Reviews for The Enchanted Typewriter

The average rating for The Enchanted Typewriter based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-07-21 00:00:00 Dustin Abolafia After reading Mrs. Raffles a few day back, I was so fascinated by the works of John Kendrick Bangs that I took up some of his other books for reading, and the experience was really rewarding. Despite being one of the most prolific and popular humorists in the late 1800s John Kendrick Bangs is a largely forgotten author these days, yet I found the clever humor that is the signature of his works truly mesmerizing. 'A House-Boat on the Styx' is the third book I have read from the author and it was the most hilarious of the three and often at par with the wholehearted sense of humor that can be observed in the works of such greats like Mark Twain. This book can be seen as a prime example for Bangsian fantasy -a genre, which concerns the use of famous literary or historical individuals in plots and their interactions set partially or wholly in the afterlife - and the rich and intelligent comedy that permeates the narration will leave the reader chucking with pleasure. The book begins by introducing the reader to the arrival of a spanking new houseboat on the Styx, the river that separates Earth and the Underworld. Charon who is the usual ferryman of the Styx is appointed as the new janitor for this houseboat by 'Associated Shades' - one of the swankiest organizations in the Hades made up of every famous historical and mythical figures who has ever died and gone to Styx - and the houseboat is made into a permanent clubhouse for its members. The club has such luminaries from history like Sir Walter Raleigh, Cassius, Demosthenes, Samuel Johnson, James Boswell, Confucius, William Shakespeare and even Baron Munchausen as it's members. And from this setting of a houseboat club thriving with ghosts of historical figures, John Kendrick Bangs creates 11 hilarious short stories, which will remind one of the Drones club and Angler's Rest stories from P.G. Wodehouse. The stories don't have any central theme and relies heavily on dialog-based humor than situational one's as in each chapter the author pits some of the heavyweights of human history in to laughter evoking verbal jostling as they discuss various topics. The verbal comedy, which Bangs generates while bringing historical figures into hypothetical conversations where they take a dig at each other, is seriously of first-class quality and will leave the reader laughing out loud. Members of the clubhouse often making jokes about Shakespeare's works being ghostwritten by other authors and Baron Munchausen entertaining the club members with his incredible tall tales are two recurring and amusing scenarios with in these stories. The last short story of the book describes the mysterious disappearance of the clubhouse on the houseboat, which sets the stage ready for the sequel 'Pursuit of the House-Boat'. An excerpt taken from the short story 'Washington Gives a Dinner' which describes the birthday dinner of George Washington onboard the 'floating palace' can be a perfect sampler for these highly imaginative and hilarious dialogues between the club members of 'Associated Shades'. "There is much in what you say," said Confucius. "But there's another side to the matter. If a man is an aristocrat by nature, as I was, his neighborhood never could run down. Wherever he lived would be the swell section, so that really your last argument isn't worth a stewed icicle." "Stewed icicles are pretty good, though," said Baron Munchausen, with an ecstatic smack of his lips. "I've eaten them many a time in the polar regions." "I have no doubt of it," put in Doctor Johnson. "You've eaten fried pyramids in Africa, too, haven't you?" "Only once," said the Baron, calmly. "And I can't say I enjoyed them. They are rather heavy for the digestion." "That's so," said Ptolemy. "I've had experience with pyramids myself." "You never ate one, did you, Ptolemy?" queried Bonaparte. "Not raw," said Ptolemy, with a chuckle. "Though I've been tempted many a time to call for a second joint of the Sphinx." There was a laugh at this, in which all but Baron Munchausen joined. When originally published in 1895, 'House-Boat on the Styx' was immensely popular and was among the bestsellers in 1896. The book was followed by 2 sequels 'The Pursuit of the House-Boat' and 'The Enchanted Type-Writer' - with both of them being bestsellers - and I look forward eagerly to read them both. Like other works from John Kendrick Bangs, 'House-Boat on the Styx' is loaded full of rich and insightful sharp wit. A classic made out of a perfect potpourri of fantasy, brilliant satire, shades of philosophy and Greek mythology, which makes perfect material for immensely enjoyable lighthearted reading. An interesting trivia about this book: Alan Moore fans will recognize this houseboat from John Kendrick Bangs, as it is the same one, which Moore presents in his graphic novel Promethea.

Review # 2 was written on 2016-09-23 00:00:00 Daniel Jaconetti Wow, I'm amazed and even a tad embarrassed that I have hitherto never reviewed anything by JK Bangs, although I've read several of his works and own a few old editions... I have a hard-bound copy of this book, found in one of those musty "antique" stores that carry lots of dirt-encrusted household junk and by the way in the back have a shelf with a few moldy books that mostly lived in dark, damp, smoke-filled drawing rooms for decades... I read this some years ago, so it's not very fresh in mind, but I recall frequently chuckling, often smiling, and I really liked that Sherlock Holmes is a major, if odd, character. The premise is amusing: a load of dead people thrown together in a the literary equivalent of a sitcom, basically. (A similar premise was used, to very different effect, by Philip Jose Farmer many years later in the series starting with The Fabulous Riverboat. I'm not sure how well Bangs' work stands the test of time for an audience that's never read anything this old, but it's amusing enough to read if you slow down, relax, and don't expect to be overwhelmed by the pace. You can find this in many paper editions, as well as free e-books if you scout around.