Audiobook Review: "Trunk and Disorderly" by Charlie Stross (2007)
Posted on February 22nd, 2008
Charlie Stross, perhaps the most entertaining science fiction author writing today, is known for his ability to cross genres. He puts that ability to good use in this novelette by dropping P.G. Wodehouse characters into an early-but-updated science fiction adventure.
Ralph is the main character, a Bertie Wooster of the future: he lives off his aristocratic family, is a faithful club member, drinks as if alcohol contained vital nutrients necessary to his daily survival, is infatuated with his on-again-off-again robot girlfriend Laura, and relies almost utterly upon his butler for everything.
Miss Feng is the Jeeves-ian hyper-capable butler who deals with all the unpleasantness in Ralph’s life as well as feeds him reminders, minds his actions, and generally plays nursemaid to the spoiled but eminently likeable Ralph.
The tale begins as Laura leaves Ralph as he prepares to do some Martian sky surfing, an occurrence dashedly inconvenient to Ralph as the danger always left Laura in the mood for love.
Ralph is then invited to a birthday party by the younger brother of the Emir of Mars held at the Emir’s stronghold. Lots of food and drink, and a contest for the selection of the Emir’s concubine, although it turns out that the losers tend to lose their heads, and not in the figurative sense.
Laura, of course, has somehow been added to the list of the contestants and Ralph sees that he will have to save Laura, save the Emir from the evil eunuch Vizier, and escape the impregnable fortress. Then it will be cocktails all around, what?
Stross has again penned a delightfully funny tale and the narrator does a tremendous job- I don’t know if I could have handled all the “what?”, ‘jolly good” and “dash it” talk if it were not for the narrator blurting them out in his English accent.
Excellent/Highly Recommended. You can download it or listen to it online here.
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