“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

Monday, September 1, 2008

The Embiggened O: One Kidney Or Two, Squire?

With the Stateside publication of THE BIG O due on September 22nd, I’ve been kind of steeling myself for the horrible job of asking people who’ve been pretty damn generous with their time and space already for yet another mention of our humble tome. So it’s been hugely gratifying to find that people have been getting in touch during the last few days, asking if I’d be interested in doing some promo on their sites and blogs. Folks? I’m overwhelmed. Really. Yet again the crime fiction community proves itself the antithesis of the dysfunctional, anti-social dystopia it loves to write and read about.
  Anyhoos, there are those who have been good enough to offer, and there are those who have just steamed ahead and plugged the bejaysus out of THE BIG O without so much as a by-your-leave. One such is the inimitable Peter Rozovsky (above, right) of Detectives Beyond Borders, who did us proud by posting up this little belter:
I wrote last year that “the deliciously complicated plotting, the wry dialogue and the sympathy Burke engenders for his cast of characters made this one of the most fun and purely pleasurable reads I’ve had in a while.” I’ve had no reason to repent that opinion. THE BIG O is still one of the two or three funniest crime novels I’ve ever read.
  Nice. Of course, I should also point out that Uncle Travelling Matt Rozovsky is currently abroad in the wilds of Ireland, and plans to overnight at chez Grand Viz next weekend, so the hope of a decent breakfast might well have coloured his opinion. I’d have given him a proper feed regardless, mind you, but this way he’s assured of an extra helping of fried kidney. Mmmm, kidneylicious …

6 comments:

Stuart Neville said...

I'll do a big old plug for you on the 22nd. The majority of my blog traffic comes from the US. Actually, will you selling/signing copies of The Big O in Dun Laoghaire this weekend?

Gerard Brennan said...

It goes without saying, though I am saying it, there'll always be a spot open for you on CSNI. If you want to guest blog, send me some review excerpts or whatever, let me know.

gb

Declan Burke said...

Much appreciated, gents ... Crikey, this promo malarkey is a piece of piss, isn't it? Cheers, Dec

Anonymous said...

Whose kidneys? Yours?

Funny, I'd imagined Peter a little more clean shaven. Are you sure you've got the right photo?

You want me to write about The Big O again? Of course I will. But please, no kidneys...

Declan Burke said...

By the way, Stuart ... will definitely be signing copies in Dun Laoghaire this weekend ... appreciate you asking. Cheers, Dec

Peter Rozovsky said...

Bookwitch, your clairvoyance is eerie and unsettling. I was thinking of ... shaving this weekend.