Book Description

A man chosen by destiny. The wrong man. All The Pan of Hamgee wants is a quiet life. So why did he have to fall in love with a woman living a different version of reality, upset a murderous tyrant and then run out of places to hide? Now all he has to do is face his inner demons, rescue everything he holds dear and save the world, or die trying. Oh yes, and he's an abject coward. Great. No pressure then. Written in British English with a little light swearing. Suggested cinema rating: PG This is the box set version of a completed science fiction series. INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR Q - Who would like this book? Written in British English with a dash of light searing. Suitable for ages 10 and up - any younger readers who have read all the Harry Potter books without any worries will be fine with the K'Barthan Series. Suggested cinema rating, PG. INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR Q – So, tell us about the K’Barthan Series. What made you write it? What makes it special? A - Q – So, what made you write this series? A – If you want the honest answer I wrote it for me. As a reader, I love British satire and humor (or humour). I love wit; funny epic fantasy series like the Discworld novels and comedic sci fi like Douglas Adams. I like sff and speculative fiction but the best science fiction and fantasy stories, for me, are funny, I like adventure and action and a gripping tale that zips along quickly. And of course, I like genre fiction mashups; Douglas Adams meets StarTrek and James Bond - with a smidgeon of Dr Who and a dash of romance (but no squelchy bits). Think Father Ted meets Red Dwarf or then again ... maybe don't. I wanted a fast paced story, a gripping tale but at the same time a funny one. Comedy in the tradition of all the great humorous British authors, something light and witty and clever. I wanted protagonists people could love and empathise with, mavericks, misfit characters, real people ... except they're not all people obviously, some of them are other alien (ish) species. The K'Barthan series about misfit heroes and heroines winning the day, it’s about good versus evil even when the good guys are on different sides. It's science fiction fantasy action - it's planet based, so it's a bit of a blend. It's pure portal fantasy, except it's comedy sci fi too. You'll find all sorts of quirky characters and interesting alien species: from 6ft Swamp Things with antennae to cute furry creatures like the Blurpons, with their fluffy ears, big button eyes and penchant for extreme violence. Oh ... and did I mention the flying car chases? Q – Do our readers have to read the K’Barthan Series in order? A – Yes otherwise the character development – and some of the technology – will make less sense. That said, the series of K'Barthan Shorts I'm currently writing to go with it can be read any time. Well ... I say shorts, the fourth is a novel - sorry, back to the K'Barthan Series, the books go in this order: - Unlucky Dip, K'Barthan Series: Prequel - Few Are Chosen, K'Barthan Series: Part 1 - The Wrong Stuff, K'Barthan Series: Part 2 - One Man: No Plan, K'Barthan Series: Part 3 - Looking For Trouble, K'Barthan Series: Part 4 This volume contains the four full length books, without the prequel. Q – What is your favourite kind of Book? Would The K'Barthan Series fit on the list? A – Oh yes. As I mentioned earlier, I love humorous novels and comedic sci fi especially. I enjoy portal fantasy and parallel universes or realities - yes I loved the Narnia books and J R Tolkein, too. I also love a good super villain, a bad guy you love to hate. That said, a lot of my influences come from TV. There was this evening slot in the UK, after homework but before supper, when they showed old classic stuff on BBC2; original StarTrek, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The persuaders, the Avengers, the Saint, Randal and Hopkirk Deceased, The Prisoner, Space 1999. Then there's Star Wars, Blake's Seven and Dr Who, and Red Dwarf, of course. I loved all that. Q – Do you have a target reader? A – Officially it’s young adults and teenagers. Now that it’s complete the series is certainly proving popular with a ya audience and I had my nephew in mind when I wrote them, who was a teenage at the time. However, I firmly believe that all the best books should hold a universal appeal, so I also wrote it for me. Thus far – if the people who contact me are anything to go by – it appeals to a certain type of person across the board. The oldest fan of the series I know of was in his 90s and the youngest,10. The kind of readers who review my stuff often compare it to Terry Pratchett's Discworld, Douglas Adams, Harry Potter and Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series (but don't expect this to be as good as any of those). People who like my stuff also enjoy Barry Hutchieson's Space Team books but again, while mine are good science fiction fantasy books, don't expect them to as good as all this stuff whatever the review say! This is just to give you a flavour of the kind of tone you might expect. Fans of these other sci fi and fantasy authors may also enjoy this series: Terry Brooks, Robert Rankin, C Gockel, Patty Jansen, JJ Greene, FJ Savage, Terry Gilliam, Grant Naylor, Robin Hobb, Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, Robert Rankin, Douglas Adams, T M Catron, Scott Bartlett, Iain M Banks, Rebecca Douglass, Elly Griffith, Lindsey Davis, Lindsay Buroker, Jim Webster, Stephen King (stuff like the Green Mile or Shawshank Redemption), Jake Bible, Barry Hutchison, Nick Cole, Jason Anspach, Mark Tufo, Zen DePietro, PG Wodehouse, Bill Bryson, Micheal Palin, Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Jasper Fforde, Heide Goodey, Terry Brooks, Robert Rankin, C Gockel, Donald Swan EM Foner, John Scalzi, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Robert A. Heinlein, Ben Bova, Jay Allan, Nick Webb, Neil Gaiman, Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, Mercedes Lackey, C S Lewis, Eric Asher, Kev Partner, John Flanagan, Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, Jane Austen, Darren Humphries, David Weber, John Ringo, Larry Correia, Anne McCaffrey, A G Riddle, Jodi Taylor, Jim Butcher, Michael Campling, Simon Dunn, Scott Sigler, T L Charles, Simon Haynes, Mike Resnick, John Russell Fearn, Benjamin Wallace, Carol Van Natta, Kerrie Noor, Spencer Honor Keywords that apply to this humorous science fiction fantasy action adventure series: absurdist science fiction fantasy, absurdity, absurd humor, absurd humour, dystopian, dystopian sci fi, feel good dystopian, found family stories, feel good found family stories, feel good story, upbeat dystopian, uplifting coming of age, action adventure, action packed, adams, adult, adventure, adventures, alien races, aliens, alternate, alternate reality, alternate universe, alternate world, alternate worlds, alternative, anti hero, arcane, archetypes, books, books for free, books for nerds, British, British comedy, british comedy story, british humor, British humour, bumbling hero, car chase, clever, comedic, comedic fantasy, comedic science fiction, comedy, comedy, comedy of errors, comedy of the absurd, comedy fantasy, comedy sci fi, comedy science fiction, comic fantasy, comic fiction, compelling, contemporary, contemporary fiction, contemporary literature, cops and robbers, crazy, crazy antics, creative, english, english literature, english humor, english humour, epic, errors, exciting, fantastical, fantasy, fantasy fiction, free, funny books for free, fantasy humor, fantasy series, farce, fast paced, fate, first contact, flying car, friendship, fun, funny, geek, genre, genre fiction, gnomes, gripping, heroes, highly recommended, hilarious, Humor, humor humour, humorous, humorous books, humor books, humorous fantasy, humorous fiction, humorous sci fi, humorous science fiction, humorous stories, humour, irony, juvenile fiction, quest, K'Barthan Series, language, laugh, laugh out loud, laughs, life, light, light hearted sci fi, madcap capers, misfit characters, modern fantasy, modern fiction, modern sci fi, modern science fiction, monsters, other world, other worlds, parallel, parallel reality, parallel world, parodie, parody, pastiche, portal, pratchett, puns, quirky, quirky characters, reads, reality, saga, sarcasm, satire, satirical, sci fi action, sci fi adventure, sci fi fantasy, science, science fantasy, science fiction, science fiction fantasy, sci-fi, series, series fiction, sf, sf/f/h, sff, silly, smart, snark, social commentary, social satire, speculative, speculative fiction, spoof, stainless steel rat, stories, story, strong female, strong heroine, super villain, supervillain, supervillains, technological, technology, teen, teen fiction, thrilling, tome, tropes, villain, villains, weird, witty, witty characters, world, young adult, young adult fiction, 21st century literature