Title: The Adventures of Dalton Quayle
Author: Paul Kane
Rating: Four And A Half Siren Stones
Genre: Mystery
Sub-Genre: Horror
Keywords: Mummies, Magic, Time Travel, Villains, Monsters
Page Count: 222
ISBN E-Book: 978-1-59426-404-7
Price: $4.99
ISBN for Print: 978-1-59426-447-4
Price: $12.95
Publisher: Mundania Press, LLC
Buy-Link:
Blurb/Summary:
Thrill as they face giant carnivorous worms and fiercely vicious monster sheep; marvel as they visit far-off lands such as the Island of Haintithot and the sandy dunes of Egypt, coming across magical stones which can summon demons and a Mummy out to take over the world; gasp in disbelief as our heroes set sail to find the legendary lost city of Matalantis -- by way of the fishy village of Outsmouth -- and get saddle-sore in the Wild West as they attempt to put a stop to a devilish time traveling scheme; then, witness the dead coming back to life as the pair tackle their most dangerous foes yet -- ones which simply cannot be killed!
Villains, monsters, twisted conundrums, they’re all in here: In the very finest Adventures of Dalton Quayle (as previously noted down on the memoirs of Dr. Pemberton and subsequently published in Strump magazine).
From the fevered imagination of award-winning author Paul Kane (FunnyBones, Arrowhead, The Lazarus Condition, The Hellraiser Films and their Legacy) comes a collection of stories that will make you laugh, cry (with laughter), then laugh some more. Humorous horrors to brighten the day of even the most discerning genre connoisseur.
Review:
The Adventures of Dalton Quayle by Paul Kane was a well written and amusing collection of adventures. The adventures seem to take place in an alternative England of possibly the late 1800’s or early 1900’s. There are carriages and housekeepers, private doctors and the beginnings of flight. There is where similarities part ways. In Kane’s England mummies and zombies walk, there are giant partially sentient worms, Atlantis is bent on world domination and there is the distinct chance of a mauling by were-sheep if you happen to be wandering the dales under the light of the full moon.
Dalton Quayle and his sidekick Dr. Humphrey Pemberton have a Sherlock Holmes type relationship. Mr. Quayle solves the mysteries while Dr. Pemberton tags along, misunderstands everything and finally writes it all up into memoires (once it all has been sufficiently explained to him). The stories are full of puns and movie references which are quite amusing and would appeal to avid readers of Pratchett or Anthony. I also think that being short tales, this would be a suitable read for a tween. There are some off color puns within the stories but nothing more than one might find in a Shrek cartoon. Of the tales, my own favourite was Dalton Quayle and the Curse of King Tuti Fruiti. It was the longest tale, I think, and contained many references to the Mummy movies.
The book has an appealing layout. The cover is very attractive and gives that old leather diary feel. On the whole, it is a fun collection of tales to peruse. Personally, I enjoyed how many correlations I could make between references within the adventures to various movies, books and actual history that may have inspired each tale. The banter between the characters also had a silly light-hearted feel which Paul Kane ended just as it got to be a bit too much each time. On the whole, for a short, amusing bit of fun, I would definitely recommend The Adventures of Dalton Quayle.
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