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The Testing of Archie Rathbone
Having fallen asleep in his flat in Clapham, Archie Rathbone is understandably indignant when he wakes up on the shore of an uninhabited tropical island, with no idea how he’s got there, or how to get home. To make matters worse, all he has for company is a talking seagull.
Meanwhile, the price of Phoenix Tuna shares is going through the roof, and Emma, Archie’s ex-girlfriend, suspects something fishy.
Neither of them realise that in trying to unravel the mystery, they are about to put the whole human race in danger.
Will Archie escape from his island prison and confront his captors? What is the connection between the secret organisation ALIRTS and the cafe proprietor Jakub Baranski? And what have Bolt, Upright & Clench (Tailors to the discerning since 1746) got to do with it all?
The Testing of Archie Rathbone is a tale of treachery, sorcery and the price of fish...
Meanwhile, the price of Phoenix Tuna shares is going through the roof, and Emma, Archie’s ex-girlfriend, suspects something fishy.
Neither of them realise that in trying to unravel the mystery, they are about to put the whole human race in danger.
Will Archie escape from his island prison and confront his captors? What is the connection between the secret organisation ALIRTS and the cafe proprietor Jakub Baranski? And what have Bolt, Upright & Clench (Tailors to the discerning since 1746) got to do with it all?
The Testing of Archie Rathbone is a tale of treachery, sorcery and the price of fish...
238 pages, ebook
First published June 18, 2012
15 people want to read
About the author
Alex Hunter
2 books2 followersI was born in the early nineteen-sixties, when that was still considered the fashionable thing. I discovered the joys of story telling and creative writing at school, and haven't really stopped since.
I started to write my first novel, Through Eyes of Gold at the age of twenty-two (an historical fantasy novel charting the ‘life’ of a gold ring, from the discovery of the nugget by an ancient Egyptian miner, through to its ownership in nineteen-thirties England). After completing the first thirty pages, I foolishly got a job, and this really interfered with the creative process for the next fifteen years.
The Testing of Archie Rathbone, my third novel, was completed in 2012 and has just been published as a Kindle ebook. I am currently working on a new novel, and have several other similar projects in mind.
I have never been known to wake up on the beach of a tropical island.
I started to write my first novel, Through Eyes of Gold at the age of twenty-two (an historical fantasy novel charting the ‘life’ of a gold ring, from the discovery of the nugget by an ancient Egyptian miner, through to its ownership in nineteen-thirties England). After completing the first thirty pages, I foolishly got a job, and this really interfered with the creative process for the next fifteen years.
The Testing of Archie Rathbone, my third novel, was completed in 2012 and has just been published as a Kindle ebook. I am currently working on a new novel, and have several other similar projects in mind.
I have never been known to wake up on the beach of a tropical island.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 19, 2012
Well, another book that on the face of it I shouldn't like, but I wanted an escape from the banalities of my rain affected life and I saw a promo for this which quite tickled my fancy so I had a quick "look inside" (fantastic feature that) and decided to give it a whirl...
It's a great story, bit bonkers at times, but it comes together really well, there's action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, humour - yes lots of humour - I especially loved the bit at the solicitors - romance, intrigue, and a plot that, at times, I did sit back and wonder what on earth was going to happen next. I found it hard to put down too cos, well, I really needed to know how it was going to play out.
The characters were great, written well and nicely fleshed out. I always gauge the characterisation by how much emotion they evoke from me. Did I care about them, did I hate them, did I cheer when they got their comeuppance? A hearty yes for the main players in this story.
Basically in a nutshell, I had a great time reading this book - a good few hours away from the trials and tribulations of life. I'll certainly keep my eye open for more from Mr Hunter.
It's a great story, bit bonkers at times, but it comes together really well, there's action, adventure, fantasy, sci-fi, humour - yes lots of humour - I especially loved the bit at the solicitors - romance, intrigue, and a plot that, at times, I did sit back and wonder what on earth was going to happen next. I found it hard to put down too cos, well, I really needed to know how it was going to play out.
The characters were great, written well and nicely fleshed out. I always gauge the characterisation by how much emotion they evoke from me. Did I care about them, did I hate them, did I cheer when they got their comeuppance? A hearty yes for the main players in this story.
Basically in a nutshell, I had a great time reading this book - a good few hours away from the trials and tribulations of life. I'll certainly keep my eye open for more from Mr Hunter.
July 19, 2013
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did it was great. It all comes together at the end, but you'll still wonder what happened!
Alex Hunter has an intriguing imagination and he has the ability to get it on the page with feeling and humour. If you've ever wakened up wondering where you were, try this book and you might find an answer... and maybe have a tuna sandwich while you're reading.
Alex Hunter has an intriguing imagination and he has the ability to get it on the page with feeling and humour. If you've ever wakened up wondering where you were, try this book and you might find an answer... and maybe have a tuna sandwich while you're reading.
October 15, 2012
I absolutely loved the first half of this book and felt it was a great fresh take on a relatively older concept of being stranded on an island. The characters were easy to fall in love with and the riddles were hard enough that I couldn't work them out right away. Always an important thing to get right.
Unfortunately the second half of the book let me down a little. Don't get me wrong it was all well written I just didn't like the magic and wizard aspect. *EDIT* It turns out I can't read properly and the blurb and tag line do both mention sorcery. I feel much less let down by the book now, knowing I wasn't miss-sold the read. I only had one tiny tiny issue left with the magic, just that it felt a little like the phrase Deus Ex Machina, which was coined in old plays when Greek Gods (I think it was Greek) would come in and save the day to end the whole thing. Maybe just a tad too convenient because I felt like the author could have been a little cleverer, but that's a compliment to the writing too really.
Everything was amazingly described and well written. I felt like I was immersed in it and once I got a chance to get into the book and get away from real life for a moment I didn't want to put the book down. My only wish was there had been a different explanation for how Archie had got onto the Island.
That leaves me giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Shame I can't actually give that exact amount.
Unfortunately the second half of the book let me down a little. Don't get me wrong it was all well written I just didn't like the magic and wizard aspect. *EDIT* It turns out I can't read properly and the blurb and tag line do both mention sorcery. I feel much less let down by the book now, knowing I wasn't miss-sold the read. I only had one tiny tiny issue left with the magic, just that it felt a little like the phrase Deus Ex Machina, which was coined in old plays when Greek Gods (I think it was Greek) would come in and save the day to end the whole thing. Maybe just a tad too convenient because I felt like the author could have been a little cleverer, but that's a compliment to the writing too really.
Everything was amazingly described and well written. I felt like I was immersed in it and once I got a chance to get into the book and get away from real life for a moment I didn't want to put the book down. My only wish was there had been a different explanation for how Archie had got onto the Island.
That leaves me giving this book a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Shame I can't actually give that exact amount.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews