Review: "I really loved this book"

Review: "I really loved this book"

"I normally wouldn't like something with so much farting in it, but I really loved this book. It was funny and silly and quite moving. Much like that muddy pothole on my grandparents' driveway — Erasmus James and the Galactic Zapp Machine is a lot deeper than it looks. Buy it for your kids. Buy it for your nieces and nephews, grandkids and friends. Buy it for yourself."Erasmus James (Raz) is an arrogant eleven-and-a-half-year-old who lives with his dad, and a menagerie of sick animals his dad takes in — including camels, possums and roos.

"Ever since Raz's pet chook (Chooky) was killed by a truck, Erasmus has hardened his heart towards the animal world:

"'After half a pack of tissues I resolved to be on the winning side from that day on. My Dad's soft side only lead to heartbreak, and a stinky room.'

"So when Raz nicks his dad's newest invention, 'the zapporter', and zapps himself into 'Uponia', he is none-too-pleased to find that it is a world full of the animals he most dislikes — horses. Smelly, furry, farting horses. And worse: they talk.

"Thus begins Erasmus' odyssey. He journeys with Franklin the Talking Ninja Horse towards the Great Wonder, supposedly a quest on behalf of the human King of Uponia. But Raz really aims to rule this pathetic little world of farting horses, rock-eating giant birds, and flesh-eating Bloodhorses. Unfortunately, he merely stirs up political tensions and creates an industrial revolution that could threaten the livelihood and happiness of all in Uponia.

"Will Raz come to his senses and stop being such a pratt? Will he get out of Uponia alive? And will Raz's dad get up the courage to ask their neighbour Ms Trang (Vietnamese cook extraordinaire) out on a date?

"This is a book aimed at kids, in the tradition of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and … Hitch-hikers Guide to the Galaxy. But with lots more farting.

"On another level, it's a story about the impact of technology, about personal responsibility, and the journey of a boy learning how to express his feelings.

"Now, I normally wouldn't like something with so much farting in it, but I really loved this book. It was funny and silly and quite moving. Much like that muddy pothole on my grandparents' driveway — Erasmus James and the Galactic Zapp Machine is a lot deeper than it looks. Buy it for your kids. Buy it for your nieces and nephews, grandkids and friends. Buy it for yourself."


By Emma Hardman*, from Emma's South Coast Writing Newsletter
(* 2-time winner of the Byron Shire Short Story Competition)