wouldn't listen to it again, but I may not.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

The ending was good, can't say that it helped the story, but I liked it.

Which character – as performed by Ray Sawyer – was your favorite?

I'd say Red was my favorite. Ray does a good job with her voice. Not that his voice sounds like a girls voice at all, but that the tone matches what I expected. I think she stole the book.

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I'd rent the movie on DVD or just wait till it comes on cable. Not a book I'd turn into a movie.