What do you think?
Rate this book
Tom Holt Omnibus #5
Tall Stories: Expecting Someone Taller and Ye Gods
Tall Stories is another omnibus containing two of Tom Holt's beloved comic fantasies. In Expecting Someone Taller, all he did was run over a badger—sad, but hardly catastrophic. But it wasn’t Malcolm fisher’s day, for the badger turned out to be none other than Ingolf, last of the Giants. With his dying breath, Ingolf reluctantly handed to Malcolm two Gifts of Power and made him ruler of the world. But can Malcolm cope with the responsibility? In Ye Gods!, being a hero bothers Jason Derry. It’s easy to get maladjusted when your mom’s a suburban housewife and your dad’s the Supreme Being. It can be a real drag slaying monsters and retrieving golden fleeces from fire-spitting dragons, and then having to tidy your room before you can watch Star Trek. But it’s not the relentless tedium of imperishable glory that finally brings Jason to the end of his rope; it’s something so funny that it’s got to be taken seriously. Deadly seriously.
576 pages, Paperback
First published August 5, 2004
About the author
Tom Holt
100 books1,192 followersTom Holt (Thomas Charles Louis Holt) is a British novelist.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
He was born in London, the son of novelist Hazel Holt, and was educated at Westminster School, Wadham College, Oxford, and The College of Law, London.
Holt's works include mythopoeic novels which parody or take as their theme various aspects of mythology, history or literature and develop them in new and often humorous ways. He has also produced a number of "straight" historical novels writing as Thomas Holt and fantasy novels writing as K.J. Parker.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Read
February 12, 2024This story starts with the death of a badger!
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) is a cycle of four dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The work is based on characters from Germanic heroic legends, Norse legendary sagas, and the Nibelungenlied.
These legends tell approximately, with some variations, the following:
The magical Rhinemaidens possess a horde of gold, which is stolen from them by the dwarflike Nibelung Alberich; Meanwhile, the gods await completion of their new palace, Valhalla, which is being built for them by the giants Fafner and Fasolt. As payment for the palace, Wotan (Odin) had promised to hand over to the giants, Freia, goddess of youth and beauty. Upon the urging of his wife, Fricka, and the other gods, however, Wotan decides instead to offer the giants a different payment: a magic ring of power to rule the World, that Alberich has fashioned from the Rhinemaidens’ gold. Wotan is joined by the fire god Loge, (Loki) and they set off to seize the ring.
Alberich has enslaved the other Nibelungs, forcing them to dig for more gold. One of the objects that have been fashioned from this gold is the Tarnhelm, a helmet that makes its wearer invisible and could transform the wearer into anything or anyone desired and teleport anywhere. Wotan and Loge arrive. They trick Alberich into demonstrating that magical ability to turn himself into any creature; when, at their request, he transforms himself into a small toad they seize and imprison him. The price of his freedom is his gold. Alberich orders his slaves to bring up all the gold. Wotan takes the gold and seizes the Ring. Alberich places a curse upon the Ring. Loge, meanwhile, steals the Tarnhelm.
The gods and the giants meet to trade gold for Freia. As the discussion proceeds, the Tarnhelm and even the Ring become part of the price. Erda has warned Wotan to give up the Ring so that he can avoid its curse. Freia is back with the gods, but the giants have everything else. Immediately, Alberich’s curse takes effect as the giants argue over ownership of the Ring until Fafner slays Fasolt. The survivor departs, and the gods take possession of Valhalla, while the Rhinemaidens again lament their loss.
Mr. T. Holt sets his story at this point when the Ring is "lost" in the Universe and Dwarf, Gods, Rhinemaidens, and mad Ravens want it. And the story begins with a ran-over badger on a countryside road… From that point on it's all "Down the Hill".
The writing is lite and Mr. Holt provides a lot of information about those myths and legends vaguely known from us and heavily distorted by all that Holywood sensationalist trash.
It is a fun and entertaining book with strong amusing points: The scenes with the Rhinedaughters, Wotan's daughters, and the ravens are priceless.
He could have also called it "The Ring of Power" but without Sauron.
Much funnier than Wagner's version….
Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung) is a cycle of four dramas composed by Richard Wagner. The work is based on characters from Germanic heroic legends, Norse legendary sagas, and the Nibelungenlied.
These legends tell approximately, with some variations, the following:
The magical Rhinemaidens possess a horde of gold, which is stolen from them by the dwarflike Nibelung Alberich; Meanwhile, the gods await completion of their new palace, Valhalla, which is being built for them by the giants Fafner and Fasolt. As payment for the palace, Wotan (Odin) had promised to hand over to the giants, Freia, goddess of youth and beauty. Upon the urging of his wife, Fricka, and the other gods, however, Wotan decides instead to offer the giants a different payment: a magic ring of power to rule the World, that Alberich has fashioned from the Rhinemaidens’ gold. Wotan is joined by the fire god Loge, (Loki) and they set off to seize the ring.
Alberich has enslaved the other Nibelungs, forcing them to dig for more gold. One of the objects that have been fashioned from this gold is the Tarnhelm, a helmet that makes its wearer invisible and could transform the wearer into anything or anyone desired and teleport anywhere. Wotan and Loge arrive. They trick Alberich into demonstrating that magical ability to turn himself into any creature; when, at their request, he transforms himself into a small toad they seize and imprison him. The price of his freedom is his gold. Alberich orders his slaves to bring up all the gold. Wotan takes the gold and seizes the Ring. Alberich places a curse upon the Ring. Loge, meanwhile, steals the Tarnhelm.
The gods and the giants meet to trade gold for Freia. As the discussion proceeds, the Tarnhelm and even the Ring become part of the price. Erda has warned Wotan to give up the Ring so that he can avoid its curse. Freia is back with the gods, but the giants have everything else. Immediately, Alberich’s curse takes effect as the giants argue over ownership of the Ring until Fafner slays Fasolt. The survivor departs, and the gods take possession of Valhalla, while the Rhinemaidens again lament their loss.
Mr. T. Holt sets his story at this point when the Ring is "lost" in the Universe and Dwarf, Gods, Rhinemaidens, and mad Ravens want it. And the story begins with a ran-over badger on a countryside road… From that point on it's all "Down the Hill".
The writing is lite and Mr. Holt provides a lot of information about those myths and legends vaguely known from us and heavily distorted by all that Holywood sensationalist trash.
It is a fun and entertaining book with strong amusing points: The scenes with the Rhinedaughters, Wotan's daughters, and the ravens are priceless.
He could have also called it "The Ring of Power" but without Sauron.
Much funnier than Wagner's version….
August 20, 2020
Two very funny and crazy stories: Expecting Someone Taller is about Malcolm Fisher, that receives the Nibelung ring, and Ye Gods! is about Jason Derry, the son of Jupiter with a mortal.
The first stories uses characters from the Nibelung and the second story uses characters from the roman mythology.
The first stories uses characters from the Nibelung and the second story uses characters from the roman mythology.
March 26, 2018
Clever, but only read the first of the two, as the story idea seemed so forced which took out the entertainment factor for me.
September 25, 2020
I finished Expecting Someone Taller. It was fun and Funny. I am going to save Ye Gods! for another time when I need some humor (like in October/early November of 2020).
January 31, 2021
I've enjoyed rediscovering Tom Holt.
March 11, 2022
Had to give it a three stars because the first one was boring. But I really enjoyed Ye Gods. It’s what I expect from Holt.
May 2, 2021
3.0 out of 5 stars
Another Mismatched Set
September 16, 2010
Just like The First Tom Holt Omnibus: Flying Dutch & Faust Among Equals (Tom Holt Omnibus) , this one, "Tall Stories," is a mismatched set. Again, like the "First Tom Holt Omnibus," the first story, Expecting Someone Taller , is very good. While the second story, Ye Gods , is merely OK. As with that other Omnibus, I'm rating this one at the truncated average of the two books: an OK 3 stars out of 5. Below are my individual reviews for each of the books:
- "Expecting Someone Taller:" Having just recently discovered Tom Holt, I'm wondering why he's flown below the radar for so long (as of this writing, the book is almost 2 decades old -- yet, there are only 11 reviews here). "Expecting Someone Taller" doesn't contain the intertwining storylines that his Flying Dutch does. But, the writing is still very good and the ending stays more in character right through to the end. In this book, Holt's working with Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" as a basis of the story. Interestingly, near the beginning, he summarizes Wagner's work so well that I began wishing that I knew of a decent, updated novelization of that opera so I could read it. In this book, the plot is pretty linear. But, the writing is always well-done and humorous. It's also a fairly light read that keeps the reader's interest throughout. So, overall, I rate it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
- "Ye Gods!:" "Ye Gods!" is one of Tom Holt's merely OK stories (this is the fourth of his stories I've read and they're running 50% Very Good and 50% OK). The weakness of the book can be nicely summarized by Holt, himself (this is on pages 310 and 311 of my copy of Tall Stories: Contains Expecting Someone Taller and Ye Gods! (Omnibus) (just after the main character (Jason) meets Prometheus)). Prometheus asks Jason what he thinks of the morality of the situation. With the following ellipses being mine, Jason replies:
"...'Think?' ...'Morality?' Jason's brow furrowed, and he considered long and hard. 'Dunno," he said at last.... 'It's not something I think about a lot... in my line of work. I'm more, you know, blue-collar. Mine not to reason why, that sort of thing.... The way I see it is, somebody somewhere knows what's going on, so who am I to make difficulties?'"
Now, I realize that I don't read Holt for depth. I read him for light, clever humor. But, that exchange is Jason (the main character, mind you) in a nutshell. There's almost nothing in the book about what Jason thinks of anything, why he's doing things, what he wants, etc.. He just reacts to things. Usually, people complain about lack of character DEVELOPMENT in a book. Well, in this case, we don't get any character AT ALL. Essentially, we get a lot of actions and events, but nothing that makes them MEAN anything. To make some modifications to Macbeth:
"... [Jason's] but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage....
...It is a tale...
...full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."
That said, the events, actions, and situations in the book are described with Holt's usual good wittiness and technical writing ability. If he had just done the same for the motivations behind them, this would have been another very good book. But, unfortunately, I'll have to rate this at merely an OK 3 stars out of 5.
Another Mismatched Set
September 16, 2010
Just like The First Tom Holt Omnibus: Flying Dutch & Faust Among Equals (Tom Holt Omnibus) , this one, "Tall Stories," is a mismatched set. Again, like the "First Tom Holt Omnibus," the first story, Expecting Someone Taller , is very good. While the second story, Ye Gods , is merely OK. As with that other Omnibus, I'm rating this one at the truncated average of the two books: an OK 3 stars out of 5. Below are my individual reviews for each of the books:
- "Expecting Someone Taller:" Having just recently discovered Tom Holt, I'm wondering why he's flown below the radar for so long (as of this writing, the book is almost 2 decades old -- yet, there are only 11 reviews here). "Expecting Someone Taller" doesn't contain the intertwining storylines that his Flying Dutch does. But, the writing is still very good and the ending stays more in character right through to the end. In this book, Holt's working with Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelung" as a basis of the story. Interestingly, near the beginning, he summarizes Wagner's work so well that I began wishing that I knew of a decent, updated novelization of that opera so I could read it. In this book, the plot is pretty linear. But, the writing is always well-done and humorous. It's also a fairly light read that keeps the reader's interest throughout. So, overall, I rate it at a Very Good 4 stars out of 5.
- "Ye Gods!:" "Ye Gods!" is one of Tom Holt's merely OK stories (this is the fourth of his stories I've read and they're running 50% Very Good and 50% OK). The weakness of the book can be nicely summarized by Holt, himself (this is on pages 310 and 311 of my copy of Tall Stories: Contains Expecting Someone Taller and Ye Gods! (Omnibus) (just after the main character (Jason) meets Prometheus)). Prometheus asks Jason what he thinks of the morality of the situation. With the following ellipses being mine, Jason replies:
"...'Think?' ...'Morality?' Jason's brow furrowed, and he considered long and hard. 'Dunno," he said at last.... 'It's not something I think about a lot... in my line of work. I'm more, you know, blue-collar. Mine not to reason why, that sort of thing.... The way I see it is, somebody somewhere knows what's going on, so who am I to make difficulties?'"
Now, I realize that I don't read Holt for depth. I read him for light, clever humor. But, that exchange is Jason (the main character, mind you) in a nutshell. There's almost nothing in the book about what Jason thinks of anything, why he's doing things, what he wants, etc.. He just reacts to things. Usually, people complain about lack of character DEVELOPMENT in a book. Well, in this case, we don't get any character AT ALL. Essentially, we get a lot of actions and events, but nothing that makes them MEAN anything. To make some modifications to Macbeth:
"... [Jason's] but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage....
...It is a tale...
...full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing."
That said, the events, actions, and situations in the book are described with Holt's usual good wittiness and technical writing ability. If he had just done the same for the motivations behind them, this would have been another very good book. But, unfortunately, I'll have to rate this at merely an OK 3 stars out of 5.
June 4, 2012
I have this problem with a lot of Tom Holt's stuff, where I think I should really enjoy it more than I do. Funny idea, interesting characters, but part way through it just feels like a chore finishing this one.
June 25, 2015
This is the first Tom Holt omnibus I read. I like the way he incorporates people and fantasy and that it is the a dull mr nobody that becomes the person who has the world in their hands. The first story read much faster then the second story.
June 17, 2007
I had the same problems with this book that I had with Falling Sideways.
January 30, 2008
second omnibus from tom holt that i've read.. still don't understand why people say it's hilariously funny when for me it's just average.. maybe there's something wrong with my sense of humour.. :p
Read
October 13, 2013Having read some of his other works. This lacks. Something . But not in a detrimental way.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
Thoroughly enjoyed it.
October 9, 2014
reviews later
April 17, 2016
Meh. I prefer Neil Gaiman.
Read
August 22, 2017Okay. I realise it looks like I read half of this book in December 2014 and then the other half in August 2017 and that's a really long gap, and admittedly, on like a physical page-count level, that is indeed what I did. But it's an omnibus, so what I ACTUALLY did was read one Tom Holt novel in 2014 and then, in 2017, finally get around to reading the other one. That said, this has still been on my Currently Reading shelf for such a long time that I have absolutely no memory of the first book it contains (Expecting Someone Taller) and can tell you nothing about my feelings on it. The second book (Ye Gods) is very funny in places, a little dated in others, and as with many of Tom Holt's books I don't entirely understand the ending. But there were enough wacky descriptions to make up for it. Anyway, I will now continue on my quest to clear up my Currently Reading shelf by tracking down whatever else I started in 2014 and neglected for three years.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews