A girl is attacked in the downpour by two men. A young man jumps out the manhole and saves her life. He is Dodger, and in a matter of minutes, he is to meet Charlie Dickens and his friend, Henry Mayhew...A fun quirky adventure written in the hilarious and brilliant style expected from the late and great Terry Pratchett. If you have read Pratchett, then you know exactly what I mean. If you haven't - don't start with this one.
While this is not my favourite Pratchett, Dodger was still delightful. Any reader familiar with Dickens's works will find easter eggs throughout the books which just add to the fun. The social commentary of the times was spot on, and although the story was funny, the lives of the poor during Victoria's reign was not romanticised - unless talking about Dodger. I liked that Pratchett referred to this as historical fantasy. There were so many allusions: I caught many, acknowledged that some were allusions but that I didn't get them, and probably missed a gazillion others completely.
Dodger's character was fun. He was totally unbelievable and larger than life, but enjoyable. I constantly found myself wondering what on earth he was going to do next. I also found a spot in my heart for his friend Solomon and, oddly enough, the dog Onan , original scent and all.
I am not too sure how successful this book is as a young adult book. There was far too much history and far too many allusions to assume that the average teen would be familiar with it. I must also say that the slang of the times got a bit daunting in places. But for every other reason, it was still an enjoyable read.
I gave this 4 stars on Goodreads and it is the 16th book completed for the 2015 TBR Pile Reading challenge.
OK, now I am off to pack. Forget the clothes. Which books should I take???
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