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The Gun Seller

3.69 of 5 stars 3.69 · rating details · 8,114 ratings · 1,054 reviews

Hugh Laurie concocts an uproarious cocktail of comic zingers and over-the-top action in this "ripping spoof of the spy genre" (Vanity Fair) -- the irresistible tale of a former Scots Guard-turned-hired gun, a freelance soldier of fortune who also happens to be one heck of a nice guy. Cold-blooded murder just isn't Thomas Lang's cup of tea. Offered a bundle to assassinate a...more

Trade Paperback, 4th edition, 340 pages

Published by Washington Square Press (first published January 1st 1996)

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Sep 18, 2012 Nataliya rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-reads

I would like to please find the person who in the description of this book promised an "uproarious cocktail of comic zingers" and give them my best "Grandma Lydia look" (*)

(*) If you are NOT familiar with the "Grandma Lydia look", which you probably aren't since the chances of you actually having met my grandmother are slim to none, I will explain. This is the look you get from a tiny 5-foot-tall sweetest Eastern European grandmother that makes you stop in your tracks and beg forgiveness for an

...more I would like to please find the person who in the description of this book promised an "uproarious cocktail of comic zingers" and give them my best "Grandma Lydia look" (*)

(*) If you are NOT familiar with the "Grandma Lydia look", which you probably aren't since the chances of you actually having met my grandmother are slim to none, I will explain. This is the look you get from a tiny 5-foot-tall sweetest Eastern European grandmother that makes you stop in your tracks and beg forgiveness for anything you ever did or will ever do. Because she KNOWS you did something wrong, and firmly believes that a stern look alone should suffice to set you on the right path. And you bet your ass it will! I've been working on that look, too - so someday it can be re-christened as "Grandma Nataliya" look. That's my big aspiration in life. I'm not even joking about it. Seriously.

But wait a second, you say. Are you trying to tell us that Hugh Laurie, THE Hugh Laurie, THE comic genius is NOT FUNNY in this book? Well, not exactly. This book is funny and smart and all that, but it really straddles the line between that and uncomfortable - because Laurie uses humor and satire and parody extremely well to showcase quite a few things about our world and ourselves that are uncomfortable, unsettling, and in the end, not as much funny as disturbing. His humor in this book is frequently the equivalent of that uncomfortable startled half-giggle that people involuntarily utter to their sheer dismay as they see something rather bad happening. His humor serves as a defense mechanism in this book that should not be funny, but is using humor and parody as a weapon.

"Because what does it mean, to say that things aren't going well? Compared to what? You can say: compared to how things were going a couple of hours ago, or a couple of years ago. But that's not the point. If two cars are speeding towards a brick wall with no brakes, and one car hits the wall moments before the other, you can't spend those moments saying the second car is much better off than the first. Death and disaster are at our shoulders every second of our lives, trying to get at us. Missing, a lot of the time. A lot of miles on the motorway without a front wheel blow-out. A lot of viruses that slither through our bodies without snagging. A lot of pianos that fall a minute after we've passed. Or a month, it makes no difference. So unless we're going to get down on our knees and give thanks every time disaster misses, it makes no sense to moan when it strikes. Us, or anyone else. Because we're not comparing it with anything. And anyway, we're all dead, or never born, and the whole thing really is a dream.

There, you see. That's a funny side."

Sidespittingly funny this book is not. And it is not meant to be such. The humor is uses is what we came to associate with 'quintessential Britishness' - dry and deadpan and almost serious. Which is fitting for a book that after a first chapter indeed filled with the promised "zingers" quickly heads down the path of exposing monetary greed and terrorism and secret wars waged for little else but money, and the overarching conspiracies that in the light of many events of our messed-up modern world hit quite close to home.

"The only good thing I've ever noticed about money, the only positive aspect of an otherwise pretty vulgar commodity, is that you can use it to buy things."

Oh, by the way, it was written in 1996, but feels as true as it can be a decade and a half later. Because things have probably only got worse. And all we can do is laugh helplessly about them.

"It is the middle of December now, and we are about to travel to Switzerland - where we plan to ski a little, relax a little, and shoot a Dutch politician a little."

Now, I'm not all that familiar with the spy/thriller/Bond-esque or whatever you call it genre. But even I can easily spot the parodies of those on every page.

Thomas Lang, our protagonist, whom I could not imagine as anyone else but Mr. Laurie himself (How could I not??? You tell me while looking at that picture!!!!) is essentially a good guy with a military past and manners a la Mr. Bond a bit. He gets offered quite a handsome sum of money for the life of a certain American businessman (who, by the way, comes equipped with a lovely daughter with beautiful teeth), honorably refuses it, and the next thing he knows, ends up swept up in the quite substantial international conspiracy, with a first-hand participation in a few terrorist acts to boot. With quite depressing things seen through every humor-laden passage. Where simple stupid greed is what runs everything, really. And that's depressing, yeah.

I liked it quite a bit, even though there were a few parts in the middle where I was tempted to put this book down and forget about it. I'm just not that into the genre that Laurie parodies here, after all, and sometimes immersing myself into this story was not that easy. But ultimately every time something in the way Hugh Laurie writes ended pulling me back into the story. And he rewarded me with the "Fuck this all, this shit is depressing and nothing is ever likely to change" feeling in the end, which I assume could have been the underlying message of this story. The way the world and humanity are irrevocably fucked up. Not the comedic zingers.

So don't read this for funny. Read this for the serious, please.

3.5 stars - and I plan to read all the future literature works by Mr. Laurie if this gentleman desires to create more. And I will leave you with this apt (and actually funny!) observation of Mr. Laurie's protagonist on the bird strike of the aircraft:

"This, rather unfairly in my view, made it sound as if it was the bird’s fault; as if the little feathered chap had deliberately tried to head-butt twenty tons of metal travelling in the opposite direction at just under the speed of sound, out of spite."

(less)

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Jan 02, 2010 Becky rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: humorous, library, 2010, favorites, political, reviewed, highly-recommended, blog_etb, leg-hump_worthy, blog_osga, challenge-1010

I wish I could give this book 6 stars.

I love Hugh Laurie. I love his dry, sarcastic wit. I love his accent. I want to hump his leg for writing this book.

Yes. I really just said that.

I picked up this book BECAUSE I love Hugh Laurie, but I didn't really have high expectations. I thought it would be humorous, but not a book to really be taken seriously. I thought it would be a little bit like a parody of the espionage genre, like Johnny English or Spy Hard, etc. I was prepared for it to be silly...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Ensiform rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Cynical, wry freelance soldier of fortune Thomas Lang is hired to kill a man, but being a nice chap, refuses the money and goes to warn the intended victim. His discovery that the victim, an American industrialist, is also the man who hired him is only the beginning of a series of bizarre surprises and twists in store for Lang, as he is reluctantly involved in a plot to instigate a terrorist act so that a new attack helicopter can be tested out in actual combat. He falls for the industrialist’s...more

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May 29, 2007 Jessica rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-in-2007

“Death and disaster are at our shoulders every second of our lives, trying to get at us.”

I will try to prevent my adoration of the brilliant Hugh Laurie affect my review of his first (and, to date, only) published novel, but I will admit that it was the only reason I was initially interested in reading The Gun Seller. While the book itself might not be expressly profound or lasting, it’s great for some light reading (or airplane reading, as it was for me).

Overall, this spy-genre spoof is great...more

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Aug 14, 2009 Robert Kroese rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Gun Seller is a strange book, in a way. The first few chapters are sort of random and whimsical, with at least one laugh-out-loud line on every page. About a quarter of the way in though, it seems like it occurs to Laurie that he actually has some storytelling to do, and sets about doing it. The book grows gradually more serious from that point, until it is close to being a Robert Ludlum-style spy thriller. It also gets rather confusing. I had a hard time figuring out the motivations of some...more

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Jun 18, 2007 E.H. rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: people who like PG Wodehouse or spy novels

Shelves: theboxmarkeddone, spy-type-things

Hugh Laurie is...I suppose I should begin by saying I have something of a crush on him. In the beginning he was fantastic in "Blackadder" as the various Georges, then he was extremely fabulous opposite Stephen Fry in "Jeeves and Wooster", and then, having proved himself one of the best comic actors of his generation, he came to America to star in "House", and became not just one of the most versatile actors, but a sex symbol to boot.

It was on the strength of this reputation that I started to re...more Hugh Laurie is...I suppose I should begin by saying I have something of a crush on him. In the beginning he was fantastic in "Blackadder" as the various Georges, then he was extremely fabulous opposite Stephen Fry in "Jeeves and Wooster", and then, having proved himself one of the best comic actors of his generation, he came to America to star in "House", and became not just one of the most versatile actors, but a sex symbol to boot.

It was on the strength of this reputation that I started to read The Gun Seller. I finished it because it is a novel of the sort I rarely encounter and seldom have the words to describe. If I were the sort who gave things one line zingers, Hollywood pitch style, I'd say it's "P.G. Wodehouse meets Ian Flemming", and I don't think I'd be far off. Laurie has taken plot elements from spy novels and, discarding Flemming's often wooden prose (have you ever read a Bond book? I have. There's a reason there's not a huge market for them) he infects the whole thing with the humor and energy of a Wodehouse book, and keeps a lovely dark underbelly to the whole thing, because he is a comedian and the one thing comedians do better than anyone else is look at the downside of things.

Thomas Lang, once of the British Military Complex but now a sort of free spirit muscle-for-hire, is offered quite a bit of cash to assassinate an American businessman. He says no, and then undertakes to warn the intended target, something he has cause to regret over the next three hundred or so pages. Through the whole thing, he gives both a view of and commentary on the events he experiences, interlacing everything with a rather dark, funny look at human nature. He also gives a refreshing perspective on Americans and Americana, one that most US writers (and to be honest, most Brits as well) either don't see or don't have the courage to write about.

Laurie as a writer is notable because he does in many ways what Wodehouse strove to do: cast off cliche and look at everything anew, try to figure out which poetic tropes we refer to work and which should be tossed out with the morning mail. He subverts some idioms and picks at the fabric of others.

While the language is wonderful, it is in this vein that the novel occasionally stumbles. At the beginning of one crucial scene, Lang spends several paragraphs nattering on about why we say "day breaks" but "night falls" when perhaps "night breaks" would be more accurate. Wodehousian novels require a certain amount of momentum to carry themselves along, and these moments of introspection (while doubtless serving a point from a literary perspective) provide a bit too much of a stall to the story; picture a paper airplane thrown upwards at a slightly-too-steep incline that, reaching the top of the arc, slows almost to a standstill before turning and falling. Some parts of the book feel like a prolonged series of these peaks and dips. But as I said, I am completely willing to overlook this, because it is in all other respects a tightly plotted, funny, insightful, and above all energetic novel. Someone tell Mr. Laurie to get in the line for high fives - he's totally earned them.(less)

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Feb 05, 2012 Amanda rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Lovers of Spy Novels

Shelves: young-adult

The only reason I read this book? You guessed it, Hugh Laurie. Anything to which his name is attached is worth a looksee. I'm not typically a fan of spy novels, so I must admit that some of the spoofing was probably lost on me. However, Laurie obviously enjoys the English language and bends and twists it to wit-laced results. As a narrator, Thomas Lang is sarcastic and self-deprecating, but also a genuinely nice guy. He's likable, someone you'd like to go have a drink with just to hear his runni...more

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Jul 24, 2008 Maryscott OConnor rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone I know.

I had to stop reading The Gun Seller around 1am, halfway through it, and believe me, the ONLY thing stopping me from reading to the end was an unfortunate dearth of eyelids propper-uppers, a la A Clockwork Orange.

It is LITERALLY laugh-out-loud funny. Adam (spousal unit)couldn't concentrate on his computer war game, so often did I punctuate the living room's ual silence with raucous laughter and stifled snorts.

But it is ALSO one helluva spy tale. He wrote it in 1996 and I can't for the life of me...more

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Feb 10, 2013 Trish rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: audio, british, crime-caper, fiction, funny

Years ago, a colleague recommended this title to me, so when I came across an audio version, I tried it out. I like Hugh Laurie, or at least, I have nothing against him. This was clever, much like the man himself, but frankly, I was unsure if I was supposed to be laughing at the situation, the characters, or myself, for reading it.

Perhaps he meant to skewer everyone in this. Although he deals with important issues--international weapon sales with little or no accountability, meant to enrich the...more

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Aug 18, 2012 Frank Botos rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is one of those books that I feel anyone can get into. It has a little bit of everything: action, intricate plot, a bit of philosophy and politics, and a ton of wit. The last one especially is true; this book is built around wit.

It's written in the first person and is one of those books that you pick up, begin reading, and are just totally drawn in by it because it flows so well, and because the main character just resonates. Thomas Lang, the protagonist, has a style that is truly likable....more This is one of those books that I feel anyone can get into. It has a little bit of everything: action, intricate plot, a bit of philosophy and politics, and a ton of wit. The last one especially is true; this book is built around wit.

It's written in the first person and is one of those books that you pick up, begin reading, and are just totally drawn in by it because it flows so well, and because the main character just resonates. Thomas Lang, the protagonist, has a style that is truly likable. The observations he makes, the jokes he cracks, the way he moves the plot forward with his words is just all immaculate. He has a way of building moments up, totally engaging the reader, then saying something utterly ridiculous that just makes you smile or laugh. Or making observations that very few people would, in the process making both the character and story feel more real.

There's also a certain English authenticity to it, with a large part of the story taking place in England. I'm not English and I've never been to England, but Laurie's narration just feels English. Like an English guy telling you his story with that cool accent and English word choice. Lang goes to Swisterland and Casablanca among other places, but England is a large part of it, and Lang being English certainly amplifies that feeling. Though at the end of the day, all of the places Lang visits are described so well and in such a personal way that it all feels real, like he's been there and he knows what he's talking about.

If I had to describe this book in a few words, I'd say it feels like a James Bond movie of the seventies, but in a modern setting with an element of humor and self-awareness.

All in all it was just a charming, authentic experience reading this story, getting to know the characters, experiencing the plot twists, and feeling the suspense that Thomas Lang also felt.

If you enjoy a self-contained plot that wraps up in a single book, a truly likable and eccentric protagonist, a story that knows when to be serious and when to funny, and quite a bit of suspense, then this book is definitely worth a read.(less)

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Mar 26, 2011 Robyn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed

Hugh Laurie's novel was both surprising, and in places, a bit disappointing, but the surprising bits more than made up for the disappointing ones. The quality of the prose (especially in the first half) was wonderful, witty and very, very funny. The plot is something that keeps you on your toes, Laurie often merely hints at certain plot developments, and leaves you to puzzle it out your self. The main character is enticing with wry observations and certain turns of phrase that create a wonderful...more

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Jan 30, 2011 Rob rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, comedy

The immediately striking thing about The Gun Seller is that our hero's interior monologue is really desperate for approval. Every other line is a joke, a stammered-spluttered gag with no regard for the rhythm of the story because it's time for another wry aside. I don't know if there are 50 pages to this book if you cut out the wry asides (which are hard to distinguish from the extended set-ups to wry asides).

And, credit to Laurie, most of them are somewhat humourous and many raised a smile (but...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Elisha Condie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It was an exercise in extreme self control that I saved the last 100 pages of this book to read today when I knew I'd have lots of horrible waiting time on my hands. Nothing is worse than waiting time with nothing to read. Nothing.

I loved this book. Laurie is a wonderful writer! He's witty and clever and concise and everything I'm not typing these reviews. This book sounds a little like it was written by PG Wodehouse himself, which I thought was fitting since Laurie played Bertie Wooster spot o...more

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Apr 04, 2010 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: humorous, political, spy

Fantastic. Fantastically funny. Fantastically savvy. Fantastically clever. Fantastically political. Fantastically cinematic. Fantastically entertaining. Fantastic.

Hugh Laurie has only written one novel, but I hope there are more to come after his near perfect debut, The Gun Seller.

Laurie takes a fairly standard "dirty CIA" story (ala Jason Bourne), tosses in some Wodehousian humour, takes the p*ss out of modern politics and democracy, builds suspense with some cracking chases, gun fights and 00...more

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Sep 03, 2008 Samantha rated it 1 of 5 stars

Perhaps it's unfair to review this book seeing as I haven't finished reading it yet, but I'll do it anyway! I think, perhaps, I picked up this book for the wrong reason. I wasn't particularly interested in the story, though it did intrigue me. In all honesty, I picked it up because Hugh Laurie wrote it and I love him. (More specifically, I love Robert Sean Leonard who stars with Hugh Laurie on 'House', but has not actually written a book so this was the best I could do...) This, I have discovere...more

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Sep 18, 2008 selena rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: popular-culture

I didn't just buy this book because it is written by Hugh Laurie of House MD fame. Really. I also definitely do not adore him and dream of whacking his wife so that I can steal him. Definitely not.

As soon as I heard that Hugh Laurie had written and published a book, I knew that I had to own it and read it at least once. I’m a little bit of a Laurie devotee - for the record, I wouldn’t necessarily call it an obsession.

This celebrity writing thing is dangerous and tough ground to breech. I’ve read...more

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Feb 28, 2010 Radu rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: comedy, mystery, cluj

I didn't expect much from this book, since I saw it being republished as a means to make some money off of Laurie's popularity in the "House MD" series. (In any case, it worked, as I bought it despite thinking this...)

Boy, was I wrong! It's one of the funniest books I've read in a long time, combining a spy story with romance and humor, the latter inevitably coming off in my head as said by "House". This doesn't detract from its quality, indeed it makes it even better. I now wonder how much of t...more

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May 26, 2008 Dani rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: suspense-mystery, humor, fiction, crime-drama

It's a crime-drama centered around the American CIA getting mixed up in arms dealing. Tons of fun.... Written by Hugh Laurie (House), so I constantly heard it in my head as that character's voice... which worked perfectly considering it was writting in 1996, long before House, and that Hugh is probably much better known for his numerous roles in classic British comedies.

It's pretty hysterical. He's got a very interesting, witty, sarcastic way with language and description.

I got this book a whil...more

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Mar 08, 2009 Alaina Patterson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, never-read-before

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Yes, you read that right: Hugh Laurie. In fact, on the cover of my paperback, the title is in fairly large letters, with Hugh Laurie in slightly smaller letters, all caps, and “star of the FOX-TV series House” under his name, as if there were more than one Hugh Laurie who had the potential to write novels and those of us that buy books at Borders are easily confused. “No, not the Hugh Laurie, the star of House. I want to read the novel by the Hugh Laurie who makes unusual objects out of Jell-O.”...more

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Jan 07, 2009 Katharyn rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: mystery-thriller

Assassins, terrorists, rouge CIA agents, conspiracy theories, sex and money - oh my! Thomas Lang is a British ex-military man, in a complicated P.I. line of work. Master Boyd looper (second only to THE Doctor) Mr. Lang struggles his way through a situation filled with layers of complications, questioning himself and the world along the way.

I found the character names hard to follow (but hey, I’m dyslexic, that happens); so I’m going to have to re-read The Gun Seller before I’ll feel like I actua...more

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Mar 24, 2013 Blablabla Aleatório rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: nubia

Ele é bastante conhecido pelo seu papel de médico intransigente, sagaz e com um humor (se é que pode ser chamado de humor) ácido, mas antes do ator se aventurar pela medicina Hugh Laurie se aventurou pelo mundo literário e foi uma incursão feliz. O Vendedor de Armas, seu primeiro e único romance, foi publicado em 1996, mas, só no ano passado foi traduzido e publicado no Brasil pela Editora Planeta.

Em O Vendedor de Armas, Hugh nos mostra que transita bem e com qualidade entre o mundo televisivo,...more

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Nov 30, 2012 L.T. Fawkes rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Gun Seller, by Hugh Laurie $8.25 ***** Yeah. The author is that Hugh Laurie.

If you've been reading these reviews of mine, you know I'm pretty tight with a buck when it comes to Kindle books. I love to troll through kinlib.com looking for promising freebies and I rarely buy a Kindle book priced higher than $4.99. And this book is priced pretty steepishly at $8.25. Yikes, right?

HOWEVER . . . if you download the free sample, as I did, and read it, as I did, I'll bet you end up parting with that...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Giovanni rated it 2 of 5 stars

Disclaimer: dopo la stesura della recensione, ho appreso che il libro è antecedente alla serie House e che è soltanto l'edizione italiana a essere uscita sull'onda del successivo televisivo. Ciononostante, ho scelto di non modificarla, perché rispecchia l'animus con cui mi sono accostato – e come me penso la stragrande maggioranza dei lettori italiani – al romanzo.

Questo libro spinge a chiedersi se Laurie sia entrato così a fondo nella parte di House da essere incapace di uscirne: sebbene lo st...more

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Nov 16, 2012 Mistymary rated it 3 of 5 stars

When I received this a couple of years ago as a Christmas gift, I was delighted. I'd taken pleasure in Laurie's comedy for quite some time and this extension of it, in written form, seemed promising. It both lived up to some promises which the book seemed to create while, at the same time, failing at a few points.

The strength of this novel could be put down to two things, I think: language and humour. There was more than once that I thought of P.G. Wodehouse as I let my eyes wander through the p...more

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Nov 14, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mysteries-thrillers, humorous

One summer when I was a teenager, I read the entire James Bond series by Ian Fleming. They were more interesting to me than the films, which were all about gadgets and girls (note: I like gadgets and girls! I just enjoyed the books more). I've read various Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum novels as well. That said, I feel fairly conversant in spy novels, though hardly an expert.

Hugh Laurie's "The Gun Seller" is touted as a spoof of the spy novel. One of the things that did not work for me was the sp...more

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Nov 03, 2012 Caitlin Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

This has been on my reading list for quite a while, but while I'd heard great things about it (and, like every fan girl who's reviewed it thus far, I was certain that anything by Hugh Laurie was bound to be inspired), I was a bit nervous about reading it. A 20-year-old American girl still in University, I pride myself on being "well rounded" and "intelligent" and "capable of vast quantities of reading material." Truthfully, though, I'm the sort of English major who can read "All the Pretty Horse...more

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Aug 09, 2012 Josh rated it 3 of 5 stars

I'll be completely honest: I wouldn't have picked up this book had it not been written by Hugh Laurie. I'm not really a suspense/mystery/action thriller lover, at least when it comes to books, and I can't say that I've ever read a spy novel (the closest thing being Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, simply because it was between the two movies and I wanted to know what everyone was talking about). However, I will say that I was pleased with this novel; and even with its shortcomings, it's a fast, e...more I'll be completely honest: I wouldn't have picked up this book had it not been written by Hugh Laurie. I'm not really a suspense/mystery/action thriller lover, at least when it comes to books, and I can't say that I've ever read a spy novel (the closest thing being Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, simply because it was between the two movies and I wanted to know what everyone was talking about). However, I will say that I was pleased with this novel; and even with its shortcomings, it's a fast, entertaining read that I certainly don't regret picking up (*cough*Discovery of Witches*cough*)

The Gun Seller is the story of a semi-retired law enforcement agent who gets drawn into a conspiracy that leads him in trouble, in love, and a lot of pain, usually as a result of the aforementioned trouble and love. This all sounds very typical and overdone, and that's because it is. However, what Laurie does to keep this particular affair afloat is injecting his own sarcastic wit and humor into an otherwise boring story line of dirty deals, double-cross, and deception. The writing is very smooth (although heavy handed and a bit too self-serving at times) and the action is well-timed and engaging (although it, too, occasionally revels in details and introspection for its own sake).

The second half of the novel, however, is where the book lost me. In the first half, Thomas Lang is a funny, witty, irreverent, aging man who feels a bit like what I imagine Laurie would be ten years younger and in another life. His answers bite, and its full of interesting thoughts on love, life, politics, and the simple act of being an undercover agent. It feels like a humorous, although realistically portrayed primer on the life of a spy. However, the second half of the novel shifts gears very abruptly, turning into the stereotypical spy-in-his-element romp. He's inside the plot, and working on a way out with the help of a couple key allies. However, the twists and turns that lead him away from danger are occasionally under-detailed and often left me re-reading to better follow Thomas from point A to point B. Additionally, the denouement flies by, as if Laurie had to wrap things up in order to make some other deadline. Within the span of about ten pages, the scenes shift between about three or four different locations, and go from "deep in sh*t" to "riding off in the sunset." After investing so much time following this man (who was likable enough) I wanted to get more from his final moments, especially if it would have helped me understand the plot (of the terrorists in the novel, and of the novel itself) better.

With all of that said, I maintain that it's a very well-written book that shows that not only can Laurie act, sing, and play a mean jazz piano, but he can also write a respectable novel. I can't obviously say that there are better spy novels out there (since I haven't read any of them), but this fits nicely in the genre, maybe even shining out a bit with the humor (humour, if you will) and wit of a British funnyman. (less)

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Jul 13, 2012 Ilgvars rated it 4 of 5 stars

Book by Hugh Laurie. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it ? I thought the same so I started to read the words written by this amazing person.
It supposed to be a parody about criminal literature and many of the cliches found there. I guess it is a perfect genre to start with. If you are a fan of Dr. House or Hugh Laurie you won’t get dissapointed, because he is just being himself, but time to time I had a feeling that the storyline is too extended, too many things are happening and it is becoming too di...more Book by Hugh Laurie. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it ? I thought the same so I started to read the words written by this amazing person.
It supposed to be a parody about criminal literature and many of the cliches found there. I guess it is a perfect genre to start with. If you are a fan of Dr. House or Hugh Laurie you won’t get dissapointed, because he is just being himself, but time to time I had a feeling that the storyline is too extended, too many things are happening and it is becoming too difficult to believe it all. Sometimes I even had a feeling that some parts of the book are made around a joke he really wanted to tell not vice versa. Maybe it supposed to be that way, but I believe he can do better, so I am looking forward to read his future works because of his writing style, humor, strong characters, values and message he is representing.
He is making intelligent humour and sarcastic jokes about almost everything, including himself. As I see it, he appreciates simplicity, humanity and the unchangeable nature of the humans, representing a belief that we are all actors in this world and sometimes we are taking our roles too seriously or trying to play someone elses role. And what is most important, we are usually shitty actors, trying to meet unreal expectations, imitate situations seen in movies, commercials or read in books and not being able to do that because everything is different in real life. Because of that, we deserve to be made fun of untill we understand it by ourselves and take the life more easy and time to time joke about ourselves, which is one of the preconditions to change things in a good way.
All this being an actor thing causes alienation from each other and real life relationships, therefore he appreciates the role of personal experience, social interaction and straightforward language. As I see it, the book represents an opinion that communication is a game and we have to learn how to play and enjoy it. It is one of the simple pleasures in life. Greatness is in details and happiness is hiden in simple things as well.
Otherwise the world and system we have created is too complicated and making the lives for most of people too difficult, especially for people like him - common people, nice persons with principles who are just trying to do the right thing, enjoy the life, be happy and take care of people they care about.
That might be one of the general messages of the book! Nothing is perfect, nothing happens as you expect it, want or think it should be, so - just do it! Live your life, do your best, enjoy people around you, don’t take the life too seriously and be happy!
(less)

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Jul 10, 2012 Tempo de Ler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

{Blog} http://tempodler.blogspot.pt/2012/07/...

A Minha Opinião:

Antes de mais confesso que sou fã de Hugh Laurie...o que pode ter condicionado a minha opinião sobre este livro. Sou fã do livro; da música - adoro o CD!, da série Dr. House; de Blackadder...!

De início estava apreensiva e com receio de ficar desapontada com Laurie nesta vertente da escrita, mas acabou por ser bem ao contrário e acabei surpreendida por descobrir mais um talento neste homem.

Fiquei deliciada quando percebi que

...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Alice rated it 4 of 5 stars

• Mlle Alice, pouvez-vous nous raconter votre rencontre avec The Gun Seller?

"Ma rencontre avec ce livre s'est faite, comme pour beaucoup je pense, grâce à la série Docteur House. Bien sûr, j'aurais pu me dire que la publication du livre devait plus à sa notoriété qu'au talent de son auteur, mais je pense déjà que Docteur House doit tout à Hugh Laurie, et non l'inverse, alors..."

• Dites-nous en un peu plus sur son histoire...

"Thomas Lang est typiquement le genre de héros qui voudrait se faire...more

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About Hugh Laurie

British comedian Hugh Laurie could have easily taken another career track rather than that of well-known performer. As a secondary and college student, he was also a world-class oarsman. He wasn't the only one in the family to have a passion for the sport, however. His father won a gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics as part of the British national team. The youngest of four children, Laurie we...more British comedian Hugh Laurie could have easily taken another career track rather than that of well-known performer. As a secondary and college student, he was also a world-class oarsman. He wasn't the only one in the family to have a passion for the sport, however. His father won a gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics as part of the British national team. The youngest of four children, Laurie went to Eton College, perhaps Britain's best-known preparatory school. During his time there, he became involved in rowing. He quickly became one of the nation's best, and in 1977, he became one half of the national junior champion coxed pair. In the world junior championships held in Finland that year, he and his teammate finished fourth in the world.

The following year, Laurie entered Cambridge University, with the intention of studying archeology and anthropology. He was also intent on joining the prestigious rowing team, rowing in the 1980 Cambridge/Oxford boatrace. More information on the race can be found at BBC Sport

He reportedly became ill during his first year, however, and was forced to withdraw from the rowing competitions. While regaining his health, Laurie had his first experiences as a performer by getting involved with the Footlights Club, a famed undergraduate comedy revue group. In his last year at Cambridge, Laurie was elected President of the club, with fellow Footlighter Emma Thompson acting as Vice President.

Traditionally, at the end of the year, the Footlights take their act on the road throughout the nation. While on these tours, he met, via Thompson, a young playwright named Stephen Fry . They collaborated on a sketch called The Cellar Tapes , which they entered in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 1981. They were awarded "Pick of the Fringe," enabling the duo, along with the other Footlight performers (including Thompson) to go on tour through England and eventually, Australia.

Soon thereafter, Laurie, Fry, Thompson, Robbie Coltrane , and Ben Elton formed the television sketch program Alfresco , eventually leading Laurie to the famous (in Britain, at least) Black Adder series, headed by Rowan Atkinson , and also to the Jeeves and Wooster series with Fry.

It wasn't long after these successes that he began appearing in films. In 1992, he appeared alongside fellow comedians Fry and Thompson, as well as Kenneth Branagh and Rita Rudner in the ensemble comedy Peter's Friends

He subsequently did outstanding work as a character actor in such films as Sense and Sensibility (1995) and 101 Dalmations (1996). In 1999, he took the lead in the adaptation of E.B. White's Stuart Little, playing the adopted father to a walking, talking, fully dressed mouse, a role he'd reprise in the film's 2002 sequel Stuart Little 2.

After a two year absence from the big-screen, Laurie returned to the multiplexes in 2004 with a supporting role in Flight of the Phoenix, a remake of the 1965 James Stewart action-adventure film about a group of plane-crash survivors who attempt to build a new plane from the wreckage. That same year Laurie essayed the titular role as the cynical but trailblazing Dr. Greg House in the primetime Fox Network television drama House .

Laurie is also a musician of note, invariably performing as a keyboardist with the rock band Poor White Trash and the Little Big Horns. He currently plays keyboards with Band From TV - a band featuring other television stars who perform to raise money for various charities. He added yet another profession to his lengthy list of accomplishments when, in 1996, he published his first novel, The Gun Seller. Married since 1989, he has three children with his wife, Jo. (less)

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Quotes from The Gun Seller

“Death and disaster are at our shoulders every second of our lives, trying to get at us. Missing, a lot of the time. A lot of miles on the motorway without a front wheel blow-out. A lot of viruses that slither through our bodies without snagging. A lot of pianos that fall a minute after we've passed. Or a month, it makes no difference. So unless were going to get down on our knees and give thanks every time disaster misses, it makes no sense to moan when it strikes.” — 109 people liked it

“This was the tricky bit. The really tricky bit, trickiness cubed.” — 63 people liked it

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