The End of Days. A novella by Douglas Lindsay. 2011. Blasted Heath (ePub). ISBN 978-1-908688-12-5.
A hilarious novella in Douglas Lindsay’s series about Barney Thomson, the much sought-after Scottish barber with magical talents in the hair department. It is set in December 2009 and there is big trouble down in Westminster. Ratings are slipping and the expenses scandal is set to blow out of control, so our Barney is called upon to save the day, by giving the flagging Prime Minister a killer haircut. This he does and, much to the PMs delight, his ratings start to climb once more. As seems to be the norm for poor old Barney, wherever he goes a trail of murder and mayhem seems to follow. Pretty soon, MPs are being slaughtered in worryingly large numbers and blood is gushing and squirting right, left and centre. Somewhat bemused, Barney, who has never been accused of anything in his life, is now dragged in for questioning and this is when things really start to get interesting.
A highly entertaining, quick and easy, read. THE END OF DAYS tickled me so much that I snorted loudly on the bus several times before I remembered where I was. It is full of amusing, yet painfully accurate, observations of the British people, our Government and our national relationship with the USA. It points at the way “celebrity”, reality TV and physical appearance are now more important than politics for the vast majority – politicians included - and is so effectively well written that you just can’t help but laugh at the stupidity of us all.
Very Highly Recommended.
