The Mouse on the Moon

This book, by Leonard Wibberley, is now fifty years old. It is a silly, fast read, but with some clever satirical bits. I got it as a discard from the public library in the town where my grandparents lived, so I have probably owned it for nearly 30 years. I keep trying to pitch it out, but then have "one last read" and it ends up back on my shelf.

The character I like best is (unsrprisingly) the Count of Mountjoy, head of government of the Duchy of Grand Fenwick, a community of 5,000 souls ucked in along the French/Swiss border. He is a brilliant statesman and diplomat, who cunningly arranges a loan from the USA in order to send a rocket to the moon, install indoor bathrooms in the castle, and buy the Duchess (Gloriana XII, may she live forever) a full length Imperial sable coat.

The book has some great lines.
( Read more... )