Subject: Flying Bore -- review of Holt's FLYING DUTCH (REPOST)

From: [email-masked] (Alan Wexelblat)
Date: Tue, 18 Apr 1995 21:11:36 GMT

Flying Dutch
		      by Tom Holt
		Review Copyright (c) 1995 Alan Wexelblat

OK, I give up.  Tom Holt has taken a good idea -- update classic literary
stories into modern England -- and bored it to death.  His first effort
"Expecting Someone Taller," was actually amusing, possibly because there's
so much material for parody in Wagner's Ring cycle and the legends on which
it was based.  The second, "Who's Afraid of Beowulf?", wasn't per se funny,
but it had a touchingly silly plot and I forgave its flaws.  "Flying Dutch"
doesn't even manage silliness.

The plot is essentially the same as in "Who's Afraid..." -- in this case the
Dutchman is not reawakened, but just comes to shore only once every seven
years.  Once again there's an evil wizard, er alchemist this time, who
secretly controls the world and is responsible for most modern technological
inventions.  Once again there is a young woman who doesn't fit into the
modern world, in this case she's a nebbish accountant rather than a
reporter, to fall in love with the hero.  Once again, there's a stupid (as
in deliberately-written-as-unintelligent) crew with amusing names to go get
drunk and smash up the local pubs.

This time there isn't even any conflict to liven things up.  The alchemist
isn't really evil nor really opposed to the Dutchman and the cause they're
crusading for is not saving the world, but getting rid of the stink.  The
problem is that the Dutchman and his crew drank the alchemist's potion which
made them immortal and invulnerable but causes them to stink unbearably for
six years and eleven months out of every cycle.

It's deadly dull -- British humor at its worst (American humor at its worst
is offensive).  Unless someone can tell me things get better I won't be
buying any more Holt books.

%A Holt, Tom 
%T Flying Dutch
%I Ace Fantasy
%C New York
%D 1991
%G ISBN 0-441-24193-X
%O $4.50