Blast from the Past

by Ben Elton

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757	10	31,785	(3.21)	3
It's two fifteen a.m., you're in bed alone and you're woken by the phone. Your eyes are wide and your body tense before it has completed so much as a single ring. And as you wake, in the tiny moment between sleep and consciousness, you know already that something is wrong. Only someone bad would call at such an hour. Or someone good, but with bad news, which would probably be worse. You lie there in the darkness and wait for the answer machine to kick in. Your own voice sounds strange as it tells you that nobody is there but that a message can be left. You feel your heart beat. You listen. And then you hear the one voice in the world you least expect . . . your very own Blast From the Past.… (more)

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Not his best, not his worst. I read this in a single sitting which was quite appropriate as the action takes place during the course of one night. There were some good laughs - notably a thinly veiled attack on the 'Little Chef' chain of roadside restaurants, and some extended monologues that read like one of Elton's stand-up shows. The plot was a bit too shallow for my liking though, and I figured out how it was going to end by about the halfway mark. (

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jayne_charles | Aug 29, 2010 |

The novel features an American general and a group of protesters and is very funny. (

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CarolKub | Jun 22, 2010 |

While I usually enjoy reading Ben Elton, this is the book I have enjoyed the least. Not to say that I didnt like, but I usually class Ben Elton as easy reading and this was harder work. Jack Kent's long expositions on the state of America and the army were my least favourite aspect of the book. While they gave weight to the character, they felt dragged on in the narrative to long. I did however enjoy how the main action of the book took place in one night, but moved through Jack and Polly's shared and seperate history. Would not re-read and it wouldn't be my first recommendation to a friend who wanted to get into Elton. Too political for my tastes in easy reading. (

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_doodle | Mar 20, 2010 |

Ben Elton never disappoints. Deals with US v British military in the 90s, stalking from the viewpoint of both stalker and victim, protesting in the '70s with humour and accurate observation in language that makes you see and feel exactly what he means. Clever man. (

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reeread | May 2, 2009 |

komische thriller met Bridget Jones gehalte (

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Mireille4m | Mar 31, 2008 |

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For Sophie

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It was 2.15 in the morning when the telephone rang. Polly woke instantly.

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Parsons, Tony

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Blast from the Past (novel)

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It's two fifteen a.m., you're in bed alone and you're woken by the phone. Your eyes are wide and your body tense before it has completed so much as a single ring. And as you wake, in the tiny moment between sleep and consciousness, you know already that something is wrong. Only someone bad would call at such an hour. Or someone good, but with bad news, which would probably be worse. You lie there in the darkness and wait for the answer machine to kick in. Your own voice sounds strange as it tells you that nobody is there but that a message can be left. You feel your heart beat. You listen. And then you hear the one voice in the world you least expect . . . your very own Blast From the Past.

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