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Title: EVERY LITTLE EVIL
Series: THE HIPPOSYNC ARCHIVES – BOOK 0
Author: D.C. FARMER
Type of Book: EBOOK
Genre: HUMOROUS URBAN FANTASY FICTION
Length: 66 PAGES
Publisher: WYRMWOOD BOOKS
Release Date: MAY 29, 2016
ISBN: 9780993273469
Price: FREE ON AMAZON
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5 STARS 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
FROM THE INTRODUCTION:
On the banks of the canal in Jericho, Oxford, sits a very ordinary-looking commercial property with a sign that says, “Hipposync Enterprises, Dealers in Rare Books & Manuscripts.”
Many people have read that sign and moved on, pausing only to wonder if such a shabby concern is still in business. But behind that careworn facade lives something else altogether. Something strange and arcane and vital to the security of the country and…yes, very probably the world.
So what do they really do in Hipposync Enterprises?
This book is the first in a series recounting the cases plucked from their archives.
Ready?
Then buckle up.
MY REVIEW:
This book is the first of a series called HIPPOSYNC ENTERPRISES.
This novella is a wonderful introduction to the author’s world. In the real world (the one us humans inhabit) the Minister for Internal Affairs, Sebastian O’Hoy (known to the tabloids as SoHo) has disappeared from his highly secure home and seems to have vanished into thin air. “They are certain he did not leave the premises last night, but there is no sign of him this morning … There were symbols scrawled on the bedroom wall in what appears to be blood…”
Because of the strange symbols on the wall, the Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland decides that he needs to call the DOF – The Department of Fimmigration. “The DOF’s real function, of course, was to monitor the comings and goings of their own people, those Fae (Homo Elementus) who wanted to try their luck in a world where their own toned-down supernatural skills might be of some use.”
Captain Kylah Porter is a Fae and she is put in charge of finding the wayward Minister. The local police liason assigned to work with her thinks the DOF is a joke and that the regular police do not need their help. Kylah is sure that the disappearance has something to do with the Fae.
To that end, she travels to the hidden realm that most humans do not believe exists. It is a place where “Self-Stacking cutlery, bottomless drinking mugs, stay-warm toilet seats – all were a reality of daily life.”
What follows is part mystery, part comedy, part thriller and even part love story. All these parts add up to one highly entertaining read.
My favorite line in the novella is the author’s description of the facade of the building that houses Hipposync Enterprises, Dealers in Rare Books & Manuscripts (which is actually the Headquarters of the DOF).
“Its roots were exemplified by ornate signage: a hanging board with more calligraphic curlicues than a Christina Aguilera wig.”
There is also a character in the story named Mr. Viarga, who “… stood beneath them with a wooden ruler pointing hither and thither.” Get it? Viarga – wood? Ha ha!
I enjoyed this quick read and it has piqued my interest in the Hipposync Enterprises Series. I am not usually a fan of urban fantasy as it all seems the same to me, but EVERY LITTLE EVIL breaks the mold and creates its own niche genre.
I rate this book as 5 out of 5 Stars for pure ingenuity and uniqueness. I am now a fan of author D.C. Farmer.
I recommend this book to people who enjoy such reads as Piers Anthony’s Xanth series. Plus, the book is FREE, so you have nothing to lose.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Once a successful doctor of medicine, DC Farmer now works two days a week for the NHS and, thanks to the wonders of Krudian physics, the other nine days a week for Hipposync Enterprises, as a scribe.
Hipposync was established in the early fourteenth century as a purveyor and publisher of rare books, the sort of stuff you are not able to get elsewhere and which contains information as varied as how to guard your castle against the Hordes of Maltasub using Harpie blood and tar, and how to change a beetle into a useful toothpick.
DC’s role in documenting the work of the Fimmigration Service has, over the years, led to the realization that the world needs to know. Moreover, if he doesn’t tell someone soon he is going to burst. So, within the pages of his books you will find actual accounts of the splendid work of the Fimmigration Service, beginning with The 400 Lb Gorilla.
DC Farmer is alive and well in darkest Wales.
To learn more about this author visit the following links:
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