Jog Rummage

by Grahame Wright

"The new masterpiece of fantasy"

Genres: Fantasy, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1974

Reviews

[MissingNorth · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is a reason this novel didn’t make it past the first paperback printing - it’s a capital D Disaster. To be read only if you want a cover-to-cover example of how not to write. Yes, there are grammatical differences between written British and American English but use of dependent clauses is not one, nor is how to break a paragraph or dialogue rules. Even after giving a generous allowance for artistic license, this book uses a clumsy and incoherent sentence structure and a writing style best described as rough first draft.

I wonder if Jog Rummage fell victim to how a lack of or simply poor technique can be confused for a unique, artistic style because it makes the critic/editor feel better about themselves by thinking they are one of the special few to recognize something sophisticated or avant-garde. This book exemplifies the need to understand why the rules exist and how to use them before you can decide which ones to break, and how even an interesting plot suffers a lingering death without good editing; after this made it to print, its editor should have been sent to work in the mailroom, or to spend some time cleaning cages in an animal testing laboratory. Which brings me to actual “...masterpieces of fantasy...” to read instead:

The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams;

any fiction by Italo Calvino;

much fiction by Virginia Woolf; or

if you want to dive into a masterpiece of the fantastic that actually delivers avant-garde, suit up your swimmers for Little, Big by John Crowley.

[Johnr66 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book at a library sale, decided to read and was rather glad I did. I can't say much without spoiling it. It is a two part perspective fantasy. Good stuff if you like fantasies.

[Nicholas Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm a great-nephew of the author. He sadly died before I could know him, but reading his book is a nice way to feel connected to my family. I won't say it's my favourite book, but I think it's a really interesting idea and the two-part portrayal kept my interest throughout.