View source for A Toaster on Mars by Darrell Pitt

{{infobox1
|title=A Toaster on Mars
|sort=Toaster on Mars
|author=Darrell Pitt
|reviewer= Louise Jones
|genre=Science Fiction
|summary= A surreal space-hop adventure which sees our hero travelling through time and space in pursuit of the evil genius who kidnapped his daughter.
|rating=4
|buy=yes
|borrow=yes
|pages=240
|publisher=Text Publishing Company
|date=February 2017
|isbn=9781922182869
|website=http://www.darrellpitt.com
|cover=1922182869
|aznuk=1922182869
|aznus=1922182869
}}

WARNING:

''...reading this book prior to the 26th century is breaking the law. The penalty for such a crime is nine years in jail and 300 hours of listening to The Greatest Hits of Looloo Jones and his Singing Dachshund Quartet.''

But if you are willing to take the risk, then by all means, read on...

Blake Carter is a PBI agent who has spent most of his career tracking down the most dangerous criminal in the universe: Bartholomew Badde. Things start to get personal when Badde kidnaps Blake's tween daughter, Lisa, and soon Blake, his cyborg partner Nikki and ex-wife Astrid embark on a surreal, inter-dimensional quest to get her back. This is a world where literally ''anything'' can happen (and frequently does), so if the idea of talking kitchen appliances, carnivorous radioactive cheese sandwiches and a pocket-dimension full of Elvises seems appealing, then this might be the perfect book for you.

Readers will make obvious comparisons with authors like Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett and ''A Toaster on Mars'' draws heavily on their influence, providing a warm and fond tribute to their style of humour. There is certainly a gap in the market for this type of book, and Darrell Pitt has done an excellent job helping to fill it, whilst adding enough of his own unique writing style to differentiate his work from those who have gone before him.

Enjoyment of the book will largely depend on the reader's sense of humour. I found the jokes to be hit and miss, but when the author does hit the mark, he does so with style. I particularly liked the ''asides'' from exuberant editor Zeeb Blatsnart, who likes to fill us in on those little extra details that really help bring the story to life. When the ''daft'' setting is turned up to the maximum, it works exceptionally well.

The author has set things up nicely for a sequel, which I look forward to reading, especially to learn more about Nikki's origins and to see more of space-pirate Captain Rasmussen Goyle and his rancid ship. I can't wait to see what weird adventures are next in store for our heroes.

Fans of this book are sure to enjoy [[The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy - The Nearly Definitive Edition by Douglas Adams]]: a Bookbag favourite.

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