Rating: 
Summary: Can't Stop Reading...
Review: I'm about half way through Hugh Laurie's novel "The Gun Seller" and putting down the book to write this review was a challenge! One of the funniest books I've ever read, effortlessly witty with an instantly engaging plot. Laurie tends to loose a little of his narrative charm when he attempts to sound too much like a novelist is supposed to sound, but this is a small complaint for one of the best novels I've read in some time. Finally, a novel that's hilariously funny without being either over-the-top or dumbed down. Ok, that's it, I have to go finish this chapter (seriously, get the book, it's great!)
Rating: 
Summary: Bertie Wooster, Author Extraordinaire!
Review: If you're a Jeeves & Wooster fanatic, as I am, then you can't help but love this book! It's really a comedy--a farce that clearly is meant to be respectful of the Wodehouse tradition--that keeps a spy thriller-type plot afloat while the main character pokes ironic fun at himself and at those who take themselves too seriously.
Hugh Laurie is so talented! As an actor, his delivery and sense of comic pacing are second to none--and here's a book that displays the same talents that Laurie has brought to television, movies, and the stage. You can easily see Bertie Wooster as the title character Thomas Lang, and his writing is sophisticated, full of variety, and funny as can be! Once you've discovered Hugh Laurie, you'll find his successes in other media and buy yourself years of prolonged life from so much laughter.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant style, gasp-out-loud funny.
Review: I'm not a big fan of the action novel or the spy genre, generally, and it's all too rare that a comedic novel actually thrills. This jaunty (yes, jaunty) read clears all these hurdles in a single bound of fantastic storytelling. Laurie's expert comedic timing and brilliant phrase-turning are so exhilarating that the plot hardly matters: from the opening sentence you can't wait to read more. As it happens he's pretty good at plot, too, stringing together scenes like so many ridiculously shaped beads that, once finished, make a really quite festive sort of garland.
It's too bad this book got no visible publicity here in the States; it could have done really well, and then he might have gotten an advance to write the next one. I'll buy two copies, whenever it's published.
Rating:
Summary: Summary and Review for SF
Review: Hugh Laurie sets his novel, "The Gun Seller," as a spy genre in contemporary England. The main character is Thomas Lang, a somewhat anti-hero gun for hire nice guy. The writer immediately introduces Mr. Lang who is already in trouble with his arm about to be broken and a quick decision to be made on how to break away from a dangerous situation. Also, in the beginning of the story, Mr. Lang meets and is somewhat attracted to Sara Woolf, and he has to use his wits and quick thinking to explain a combination of circumstances to prevent her from calling the police. Sara Woolf is the daughter of Alexander Woolf, and to make matters more complicated, Mr. Woolf happens to be the person who gets Mr. Lang into all kinds of trouble in the first place. As the book continues, we see that Mr. Lang gets involved in a lot more than just being a hit man even though he is a gun for hire. Each time Mr. Lang attends meetings in coffee shops and a bar about the job Mr. Woolf wants him to perform, he becomes just as confused and reluctant as the previous time. In addition, the explanations behind the characters' backgrounds and the people whom Mr. Lang knows, seem to make his adventure all the more dangerous. The nature of his work is made that much worse by being a story about arms dealing with a top-secret helicopter. Along the way, Mr. Lang encounters some more people like Murdah and others who don't make the situation any better by forcing him to do the wrong thing and threatening to kill him and Sara Woolf if he doesn't comply with them. Finally, Mr. Lang meets up with Ricky and Francisco, and they all end up in a sticky situation together while trying to prevent a lot of fatalities. "Lang's out to save the leggy lady he has come to love...and prevent an international bloodbath to boot".
"The Gun Seller" is Hugh Laurie's first novel, and I would recommend reading it. Although Laurie's book is generally good, it does have a couple of flaws. The author could have shortened his book from 339 pages and limited his lengthy number of characters. The main characters include Thomas Lang, Sara Wolf, Mr. Woolf, Benjamin, Francisco, Murdah, Ricky, and a couple of others. There are too many characters to follow in the way this book is written because the characters seem to interact at least two at a time with Mr. Lang which adds to some confusion as the plot thickens. However, the book is definitely good; it's a refreshing new take on the spy genre because it doesn't take itself too seriously even in times of danger. Laurie's sense of humor is observational, similar to what one finds on "Seinfeld," and the reader finds this right from the get-go. "His name was Rayner. First name unknown. By me, at any rate, and therefore, by you too." Laurie's humor reveals itself, "I have good, warm, non-arm-breaking relationships with plenty of people who are ten years older than me." This almost comic book style spy novel takes place in England, and "The Gun Seller" seems to be written during the present war/terrorist time although Laurie wrote the book in 1996, prior to 9/11. The novel provides some perception into what it would be like if the U.S. were the supposed terrorist, the bad guys. Even though Laurie could have limited his book from 339 pages, it is still original enough because of his writing style, and he makes it entertaining so you won't have a hard time reading it. The writing is narrative and comes from an everyman type of style. "In fact I took several deep breathes, because what I now wanted to do to Russell Barns might result in me not breathing again for quite a while." Laurie continues, "He was still watching me, testing me for some reaction, some weakness." The main character, Thomas Lang, is an anti-hero because he is a gun for hire or hit man but if he didn't say what he did, the reader would think that he was a teacher. Lang might not be the best teacher, but he would be a decent one because of his reasoning skills.
This novel jumps out of the gates in the thick of a dangerous situation for Mr. Lang, "Imagine that you have to break someone's arm. Right or left it doesn't matter." This grabs the reader from the beginning, and it encourages one to continue reading. Even though "The Gun Seller" starts off great for this first time novelist, Laurie kind of drags it on too long around the middle of the story, so it gets slightly boring as the characters spend a lot of time sitting around and talking to each other. Things pick up again when Mr. Lang crashes his motorcycle. Finally, the action picks up when Mr. Lang, Francisco and Rick try to prevent casualties in a very dangerous scene. With action, comedy, arms dealing, some rogue CIA agents and wannabe terrorists, this book isn't a must read but it definitely wouldn't hurt.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable Ride from Start to Finish
Review: When we meet James Fincham he's about to get his arm broken. He is amusingly philosophical about it, actually, as he is about most of his dangerous undercover adventures. By the end of the first chapter his assailant lies unconscious on the floor and Fincham's arm is intact. Only his name isn't James Fincham, it's Thomas Lang, and though he's the good guy, he was the one breaking and entering. A former member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Lang is now a private investigator who's had an offer he can refuse. He'll have other offers, some from attractive females that he won't refuse and others from secret service agents and wealthy criminals that he has to think twice about (because to refuse could cause an international incident and harm to at least one of the attractive females).Being a huge fan of Stephen Fry's books, and of much of the acting work he and Hugh Laurie have done together (Jeeves & Wooster; Blackadder) I fully expected to enjoy this book, and I'm happy to say that I did so, thoroughly. While "The Gun Seller" is a serious suspense thriller, complete with motorcycle chases and a healthy requisition of flying bullets, it's by no means a terribly dark one. Laurie's sense of humor and facility with the English language are a joy on every page. This one's a can't miss!
Rating: 
Summary: Unmemorable
Review: Not really the up-to-snuff, top drawer Brit humour we expect from Hugh Laurie. I'm writing this 6 months after reading the book, and really I remember very little of the book. "Unmemorable" must be my final thought.
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