Kosmos by Adrian Laing
Flame Tree Press (December 2018)
288 pages; $16.48 hardcover; $10.37 paperback; $6.99 e-book
Reviewed by Frank Michaels Errington
Kosmos is one of the most entertaining original works I’ve read in all of 2018. Considering I’ve read seventy-seven books this year that’s saying a lot.
Having spent a healthy portion of his professional life working in the legal field, Adrian Laing puts his experience to good use in this, his latest novel.
It’s barrister George Winsome’s first case, and as evidenced by the bail hearing for his client, things are not going so well…
Mr. Winsome. Your client thinks he’s Merlin, for goodness’ sake. He is accused of a serious assault. He has no address. We think the police should check with the psychiatric wards of the nearest mental hospitals to see if one of their inmates, sorry, service-users, has escaped. Until we know who he is and where he stays we can’t be expected to put the public at risk by letting him roam at large. Your application is refused, Mr. Winsome. Next case, please.
Despite the fanciful nature of the story, the author manages to keep the reader believing. Why not? As readers, we’ve been believing in Merlin in one form or another for centuries. But the trial of Merlin and its outcome is only half the story. The tale of what happens with Merlin, George, and his girlfriend, Heather Armstrong, after the trial, is every bit as whimsical and imaginative as the trial itself.
Expect the unexpected at every turn of the page. Kosmos is a story like no other. Completely different, charming, and an enormous amount of fun.
100-percent recommended.
