Gridlock

Another environmentally-themed novel from Ben Elton. I remember reading it on holiday and thinking....he's being very brave with some of his portrayals of disabled people, and it could get him into bother. Sure enough when I got home I spotted him on the TV being grilled about his book by a disabled journalist who was very definitely not impressed. Not everyone's going to approve, but like I said, he was being quite brave. The humour in this book is superb....from the Global Moritz II Ghia with a 'challenging third ashtray', to the men in blue ovealls in garages who suck their breath in through pursed lips and announce "'sgonnacostyaguvna", it's very very funny, and on that level alone it's worth a read.

Ben Elton's role of creator & writer of "Black Adder", the funniest television series of all time, means that I'm inclined to forgive him for less than brilliant output, which "Gridlock" definitely comes under.

So we've got so many cars on the road, making us all late for work and yet we seem to accept that the situation isn't going to change for the better so we don't try something radical like taking public transport or use cleaner or renewable energy. Obviously Elton throws in a conspiracy and the jokes (sometimes) follow. It also felt like Elton was trying too hard to be the cool, with it person writing about disabilities (I'm neither cool nor with it so I probably didn't use those terms correctly).

I like Ben Elton's books. They always confirm my lack of faith in humanity but at least they are funny about it... As a tree hugger and public transport user I could relate and I sincerely hope that when the gridlock is here people won't demand roads but trains and buses.

Just because words are free and there probably isn't ever going to be a world shortage, doesn't mean one should go about using them willy nilly. Way, way, way too words, Elton's books. Presumably he's being paid by the page.

An interesting read, but not as skillful as his later works in my opinion.

It made me think and laugh out loud more than once.