Throwing a bishop out of a window, no matter how humorous, is never advisable and often leads to serious consequences. In the case of The Sisters Of Kirley, that means excommunication, which doesn’t look good on a C V and considerably lessens your job prospects. This is the premise upon which this individualistic humorously bizarre fantasy fiction book is based.
But things soon look, up as the Sisters have a stroke of good fortune with the horses at the local bookmaker’s and the discovery of a Gutenberg Bible and some other rather valuable books in the convent library. With their future secured, life is looking pretty good and the Sisters settle down into their new lives.
But, like putting a good paella together, life is never that simple. Things take a turn towards the dark side with the appearance of Dr Francis K Town, who seems to be over seven hundred years old and has an unearthly interest in nearby Dead Monks Tor. Just why does the National Grid have to be diverted to the Tor? Soon the ex-Sisters find themselves embroiled in an unlikely plot involving an alien tourist and his henchman to take over the world.
But just how do you go about saving the world? The Sisters have no idea, and so, as you can’t do everything yourself, they enlist some rather far-fetched help from some unusual sources. And as for the llamas… well, that would be giving the game away, though it can be said that they do play an integral part in the unfolding events.
So who will save the day? The ex-nuns? Igor the gargoyle? The rather questionable policemen? Or Sir Roger, the medieval knight resurrected in case of emergency? Be prepared to be surprised by the somewhat dubious finale as the final showdown takes place on the night of Kirley Policeman’s Ball (an event not be missed and for which even Kirley’s forger-in-residence cannot produce enough tickets).
Along the way, marvel at the evil machinations of a mad alien, find out why llamas don’t run in the Derby, enjoy the spectacle of the world’s first documented case of a battle between circuses and positively cringe at the musical renditions of the Kirley Women’s Guild!
If you enjoy Robert Rankin and Tom Holt, then you’ll enjoy this book as the characters stumble from one unlikely hilarious scenario to another. Be seriously amused by this unlikely combination of madcap characters, bizarre events and downright crazy developments. A must-read debut novel that is predicted to take the Kindle humour category by storm.
