About the Book
An intrusion on Tolkien territory descends into a world of questionable humour, execrable puns, bizarre characters, a healthy disregard for chronology, and some of literature's more extreme villains. Characters borrowed from myth and fantasy fiction wend their way through a series of unlikely episodes.
Taking on limitless evil, Drongo - a confused Habit - and his fellow questors are unleashed upon Upperland, a place that never will be in a time that never was, but which owes its unreality to warped authorial control and a view of life quite out of keeping with right thinking.
They are soon joined by Kyborg and Catya, a pair of sex and violence crazed barbarians. Further additions are a pack of manwolfen, a beauteous elf and his idiot brother, a fluffy squirrel like creature, and a giantsman. An ancient of days grotesque becomes an unwilling member of this band, who find themselves ranged against some of the most nasty creatures ever (not) to exist.
Sagob the Dark roves with his pack of Oozes, foetid despoilers and GCSE failures. He is one of three lieutenants, servants of Morgrol (very much part of the wicked queen tradition).
The title refers not only to the adventures of the characters, but also to the individual tales they tell as they cross barren plains, mid way through their journey. The book, which the author is proud to point out contains 50% more words than Hotel du Lac, seeks a home within the educated adult but juvenile market. It is intended to appeal to those who enjoy escapism with a humorous undercurrent. If such a market exists, the hope is that The Upperland Tales merits a niche as a light and whimsical read.
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Features & Details
- Primary Category: Entertainment
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Project Option: 6×9 in, 15×23 cm
# of Pages: 336 - Publish Date: Dec 11, 2010
- Keywords fantasy, humour, entertainment, quirky
About the Creator
Mark Oglesby is the author of 14 novels and short story collections. His work has been shortlisted for the Booker and Whitbread prizes, under various pseudonyms, and he lectures on creative writing at the University of East Anglia. This is the opening line I would have liked to write. When not inventing biographical details, I actually spend my days prostituting what talent I have as a ‘corporate writer’ – a job which sees me writing speeches, magazines, films and assorted twaddle for businesses of all shapes and sizes (mostly blue chip). I began my career in 1985, convincing a PR consultancy that running the university radio station was somehow relevant to advising clients on building their respective reputations. Three years later I went feral. I am 47 years old, married, and have 18 and 15 year old children. I own labradors and cats, sing and play guitar in a rock band (growing up is hard to do), play a mean hand of poker.