TALES FROM GUNDARLAND REVIEWS |
|---|
Some of these reviews have been condensed. You can read them in full on the Amazon page.Back to the Tales from Gundarland main page Charmingly funny retelling of some classics and new fairytales from the mind of Hank Quense. I read this to a group of 7 to 10 year olds who thought these were hysterical. Great read for story times and a nice way to spend a day in the sun!!! Elizabeth Miller 4 stars I loved these stories. They are filled with humor and some satire and all different. Two of them are very clever and funny Shakespearean spoofs. Romeo and Juliet is a howl with Romeo being a poor dwarf miner and Juliet a rich elf maiden. Merchant of Venison (not a mis-spelling) is a lot of fun also, especially the trial scene. Penelope Rivers: 5 stars Really fun read! I love the twist on well known tales - my favorite being Romeo and Juliet. Oh, just thinking about it still makes me smile. This is a brilliant collection that comes highly recommended! Be warned - you won't be able to read these without getting a chuckle (or a belly laugh) or two. 5 stars: tweezle: Librarything Tales From Gunderland is a marvelous book, and I quickly felt at home there. Its characters reminded me of relatives, and I laughed often, and well. You NEED your own copy for those days the sun won't shine and you need some artificial warmth around you. Quense is an unforgettable writer!! Mari Sloan This collection of stories is fun from beginning to end. Hank Quesne has a Pratchett-like gift for extracting humour from science fiction and fantasy settings and characters and managing to slide social commentaries among the jokes. Unlike Terry Pratchett, however, he can construct long stories that don't disintegrate into sequences of vignettes - he's good at plot construction. And his Shakespeare pastiches would, I believe, have met the Bard's approval. The writing style is good and uncomplicated, with clever word use that doesn't demand an over-rich vocabulary on the part of the reader. The settings are vivid, and the fantasy world of Gundarland is surprisingly familiar. Here and there one finds a few editing glitches, but they are few and unproblematic - they don't interrupt the flow of prose or challenge comprehension - so they're no more than minor irritants. I've bought copies of this book as Christmas presents in the certainty that the recipients will enjoy it as much as I did. Mark Henderson5.0 out of 5 stars Tales from The Gunderland is one of those books that could easily become a cult phenomenon. I really enjoyed the humor, which was sort of a cross between Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Monty Python. Each story was unique and self-contained, but still contributed to the “Gunderland Universe” as a whole. My favorite is still Quense’s retake on Romeo and Juliet. But seriously, who wouldn’t love a book with dwarfs, pirates, and aliens? Hank Quense has created a collection I’d be proud to not only have on my shelf, but would definitely recommend to my friends. Anyone who enjoys off-beat humor should pick up this book. I’m looking forward to seeing more of his work. Five bookmarks, for sure! ~Reviewed by Sherry Ficklin for Mind Fog Reviews Author Hank Quense has taken characters that we all recognize, put them into character form while having them live on the planet of Gundar. For instance we have Romeo and Juliet. Romeo Montague is a dwarf silver miner. Juliet Capulet is an elf. They met at a ballet class and fell madly in love with each other. But… Juliet’s brothers hate the Montague family and forbid their marriage. Will they end up like Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet? You will find yourself laughing out loud as you find out. These are just a few of the characters Author Hank Quense has brought to life in Tales From Gundarland. As I read each character’s story I couldn’t help but laugh. Martha A. Cheves: Five stars on Amazon This delightful collection of six short stories and two novellas is set in the mythical realm of Gundarland on a planet named Gundar, which, according to Quense, was named after “the omniscient god who accidentally created the universe with an explosive sneeze caused by snorting a larger-than-average dose of His favorite recreational powder.” As you can gather, this work is only for older kids and their insightful parents… Gunderland itself is populated by such diverse races as “dwarfs, humans, elves, half-pints, yuks and a few lesser races…[that]…live cheek-by-jowl in many cases and get along with no more than the usual interracial hostility”. A few of the tales are under ten pages, while the others vary substantially in length. All of them, however, are side-splittingly funny, and, if you enjoy the writings of Terry Pratchett, you should enjoy these too. Quense’s irreverent take on the world of fantasy is most amusing, I find, when he describes the relationships between fellow characters and between man and beast. Mind you, the characterization of the yuks is also a key source of humor, and reminded me somewhat of the trolls in J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Their poor grasp on the English language is most evident in the verbal spats between the yuk brothers, Rolf and Ralf. Quense promises to return to these two characters in other stories, as he likes them too much to ignore them. Lois Henderson at Bookpleasures.com An
Extract: The idea of this book was unique and creative. The book starts
up with the introduction to "Gunderland". Planet Gunder was created
accidentally by an omniscient god who sneezed after snorting his
favourite recreational powder. The "effects" of the sneezing is what
created their universe, Scientists called it "The Big Achoo". I haven't
read anything like this before, it was refreshing to read takes on
classic stories with a fun twist to them. My favourites were
"Gunderland", "Romeo & Juliet" and "The Queens Hero." Welcome
to Gundarland, a unique place filled with humans, dwarfs, Yuks, elves.
. . Gundarland is the largest land mass of planet and you'll want to
read this outstanding, hysterical, humorous, creative and wildly funny
novel by author Hank Quense. Buy the book and you'll get your very own
gold passport to visit this wonderful place. Hank Quense is the master
of humor, satire and hilarity in this great book filled with magic,
wizards, humans, and many races and, of course, some zany characters
that I hope he brings back in his next book. "Tales From Gundarland is a fantasy satire. It could be called “Fractured Legends.” I wasn’t sure what to expect when I began reading this book. What I discovered was a lot of humor. I was caught up in the numerous short stories. The connecting thread is the planet Gundarland. The stories each reminded me of a traditional story. Quense has managed to re-tell them with more than a bit of satire. Often we take ourselves too seriously; Quense’ sense of humor forces us to laugh. The stories are well written, easy to read and entertaining. I’ve read other books by Hank Quense and I believe this is his finest." Reader's Favorite: Five out of five stars "The Queen’s Hero turned out to be my favorite story. The plotting is intricate enough to catch and hold the reader’s attention, and with enough scope and detail to generate new interest at most every turn. The battle scenes in Part 4 are some of the best I’ve read since Agincourt [by Bernard Cornwell] no small feat. This story alone is worth the price of admission." Doc Finch "Hank
Quense is at it again. He’s sharpened up his satirical pen to let the
hot air out of the greedy, the power-hungry, and maybe the rest of us.
And therein lies a tale…or several. These action-packed, exciting
adventures are laced with humor that will have you snickering, if not
falling off your chair laughing. Tales
from Gundarland is an action packed, comical roller coaster. This
wonderfully developed land with its inhabitants is a refreshing get
away from the world we live in. All of the multiple characters are both
believable and unique which is a testament to the author’s talent. Tales from Gundarland is a magical escape into a world of quirky and colorful characters. The author, Hank Quense, writes satirical spin-offs from traditional tales and cleverly blurs the archaic gender stereotypes. Romeo the Ballet-Dancer, Burga the Warrior-Cook, and Gerhilde the Independent Princess are just a few examples of the author's innovative and humorous characters. Tales from Gundarland is filled with lots of laughs, adventure, & wit -Don't miss out - Buy your ticket to Gunderland today! (= : Lynn Coyle |
© 2011 Hank Quense