It is time for me to once again tell you about a recent read that I have just finished and enjoyed… if you’re fancying trying out a new author (after you’ve read mine of course 😉 ) you could do a lot worse than give this guy a go.
Planet Purgatory by Benedict Martin
Book Blurb: It’s not every farmer who can claim to have been killed by a whale falling from the sky. Fewer still can say they were brought back to life. But David Eno can.
Impossible? Not when you’re in purgatory. Of course, no one else calls it that. Not even David’s parents. They believe they’re colonists on an alien planet. But David knows, and that’s why he’s made it his mission to find a way out.
It won’t be easy; purgatory is teeming with demons. Fortunately, David has a pair of good-luck charms up his sleeve: a canine companion that’s more grizzly bear than dog, and a rifle that never runs out of bullets. But as he soon discovers, sometimes the worst demons are the ones dwelling in our past, and it’s only after revisiting a childhood tragedy that David can truly begin the difficult task of setting himself free.
Rating: 5/5
My thoughts: This is the second of Benedict Martin’s books that I have read, (the other also reviewed on this blog), and they really couldn’t be more different. Thankfully this one was equally as enjoyable as the first.
So what’s it all about? Well simply put (not that there is much simple about this tale) the lead character David Eno lives on a strange alien planet with his parents and a creature described as a dog but it is so much more. As if living on an alien world wasn’t weird enough David is convinced that he, and those around him, are not actually on any kind of planet but are, in fact, living in Purgatory!
As well as being inhabited by humans the planet, or not-planet as the case may be, is also home to a selection of strange and wonderful creatures. Whales that live under the ground, demons that aren’t actually very demonic, aliens that prove a very real and constant threat and imps that are mischievous to the point of annoyance.
When David’s home is faced with a new threat he sets out on a mission to save them all, and possibly himself, as long as the cheeky imp Flea doesn’t get in his way.
So, does David save them? Does he find out if he really is living in Purgatory? You know there is one way to find out… read it!
This was a well written, fun, and often strange tale that only left me dissatisfied in one respect… I wanted more! I could happily read more stories set in this strange land, especially if they involved the adorably crazy Flea.
I have to also mention the occasional illustrations that dotted this story, bringing the strange inhabitants of Planet Purgatory to life that little bit more.
A brilliant read by a brilliant author.
Dawn Delivers 