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Mercury Begins (2000)

by Robert Kroese(Favorite Author)

3.82 of 5 Votes: 2

languge

English

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review 1: 5 StarsAfter having read books one and two I decided to read the two novellas that bring the beginnings of Mercury to light. This short read is hilarious. It is Mercury’s first assignment as an angel, he is to oversee and ensure the fall of Troy. This is the perfect companion read to the main series as it really is a fun way to see the start of our main hero.Robert Kroese is gifted at penning humor and wit into his novels. A couple of quotes that highlight his style:“Mercury studied the note some more. Who were the Trojans again? People who live in the city of Troy, he thought. Weren’t they at war with somebody? The Greeks. That was it, the Trojans were fighting the Greeks. But the Greeks couldn’t penetrate the giant wall the Trojans had erected around the city. �... more�Help the Greeks find a back door” must mean help them get through the wall. At least he hoped that’s what it meant.”Also:“”I don’t care about the feathers, you numbskull,” said Mercury. “I just want shoes with rubbery soles, so the men don’t make so much noise inside the horse. These shoes hardly make any noise at all. You could sneak right up on someone with these rubbery soles. Hey, that’s what we’ll call them!”“Sneakers?” asked Daedalus.“Sneakers? Good grief, no. That’s a terrible name. I was thinking ‘rubbers.’ Imagine a hundred Greeks, oiled up and wearing rubbers! The Trojans wouldn’t stand a chance!”“You’re going to put a hundred men inside the horse?”“Sure,” said Mercury. “We’ll tell the Trojans the horse is a gift. They’ll drag it right into the city. Then at night, our oiled up contingent will pop out from underneath the horse and penetrate the Trojan defenses.””I am a now a huge fan of Robert Kroese and of the whole Mercury series. If you like light hearted, witty, and damn fun urban fantasy, than these are the books for you…Highest Recommendations!!!
review 2: I read this twice. The first time I just plowed through in one sitting and thought it was just okay. I really liked the concept and knew there was a whole series of Mercury books that all sounded interesting so I read it again only slower and then I thought it was genius. It is funny but if you pay attention and don't just blaze through it you will catch subtle miscommunications between characters and nuanced dialogue that will be buried and almost hidden in the text that will be very humorous. There are characters in the background doing things while main characters are talking that will make you laugh. It draws its influence from Douglas Adams to be sure and is remaniscant of Terry Pratchett and Month Python. It is satirecal and irreverent, clever and funny, and yes just a little bit insightful. I am looking forward to the whole series. less

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