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Niel Bushnell
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Tobin Artichoke and the Queen of Heaven (The Tail of Tobin Artichoke Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Niel Bushnell (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 out of 5 stars 26 ratings
When an ancient artefact – The Queen of Heaven – is discovered in amongst the junk at a flea market, Tobin Artichoke and his decapitated brother Drake find themselves on a quest that takes them from London to a secret cave under a nuclear power station, to Hell, the Afterlife and beyond, as they try to find the artefact before it falls into the wrong hands. For the mythical Queen of Heaven is the key to possessing all of creation, including every soul on Earth.

In a race against time, Tobin becomes the reluctant representative of a distracted deity, and the fate of all humanity rests in his hands. But Tobin couldn’t care less about other people, and saving every living soul might just be the death of him!

Tobin Artichoke and the Queen of Heaven is the first book in a new urban fantasy series. If you like Douglas Adams, Robert Rankin and Terry Pratchett then you'll love this quirky adventure from award-winning author Niel Bushnell
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  1. Print length
    238 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Accessibility
    Learn more
  4. Publication date
    September 27, 2018
  5. File size
    2.7 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This book was like riding a roller coaster at light speed in a pitch black caves! Magnificently written and I can't wait to start the next adventure." - Michael R. Slezak, Amazon review"It is a work of exceptional craftsmanship. Niel's metaphors are so accurate, so new, and so hilarious. The characters are adorable and unique, each one. The plot twists and turns in totally unexpected ways; I never saw what was coming. Amazing." - David Myers, Amazon review

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07H98L3Z8
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Magic Number Books
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 27, 2018
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.7 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 238 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 out of 5 stars 26 ratings

About the author

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Niel Bushnell

Niel Bushnell

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Niel Bushnell is an award-winning science-fiction and fantasy author based in the north-east of England.

As well as writing a number of Doctor Who audiobooks, Niel is the author of the Arkship Saga, a science-fiction series set in the distant future after the Earth has been destroyed along with the rest of the solar system in a cataclysmic event known as the Fracture. He is also the author of two time-travel children's books called Sorrowline and Timesmith, and a Young-Adult novel called Altitude.

An accomplished artist and animator, Niel has worked in the creative sector for over twenty years, across film, TV, online, games, advertising and publishing.

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
26 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book's characters well-developed. The fantasy elements receive positive feedback, with one customer noting how the story involves interdimensional worlds.

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Character developmentFantasy
3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book.

"Well developed characters. Nicely thought out storyline. Overall a very good read...." Read more

"...grasp all the disjointed aspects of this book and the unique character at it's core, Tobin Artichoke...." Read more

"...The characters are adorable and unique, each one. The plot twists and turns in totally unexpected ways; I never saw what was coming. Amazing...." Read more

3 customers mention "Fantasy"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the fantasy elements of the book, with one customer noting it involves interdimensional worlds.

"...It's an interesting world that seems to be based somehow on ours (jokes, references, etc.),..." Read more

"...has placed on you starts to make you feel comfortable and the fantasy makes sense and you become comfortable reading the book...." Read more

"This genre is very different from my scifi interest. It is a work of exceptional craftsmanship...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • KenH
    4.0 out of 5 stars Great First Book
    Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well developed characters. Nicely thought out storyline. Overall a very good read. What it needs is more included "background" more "milieu development". It's an interesting world that seems to be based somehow on ours (jokes, references, etc.), but we're not sure how the fantasy elements are connected to the 'real world' elements. Hopefully the next books in the series will provide that background in more detail.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Robert C. (Sanjisdad)
    5.0 out of 5 stars This author is CERTIFIABLE!
    Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    You really need to know what you are getting into before you buy this book. This is NOT an arkship saga for which the author is well known..

    This story involves interdimensional worlds, magic, fairies, spells, etc. In fact the main character has a brother who has been decapitated and survives in a glass fishbowl type apparatus that has legs that provide him locomotion. This is all matter of factually mentioned by the author where everyone knows that you don't have to read a book to gain its knowledge - you can just eat it!

    So as you read the first few chapters you will feel uncomfortable and lost - as someone else said, like Alice in Wonderland. Then the3 spell the author has placed on you starts to make you feel comfortable and the fantasy makes sense and you become comfortable reading the book. Then it starts to all make sense to you and the next thing you know, you have finished the book and have a craving for more!

    So now you have been warned! This author is certifiable - he is certifiably good!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Spoke36
    4.0 out of 5 stars Alice in Wonderland runs into Dante's Inferno
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2018
    Format: Kindle
    This is a humorous fantasy in which a carved stone chess piece called the Queen of Heaven plays the central role.

    Several people get to look at and talk about the chess piece leading to a day long motor trip from London to Hartlepool. A shop owner allows them in and finds a Faerie tunnel (as in a rabbit hole in Alice).

    The book is laced with witticisms like "Tobin felt the weight of his age press down on his chest like a pregnant elephant on a pogo stick." (Chapter 9) These asides set the book apart from the norm.

    We visit Hartlepool which is located at the conjunction of a Faerie Ring, a leyline and a nuclear power plant, conditions just fright for magic and fantasy.

    The pace picks up as we watch Tobin, representing the creator of the universe, play a chess game against an entrepreneur who has operates the devil's franchises. The devil, Bill Muloch, wants to control both heaven and hell. And Tobin was not familiar with the rules of chess piece movements.

    So there is plenty of magic all of which leads to a follow-on book in the series.

    After some initial confusion as the Queen Of Heaven rune changed hands, the pace of the book pick up. I started to appreciate Niel Bushnell's wordsmithing. I had no trouble accepting Tobin's escape from a sealed room or realizing that a massive waste dump could be converted to some tiny amount of benign dust.
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  • Bill
    3.0 out of 5 stars Not my cup of tea
    Reviewed in the United States on December 10, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I just really didn't like the main characters and the descriptions the author used seemed forced like he was simply trying to be clever and edgy. It was a little like Alice in Wonderland meets The Hobbit only it was the worst parts of both.
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  • Michael R. Slezak
    5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening experience that left me hooked to this series!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I am usually not a fan of fantasy sci-fi works and the only reason I even tried to read it was because I totally enjoyed the Arkship saga of books. I read this book 3 times to finally grasp all the disjointed aspects of this book and the unique character at it's core, Tobin Artichoke.
    Bushnell developed the Tobin character in what appears to be a very disjointed manner, but in retrospect it is done brilliantly because you really get a feel for what Tobin is really about.
    This book was like riding a roller coaster at light speed in a pitch black caves! There were many turns in the track and plot twists that you get no warning about till you are in the middle of it.
    Magnificently written and I can't wait to start the next adventure. I proudly award this work 5 Stars!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Judy
    4.0 out of 5 stars Different and Unusual
    Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2018
    Format: Kindle
    This was a mash up of adult metaphors and descriptive passages reminiscent of a 10 yr old boys bathroom jokes. The plot had so many twists and turns I got dizzy. The characters were unique and strangely endearing in some cases (Drake) and most were not what they seemed. I found certain passages to be disgusting and others to be funny and entertaining. Even though I am ambiguous about this book I find that I am interested and curious enough to start the next one. Go figure.
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  • David H Myers
    5.0 out of 5 stars This Is So Much Fun!
    Reviewed in the United States on September 28, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This genre is very different from my scifi interest. It is a work of exceptional craftsmanship. Neil's metaphors are so accurate, so new, and so hilarious. The characters are adorable and unique, each one. The plot twists and turns in totally unexpected ways; I never saw what was coming. Amazing. This is a must-read, no matter what your preferred tastes are
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • bonnie DALE keck
    3.0 out of 5 stars kindle unlimited
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2018
    Format: Kindle
    kindle unlimited, 0 seems to be a prequel & only thru signup but not positive, wasn't bad but had to keep stopping to read other things, just too much weirdness only semi connected, and say that as someone who reads urban fantasy type that has all sorts of things in it and as someone who reads comedy so something missing, for me, at least. Don't see 0 menioned but will list it at very bottom with this one.

    When an ancient artefact – The Queen of Heaven – is discovered in amongst the junk at a flea market, Tobin Artichoke and his decapitated brother Drake find themselves on a quest that takes them from London to a secret cave under a nuclear power station, to Hell, the Afterlife and beyond, as they try to find the artefact before it falls into the wrong hands. For the mythical Queen of Heaven is the key to possessing all of creation, including every soul on Earth. In a race against time, Tobin becomes the reluctant representative of a distracted deity, and the fate of all humanity rests in his hands. But Tobin couldn’t care less about other people, and saving every living soul might just be the death of him!

    Tobin Artichoke and the Asylum of Atlantis 0
    Tobin Artichoke and the Queen of Heaven 1
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Top reviews from other countries

  • drnetty
    4.0 out of 5 stars Fun paranormal mystery
    Reviewed in Australia on September 26, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a fun read although there is still violence and gruesome death. But it has to be fun when your sidekick is a head in a jar! The comedy is dark and sarcastic, but it is funny too. A cool paranormal adventure with loads of different mythologies all kicking about together.
    I received an ARC of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review.
    Report
  • Jay Reaperman Arscott
    5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant writing with humour in abundunce
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 30, 2018
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I have read his previous works and found them extremely enthralling page turners. This follows on but with some brilliant humour throughout . I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys sci-fi comedy. And even if they don't they should still get this. Now. What are you waiting for. No really stop reading and click buy
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