Robin Anderson Author Reviews

Crisp & Golden

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"Robin Anderson dishes up another hilarious farce."
Grady Harp - Amazon - January 2015

For those who have followed at least a few of the many books penned by British author Robin Anderson
this latest foray into the naughty of adult `fairy' tales will come as perhaps no surprise but will be welcomed
with a least a dozen laughs on every page. As this reviewer has written before, `Robin Anderson is a unique
writer with no imitators: no one can write hilarious fiction with as many sexy zingers and wild characters as
he.' The words stand and are embellished by this his loony foray into make believe land (as if all of his
book were not make believe, so outrageous they all continue to be!).

Anderson's ability to find character's names pushes the envelope on the Thesaurus - plays on words, names of extreme creativity pepper this hilarious tale best summarized by Robin: `Can the combination of living in Manson Mews, the renamed The Corpse (as opposed to its original The Copse) and a cheery nursery rhyme which sinisterly becomes a nasty rhyme ever be excused for the subsequent horrors they create? According to Crispin Catchpole and his partner Myles Golden the answer is a resounding "Yes!" However, unbeknown to Crispin his very own "Daddy Dearest" - aka Christopher Catchpole -has ideas of his own. Ideas, which aided and abetted by this ruthless "clean up" team, make names such as Manson and The Corpse pale into insignificance. For when the Three Little Piggies meet the Three Vees - Venom, VitriolL and Vengeance - the reader has no alternative but to grim and bear it!'

Few other authors can so consistently create such high camp and keep it fresh as this morning's hor d'oeuvres. Yes, he is naughty, but his subject matter is all the rage in the media art present. Thanks goodness Robin keeps writing and keeping every new tale something we all want to twist.

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"Daddy Dearest."
Amos Lassen

I stand in awe of Robin Anderson. I do not know how he does it – Anderson has the ability to write seemingly nonstop and he constantly has new books with new ideas and new characters. Reading Anderson is akin to reading the great satires of Jonathan Swift with the difference being that Anderson’s satire does not really hit us until we close the covers. As we read we are treated to great humor and
wonderful tongue-in-cheek plots and characterizations.

I so want to relate the plot of “Crisp and Golden” but that would be a disservice to anyone who has not yet read the book. Once again we have an unbelievable cast of characters that are totally believable and the only way you will understand this sentence is to read the book. The setting is Manson Mews whose name is changed to The Corpse (instead of its original name, The Copse. With that sentence you should be able
to understand where this book is going. Our two main characters are Crispin Catchpole and Myles Golden
(Hence the title “Crisp and Golden”), two men who are in love with each in their special ways. Crispin’s father, Christopher does not agree with the way his son lives and the name of the place. He has ideas of his own and he has partnered with a team who plan to clean everything up. The blurb tells us that the book is full of venom, vengeance and vitriol and while this indeed sound ominous, they provide great fun in the novel.

Since I am relating any of the plot to you, I can only say that this is one of the books that is fun to read while making us think at the same time and if for no other reason, this is a wonderful read. I also love that author Anderson has dedicated this book to me and to Sophie, my Jack Russell Terrorist. I do not want anyone to think I am short changing them by not saying more but once you begin to read you will understand why I have only written what will not give anything away.

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