Geoffrey McSkimming

I read this in a day, just after the final episode of The Sopranos was screened here, while the federal Minister for Health was impersonating an arrogant callus in his (probably) final days in office. As a finale, Astragals offers less closure but more certainty than the former, and inspires more hope and more sorrow than the latter. In Cairo Jim's world words like 'flabbergast' are part of normal speech, alliteration runs as wild as jungle creepers, similes (all more original than any I'm show more offering here) sprout like hairs in a mole, evil never wins the day but life would be much less interesting if it didn't try. These books have captured and sustained a loyal and ever-expanding following among their intended readership with no boost from awards and little notice in the press -- quite an achievement. show less

This was a really solid start to what promises to be a fantastic--in more than one sense of the word--series from an author whose Cairo Jim books I grew up reading. There's a beautifully eccentric cast of characters, each with their own quirks that really make them come alive. This was a joy to read and I'm looking forward to getting on to the rest of the series.

A very creative and punny set of poems, best suited to confident or older readers. This is the first time I have encountered Geoffrey McSkimming. I would like to read more of his poetry, but sadly this seems to be his only anthology.