Lionel Asbo

Lionel Asbo - a very violent but not very successful young criminal - is going about his morning duties in a London prison when he learns that he has just won GBP139,999,999.50 on the National Lottery. This is not necessarily good news for his ward and nephew, the orphaned Des Pepperdine, who still has reason to fear his uncle's implacable vengeance. Savage, funny, and mysteriously poignant, "Lionel Asbo" is a modern fairytale from one of the world's great writers. "Martin Amis's Lionel Asbo made me laugh (as any novel driven by incestuous relations with your grandmother should) and then feel ashamed for that laughter (as any novel driven by incestuous relations with your grandmother should)." -- James Kidd Independent "It's a Big Mac made from filet mignon... It is a book of lovehate. It is a powershake. And the biggest joy is that Amis seems to find himself (and finds us, by extension) loving the thing he loathes... So let's give thanks that Martin Amis was bad enough and brave enough to write it" -- Nicola Barker Observer "This is still a Martin Amis novel, full of tense, fugitive moments...had me roaring with laughter." -- DJ Taylor Independent "Being an Amis novel it's not without the odd good joke, and he is, of course, incapable of writing and inelegant line. (It's almost as if he alone can sense both the golden ratio of a sentence, and its perfect rhythm: it's like he's Michelangelo and Keith Moon)." -- David Annand Sunday Telegraph "As soon as you begin this novel, it is clear that Amis does indeed love his monstrous invention, Lionel Asbo. Lionel is a fantastic brute... Amis's delight in the incorrigible is genuinely Dickensian... This is a verbally inventive comedy...to be enjoyed in the same spirit as Little Britain... It's a hoot." -- David Sexton Evening Standard