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Incompetence
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Bad is the new good. In the not too distant future the European Union enacts its most far reaching human rights legislation ever. The incompetent have been persecuted for too long. After all it's not their fault they can't do it right, is it? So it is made illegal to sack or otherwise discriminate against anyone for being incompetent. And now a murder has been committed an
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Paperback, 291 pages
Published
2004
by Gollancz
(first published 2003)
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Dec 17, 2007
Jon
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
lovers of satire, Red Dwarf fans
Incompetence begins fabulously, and I'm not just talking about the first page, or even sentence. Take a close look at the cover: notice the misplaced "e"? That's what caught my eye at the bookstore, and having never before heard of Rob Grant, I bought the book based solely on the strength of that cover alone. "Surely," I thought, "anyone who can purposely misspell the word 'incompetence' on the cover of a novel is a writer to be dealt with." In many ways I was right, but in many ways I think thi
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Probably the most sarcastic book I've ever read. Could not stop laughing.
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I've been keeping this book on my "currently-reading" shelf forever because I wanted to give it a worthy review, with examples of all the things that led me to believe that this is the worst book I've ever read.
What a shame that a good idea can turn out mediocre because someone didn't have the patience to work on it properly. I've noticed that a lot with books and movies recently. I was so eager to read this book after I saw it in the bookstore. I expected something splendidly satiric from it, b ...more
What a shame that a good idea can turn out mediocre because someone didn't have the patience to work on it properly. I've noticed that a lot with books and movies recently. I was so eager to read this book after I saw it in the bookstore. I expected something splendidly satiric from it, b ...more

I actually started this book a while back and never added it to my “Currently Reading” list because frankly I was afraid I wouldn’t finish it. It was a slog. Coming from one of the Red Dwarf authors I was expecting brilliance. Brilliance it is not. I churned along through 3 or 4 minute chapters until I reached the end. There were a few chuckles but the whole concept just got tedious and superfluous. About as close to one-star as it’s possible to get without reaching that level. As I said, there
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This must have made for a good pitch—a hardboiled detective story set in a society where incompetence is protected by law—but Grant would have done well to keep the first-person narrative straight and let the inherent humour speak for itself.

Apr 28, 2009
Martin
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
People who get sarcasm (i.e. not Americans)
The author obviously has a flair for writing. Unfortunately this flair may be limited to haiku, as on or about the eighth line I started to get sever pain in the front right lobe of my brain: This is the first time I have ever experienced deja vu as other than an existential event.
The first chapter was tough going. The author has a particular style and likes to hammer it home paragraph after paragraph remorselessly. Things got better for me further in, but I think this was a combination of my ac ...more
The first chapter was tough going. The author has a particular style and likes to hammer it home paragraph after paragraph remorselessly. Things got better for me further in, but I think this was a combination of my ac ...more

May 14, 2009
Thomas Jancis
rated it
liked it
Recommends it for:
People who want a fun read.
Recommended to Thomas by:
Foggy
This, according to a friend, was the funniest book he had ever read. He had been looking for it for years. As we walked away from the shop, he was chortling away as he read.
It was funny but the world’s best? I guess it must be more about the time he read it.
Nothing really “happens” in this book. The love interest just “is” and appears in one scene. The great mystery of the killer is kind of obvious.
But you’re not reading this for the biting plot. You’re reading it for the setups and moments of h ...more
It was funny but the world’s best? I guess it must be more about the time he read it.
Nothing really “happens” in this book. The love interest just “is” and appears in one scene. The great mystery of the killer is kind of obvious.
But you’re not reading this for the biting plot. You’re reading it for the setups and moments of h ...more

In the all-to-near future, the European Union is well on its way to becoming a single federalised state. Unfortunately, due to the passing of Article 13199 of the Pan-European Constitution ("No person shall be prejudiced from employment in any capacity, at any level, by reason of age, race, creed or incompitence,"), the continent is grinding to a halt. One detective is assigned to track down a dangerous killer, but finds his investigation complicated by blind nightclub bouncers, octogenarian mal
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A promising premise that falls apart halfway through. It had some genuinely hilarious moments in the early stages, but somewhere around the train scene it just seems rushed, lazy, repetitive, and lackluster.
In the near future Europe in unified and it's illegal to discriminate against anyone for anything. Solid idea- it seems a bit like political hyperbole, which made me a bit wary, but it's a friggin fiction, I won't read into it and think it really represents Grant's views on the current direct ...more
In the near future Europe in unified and it's illegal to discriminate against anyone for anything. Solid idea- it seems a bit like political hyperbole, which made me a bit wary, but it's a friggin fiction, I won't read into it and think it really represents Grant's views on the current direct ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Incompetence is a comedy noir-esque novel by Rob Grant, best known for his work as one half of Grant Naylor, the writers of Red Dwarf. Set in the near future where United States of Europe Article 13199 has banned basing hiring and firing practices on a person's competence level, Harry Salt - deep undercover agent for an British/European intelligence agency - has to unravel the mysterious death of fellow cell member Klingferm, committed by the anonymous and dangerous Jack Appleseed.
If that sounds ...more
If that sounds ...more

Incompetence is full of great humour, witty one liners and amusing thoughts. Rob Grant has a unique and old school sense of humour, which is undeniably English to the core. Incompetence is a great showcase for Grant, unleashing his style in a futuristic Europe, where stupidity is norm. Incompetence fails in the long term though. Despite the persistent humour, the actual story is rather mundane, through to a rather routine finale. With a better structure this book could have been great, however a
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I read Incompetence first around 15 years ago and remember loving it to bits. The idea of a detective story in a world where stupidity, irresponsibility, incompetence and lack of common sense are the prevalent attributes of humanity was awesome, and in my youthful, naive belief in the future of mankind I thought the story was just an awesome cynical rant and satire.
Now, I relate to Harry and his struggles in a much different way. It's not alternate reality if we're actually living it. Incompeten ...more
Now, I relate to Harry and his struggles in a much different way. It's not alternate reality if we're actually living it. Incompeten ...more

As crime thrillers go this is not good. For comedy and predicting the future... SPOT ON!
Set in a future wherethe european directives state that "anyone regardless of their ability or disability can have a job. This involves waiters with torrets, a ticket clerk at the airport with attention defecit disorder and on it goes.
Just imagine a very OCD person committing the perfect crime :)
A fun read but a bit repetitve hence the three stars.
Nearly made it five stars having been set in a EU where speak ...more
Set in a future wherethe european directives state that "anyone regardless of their ability or disability can have a job. This involves waiters with torrets, a ticket clerk at the airport with attention defecit disorder and on it goes.
Just imagine a very OCD person committing the perfect crime :)
A fun read but a bit repetitve hence the three stars.
Nearly made it five stars having been set in a EU where speak ...more

Well, firstly, is this a good book? Yes...very mature authorship: fine writing and colourful scene-setting.
Rob Grant combines a deep-seated annoyance of modern life, with a journey through how a United Europe may look, to a rip-roaring, hi-octane mission of a detective/spy named Harry.
One minor criticism: the section where Harry tries to catch the train, goes on and on. ‘Longueur’ as the French would say!
However, in the round, most enjoyable and well recommended - a weaving raconteur; another ...more
Rob Grant combines a deep-seated annoyance of modern life, with a journey through how a United Europe may look, to a rip-roaring, hi-octane mission of a detective/spy named Harry.
One minor criticism: the section where Harry tries to catch the train, goes on and on. ‘Longueur’ as the French would say!
However, in the round, most enjoyable and well recommended - a weaving raconteur; another ...more

Not a Red Dwarf novel but packed with the humour Grant (& Doug Naylor) have made their own. We begin in a world where people are imprisoned for selling bananas that are too yellow & planes that miraculously arrive at the right airport somehow forget to lower their landing gear; a place where things are always expected to go wrong, bigly. It becomes a crime thriller, of sorts, & includes action set pieces & bizarre characters, all wrapped inside that trademark humour. A most enjoyable Xmas read.

A fun adventure of a book. However there are times where parts drag and I felt that I got the point and wanted the narrative to move on. To begin with the protagonist was relatable in an exaggerated way with dry humour. However the last quarter of the book makes for frustrating reading. I enjoyed it but felt like there were parts that should have wrapped up quicker.

It's not often I dislike a book this much and actually finish it. However, the writing style was at least readable. The premise and situations were just plain annoying. None of the characters had any depth or relatability and the the plot was almost non-existent. What little plot there was, was predictable. I had found this book on the back of a shelf in my home and have no idea how it got there.
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A fun book if you want a light read, but for all that set up, there's no satisfying climax.
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Really enjoyed the style of writing, not to everyone's taste, it's more about the journeying and the bits in-between that I found most interesting, nice details and unusual subject matter.
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Funny AF
Rob Grant's Incompetence is great. Red Dwarf brought me here, but this book will keep me looking for more of his particular brand of wit. ...more
Rob Grant's Incompetence is great. Red Dwarf brought me here, but this book will keep me looking for more of his particular brand of wit. ...more

Promising start then it just turned into the most boring book I've read this year
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Incompetence is a book that loves to rant. In fact, it is about 85% rant, and 15% plot. Which makes it a bit difficult to review without giving too much plot away. In a nutshell, the story is set in a near future where the EU and political correctness have led to discrimination based on competence being abolished. The result? A society where the vast majority of things don't quite work, and most people are annoying nincompoops. In the middle of all this, a kind of super secret agent is following
...more
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Grant
Writes under the name Grant Naylor when collaborating with Doug Naylor ...more
Writes under the name Grant Naylor when collaborating with Doug Naylor ...more
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