Take a photo of a barcode or cover
savage_book_review 's review for:
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
I needed something light and quick as a palette cleanser after finishing an epic beta read, so I grabbed this from the TBR pile. I know what you're thinking - looks like a cheap knock-off off 'Horrible Histories'. But actually, this pre-dates the first HH book by about 3 years! And when you take that into account, it helps reframe your thoughts on the book. It's the blueprint, the first draft, the initial attempt at a history book made fun.
The issue is, I found it missed the mark on both the 'informative' and 'funny' stakes. It's a race through 1,000 years of British history, structured in the usual way of examining the reign of each monarch (with a glance at pre-1066). But there isn't really any depth to the exploration - the majority of monarchs/events are lucky to get more than a paragraph. There is a section every so often that sets out a brief timeline of notable inventions or developments, but ultimately there's just not enough substantive content to make it worthwhile.
Similarly, the humour is... meh. There are a lot of asides and knowing eye rolls, but for a book seemingly aimed at a younger audience it doesn't quite feel right. And there are other comments and phrases used that, while not overtly offensive, do feel quite dated. For example, there are a few references to monarchs potentially being gay which don't come across very well any more, as are certain references to women and other nationalities.
The illustrations are quite good, but again are very reminiscent of Martin Brown's drawings in the HH books. Indeed, at one point I went to check that it wasn't the same illustrator!
Ultimately, this was something of nothing, and I'd say that HH learned from and improved the format greatly. But, if this was indeed the inspiration for HH, I have to be grateful for it!
The issue is, I found it missed the mark on both the 'informative' and 'funny' stakes. It's a race through 1,000 years of British history, structured in the usual way of examining the reign of each monarch (with a glance at pre-1066). But there isn't really any depth to the exploration - the majority of monarchs/events are lucky to get more than a paragraph. There is a section every so often that sets out a brief timeline of notable inventions or developments, but ultimately there's just not enough substantive content to make it worthwhile.
Similarly, the humour is... meh. There are a lot of asides and knowing eye rolls, but for a book seemingly aimed at a younger audience it doesn't quite feel right. And there are other comments and phrases used that, while not overtly offensive, do feel quite dated. For example, there are a few references to monarchs potentially being gay which don't come across very well any more, as are certain references to women and other nationalities.
The illustrations are quite good, but again are very reminiscent of Martin Brown's drawings in the HH books. Indeed, at one point I went to check that it wasn't the same illustrator!
Ultimately, this was something of nothing, and I'd say that HH learned from and improved the format greatly. But, if this was indeed the inspiration for HH, I have to be grateful for it!