K'Barthan Box Set: All four K'Barthan Series Novels in one huge ebook.

M T McGuire

Sep 2016 · Hamgee University Press

About this ebook

A man chosen by destiny. The wrong man.

All The Pan of Hamgee wants is a quiet life.

So why did he have to fall in love with a woman living a different version of reality, upset a murderous tyrant and then run out of places to hide?

Now all he has to do is face his inner demons, rescue everything he holds dear and save the world, or die trying.

Oh yes, and he's an abject coward.

Great. No pressure then.

Written in British English with a little light swearing.

Suggested cinema rating: PG

This is the box set version of a completed science fiction series.

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q - Who would like this book?

Written in British English with a dash of light searing. Suitable for ages 10 and up - any younger readers who have read all the Harry Potter books without any worries will be fine with the K'Barthan Series.

Suggested cinema rating, PG.

INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR

Q – So, tell us about the K’Barthan Series. What made you write it? What makes it special?

A - Q – So, what made you write this series?

A – If you want the honest answer I wrote it for me. As a reader, I love British satire and humor (or humour). I love wit; funny epic fantasy series like the Discworld novels and comedic sci fi like Douglas Adams. I like sff and speculative fiction but the best science fiction and fantasy stories, for me, are funny, I like adventure and action and a gripping tale that zips along quickly. And of course, I like genre fiction mashups; Douglas Adams meets StarTrek and James Bond - with a smidgeon of Dr Who and a dash of romance (but no squelchy bits). Think Father Ted meets Red Dwarf or then again ... maybe don't. I wanted a fast paced story, a gripping tale but at the same time a funny one. Comedy in the tradition of all the great humorous British authors, something light and witty and clever. I wanted protagonists people could love and empathise with, mavericks, misfit characters, real people ... except they're not all people obviously, some of them are other alien (ish) species. The K'Barthan series about misfit heroes and heroines winning the day, it’s about good versus evil even when the good guys are on different sides. It's science fiction fantasy action - it's planet based, so it's a bit of a blend. It's pure portal fantasy, except it's comedy sci fi too. You'll find all sorts of quirky characters and interesting alien species: from 6ft Swamp Things with antennae to cute furry creatures like the Blurpons, with their fluffy ears, big button eyes and penchant for extreme violence.

Oh ... and did I mention the flying car chases?

Q – Do our readers have to read the K’Barthan Series in order?

A – Yes otherwise the character development – and some of the technology – will make less sense. That said, the series of K'Barthan Shorts I'm currently writing to go with it can be read any time. Well ... I say shorts, the fourth is a novel - sorry, back to the K'Barthan Series, the books go in this order:

- Unlucky Dip, K'Barthan Series: Prequel

- Few Are Chosen, K'Barthan Series: Part 1

- The Wrong Stuff, K'Barthan Series: Part 2

- One Man: No Plan, K'Barthan Series: Part 3

- Looking For Trouble, K'Barthan Series: Part 4

This volume contains the four full length books, without the prequel.

Q – What is your favourite kind of Book? Would The K'Barthan Series fit on the list?

A – Oh yes. As I mentioned earlier, I love humorous novels and comedic sci fi especially. I enjoy portal fantasy and parallel universes or realities - yes I loved the Narnia books and J R Tolkein, too. I also love a good super villain, a bad guy you love to hate. That said, a lot of my influences come from TV. There was this evening slot in the UK, after homework but before supper, when they showed old classic stuff on BBC2; original StarTrek, Get Smart, Hogan's Heroes, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. The persuaders, the Avengers, the Saint, Randal and Hopkirk Deceased, The Prisoner, Space 1999. Then there's Star Wars, Blake's Seven and Dr Who, and Red Dwarf, of course. I loved all that.

Q – Do you have a target reader?

A – Officially it’s young adults and teenagers. Now that it’s complete the series is certainly proving popular with a ya audience and I had my nephew in mind when I wrote them, who was a teenage at the time. 

However, I firmly believe that all the best books should hold a universal appeal, so I also wrote it for me. Thus far – if the people who contact me are anything to go by – it appeals to a certain type of person across the board. The oldest fan of the series I know of was in his 90s and the youngest,10. The kind of readers who review my stuff often compare it to Terry Pratchett's Discworld, Douglas Adams, Harry Potter and Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series (but don't expect this to be as good as any of those). People who like my stuff also enjoy Barry Hutchieson's Space Team books but again, while mine are good science fiction fantasy books, don't expect them to as good as all this stuff whatever the review say! This is just to give you a flavour of the kind of tone you might expect.

Fans of these other sci fi and fantasy authors may also enjoy this series:

Terry Brooks, Robert Rankin, C Gockel, Patty Jansen, JJ Greene, FJ Savage, Terry Gilliam, Grant Naylor, Robin Hobb, Terry Pratchett, Tom Holt, Robert Rankin, Douglas Adams, T M Catron, Scott Bartlett, Iain M Banks, Rebecca Douglass, Elly Griffith, Lindsey Davis, Lindsay Buroker, Jim Webster, Stephen King (stuff like the Green Mile or Shawshank Redemption), Jake Bible, Barry Hutchison, Nick Cole, Jason Anspach, Mark Tufo, Zen DePietro, PG Wodehouse, Bill Bryson, Micheal Palin, Anne McCaffrey, David Eddings, Terry Brooks, Jasper Fforde, Heide Goodey, Terry Brooks, Robert Rankin, C Gockel, Donald Swan

EM Foner, John Scalzi, Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, Robert A. Heinlein, Ben Bova, Jay Allan, Nick Webb, Neil Gaiman, Piers Anthony, Robert Asprin, Mercedes Lackey, C S Lewis, Eric Asher, Kev Partner, John Flanagan, Eoin Colfer, JK Rowling, Jane Austen, Darren Humphries, David Weber, John Ringo, Larry Correia, Anne McCaffrey, A G Riddle, Jodi Taylor, Jim Butcher, Michael Campling, Simon Dunn, Scott Sigler, T L Charles, Simon Haynes, Mike Resnick, John Russell Fearn, Benjamin Wallace, Carol Van Natta, Kerrie Noor, Spencer Honor

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Ratings and reviews

I fell in love with this series from the first book. It took me a few chapters to get caught up in the story and this new world but I'm glad I stuck with it. There is a cast of quirky characters throughout the books. If you like snarky British humor then this is definitely a series you need to read. These are not standalone books and, except for the last book, all end in cliffhangers. So you need to read these books in the order they were written. This series revolves around a character called The Pan of Hamgee. And yes, he even calls himself The Pan. He lives on K'Barth which is a parallel Earth but with a different version of reality. Events can switch between "this Earth" (as I've come to think of it since it contains familiar landmarks from London) and K'Barth. The Pan has been on his own and on the run since he was 16. Due to an unfortunate incident with a police sergeant, which happened entirely by accident, he has been blacklisted and on the run. One thing he is good at is getting away, both on foot and in a snurd (type of car). To survive he ends up being the getaway driver for a group of bank robbers and the story takes off from there. The Pan and the few allies he has are trying to stop Lord Vernon (who was the Police Sergeant who blacklisted him way back when) and his evil plans for world domination. There are plenty of challenges along the way which will keep you reading to the end of book four.

Loved it. Great series. Really readable gung-ho adventure.

About the author

M T McGuire is a forty-something stay-at-home mum. She used to do stand up but sat down to write books when she got married. Sixteen years later, she has finished the K’Barthan Series. She still checks all unfamiliar wardrobes for a gateway to Narnia, which probably tells you everything you need to know about her. She lives in Bury St Edmunds with a McOther a McSon and a McCat.

If you've read any of her stuff she'd like to say, 'thank you' and hopes you enjoyed it.

Her blog is at http://www.mtmcguire.co.uk and she's MTMcGuireauthor on twitter.