The Savage Garden - Mark Mills

43%
05.12.07



This was as bad as 'Arlington Park' but in a different way. No pretentions to high literature; just lazy, cliched writing that made me suck my teeth when the phrasing jarred. The plot, what there was of it, was also lazy and cliched, with the author heavily leaning instead  on his research into Italy and mythology. What do you know? Another Richard and Judy choice. It scares me, it really does.

The Scheme for Full Employment - Magnus Mills

60%
22.03.04




It's hard to know what to make of Magnus Mills' novels. This one seems to have a clearer metaphorical meaning than 'Three to See the King', but as soon as you think you've pinned it down, you realise you're not quite right. This fable seems highly political, tersely written, but also eccentric and funny. Mills, it is safe to conclude, definitely has his own idiosyncratic style. [Editorial note: I suspect they practise The Scheme for Full Employment where I work...]

Three to See the King - Magnus Mills

68%
07.04.03

This could be a biting satire on religion / Communism / women / delusion / politics / leadership / the concept of community. Or it could just be pretending to be a satire, a satire on satire. I rather suspect it's the latter, but that's in no way a criticism. So clever that the reader feels as if they've been tricked - no bad thing.