"Mr. Deacon used to say nothing spread more ultimate gloom at a party than an exuberant manner which has roused false hopes."

I have remarakably little to say on this novel, the 8th in Powell's series. We're now into the depths of WWII, which impacts on the lives of Jenkins, Stringham, the Lovells, and many others. Heights of both Powell's comedic and delicate tragic skills achieved. The real success here is Widmerpool - perhaps the only character to have appeared in every novel thus far, alongside Jenkins? The oaf has become a monster. ( )

I think I may have made a mistake in getting into the "Dance" group of books with this one instead of starting at the first in the series; it's a bit like walking into a play in the second act. A lot of interesting set-pieces in this story set in the early years of World War II, though at times the book did seem confusing, with a need to get a scorecard to keep track of it all. ( )

More military hi-jinks, which I found very funny. There's not as much poignancy in this one, as good bureaucratic humour and fun characterisation. It's one of the shorter books in the series (220 pages in the edition I read), which might explain the fact it's not as deep as some of the others. Some of Powell's more noticeable quirks of style (such as the unique use of colons) have been reined in by this point, which is a bit of a shame, but he's nevertheless a very stylish writer. ( )

A couple of surprises here, as expected. Lots of coincidental meetings, as expected. And incredible characters. These books seem to get better with each one. ( )

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