The Humorist by Russell Kane

Title: The Humorist

Author: Russell Kane

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK

Release Date: 25th October 2012

Genre: Thriller

Summary:

Benjamin White, London's most feared comedy critic, has the ability to understand humour at its deepest level. However, he has never smiled of laughed in his life. One day he stumbles upon the formula for the world's most powerful joke. A joke unlike any other. A joke that can kill. 

Review:

I was suckered into reading this book after seeing Russell Kane doing an interview about it on TV. I thought I'd give it a go. Meh.

Whilst the concept behind the book was interesting and the plot very original; the further I got into it, it became a chore. This is the first book I've actually looked forward to finishing!

There are two main issues I had with the book; the main character and the progression of the plot. Firstly, I found the main character unloveable, dark and hard to tolerate. In the end I even found myself egging him on screw up his life! He was that annoying.

Secondly, I thought the plot moved incredibly slowly, moving from present say to irrelevant flashbacks constantly. It got to the point where I had no idea what was going on! Normally they make characters more belieavable and less one dimensional but when they go on for pages and pages and pages; it just ruins it. I found myself having to go back to the beginning of the anecdote just to remember what was happening in the first place! Not fun.

Considering that this is Russell Kane's first book; I think it is average. His comedic flare is obvious throughout and his knowledge about the comedy industry makes for interesting reading. However, his writing style could be improved. 

Rating: 4/10

You can buy The Humorist from Amazon here.