The Cakes of Wrath

Martin Cox

Average Rating 7/10 (1 Review)

A collapsed soufflé was the least of Iain’s problems. Far worse were the cream cakes that had just devoured his customers!

When a mad man and a witch plot to destroy the world using an army of man-eating cakes Fate throws a terrified chef in their way.

With the help of a dwarf, a reluctant barmaid, and a heroic young woman, Iain must somehow find a way to stop this baked battalion before the entire world becomes little more than cake filling.

Review by Ray (060704) Rating (7/10)

Review by Ray
Rating 7/10
The book opens in a dramatic way with witches, stormy weather and evil cackling only to culminate by a more than out of place shout of 'Cake!' This sets the story up for an unlikely hero, a Nasty baddy, an even nastier mother, a dastardly scheme and cakes of mass destruction (?!?!)

The story has all the ingredients (groan) that it needs to keep the reader thoroughly engaged. The feisty heroine leads the no-hoper Iain on a journey to save the day and meets bizarre creatures along the way. A favourite of mine in the plethora of beasts was the witches' hut that needed a manicure. Very odd you may think but funny when you read it, honest!

When Nigel suggested this as my kind of thing, I took one look at the cover and was unsure. The cover does not really do this book justice. So as they say I tried not to judge it as such.

It is slow to start, but after a chapter or so it gathers pace and Cox builds a clever, if predictable in places, yarn of good over evil. Some of the story seems to be aimed at a lower age group, with parts of the writing making me feel very old. Very PC I thought.

Ignoring that, with descriptive humorous passages and jokes-a-plenty, getting better as the book progresses, I was sniggering and smirking as if reading an old Pratchett book.

This book did surprise me, so give it a chance, ignore the cover*, and enjoy the yarn. It's funny, it's easy to read and well worth the time.

Now where’s my cup of tea and cake... arrgh, its got teeth!
*no offence to the cover artist! :)
Ray (6th July 2004)