Neal RabinFlat: An edgy voyage of accidental discovery

From the cover, it was clear that author Neal Rabin was going to take liberties in this 15th-century romp. And yet it was delightful how faithfully he hewed to history and captured the whole putrefaction of the time while giving the characters entirely modern vernacular. The juxtaposition created a sense that people haven’t changed all that much over time, only our hygiene has. Perhaps that was the point.The writing reminded of Monty Python famously not expecting the Spanish Inquisition; again, possibly the point and, of course, as good as comedy writing gets. Only Rabin took it beyond just punchy dialogue to genuinely cinematic storytelling—you felt and smelt the 15th century and when the adventure took us to pristine horizons, maybe you missed the old Moorish Squirrel & Mutton bar scene and guys mistaking the sidewalk for a toilet.Fell in love with El Afortunado—such a delicious character with the multitudes he kept hidden in his long beard. Also loved Doug and was wishing the killer falcon could have enjoyed even more star turns. Doug along with the captain and crew were so clever in keeping the ship afloat amid pirate attacks and raging waters right out of the Odyssey that it seemed contrived for sea dragons to suddenly leap to the rescue, but then there was a suggested resemblance to creatures we know and we had just ventured to the edge of the world, so maybe the adventure unfolded just right!Probably the best pirate encounter in the history of comedic literature and the hat tip to William Goldman’s work was delightful.They say that authors must have been there to write it the way they did. Seems Rabin is an old soul. Brilliant.Sometimes I found new characters being introduced at such a fast clip that it was hard to keep track without paging back a couple of times. Certainly, the palace intrigue and chicanery that launched the plot into the Strait of Gibraltar was difficult to keep straight. But Rabin did set it up well and brought us around in the end—so it was reader weakness, surely.On every other page, a little pearl of wisdom marked this as, well, an important book. For example, when the young man was approaching an aqueous frontier, aka the edge of the world, he asked how he would know when he’d arrived there. The answer came, “The moment when you overhear yourself and the world simultaneously.” Again, brilliant.

I found this book very entertaining. It’s historical in a good way (I’m not always one who loved my history, classes) and the characters are relatable despite them living in the 16th century. So in short, this is a good read, lots of wit and adventure. You’ll really enjoy the journey

Too clever. Way too much dialog. All the characters speak like stand up comedians. Modern mechanical concepts mixed in with a 16th century setting. It does not work.