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Before & After [Mass Market Paperback]

Matthew Thomas (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Book Description

That rare find: comic fantasy that actually makes you laugh. Douglas Adams10;Terry Pratchett, but with more jokes. A dark, deadpan millennial tale. 'The sheep shall be the first sign. Those that frolic and hop will detonate with great concussions, The strongest glues will not hold them, their suffering will go unheeded, Until the Great Triangles depart' From the Lost Centuries of Nostradamus: Quatrain v11.5 So it begins: the end of the world. The Apocalypse is at hand, afoot, in your face -- wherever -- it's going to affect you, mentally and physically. Ask Colin the sheep about it and he'd probably say 'BOOOM!' which isn't very helpful but then he has just exploded. Ask Professor Michael D. Nostrus, history teacher at a redbrick university and formerly the sometimes-vaguely-accurate prophet Nostradamus, and he might give you a piece of advice along the lines of: hole up in a Welsh farmhouse with an attractive young woman and read books like THE SAS SURVIVAL GUIDE: KILL SQUIRRELS THE WAY THE PROFESSIONALS DO. Some people think he's mad...Professor Michael D. Nostrus knows better. After all, he's had 500 years to work out what to do...

About the Author

Matthew Thomas is a young British writer, 27, who works as a flight simulator graphics designer. Before and After is his first novel.

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Customer Reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
16 reviews
4.6 out of 5 stars
Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Exploding sheep couldn't get any funnier.. Dec 7 2004
By "ellstar"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
This is a book I recommend to anybody from the age of 12 and up. I read this book 5 years ago and still keep a copy on me wherever I live. It's enjoyable to read over and over because of the many jokes and allusions that you miss the first few times. And if not for that, just to relive certain favourite segments from the story.

A wonderful choice for the holidays for somebody with a bizarre sense of humour and an appreciation for philosophy, history and the paranormal.

The back cover sums it up perfectly. If you enjoy this you'll love the book.

"THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS...

The sheep shall be the first sign.
Those that folic and hop will detonate with great concussions,
The strongest glues will not hold them, their sufferng will go unheeded,
Until the great Triangles depart."
From the Lost Centuries of Nostradamus: Quatrain v11.5

...NOT WITH A BANG BUT WITH A BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-OOOM!

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3.0 out of 5 stars Silly Social Satire Mar 11 2004
By Dr. Christopher Coleman
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Matthew Thomas is writing in the British comedy tradition of Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett, Robert Rankin and even Monty Python. It's comedy that works on various levels, with some sophisticated social commentary but also lots and lots of pure silliness. For example, Thomas postulates the Second Law of Thermotheology: '...the Multiverse is awash with faithons, the smallest measurable particle of belief. When enough sentient beings concentrate these sub-belief particles into one particular form the new god appears in a flash of fidelity and in full accordance with the Laws of Conservation of Conviction.' And like the aforenamed commedians, Thomas's wit is particularly aimed at the right--I certainly don't mind that, being a liberal myself, but I suppose there are readers out there who simply won't find their opinions being mocked very funny. Thomas is very English, too, so in order to get all of the references it helps to be an Anglophile--I missed more than a few.

I enjoyed Before and After, but I have to admit that I was also put in mind of a Saturday Night Live skit that goes on too long for the material. Clearly I'm in the minority of reviewers here, but at about page 200 I started to wish he'd just get on with it, and by about page 300 reading had really become a chore. The book went on for another 125 pages and I gamely stayed with it for the resolution of the plot, but the humor had pretty much played itself out by that time. Odd that, for me, the battle of Armageddon was an anticlimax. I hope that Thomas adopts the old show biz addage from now on: Always leave 'em wanting more. Myself, I wanted less...

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5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent Humor Finally Wins Out! Jan 14 2003
By "lemonlife"
Format:Mass Market Paperback
The level of humor, and biting wit in this book that unabashedly makes fun of all peoples could not be more refined and perfected. Thomas is not only humorous, but makes profound statements about history, its' perception, humans in general, and religion. I picked up this book origionally in France because the cover and brief description on it caught my eye. The short statement speaks volumes, "A novel about exploding sheep, Nostradomus and the end of the world", and that is exactly what it is. One of thebest moments in the book is Nostrus' description of the Black Plague and it's more social aspect which cuts to the heart of the truth of humanity, proving Thomas' ability to be both humorous and intelligent all at once. A superb read I have passed along to all my friends, who all look at me with surprise when Colin, the sheep, explodes, then thank me for my contribution to the enjoyment in their lives with new found respect. Buy and enjoy for it is worth the delay for shipping!
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Most recent customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny
I love this book and I can't wait for Mr. Thomas to publish another! I was particulary interested in the Welsh aspect of the book: prophetic Welsh cakes and the bumbling... Read more
Published on Jan 16 2001 by A. Webber
4.0 out of 5 stars Most imaginative read I've ever experienced.
When I began reading this book and encountered the exploding sheep, I thought for sure my friend Garry Klettke who had given me this book had completely lost his marbles. Read more
Published on July 6 2000 by "miss_caprice"
5.0 out of 5 stars I love it!
This book is brilliant! I am sitting here bleary-eyed after not being able to put it down last night! What a story! Read more
Published on Mar 13 2000
5.0 out of 5 stars True British Humour with a Twist
If you're looking for something that's funny in a twisted sort of way, this is a must-read. Thomas has an amazing ability to capture the essence of things in bizarre imagery and... Read more
Published on Mar 3 2000
4.0 out of 5 stars Is he for real?
I tried to tell my friends how funny this book is, but they just looked at me in wonder. I believe that this piece of work deffinetly deserves readers that understand its... Read more
Published on Feb 11 2000
3.0 out of 5 stars mediocre
Alright, so I was another fella who fell for the cute cover. Before and After is a unique book (like semi-fantasy). Read more
Published on Feb 8 2000 by Kaede
5.0 out of 5 stars around the world
I picked this book up in Greece and I couldn't put it down. Eventually I had convinced so many people that it was worth reading that I began a "traveler's reading list. Read more
Published on Aug 17 1999
5.0 out of 5 stars A Funny And Brilliant book for the new Millenium
Matthew Thomas has written one of the best books that I have read this year, and I have read quite a few! Read more
Published on Jun 23 1999 by s9701321@chelt.ac.uk
4.0 out of 5 stars I hope this is only the beginning for Matthew Thomas...
A fine first attempt from Matthew Thomas. His writing could do with a little spit and polish here and there, and he could avoid the occasional overlong (to the point of clumsy)... Read more
Published on Jun 18 1999 by Warren Loveridge
5.0 out of 5 stars gr8 book, has the same kind of humor as Daglas Addams
this book is about the end of the world as we know it, yet it is funny in a kind of fashion which was the domain of Dagglas Addams in the "Hitch Hiker to the galaxy" till... Read more
Published on May 29 1999
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