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The Stig Plays a Dangerous Game
he first in a fast-paced, funny series featuring The Stig: Top Gear's legendary racing driver
Sam Wheeler may be the new boy in Bunsfold, but he's got a feeling that all is not well either in the town or at Bunsfold High - and he's not just talking about the maths teacher with the unfortunate flatulence. A local boy, Buster Mustang, has recently gone missing, and no one seems to care - they're all too busy playing the highly addictive video game Xenon or getting the town ready for its very first TT race. Both are the brainchild of mysterious local billionaire PT Cruiser. Besides global domination, PT Cruiser wants nothing more than to destroy his nemesis The Stig once and for all - and his TT race is just what he needs to tempt him on to the big stage again ...
Sam sets out with his new friends Minnie Cooper and Ford Harrison to uncover the truth behind all the strange goings-on in Bunsfold - but danger has a habit of showing up wherever they do, and soon all that stands between our heroes and disaster is ... a taciturn man in a white suit.
Sam Wheeler may be the new boy in Bunsfold, but he's got a feeling that all is not well either in the town or at Bunsfold High - and he's not just talking about the maths teacher with the unfortunate flatulence. A local boy, Buster Mustang, has recently gone missing, and no one seems to care - they're all too busy playing the highly addictive video game Xenon or getting the town ready for its very first TT race. Both are the brainchild of mysterious local billionaire PT Cruiser. Besides global domination, PT Cruiser wants nothing more than to destroy his nemesis The Stig once and for all - and his TT race is just what he needs to tempt him on to the big stage again ...
Sam sets out with his new friends Minnie Cooper and Ford Harrison to uncover the truth behind all the strange goings-on in Bunsfold - but danger has a habit of showing up wherever they do, and soon all that stands between our heroes and disaster is ... a taciturn man in a white suit.
272 pages, Paperback
Published March 8, 2018
3 people are currently reading
96 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 21, 2018
Anyone who is interested in cars and enjoys the mystery of The Stig on Top Gear is likely to love this book. It is a fun, mystery with hilarious character and OTT escapades that will appeal to a wide range of readers. Get ready for lots of plays on words, people with names relating to cars and references to Top Gear throughout the story, especially to the theme tune. There's also a megalomaniac dillionaire computer genius called PT Cruiser who is out to rule the world via his highly addictive electronic video game, Xenon, and determined to capture and do something with his arch enemy, the enigmatic and mysterious Stig - though he doesn't seem quite certain what he wants to do to him other than capture him!
The initial hero is Sam Wheeler, someone who has recently moved to the town of Bunsfold and who's parents are, like most of the town's population, already addicted to Xenon. Everyone in the town seems to be playing Xenon - even teachers in school encourage the pupils to do so! The school seems to be ruled by a the daughter of PT Cruiser and her sycophants who include members of staff and most pupils. Sam makes friends with Minnie Cooper and Ford Harrison and so the adventure to thwart the plans of PT Cruiser begins!
This is a hilarious read with appropriate over the top humour that will appeal to the target age group and older readers. It has short chapters which have a hint to their content as part of their heading. There are also a range of black and white illustrations at key points in the story, adding to the appeal of the book. I suspect it will initially particularly attract boys to read it but there are great female characters (and even a heroic dog) so the story could also be of interest to all genders. The pace is initially somewhat slow but only for a little while and it does speed up significantly. especially as there's a dramatic race or two during the story. The ending gives hints at subsequent stories in the series and more adventures for the Top Gear Gang - I hope I get to read them!
I requested and received a paperback copy of this book without obligation. I chose to read and review it and this is my honest opinion after reading the book.
The initial hero is Sam Wheeler, someone who has recently moved to the town of Bunsfold and who's parents are, like most of the town's population, already addicted to Xenon. Everyone in the town seems to be playing Xenon - even teachers in school encourage the pupils to do so! The school seems to be ruled by a the daughter of PT Cruiser and her sycophants who include members of staff and most pupils. Sam makes friends with Minnie Cooper and Ford Harrison and so the adventure to thwart the plans of PT Cruiser begins!
This is a hilarious read with appropriate over the top humour that will appeal to the target age group and older readers. It has short chapters which have a hint to their content as part of their heading. There are also a range of black and white illustrations at key points in the story, adding to the appeal of the book. I suspect it will initially particularly attract boys to read it but there are great female characters (and even a heroic dog) so the story could also be of interest to all genders. The pace is initially somewhat slow but only for a little while and it does speed up significantly. especially as there's a dramatic race or two during the story. The ending gives hints at subsequent stories in the series and more adventures for the Top Gear Gang - I hope I get to read them!
I requested and received a paperback copy of this book without obligation. I chose to read and review it and this is my honest opinion after reading the book.
October 2, 2018
The first thing that hit me while reading this book is that it's perfect for reading with your child. There are a lot of puns which are likely to go right over the heads of the target audience, but I found myself giggling like I was back in primary school at most of them. They're silly, but very cleverly written: these aren't the kind of jokes that make you roll your eyes, but ones which provoke genuine laughs. I'll be honest, it even took me a few seconds to register some of them!
The pace of the book also makes it great for reading aloud. There are a lot of quick, witty exchanges between Sam Wheeler and the antagonist, Cabriola Cruiser, while the banter between Sam, Minnie and Ford is also very funny. Anyone reading this story will want to be a part of Sam's crew (and I think it's great that there's a girl who's as obsessed with cars as the lads, because Top Gear has always appealed to a wide audience).
The language is accessible, so children are likely to be able to tackle the book by themselves (even if they might need your help on some of the difficult pronunciations of car names). With illustrations scattered throughout the text is broken up into digestible chunks - I couldn't read it in one sitting because I've been quite busy with work, but being able to pick up the book with a brief sketch showing me where I'd gotten to made it easy to slide straight back into the world.
It's impossible to forget that this is a Top Gear book because the specific car references are constant, but they fit smoothly into the story and don't feel shoehorned in unnecessarily. This means that it'll appeal to Top Gear fans of any age - probably another reason that Jon Claydon and Tim Lawler made sure to pop in some jokes that will appeal to an older audience.
This is a very strong start to the series, and I'm looking forward to picking up The Stig Drives Again, which is actually released tomorrow. I've already pre-ordered a copy for my Kindle, and I'm planning on driving - sorry, diving! - straight into it as soon as it downloads. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with this book, only hoping that it would be a fun read to break up some of the more serious titles I've been picking up recently, but it's so well-written that I'd happily recommend it to anyone.
This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Blogger.
The pace of the book also makes it great for reading aloud. There are a lot of quick, witty exchanges between Sam Wheeler and the antagonist, Cabriola Cruiser, while the banter between Sam, Minnie and Ford is also very funny. Anyone reading this story will want to be a part of Sam's crew (and I think it's great that there's a girl who's as obsessed with cars as the lads, because Top Gear has always appealed to a wide audience).
The language is accessible, so children are likely to be able to tackle the book by themselves (even if they might need your help on some of the difficult pronunciations of car names). With illustrations scattered throughout the text is broken up into digestible chunks - I couldn't read it in one sitting because I've been quite busy with work, but being able to pick up the book with a brief sketch showing me where I'd gotten to made it easy to slide straight back into the world.
It's impossible to forget that this is a Top Gear book because the specific car references are constant, but they fit smoothly into the story and don't feel shoehorned in unnecessarily. This means that it'll appeal to Top Gear fans of any age - probably another reason that Jon Claydon and Tim Lawler made sure to pop in some jokes that will appeal to an older audience.
This is a very strong start to the series, and I'm looking forward to picking up The Stig Drives Again, which is actually released tomorrow. I've already pre-ordered a copy for my Kindle, and I'm planning on driving - sorry, diving! - straight into it as soon as it downloads. I wasn't expecting to fall in love with this book, only hoping that it would be a fun read to break up some of the more serious titles I've been picking up recently, but it's so well-written that I'd happily recommend it to anyone.
This review was originally posted on The Bumbling Blogger.
August 15, 2018
"The Stig Plays a Dangerous Game" is a comedic tale featuring Top Gear character The Stig who "exists for only two things. First, to race. Second, to very occasionally turn up and save mankind from tyranny." He does both in this story.
Also featuring is PT Cruiser, a "reclusive computer games and armaments billionaire", or dillionaire to be more precise, "that's like a billionaire, but two levels up." PT Cruiser is responsible for a new addictive computer game, Xenon, "a viral mind-control machine that would change humanity forever" with Cruiser able to manipulate anyone who ever played it. He also has a nemesis - The Stig - who he hates as he often foils his schemes.
Other characters, and indeed the main characters to feature, are kids from Bunsfold High, the local school, with a small group of them, along with The Stig when he shows up, busying themselves with bringing PT Cruiser to justice.
The story has been designed for fans of cars, e.g. it has puns involving car names such as a character called Minnie Cooper and the story features quite a few different makes and models of cars. It has also been designed for fans of the TV show Top Gear, e.g. the Top Gear theme tune gets a mention, the Top Gear track features and tasks are delivered in envelopes.
For me the book was a little slow to take off (albeit starting with a chase sequence in chapter 1 although this story thread was not followed up again until later) but the story then picked up maybe a sixth of the way through when The Stig featured in a "remarkable" World War II adventure which was hilarious. From then on the action didn't stop until the end.
The book was funny, silly and enjoyable.
Also featuring is PT Cruiser, a "reclusive computer games and armaments billionaire", or dillionaire to be more precise, "that's like a billionaire, but two levels up." PT Cruiser is responsible for a new addictive computer game, Xenon, "a viral mind-control machine that would change humanity forever" with Cruiser able to manipulate anyone who ever played it. He also has a nemesis - The Stig - who he hates as he often foils his schemes.
Other characters, and indeed the main characters to feature, are kids from Bunsfold High, the local school, with a small group of them, along with The Stig when he shows up, busying themselves with bringing PT Cruiser to justice.
The story has been designed for fans of cars, e.g. it has puns involving car names such as a character called Minnie Cooper and the story features quite a few different makes and models of cars. It has also been designed for fans of the TV show Top Gear, e.g. the Top Gear theme tune gets a mention, the Top Gear track features and tasks are delivered in envelopes.
For me the book was a little slow to take off (albeit starting with a chase sequence in chapter 1 although this story thread was not followed up again until later) but the story then picked up maybe a sixth of the way through when The Stig featured in a "remarkable" World War II adventure which was hilarious. From then on the action didn't stop until the end.
The book was funny, silly and enjoyable.
March 20, 2018
Review upon release
September 20, 2020
An enjoyable children's book especially for those with an interest in cars or Top Gear. Lots of jokes related to car brands and an interesting killer computer zombie plot.
September 11, 2024
Was excited about listening to this as I’m a long time Top Gear fan. However I was so confused the whole time and didn’t understand what was going on
February 28, 2023
Good book funny, recommend to people who like reading
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews