Who left the corporations in charge of designing the universe?
Jeh, megalomaniac and egotistical, might not be your first choice as head of an unhinged design team if you are looking to create a well-rounded, sensible new world. However, if you’re looking for a hilarious, creative, and occasionally deranged romp of fun, he absolutely is your man (sorry, Lucy!).
Sam Hill’s The Little Lives of the Pocketverse is a uniquely funny, dark, inventive, irreverent, and thoroughly enjoyable read.
What I should specify upfront is that Pocketverse is a comedic story set in a fantasy world rather than a fantasy story with comedy elements. Think Douglas Adam’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or Walter Moers’ Captain Bluebear, and you’ll have a good idea of what you’re in for. The jokes take precedence above both plot and characters and Hill’s novel, at times, reads almost like a comedy set.
Much of the plot is structured around the history of the eponymous Pocketverse, starting from its first creation, following its developing cultures, and finally exploring the very structure of life and death. You will meet a host of characters, many finding an unspectacular if amusing end at the hands of what can only be described as questionable universe design. Some characters also make repeat returns, giving the reader familiar favourites to hold on to (I had to smile every time Karl was mentioned!).
Within such a quick-shifting and ambitious story, Hill makes the sensible choice to include a secondary, structuring plot about the inner workings of the design team, detailing the conflict between the aforementioned Jeh and Lucy, the only woman on the team. This second plotline does much to ground the reading experience, as do Hill’s other attempts to structure a plot that might otherwise threaten to amble.
The world of Pocketverse is both unique and inventive while also occasionally relying on deconstructed folk tales and popular culture references. Those references give the reader a familiar structure to follow within an ever-shifting and original world. However, I can’t help but feel that I preferred the novel when it was driven by completely fresh ideas – of which Hill has many – rather than when I was following a rewriting of Frankenstein, for instance, as amusing as that addition was.
What keeps this book from being a perfect 5/5 is the level of editing. There are frequent issues with punctuation, and the sentence structure could, on occasion, also have used a second look. None of this detracts massively from the reading experience, and I would still highly recommend Pocketverse to anyone who enjoys irreverent, dark fantasy comedies. However, a pass by a professional editor would have made a difference here.
TL;DR: Overall, I would recommend this for fans of dark fantasy humour. Pocketverse is an incredibly funny and rewarding read and a thoroughly unique and creative achievement.
Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Reedsy Discovery. I am not affiliated with the author or the publishing press.
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