“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, May 28, 2007

Smells Like Pre-Teen Spirit

How do we love thee, Siobhan Dowd? Let us count the ways … Well, she’s modest for starters: “Although I’m not a crime writer as such,” says Siobhan (right), “I’m launching a mystery story for 9- to 12- year-olds, inspired by Sherlock Holmes, on June 7th. It is called The London Eye Mystery and is about a boy who goes up the London Eye – and doesn’t come down. His cousins Ted and Kat become sleuths in their urgent efforts to find out what has happened to him.” Hurrah! We’re off to a book launch! Or not, as the case may be … The launch, which takes place in the London Eye itself, is invite-only, but Siobhan will be signing copies in Waterstone’s of Trafalgar Square that evening – probably. “I am not sure if I can stage my own disappearance at the launch party, in Agatha Christie style, as I’m too keen on remaining for the champagne!” Hmmm, modest and a champagne quaffer to boot – our kind of gal. Oh, and did we mention that the lady in question was recently crowned a ‘literary lion’ by the Sunday Times? No? We really should tell you about that sometime …

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