Tuesday, September 28, 2010

The Pig Scrolls by Gryllus the Pig by Paul Shipton

This is the first book in a series, and I gave it a rating of 4 out of 5. The novel is a humorous twist on Greek mythology, and follows the adventures of Gryllus, a talking pig. All of the gods and goddesses have gone into hiding, and a prophetess, Sibyl has been told by Apollo that the talking pig and a goatherder are the keys to saving the world. Gryllus is, well, a lazy pig and is reluctant to help. There are obstacles faced along the way as Gryllus, the goatherder, and Sibyl try to fulfill their quest.

I enjoyed the unusual plot; you don't often find gods and goddesses running away in terror. Greek mythology was the backbone of this novel, but I enjoyed the humorous references to the future. For example, Thales invented an electromagnet that was used to defeat attacking birds, and he split an atom to power his toaster. There was a nice twist to the climax of the plot. Good readers would realize the apparent solution to the problem was not the climax; there were too many pages left in the book, and it was solved too easily. A better climax evolved at the end.

Although I enjoyed the book, I am not looking to read more books in the series. I can understand people wanting to read the continuing adventures of Gryllus the pig, but I grew tired of his characterization. I know he's a lazy pig, but I got tired of being reminded of it throughout the book.

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