“Declan Burke is his own genre. The Lammisters dazzles, beguiles and transcends. Virtuoso from start to finish.” – Eoin McNamee “This bourbon-smooth riot of jazz-age excess, high satire and Wodehouse flamboyance is a pitch-perfect bullseye of comic brilliance.” – Irish Independent Books of the Year 2019 “This rapid-fire novel deserves a place on any bookshelf that grants asylum to PG Wodehouse, Flann O’Brien or Kyril Bonfiglioli.” – Eoin Colfer, Guardian Best Books of the Year 2019 “The funniest book of the year.” – Sunday Independent “Declan Burke is one funny bastard. The Lammisters ... conducts a forensic analysis on the anatomy of a story.” – Liz Nugent “Burke’s exuberant prose takes centre stage … He plays with language like a jazz soloist stretching the boundaries of musical theory.” – Totally Dublin “A mega-meta smorgasbord of inventive language ... linguistic verve not just on every page but every line.Irish Times “Above all, The Lammisters gives the impression of a writer enjoying himself. And so, dear reader, should you.” – Sunday Times “A triumph of absurdity, which burlesques the literary canon from Shakespeare, Pope and Austen to Flann O’Brien … The Lammisters is very clever indeed.” – The Guardian

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Embiggened O # 3,109: That’s It, I’m Retiring

Say you’re me, just for a second or two. Your humble tome (right) is due to be released in the U.S. tomorrow, Monday September 22nd, and you’re a little nervous as to how it’ll fare. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to get some positive feedback,’ you might say, ‘just to save yourself the hangover that’ll accrue from attacking that bottle of brandy to steady the nerves.’ And then a Galway-based little birdie passes on the latest newsletter from London’s quality crime fic bookstore Murder One, which happens to mention said humble tome in passing. To wit:
“Declan Burke / THE BIG O £17.99, absolutely wonderful Irish hardboiled novel … Now available in US hardback form and a hoot. Elmore Leonard crossed with Ken Bruen and Fredric Brown!”
Erm … Elmore Leonard and Ken Bruen? Sod the brandy, break out the frizzy …

12 comments:

John McFetridge said...

Maybe we should call our little October expedition, "The Farewell Tour."

Congrats, well deserved.

Anonymous said...

...What he said, well done! I'll have that brandy myself, seeing as you won't be needing it...

Gerard Brennan said...

Fair play to ye. I'll lift a Sunday night beer to you and The Big O!

gb

Declan Burke said...

Much obliged, folks ... yeah, it was a nice shot in the arm. God bless Maxim Jabukowski ... Cheers, Dec

Anonymous said...

Forget about Bruen and Leonard,it's the Fredric Brown reference that wins it for me,expecially because it's not a name that gets dropped around very often.
I bought the translation of his collected sci-fi short stories when I was in high school and fell in love.
He wrote mysteries and science-fiction and,while some were written in haste in order to pay the bills,when he was on song,boy was he good!
Now I'm really itching for my copy!
bye
Marco

Anonymous said...

The Big O will fly if those damn yanks have any sense and like their writing sharper than a tack. Herr Burke, you have nothing to fear, sit back, relax and enjoy the ride. And remember your entourage when the going gets good. Mine's a speedball...
Bobby the Rookie

Unknown said...

I've got mine on pre-order with my local whacky hardboiled shack, the Poisoned Pen. Congrats, Dec!

Peter Rozovsky said...

You should be flattered by the Frederic Brown comparison, an astute comment on Mr. Jakubowski's part. I called The Big O funny and compassionate, if I recall right. Brown's superb novel The Fabulous Clipjoint has those qualities, too, with two appealing protagonists and a coming-of-age story that salvages the reputation of that debased genre. I recommend it.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

Colin said...

Good luck with the book - anything I can do to help, let me know, apart, obviously, from buying one.

Deborah Lawrenson said...

All the best on the Big O's big day, Declan. Reading and relishing. Each short chapter is like a shot of ice-vodka. Why not more (stylistic) comparisons to Armistead Maupin?

Declan Burke said...

Thanks a mill, folks - and yeah, the Frederic Brown reference is a nice one, but I didn't think anyone else was still reading him ... happy days. Bateman? Don't even try to buy a copy ... the cheque bounced so high the last time I got a nose-bleed just watching it go.

Erm, Deborah? Are we sure about the Maupin comparisons? Vodka-shots, sure, I can handle that ...

Cheers, Dec

Colin said...

Obviously I haven't read whatever your book is called, but I did model my own I Predict A Riot on the Maupin style. Clearly nobody can tell.....