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M T McGuire
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Few Are Chosen: Comedic sci fi (K'Barthan) Paperback – August 29, 2010

by M T McGuire (Author)
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 239 ratings
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The Pan of Hamgee isn't paranoid. There must be some people in K'Barth who aren't out to get him. Unfortunately, right now, he's not sure where they are.

His family are dead, his existence is treason and he does the only thing he can to survive -getaway driving. As if being on the run isn't bad enough, he finds a magic thimble. He decides to keep it, which can only mean trouble. Sure enough, it does. He unwittingly sets himself on a collision course with Lord Vernon, K'Barth's despot ruler.

The Pan is forced to make choices and stand up for his beliefs. It's a challenge, since previously he had no beliefs he was aware of. Faced with a stark moral dilemma, he realises his new found integrity may even stick ... if he can stop running.

Written in British English with some light swearing: Suggested cinema rating, PG: first book in a series of 4
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 4
    K’Barthan Series
  2. Print length
    288 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Hamgee University Press
  5. Publication date
    August 29, 2010
  6. Dimensions
    5.83 x 0.65 x 8.27 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1907809007
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1907809002
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hello there,
I'm M T McGuire. I grew up half way up a down but now I live in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk with my family and a huge, hairy cat called Chewbacca. (Mwah ha ha haargh. You thought I was going to say 'pussy' didn't you?)
I write humorous fantasy fiction. If I came to stay at your house, I'd be the one who checks the wardrobe in your spare room for a gateway to Narnia. That's probably all you need to know about me really.
If you've read my writing, thank you, I hope you enjoyed it.
If you like my stuff and want to be kept up to date with what I'm doing you are welcome to visit my website and blog at hamgee.co.uk. I tweet sporadically too (mtmcguireauthor).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hamgee University Press (August 29, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1907809007
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1907809002
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.83 x 0.65 x 8.27 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 239 ratings

About the author

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M T McGuire

M T McGuire

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Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

M T McGuire enjoys the real world but wouldn’t want to live there full time. That’s why she writes books. She grew up, or at least got bigger, halfway up a windy down in Sussex. Her home was also the first location choice for Hogwarts in the Harry Potter films, so maybe it’s not so strange that she’s ended up writing spec-fic. Perhaps there’s something in the water up there, apart from chalk.

After a short stint as a stand up comedienne, M T sat down, got married and moved to East Anglia. She now lives in Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, with a McOther, a McMini, a McCat and a selection of very silly cars. She hasn’t found a way to make any of the cars fly, and none of them is fitted with ordnance, but she and her team of evil scientists are working on that.

M T would like to be able to tell you she's an NY Times best selling author but that would be lying. Some of her books have won Wishing Shelf Awards though, a bronze and a silver.

Despite being over fifty now and supposedly an adult, M T checks all unfamiliar wardrobes for a gateway to Narnia. She hasn’t found one so far but lives in hope.

If you've read any of her stuff, she'd like to say, 'thank you' and hopes you enjoyed it.

Her blog is at http://www.mtmcguire.co.uk and she's MTMcGuireauthor on twitter.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
239 global ratings
I'm a little teapot.
5 Stars
I'm a little teapot.
As an author of PG humor myself? I must publicly admit (with no small degree of envy), I'm a little teapot. (Brilliant - well written - funny as all get out - original premise...just bloody good fun.) Hic.
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Top reviews from the United States

L. or R. P.
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun read
Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2024
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This was a fun engaging completely silly but believable story which I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend. Much like a new version of the old school science fiction I enjoyed as a youth.
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LAZ
4.0 out of 5 stars but in the end a funny story with wonderful writing skills
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2015
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It's almost 5 stars, but the story is somewhat protracted and could use editing to speed the things up, The humor takes some time to develop, but in the end a funny story with wonderful writing skills. Parallel world sci-fi and some religion satire on top.
One person found this helpful
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TriciaReads
5.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable
Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2014
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The Pan of Hamgee is just trying to get by. Blacklisted, he turns to a life of crime in order to survive. As the getaway driver for the Mervinettes, he comes across an artefact obtained during the robbery that puts his life in more danger than it usually is. The tiny thimble means big trouble for The Pan. Will it be the key to the ultimate escape act, or is it the key to his past and future?

This novel is pure fantasy. Or is it? There's a bit of science fiction happening in the intricate world McGuire has created. There's something for everything here--fast cars (well, snurds), high-speed chases, heroism, humor, portals, evil villains, honest criminals, and fantastical beings of every sort of description. The book is incredibly well-written and unique. From gripping the edges of my Kindle to laughing out loud, I was thoroughly engrossed and entertained the entire time I read this book.

I absolutely adored The Pan. He's such an unlikely hero. Indeed, he insists throughout the book that his cowardly nature is what makes him a top notch getaway driver and escape artist. He continuously underestimates himself, insisting he isn't anything special. The character that really surprised me was Big Merv. At the beginning, he's a typical (well as typical as an orange Swamp Thing can be) gangster, running his sleazy operation with an iron fist, threatening to thump anyone who gets in his way, masterminding bank robberies. But, as the story evolves, we discover Merv is a loyal, honest criminal who holds tight to a moral code of ethics. Then, we meet Ruth--an ordinary human caught up in K'Barth's battles. Is she The Chosen One, or has Lord Vernon made a mistake?

Few Are Chosen is peppered with unforgettable characters, innuendo, humor, and fast-paced action. I'm so glad I read this book and can't wait to grab the next book in the trilogy.
2 people found this helpful
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constant reader
5.0 out of 5 stars There’s a theory that anyone who wants to write good comedy should spend a little time doing stand up
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2015
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There’s a theory that anyone who wants to write good comedy should spend a little time doing stand up. Learn timing, comedic attitude, and all the rest. MT McGuire, the author of Few Are Chosen, tells us that she been a stand up comedian, and her timing and comedy are spot on in this great fantasy novel.

Our hero is The Pan of Hamgee, kind of an anti-hero really, who lives in a parallel universe where the normal every day land of K’Barth has been taken over by bad guys called Grongles. They run the place waiting for someone to pass a series of tests and be CHOSEN as the legitimate long-term ruler. Of course the current ruler, a GRONGLE called Lord Vernon, is working ruthlessly to get the job for himself. If you cross him you get blacklisted, which almost always assures a short and unpleasant life. The Pan on the other hand has been blacklisted for 5 years for some very petty offense, and yet he’s still around, hiding out in an upper room in a pub called the Parrot and Screwdriver, being cared for by two sweet, elderly women who may have more important connections than they are willing to admit.

One night, The Pan is captured by a group of thieves headed by a green swamp thing called Big Merv. The Pan is about to be dumped into the river in cement shoes, when he convinces his captors that they need him. His argument? Anyone who has been blacklisted for 5 years knows something about escape or at least running away, and so he will make a great driver for their get-away car (actually their get away snurd... a car that can fly and is overloaded with features from weapons to artificially intelligence.). So, Big Merv spares The Pan and makes him his get away driver.

From there on it’s a series of deadly encounters: confrontations with the Grongolian police, an epoch heist from the Bank of Grongolia, a face to face confrontation with Lord Vernon, meetings with secret messengers, philosophical reflection on the wisdom of the K’Barthian prophet, Arnold, and the eventual identification and saving of the true Chosen one.

Through it all The cowardly, but somehow heroic, Pan manages to talk his way out of far more trouble than he can run away from, giving us a really enjoyable read in the process. I can’t wait to dive into the other books in the series and find out how it all works out.
3 people found this helpful
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C. S. Boyack
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice bit of fun
Reviewed in the United States on July 27, 2014
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This one reminded me of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It has the same style and sense of fun about it.

It's nice to see a main character who isn't a muscle bound hero type. The Pan of Hamgee is a coward and readily admits it. He survives by running away, and it makes for a refreshing character. Mix the Pan up with gangsters, secret police, and an oppressive ruler and let the fun begin.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Tim Wadman
5.0 out of 5 stars A fun light but engrossing read.
Reviewed in Canada on January 28, 2016
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I've picked up the first in a variety of series of books but this is the first in a while that got me to spend money on the second. An imaginative blend of science fiction with a little bit of fantasy. A hapless hero...ish hero and a smattering of jabs at current day society. A light and fun read overall. I'd sooner read this series than surf the internet or watch Netflix.
One person found this helpful
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C. M. Donaldson
5.0 out of 5 stars The Pan of Hamgee cracked me up...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 6, 2014
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At first I thought what the hell is The Pan of Hamgee, and more precisely what is a Hamgean? (Obviously I hadn't read the prequel). Then you let your mind do a quick brain flick into fantasy mode and it all starts to become clear. The Pan is a hapless, hopeless creature, and you can’t help but start to enjoy a completely unconventional and original fantasy tale riddled with humour about his desperate exploits and antics.

When he initially burnt down his employer’s apartment by accident, and feared a dirt-nap with concrete boots amongst the fishes (Big Merv is a highly feared gangster after all) and yet managed to escape, The Pan had me hooked. You couldn’t help but root for him.

How many incidences can one person find themselves in where they are pursued, threatened, beaten up, incarcerated then they flee, get caught again, manage to escape, get caught again by an adversary worse than the last one, take another thrashing and still survive another day is beyond me, but that’s the sum of The Pan’s existence. He is nimble, quick and tricky, and he’s also a self-confessed coward who has made his ability to escape tight situations (usually of his own doing) into a fine art. Trouble is, he often falls from the frying pan (no pan pun intended) into the fire, and as an outlaw anyway, there is a price on his head and many who would claim his hide for the reward. He’s not very good though at keeping out of trouble, and his mouth engaging before his brain is partly the root of all his woes. And that is what made this novel all the more amusing, and amazing.

I loved this story and read it avidly night after night, wondering what kind of ‘doo-doo’ The Pan would find himself in next. I also loved the inclusion of strange artifacts, appliances and flying vehicles, and the discovery of a unusual portal. This story is set in a parallel universe and I was blown away by the imagination of the author. Thus, I have already sought out the sequel and continue to enjoy the antics of The Pan as his troubles escalate. The story has been described in the many reviews this has received, so I won’t go into it at length suffice to say it's just a brilliantly intriguing story with a great deal of imagination surrounding the quest to find The Chosen One, with creatures from different planets and a great deal of humour thrown in.
2 people found this helpful
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Graeme Rodaughan
5.0 out of 5 stars Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and now M. T. McGuire.
Reviewed in Australia on June 29, 2016
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Douglas Adams, Terry Pratchett and now M. T. McGuire.

The UK has another excellent SF/Fantasy Comedy Author, if you enjoyed the work of Adams and Pratchett - then get this book, you will love it.
One person found this helpful
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paultbear
4.0 out of 5 stars read em all
Reviewed in Canada on May 20, 2016
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A nice light read and it has the irony funny bits just right. Similar in overall tone to Terry Pratchett. Good Read, although the tendency towards trilogies and tetrologies and pentologies gets tiring with the hook for the next volume just a little too obvious and prevents the book from being stand alone.
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Roughseas
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read whatever your fictional preferences
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2014
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This is a great book. Simple as that.

Ironically, it's not the sort of book I would normally have picked up, I don't like sci-fi, and fantasy has to be good to attract my attention. But, this book doesn't just dip in and out of those categories, it's also adventure and full of humour and satire, all wrapped up with the author's fantastic imagination. I'm sure MT McGuire could make a physics text book humorous.

Her characters are diverse and excellent, with an equally strong hero and villain. What is wonderful about the reluctant hero is, that we know he will always escape, well, we hope he will, but how will he do it? And MT has created a fine baddie in Lord Vernon. Not a single scruple or an iota of conscience. No-one escapes from Lord Vernon.

I've read this book over and over, and still can't help laughing when I get to the end. Truly Funny. I totally recommend this book.
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