The Good, the Bad and the Smug

By: Tom Holt

Narrated by: Ray Sawyer

New Evil. Same as the Old Evil, but with better PR.

Mordak isn't bad as far as goblin kings go, but when someone or something starts pumping gold into the human kingdoms, it puts his rule into serious jeopardy. Suddenly he's locked in an arms race with a species whose arms he once considered merely part of a healthy breakfast.

He goes looking for the truth behind these sudden riches, accompanied by an elf with a background in journalism (she'll get the hang of 'truth' eventually), but the two will discover that the difference between human and goblin, and between good and evil itself, is far more complicated than it appears.

©2015 One Reluctant Lemming Company Ltd (P)2015 Isis Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Uniquely twisted...cracking gags." ( Guardian)

"Gratifying, clever, and very amusing." ( Mail on Sunday)

"Witty and eccentric." ( Time Out)

"Wacky humour bubbles through the polished narrative.... Holt doesn't skimp on the flashes of brilliance." ( SFX)

Mastery of Humour

I loved Tom Holt books and the audible version brings to life just how clever and funny the writer is.

The performance was sterling… did justice to the work.

I quite enjoy and appreciate witty satirical humour and recommend this book to those that do as well.

Douglas Adams or Terry Pratchett he is not

......But that can hardly be held against him, so he does the job what needs doing.

funny and a little scary

was an excelent accomanyment to long drives. had me laughing out loud in traffic. fun throughout

Worthwhile

A fun add to your library, especially if you like bureaucratic humor with side of fantasy. 💓

Good enough to re-read.

Smartly-written, snarky & entertaining. If Frank L. Baum (The Wizard of Oz) and Matt Taibbi (Griftopia) wrote a book together, this would be it.

not in the right order

Amazon please fix the title order. otherwise okay book the next one in the series really puts this together.

Still heads above the rest

Would you consider the audio edition of The Good, the Bad and the Smug to be better than the print version?

I didn't read the print version. I love the narrator, so I don't bother with print.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The old man and nephew. Always funny and slightly foreboding.

Which scene was your favorite?

When the old man is a scene it's always worthy of a rewind to me.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Not really. The book is interesting through and through. It didn't move me, it it makes e laugh a lot.

Any additional comments?

I think that Tom Holt's books are always deeply interesting and funny. By interesting I mean they keep my attention the whole time, and I often take twice as long to get through them because I rewind a lot just to hear parts again. It is hard to measure his books in terms of story or plot because the meat of his novels are the process of storytelling itself and character development. I think that in a way his novels border on the experimental in terms of narrative in general. There are other worlds, carry overs from other novels, imported characters, and the like. I would say that his writing is similar to terry pratchett's in this way but with more real-world references.

I disagree with the negative reviews here. Rather, I would suggest that this novel is best appreciated for its playfulness and humor as well as the fresh approach he brings to writing. It is, at times, demanding, but always worth it. Also, he is one of the few writers whose novels are rich enough to make a second and third reading just as enjoyable as the first.

Business based fantasy

In the realm of Orcinomics. Great book with lots of fun and solid plot. Will definitely read more from Tom Holt.

what an imagination

this book is funny and thrilling. an occasional re read. never a full moment trying to predict the outcome

Not as good as prior entries in the series

Not as good as prior entries in the series. simply less interesting than the oursorcerer's apprentice and with a plot less fascinating and bizarre than doughnut or its sequel.