Amazon Review
Ned Maddstone has it all. He's handsome and talented; he has the love of a beautiful woman and in 1980, he stands at the brink of a glittering future. He rounds off an outstanding public school career with a sailing trip to Scotland, which is where his fortunes enter a terrifying tailspin. Determined to honour the dying wish of his sailing instructor, Ned returns to London, where the schemes of jealous classmates catapult him into a 10-year nightmare. Confined to a solitary Hell, believed dead by all those who loved him, Ned transforms from a terminally nice guy into a creature bent on revenge, a revenge both satisfying and apocalyptic.

Few writers can deliver so much in one package, but here Stephen Fry combines a riotous satire of the privileged classes with elements of the darkest thrillers. While the plot bounces from the sublime to the surreal, his characters remain acutely real. Ned's classmates, slow-witted hedonist Rufus Cade, and the Machiavellian climber Ashley Barson-Garland--who is aroused by the sight of straw boaters--are masterful creations. This novel has nothing to do with tennis, and everything to do with the cruel logic of Fate. Game, set and match to Mr Fry. - - Matthew Baylis

It is the story of Ned, a schoolboy who has a lovely girlfriend, good looks, intelligence, and is destined for Oxford - the type of person that everyone loves but hates at the same time. A prank played on him by his 'friends' turns horribly wrong, and an arrest over possession of cannabis ends up with him becoming an IRA suspect, and he is sent to an insane asylum to rot. He manages to escape, ten years later, in the 1990s; now a full-grown adult, who has never heard of mobile phones or the Internet. He manages to become a dotcom millionaire, and slowly takes revenge on
those who put him into the asylum when he has the power to do so.

It's quite a tragic story, but entertaining in places too. The only part I was unsatisfied was with the ending (as usual!); it raps up in just a few pages, and I didn't really understand the reasons behind his final decision. Definitely an interesting story, though, and I'd certainly recommend it to others. A very interesting concept, and delightfully written. 4.5/5.



julia (United Kingdom) (2009/07/13):
An enoyable read