Please Do Not Ask for Mercy as a Refusal Often Offends

by Paul Bassett Davies

Detective Kilroy is assigned to investigate a horrible murder. He’s a fine cop, from the brim of his hat to the soles of his brogues, but his inquiries, far from solving the mystery, lead him into a deeper one – and to Cynthia, an enigmatic woman with a secret that could overturn Kilroy’s entire world.

But where is this world? It seems both familiar and uncanny, with electric cars, but no digital devices, and the audience for a public execution arriving by tram. Meanwhile, the seas are retreating, and the Church exerts an iron grip on society – and history. Power belongs to those who control the narrative.

Kilroy is forced to take sides between the Kafkaesque state that pays his wages, and the truth-seekers striving to destroy it, all the while becoming increasingly besotted with a woman who may only love him for his mind – in an alarmingly literal way.

Please Do Not Ask for Mercy as a Refusal Often Offends is a dystopian satire that manages to be funny and frightening in equal measure.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

320 pages, Paperback

Published July 1, 2020

Reviews

[Dazzamatazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

If ever there was a time to read dystopian fiction it's now... before it rapidly turns into non-fiction, or possibly one of those historical reference documents you can only find in a public library, if we are even allowed free access to those incredible repositories of information in the future. That would certainly be one way of keeping most people in the dark (ages) and feeding them whatever filtered stories/facts were deemed 'appropriate' by those in authority.

‘Please Do Not Ask for Mercy…’ has some very interesting philosophical interpretations of what society might be like ‘if’ it was controlled by corrupt officials and/or religious crusaders. I particularly liked the fictional job title ‘Procurator of the Faithful’ used to describe a post that I’m sure will be created in the not too distant future, once a religious organisation can incorporate it into their human (and spiritual) resources manual.

This is the second Paul Bassett Davies book that I’ve read and I think I enjoyed this one even more than ‘Dead Writers in Rehab’ (although that was great too). Both books have interesting and intricate plots, with unexpected twists and turns to keep you guessing (and hoping) what the final outcome might be. You have to navigate some relatively dark episodes to appreciate the real messages of hope contained within each book, but they’re worth it. On both occasions I was left with the feeling that life can often be bloody awful, but there’s always the chance that things will work out ok, if enough good people can come together and overcome whatever threat is facing us. If ever such a message was needed…

[Fenella Greenfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entering the world of this strange and wonderful book is to be tricked into believing we’re in some hi-tech, near-future version of our own.  People talk with millennial colloquialisms and seem to pretty much identical to us.  


Soon, however, a strange, almost parallel universe with an Orwellian vibe seeps in.  One minute, super-sophisticated drones are watching our every move.  The next, detectives in brogues and Fedora hats are printing old-fashioned propaganda leaflets on hot metal presses.  It’s like we’ve swerved, imperceptibly, into an alternative reality.


Throughout, Paul Bassett Davies’s comic voice cleverly hovers at the edge, not quite bursting in, his prose, as in all his books, bouncing off the page with aplomb.


At the heart, is a story is about a small, compact society in revolution mood as it strains against absurd religious dogma and a bureaucracy so convoluted it’s become strangulated in its own feedback loop.  Think 80s East Germany at its most Kafkaesque.


Told from the perspective of two detectives, or operatives, each embedded deep within the state’s security apparatus, their goal is to track down a young revolutionary who’s gone missing.  She’s learnt the trick of cut-through messaging and it’s galvanising pissed-off citizens to rise up.  As the cat and mouse plot deepens, so is the society’s enigmatic back-story revealed.


The world of the book is so vividly constructed, it lingers with you days after you’ve turned the last page.  After I’d finished it, I found myself turning back to the beginning, just to get another fix.

[Bill Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

This definitely was not what I expected. I thought is was going to be crime, police procedural with a nasty edge. I'm not sure why I even bought it, maybe 3 for 2 and this was the 3rd. I'd read the opening page but the mood hadn't grabbed me, I put it down. Then, a few months later, I casually picked it up and read the first page and then the second and then was curious and then gripped. A large part of the pleasure was not knowing what was going on and the slow reveals that may or may not be correct interpretations. To say anything about the plot is to spoil the fun. What doesn't spoil the fun, is that it is well written, amusing, revelatory, philosophical and crazy. It says a lot about our world, its history, and yet is somewhere else. There are hints of other books, but to say what they are would again spoil the fun. It was so good to have no idea what I was reading until I read it. You may not like it and apologies if this review tempts you and you are disappointed, but, for me, this was one of the most fascinating reads of recent years. A one off.

[Beatbox · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading Dead Writers in Rehab by The same author, I found myseld craving for more of the same. So, when I saw that this book was out I certainly didn’t hesitate.
Well, Please Don’t Ask... is a different book. Frankly, I miss the kind of humour that Dead Writers... carried throughout. Don’t get me wrong - i liked the book, the solid story, the wonderful world-in-a-very-possible-future panorama, the multifaceted characters.
Supposedly written before the global fiasco that 2020 turned out to be, the book seems prescient on many topics (which kinda makes any optimism for our world’s future a little misplaced).
For someone like me, that had grown up in a Communist country, however, the fictitious totalitarian theocratic state described in the book was pretty much ‘old news’ and that took away some of the enjoyment, i suppose.
To summarize: good sci-fi page turner telling a story of revolt and personal choice to stand up to oppression from a master wordsmith.

[Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a slightly weird dystopian tale set in the future after the complete breakdown of a livable Earth that starts off feeling like a more advanced society but quickly shows itself to be a nightmare of Orwellian proportions as the truth behind the screens, flyers, and species comes to light. The writing style adds to this as it switches between Kilroy and Curtis and the differing paths to uncovering the truth and the slightly disjointed way this happens, adding to the feeling of dissonance that filters through the entire book. Despite the somewhat unsettling nature of the story and the characters involved, especially at the moment, I rather enjoyed this book, even with the odd cliff-hanger-y ending. You'll just have to try it and see how you get on.

[Luisa Calvo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fascinating and entertaining book by the author of the brilliant 'Dead Writers in Rehab'. I wasn't sure about it at first.. as it's unfamiliar territory but all is slowly revealed and it's well worth sticking with! Great ending too.

[Martin Willoughby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interestingly odd.

[Amelia Kallman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading this book, couldn't put it down! Lots of twists that made it a compulsive read. Found it a delight!

[Mr Peter J Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good but ends kind of suddenly

Great story mix of steampunk and the Securitate. Only problem is the abrupt end. Hope there is a sequel planned

[Lil]

Never did finish... though it looks and sounded so cool.

[Hotrats · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the way the particulars are unfolded.