Shelly's Book Blog

Alex and the Ironic Gentleman, by Adrienne Kress, shares its brand of humor with the Series of Unfortunate Events books by Lemony Snicket. Example: the beginning of chapter 11:

"What is a bad sign? Perhaps one that has mud all over it so you can't read how far it is until the next highway service center. Or perhaps one that is so rebellious that, no matter how many times you write 'Danger: Falling rocks ahead,' it insists on saying 'Do Come Over Here and Stand Under this Precariously Teetering Boulder.' " (p. 71)

This story both surprised and delighted me. Once she figured out that she needed to go there, I expected Alex to quickly make her way to sea. However, her journey to the ship took a meandering route, and she had the opportunity to meet and interact with several characters who would not have been out of place in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.  The Extremely Ginormous Octopus, with Alex's help, discovers his call to the stage; the three Daughters of the Founding Fathers' Preservation Society pursue Alex relentlessly, all because Alex dares to cross the sacred rope restricting access in the Steele manor house; and Lord Poppipnjay, owner of a guest-free hotel in the middle of a forest, hires Alex as his assistant because he is convinced she can read his mind. There a many more wonderfully imagined and realized characters to savor as one makes her way through this story. I will recommend it to fantasy fans who are looking for something that will make them laugh but that is also a little off the beaten path. I enjoyed this book!