Frogmorton Culpepper Saves the World by Keith Trezise

Title: Frogmorton Culpepper Saves the World

Author: Keith Trezise

Twitter: @KeithTrezise

Publisher: Corona Books UK

Website: Corona Books UK

ASIN: B06XKL9WWG

Genre: Sci-fi comedy

Print Length: 294 pages

Synopsis: Frogmorton Culpepper didn’t wake up on the day he got fired expecting to save the world from aliens. His plan for the day was to prove to his superiors his environmental technology experiment to save the world from climate change, and also to get the world to recognise his genius and also to get his mother to recognise his ability to do anything and also get the girl of his dreams to recognise his existence. Some, if not all, of that changes when a holograph of a small man dressed in purple appears, unexpectedly, into his life and threatens to destroy the world.

This is a story you will either love or hate – I loved it. It is like nothing I have read before, but it seems I should read Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy. It is a sparkling story of eccentric (if sometimes stereotypical) characters and situations somewhat reminiscent of the chaotic stories of Tom Sharpe (especially Riotous Assembly), but with a very different narrative style. It is a great story of anti-heroes and their struggle to save humanity in spite of Government incompetency and interference. The narrative style is written as though Trezise is telling the story to a circle of friends. I have read similarly narrated stories, but this one has a real emphasis on side-line quips and mini conversations with the reader – some might find it irritating; I might normally as I generally do not like the narrative being broken, but somehow Trezise makes it work. The characterisation was well done, one exception being Frogmorton’s mother, who I found to be too over-egged, even for this novel, initially at least. Her character actually changes through the story into a more “plausible” character. I found the settings well described and was able to visualise the locations and landscapes in which the story is set. I enjoyed the quirky dialogue. I would highly recommend this novel. Congratulations to Trezise for writing such a creative debut novel.

What others thought at the time of writing Amazon.co.uk; 6 reviews, of which all were 3* or more, giving an average of 4.7* Amazon.com; there were no reviews

Goodreads.com; 6 ratings (and no reviews), with 5 of 3* or more, giving an average of 4.2*

Other novels in the same (or similar) genre (click on the image to go to Amazon for more information)