The 13th Horseman: Yup...the 13th

With my head firmly rooted back into kid's books I decided to start reading proofs like they were going out of fashion, I just love quick reads!  "The 13th Horseman" by Barry Hutchison is rushing to the shops in March 2012 and looks set to be a firm recommend for anyone who loves Terry Pratchett or Jonathan Stroud.  Why I chose to read this...no idea, but it does have a rather shiny pony on the front cover with a very large chap sat on the back wielding a pointy sword, it also has a child sat on it's back that looks close to soiling himself, this might have been the selling point for me...but who knows.

We are dropped into the world of the vastly misunderstood Drake, a teenager that stumbles upon a shed in his back garden with some rather peculiar occupants.  Those occupants inform him that he is to be a Horseman of the Apocalypse, and the most important one to boot, Death himself.  Obviously this comes as rather a shock to Drake and the visage of the other three horseman is rather off putting, War with his large stature and abundance of scars, Pestilence with his terrible skin conditions and last but certainly not least Famine, a very, very large fellow that will eat just about anything he can lay his chubby hands on.  A wonderfully funny tale of adventure ensues as Drake tries his hardest to not be Death, then he decides he should perhaps perform the role after all...shame he can't whistle for his horse (Drake is rather terrible at whistling).

I adored this, it was laugh out loud funny (and I don't say that lightly).  Each character had their own quirk that made them entertaining and the narrative runs at such a pace you might even have trouble keeping up with it!  By far the best bit is when Famine is used much like the pebble from the David and Goliath myth, as he is catapulted high into the air to smack a gigantic world destroying robot in the forehead...genius.  There is a large number of incidents that will make you giggle alongside the Famine chucking incident, such as the shed that wont leave Drake alone, Pestilence's constant scratching, and Famine's lack of horse...he trundles along on a very slow mobility scooter!  This is a work of creative madness and a rather fine one at that, perfectly marketed at a teen audience but never violent or graphic enough so that a younger person with a suitable reading age couldn't pick it up.

There is not really any new ground covered here, but it is a satisfying read that will please just about anyone that loves a rather funny fantasy.  This is your almost typical end of the world narrative as of course the hero saves the day (if you would call Death a hero, but each to their own), the quirk definitely lies in the Horsemen themselves, they are rather unforgettable characters.

Oh..and the cover is just brilliant, a good one for a face out on my shelves at work!