Big Trouble

I, like the previous reviewer, bought this book with Amazon reviews in mind, but I wasn't disappointed! I enjoyed how each character unfolded and, with each turn of the page, began to fit the jigsaw that was unfolding before my eyes. This book was not meant to be taken seriously and I certainly refrained from doing so. It is quite obviously meant to be so absurd as to be unreal, but with some very funny characters to boot.
I'm glad I read it and I'll certainly try other books by Mr Barry. I just hope his non-fiction is as good!


Totally Forgetable   March 4, 2001
I eagerly awaited the delivery of this book having read the Amazon reviews. When it arrived I was even more convinced "I laughed so hard I fell out of a chair" it said on the back cover attributed to Stephen King. I wonder if this is the same Stephen King who is credited under the Acknowledments for his advice to the author. I finished this book three days ago and all I can say is that it was totally forgetable and lightweight. No nore Mr Barry for me I'm afraid


Where's the irrepressible Barry humour?   December 27, 2000
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

I admit that "Big Trouble" is really only Barry's inaugural stab at fiction, and so there should be some leniency involved when commenting on it, but the Barry comedic lunacy is substituted by eccentric characters and profoundly laughable situations. It would be a large improvement to see the film of "Big Trouble" starring Tim Allen, than to go out and read the novel; he's attained the characters, but there aren't any characterisations--getting inside his protagonists' heads, and to tell the truth the plot is more flimsy than an elastic rubberband. It's supposed to be of the Tarrantino-Guy Rithcie plot persuasion, with situations being created by those akin to Carl Hiassen, Elmore Leonard, Ben Elton, Robert Llewellyn, etc. but the humour isn't there, and more often than not, neither is the wit. It's entirely preoccupied by giving us American satire on modern Miami, and to someone who lives in Australia, I'm totally indifferent towards it--in other words, I don't terribly give a toss. There are certainly memorable moments, but it is rather a disappointment; it seems that it is an inerudite movie screenplay than anything resembling a novel, and the conclusion involving Snake is utterly cliche--I mean, what else *can* happen to the antagonist on an aircraft above an ocean with a plane door open, eh? Possibly the only real laugh-out-loud segments of the entire novel were the Acknowledgements and the Epilogue, which must represent something, especially when the only two characters within the entire novel that I enjoyed were Ronald the dog and the Enemy Toad. I'd suggest Barry remains in non-fiction.


An enjoyable romp aimed rather obviously at a film contract   April 14, 2000
A good read which I thoroughly enjoyed even though it did come across as a rather self-conscious effort. I had a slight feeling that he daren't allow any let-up in the breathless pace and humour in case his creation fell through a hole in the floor. The whole thing has a rather two-dimensional cartoon quality is but blessed with the cartoonist's talent for bringing us well-visualised mayhem. Might be a good movie at that! If he eases up and tries less hard next time, he could find that missing third dimension.


This guy is funny   April 7, 2000
This guy is funny. He has a rare talent for hitting the comic nail on its head. This book, however, is dismal. Sure, there are plenty of great one liners, but the characters and the narrative are so dreary you forget that it's supposed to be humour. It's just not enough to lace a lazy plot with the odd observational crack. There's nothing approximating tension, drama, or momentum, and it wanders off in all sorts of unconvincing directions. It's easy to see what he's trying to do but he's so far off the pace of Elmore Leonard and Carl Hiassen that he shouldn't have started the race.