The Wrong Stuff: A Humorous Dystopian Sci Fi Novel

M T McGuire

Apr 2020 · K'Barthan Series Book 2 · Hamgee University Press · Narrated by Gareth Davies

About this audiobook

A man called by fate. The wrong man

The Pan of Hamgee is not a natural knight in shining armour. Yet he has escaped from police custody in K’Barth, switched realities and foiled Lord Vernon’s attempt to kidnap Ruth, the Chosen One, from the Festival Hall. Pretty good, he thinks.

However, Ruth thinks otherwise. Being pursued by Lord Vernon is bad enough. Now, thanks to The Pan, she’s on the run. They are both alive, of course, but with Lord Vernon on their tail neither of them can be sure how long for.

To save K'Barth and Ruth, the woman of his dreams, The Pan must introduce her to the Candidate, who is prophesied to be the man of her dreams. And he must do it fast – before Lord Vernon finds her. But the gentleman in question is in hiding and no-one knows where. Only The Pan can find him, if he can bring himself to unite them.

19 hrs long

A WORD WITH THE AUTHOR

Q - What made you write the K'Barthan Series? Why is it special?

A - You know the saying: that if the book you want doesn't exist you must write it? That. I love funny British authors, comedic sci fi, epic fantasy, adventure, action, humour - or humor. Misfit characters are great, the weirder the better and an evil baddie. I like genre fiction mashups: StarWars with alien races, flying cars, car chases, static powered laser guns. Dr Who meets Terry Pratchett and James Bond. K'Barth is kind of first contact, only not. There are many quirky characters, from 6ft Swamp Things with antennae to cute furry Blurpons with fluffy ears, big button eyes and penchant for extreme violence. But the eternal questions they face mirror ours.

This is the 2nd book in a series of 4. If you haven't listened Few Are Chosen, it's best to start there. The others are:

• One Man: No Plan, K'Barthan Series: Part 3,
• Looking For Trouble, K'Barthan Series: Part 4
• Unlucky Dip free 30min prequel.

Ratings and reviews

This is the second book in MT McGuire's K'Barthan series, described as 'comedic sci fi fantasy', and compared by many reviewers to the writing of Douglas Adams and Sir Terry Pratchett. That might be a lot to live up to, but once again the author delivers. This book follows series protagonist the Pan of Hamgee out of K'Barth, and into London - same planet, alternate reality - with dangerous, destructive, heartwarming and laugh-out-loud results. The Pan is on the run, again, and trying to save the life of a girl he's only seen from a distance. He screws up, he wreaks havoc on famous landmarks, and he forces everyone - the girl he's saving, her flatmate, and the gang boss he works for back home - into hiding. Once again, the comedic setting allows the author to explore the dangers of living in a dictatorship, and the courage it takes to fight back, without ever sounding preachy or earnest. Setting the book in London moves the action closer to the reader, and brings the threat and the action out of the fantasy world of K'Barth and into locations we recognise. I really enjoyed the manic scenes of destruction in the capital, and the efforts of two Metropolitan Police detectives to understand what is happening to their city. The series is populated with deeply human, sympathetic characters, and the police officers, resistance members, and old friends from the first book are no exception. That said, my favourite character is probably the one who breaks all these rules - Nigel, the awful ex-boyfriend, is spectacularly pompous and very, very funny. I listened to the audiobook edition of 'The Wrong Stuff', and once again I have to mention the fantastic narration. Gareth Davies does an absolutely brilliant job of bringing the story to life. His delivery is perfect for the comedic but perilous plot, and his voices for the increasingly large cast of characters are superb. I'm using this series as a bribe to get myself to exercise, and once again the author and narrator have managed to make me laugh out loud many times while speed-walking on a treadmill. Another highly recommended K'Barthan story!