Twisthorn Bellow
A novel by Rhys Hughes
PAPERBACK: $1999 / £1199 [ISBN: 978–0–9811597–1–3]
Published: March 26th, 2010
eBOOK: $499 (about £299 or €349) [ISBN: 978–0–9811597–5–1]
Published: March 26th, 2010
It may come as no surprise that France wants to take over the world again. But this time they plan to go much further and gain control of the spiritual dimensions too, making French the official language of the afterlife! Twisthorn Bellow is a freshly baked golem who has fallen into a vat of nitroglycerin, turning him into a living stick of dynamite. As well as battling against monsters and rock musicians, he's the only thing that can preserve and protect the glorious British Empire and prevent the French-ification of the entire cosmos. But considering the French have all the best ideas and tunes, he doesn't stand a soufflé in Hell's chance!
Twisthorn Bellow:
He's dynamite; and he has a short fuse!
Rhys Hughes once again foists his mad tale-spinning ability upon the world with this brand-new novel of monsters attacking all that is bad (musicians, Frenchmen… you know, those sort of people), tipping his hat in the direction of both 'Hellboy' and Philip José Farmer in the process. when this author describes something as "this is the maddest thing I've ever written", you know you're in for something special.
How to Kill Fiends & Intimidate People:
- Set yourself a golem;
- Give that golem a piece of your mind;
- Unleash him on an unsuspecting world…
Praise for Twisthorn Bellow:
Rhys Hughes is so completely his own creature that words fail when it comes to describing his work; 'Rhys Hughesian?' I don't think that's gonna fly. How about just ODD? But odd in the best possible way: the kind of odd that is, at times, goofy (I like the word 'imbecilic') and yet you are always keenly aware that he is a super genius, that he is toying with his reader like a madman (a genius madman having way too much fun) poking and prodding a little tiny octopus with a spoon. In a good way.
— Mike Mignola; creator of Hellboy
Hughes has claimed the book is his tribute to Philip José Farmer… but he is a writer who wears his influences lightly and the spirits of other literary worthies gleefully flit in and out of the text… each contributing something to the tasty brew that ultimately is all Hughes’ own.
… There are running jokes… sight jokes… and wordplay… and just about everything else that you’d expect from Hughes… with the reader not given a second in which to catch his or her breath.
… Rhys Hughes is more fun than one of those barrels of monkeys people talk about, and you’re probably going to have a good time with his book.
Rhys Hughes is a demented writer. That much the world knew… Anytime a story erupts with the concept of France taking over the planet and even the afterlife… you know the reading will be just a bit off center… A weird, weird, weird but fun read.
— Dave Simms, HorrorWorld.org
Hughes (Engelbrecht Again!) spins an absurdist tale of a supernatural defence agency protecting British interests at home and abroad from monstrous threats, the most monstrous being (of course) the French… Eventually, as narrated by the Eiffel Tower, they confront the chief villain in his subterranean lair beneath Strasbourg. Wordplay, fractured classical mythology, pop culture and homages to fellow authors, above all the late Philip José Farmer… heavy satire… gonzo… tomfoolery.
— Publishers Weekly
For the readers who relish ideas over plotting, and for sheer generation of ideas, word play and dazzling creativity, Rhys Hughes is a hard act to match; Twisthorn Bellow is Hughes at his most madly inventive.
— Colin Harvey, "Sci-Fi/Fantasy Fiction", Suite 101
Praise for Mr. Hughes:
Highly original and chimerical monsters.
— S.T. Joshi
Rhys Hughes seems almost the sum of our planet’s literature… Few living fictioneers approach this chef’s sardonic confections, certainly not in English.
— Michael Moorcock
Just beginning to read: saliva already forming on chin..
— Brian Aldiss
This is just a flat-out fun reading experience. With a sprinkle of science fiction and a dash of fantasy mixed with a whole lot of humour, Less Lonely Planet stands out on its own with an originality and all-out humour that you don't see very often within the sci-fi and fantasy genre… Hughes has taken up the baton from such great humorous writers as Terry Pratchett or Neil Gaiman and run off in his own direction proving he is an author that stands out from the rest. Less Lonely Planet by Rhys Hughes is an extremely enjoyable short story collection that will leave you with a whole new humorous outlook on life...
— Horror World review by Joe Kroeger; June 2008
